My, what a strange week did COVID wraught! It stretched seven days from Thanksgiving Day to Wednesday evening, and saw two teams dig deep into their rosters to be able to field a team. The QB-less Broncos looked like you'd expect, but the ragtag patchwork of second stringers and practice squad members marshalled by the Baltimore Ravens nearly upset the highly-vulnerable unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers. That performance was atrocious by Pittsburgh and brilliant by Baltimore, so (overriding my own computer-calculated app) I am dropping the Steelers from the top of the Power Rankings (really, a top-ranked team should have performed better against such a hodgepodge team -- just look at what New Orleans did!) and boosted the Ravens.
Team Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) [2] : The Chiefs had their hands full against the Bucs, but that team can be dangerous. Offensively, there still isn't a team better.
2. New Orleans Saints (9-2) [3] : Although the Saints certainly could give KC a run for their money. Shutting down the depleted Broncos offense was easy; scoring 31 points on their defense took skill.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-0) [1] : Unfortunately the gap between the top three and the rest of the rankings is too large to push Pittsburgh down any lower. Really, tonight's game was an embarrassment!
4. Green Bay Packers (8-3) [5] : The Bears normally stiff defense couldn't stop the Pack
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-5) [6] : Look at what they can do with a bunch of second stringers and practice squad players who got almost no time to practice together!
6. Miami Dolphins (7-4) [8] : Nice game, but it was against the Jets, so does it even count?
7. Indianapolis Colts (7-4) [4] : They couldn't stop the big plays of the Titans. Back to drawing board for the defensive backfield.
8. Tampa Bay Bucs (7-5) [7] : This team could be better, but they have to work on their consistency. They can be brilliant one week and then stink the next.
9. Tennessee Titans (8-3) [12] : Commanding win over the Colts to seal the lead in the division
10. Seattle Seahawks (8-3) [11] : Had some trouble with the Eagles, but they do know how to finish a game well.
11. Los Angeles Rams (7-4) [9] : Came up short in their rivalry game against the 49ers
12. Arizona Cardinals (6-5) [10] : Their offense had some trouble getting going against the Patriots. Kyler Murray still needs some work.
13. Buffalo Bills (8-3) [13]
14. Cleveland Browns (8-3) [16] : They allowed too much scoring by the Jaguars, who have the second worst record in the league
15. San Francisco 49ers (5-6) [15] : Great win over the Rams to keep the 49ers in postseason conversation
16. Atlanta Falcons (4-7) [24] : What? How did they sneak in here? How about by engineering the most dominating performance of the week by manhandling the Raiders, that's how.
Divisional Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC West [1] : It's now close, as only 1/2 of a point separate the top three divisions. The NFC West has all of their teams in the upper half of the league's power rankings, though, which is not an easy feat.
2. AFC North [2] : The losers looked good and the winners didn't, but you still can't knock the potential talent among these teams.
3. NFC South [3] : With Atlanta's strong win, only Carolina has a negative point differential.
4 (3-way tie). NFC North [5] : Minnesota and Green Bay look good, and Detroit has their moments. I'm hoping the Bears defense will bounce back.
4 (3-way tie). AFC East [6] : Strong wins by the top three teams. The Jets continue to drag them down.
4 (3-way tie). AFC South [6] : Houston had a nice win, and the Titans and Colts are threats.
7. AFC West [4] : Let's face it -- this division is basically the Chiefs, although the Raiders occasionally get some life. This will be the first divisional crown, and it could happen this week.
8. NFC East [8] : Do I have to keep including them?
Week 13 picks
Sunday early games
Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins : The Bengals just can't seem to muster enough power to make it through an entire game. While this game may be close early, the Dolphins will pull away in the second half. DOLPHINS, 27-17
Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans : The Browns have had a good year, but the Titans just have a bit more strength. This game could go either way, though, depending upon the arm of Baker Mayfield. TITANS, 30-26
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears : Ah, the Bears have a team with an offense struggling as much (or perhaps more) as they are. A return of the Bears defense should assure victory. BEARS, 26-20
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans : The Texans are starting to get some life, but their defense is still off the rails. The Texans do tend to play better against divisional opponents, though, so this game will be closer than it deserves. COLTS, 27-23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings : The Jags have been showing some life signs of late, and Cousins has been making some bad decisions, but the Vikings defense will be too much for Jacksonville. VIKINGS, 27-16
Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets : The Raiders need a victory to remain in the hunt for the division crown. Fortunately, they battle the absolute WORST team in the league. They'll survive for another week. RAIDERS, 24-6
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons : The Falcons offense came alive last week, so the Saints defense has to stay alert. The Falcons defense, however, will have their hands full with mobile quarterback Taysom Hill. SAINTS, 31-20
Sunday late games
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals : On paper, these two teams are pretty well matched. The Cardinals have been playing extra tough against divisional opponents, however, and I think they will do that again. CARDS, 26-23
New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers : The Chargers are a team that can keep games close, but they have trouble closing them out. Not a problem for the Patriots and Coach Belichick. PATS, 24-21
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks : At the time I am writing this, the health of Giants QB Daniel Jones is in question. If he doesn't play, this will be a rout. Even if he does play, the Seahawks will likely win. Maybe he should rest an extra week. SEAHAWKS, 23-10
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers : The Pack offense is just too fast for the Eagles secondary. PACK, 30-17
Sunday night
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs : The Broncos have to face another high-powered offense. Will they have an actual quarterback cleared to play? Uncertain at this time. CHIEFS, 34-6
Monday
Washington (this space left intentionally blank) at Pittsburgh Steelers : COVID gives us another unusual scheduling fluke - a Monday afternoon game. Since the Steelers only just played on Wednesday night, the league gives them some room to breathe, and moves their Sunday game to Monday afternoon. More time for Washington to rue their fate. STEELERS, 27-17
Monday Night Football
Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers : The 49ers play a home game in Glendale, Arizona because Santa Clara, CA is off-limits to outsiders due to wide-spread coronavirus. Will the move make it hard for the 49ers? Probably not, but the dry desert air may help the loft on Bills QB Josh Allen's passes. BILLS, 24-23
Tuesday night
Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens : And the other game pushed back due to tonight's Wednesday COVID delay finds a ramshackle Cowboys team facing a ragtag Ravens team. After what we say tonight, though, there is no question that the Ravens have the upper hand. RAVENS, 20-13
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