The Lions are on a tear and fighting for a playoff spot. Photo courtesy of ESPN.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) –
Struggled early but picked it up soon after and earned a hard-fought victory. This week they head to Dallas for the game of the week on Christmas Eve, where they may not have Jalen Hurts with them, as he is nursing a sprained shoulder.
2. Buffalo Bills (11-3) –
A great win where they stepped up and won a close game, which they have struggled with in the past. They were led by an outstanding performance from their superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) –
Down 17-3 at halftime, they were able to dominate in the 2nd half and came back and won 34-23. They are a real Super Bowl contender.
4. San Francisco 49ers (10-4) (↑1)
Brock Purdy was efficient, Christian McCaffery had a huge game, and the defense dominated. Even with Brock Purdy, it seems they can still contend.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) (↓1)
Struggled with a bad Texans team, but was still able to earn the victory in overtime.
6. Dallas Cowboys (10-4) –
The offense moved the ball well, but Dak continues to struggle with taking care of the football, and ultimately they lost the game on a walk-off pick 6. The defense allowed the Jaguars to storm back, and they must adjust heading into a huge game vs the Eagles and into the playoffs.
7. Minnesota Vikings (11-3) (↑1)
Came back from a 33-0 deficit at halftime and won the game, which was impressive, but not every opponent is the Colts. Not many opponents will allow a comeback from 33-0.
8. Miami Dolphins (8-6) (↑3)
Although they lost, it was a close game in which they played well, for the most part, and proved that they can play in cold weather.
9. Baltimore Ravens (9-5) (↓2)
Only able to put up 3 points on the board. Hopefully Lamar Jackson returns this week because they need him.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) –
Earned a low-scoring victory over the Titans. Nothing special, but good to stay in the win column.
11. New York Jets (7-7) (↓2)
In Zach Wilson’s return there was some good and some bad, as he made some very good throws, but also took some bad sacks and had a crucial interception. The defense was not as good as I thought they would be in this game and could not slow the Lions offense down enough.
12. Detroit Lions (7-7) (↑3)
This was an impressive win over a talented Jets team and they are now back at .500 and in the hunt.
13. New England Patriots (7-7) –
Fought hard to get back into the game after being down 17-3. They were on the unlucky side of the Keelan Cole TD call, which was a bad one because his foot was out of bounds. They could have gone to overtime, but we all know what happened.
14. Washington Commanders (7-6-1) –
They were close to earning a victory but were on the wrong side of poor officiating.
15. Seattle Seahawks (7-7) (↓3)
They struggled to stop the run once again and could not do enough against the 49ers defense.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) (↑2)
A huge win for a team that is back in contention for their division title and is playing well lately.
17. Green Bay Packers (6-8) –
They looked solid in their win over the Rams and have a huge test this week in Miami on Christmas Day.
18. New York Giants (8-5-1) (↑2)
Earned a victory in typical Giants fashion and stay in the wild card race.
19. Tennessee Titans (7-7) (↓3)
They have been sliding downhill with their fourth loss in a row. Their lack of weapons remains prevalent.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8) (↓1)
Had a very good first half but a terrible second half. They still may host a playoff game because of their weak division, but this team is not good right now.
21. Cleveland Browns (6-8) (↑1)
A low-scoring victory over the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. Nothing exciting.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) (↑1)
Earned a win on one of the craziest plays in NFL history, but the quality of their play was not great. Nonetheless, a win is a win.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8) (↑1)
A good win where their run defense was great and their offense did enough/
24. Carolina Panthers (5-9) (↓3)
Couldn’t do enough to earn a victory.
25. New Orleans Saints (5-9) (↑3)
Pretty good win for the Saints where the offense was solid and the defense shut down Desmond Ridder, but allowed a ton of yards on the ground.
26. Atlanta Falcons (5-9) (↓1)
Desmond Ridder did not do much well in his first career start.
27. Los Angeles Rams (4-10) (↓1)
Officially eliminated from playoff contention.
28. Denver Broncos (4-10) (↑2)
A Denver Broncos win! Congratulations.
29. Chicago Bears (3-11) –
Kept it close for a while but could not pull off the upset.
30. Arizona Cardinals (4-10) (↓3)
Just trying to get this season over with.
31. Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1) –
What a collapse that was. Up 33-0 at halftime, you cannot lose that game, but they did.
32. Houston Texans (1-12-1) –
Have kept it close now two weeks in a row with much better teams in the Cowboys and Chiefs, but have not been able to pull off the upset.