NBA Best Bets of the Day (12/2)
Alex Christenson
It was a wild Week 13 around the NFL. Twelve of 16 games finished within one score. The ones that didn’t included the Commanders going wild on the Titans, Josh Allen having the touchdown of the year in a blizzard game, and whatever in the world that was that happened Monday night. It wasn’t always the best football, but it was generally about as exciting as it could be. Sorting out the teams from there is a tough ask.
Which brings us to the NFL power rankings for Week 14. Our rankings are a composite of five things: DVOA, plus our own Marshall Gershon, Mike Randle, Daniel Kelley and Dane Martinez. (DVOA is the decider if the voting results in a tie.) These rankings will come out every Tuesday morning, after Monday Night Football and after that week’s DVOA update. Rankings are fun, of course, but they are also key for bettors. Check out our NFL Betting Model with the latest data, and our experts put all their top bets into the NFL Bet Tracker.
Check out the team-by-team rankings below, and then at the bottom you can view the full voting breakdown.
NFL Power Rankings Through Week 13
Biggest Risers
Washington Commanders +4 (15 to 11)
Pittsburgh Steelers +3 (9 to 6)
Biggest Fallers
Kansas City Chiefs -2 (5 to 7)
Seattle Seahawks -2 (11 to 13)
Cincinnati Bengals -2 (13 to 15)
New Orleans Saints -2 (21 to 23)
Tennessee Titans -2 (26 to 28)
1. Detroit Lions (Last Week: 1, Average Score: 1.2)
Record: 11-1, +180 point differential
Week 13: Beat the Bears 23-20
Week 14: vs. Green Bay (Thursday)
Would the Lions have fallen much if the Bears hadn’t mangled the clock Thursday? Maybe!
2. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 3, Average Score: 2.4)
Record: 10-2, +102
Week 13: Beat the Ravens 24-19
Week 14: vs. Carolina
The Eagles look just about unbeatable lately. It feels like years ago that Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat.
3. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 2, Average Score: 3.2)
Record: 10-2, +131
Week 13: Beat the 49ers 35-10
Week 14: @ LA Rams
The Bills beat a defending Super Bowl participant by 25 points and drop a spot in the rankings. They’ll have to take solace in Josh Allen being the heavy MVP favorite.
4. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 4, Average Score: 5.4)
Record: 8-5, +65
Week 13: Lost to the Eagles 24-19
Week 14: Bye
This is probably the Ravens’ last chance to lose a game and have the football community still have faith in them. Five losses is a lot.
5. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 6, Average Score: 5.8)
Record: 9-3, +78
Week 13: Beat the Dolphins 30-17
Week 14: @ Detroit (Thursday)
Is Thursday’s game the game of the year? It feels that way right now
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 9, Average Score: 6.4)
Record: 9-3, +72
Week 13: Beat the Bengals 44-38
Week 14: vs. Cleveland
Yes, it was the Bengals’ defense, but seeing the Steelers put up 44 was reassuring. We knew the defense was stout, but if the offense is capable of that it raises the team’s ceiling.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 5, Average Score: 6.6)
Record: 11-1, +54
Week 13: Beat the Raiders 19-17
Week 14: @ LA Chargers (Sunday night)
Once again, the Chiefs probably should have lost but escaped. That can’t keep happening. Unless it can.
8. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 7, Average Score: 7.8)
Record: 10-2, +78
Week 13: Beat the Cardinals 23-22
Week 14: vs. Atlanta
The Cardinals did the old “kick the field goal to go up 6 late” trick that is increasingly (and correctly) falling out of style, and the Vikings made them pay.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 8, Average Score: 8.4)
Record: 8-4, +72
Week 13: Beat the Falcons 17-13
Week 14: @ Kansas City
The Chargers won in Week 13 thanks in large part to Kirk Cousins’ implosion. This week is the big test.
10. Denver Broncos (Last Week: 10, Average Score: 9.4)
Record: 8-5, +71
Week 13: Beat the Browns 41-32
Week 14: Bye
Was Riley Moss that important? The corner missed his first game of the season in Week 13 and the Broncos let the Browns go crazy against them.
11. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 15, Average Score: 11.8)
Record: 8-5, +80
Week 13: Beat the Titans 42-19
Week 14: Bye
Sure, it was the Titans, but the Commanders putting together a full productive game had to be a relief after their recent struggles.
12. Houston Texans (Last Week: 12, Average Score: 12.0)
Record: 8-5, +20
Week 13: Beat the Jaguars 23-20
Week 14: Bye
The Texans could easily be in position to miss the playoffs if they were in a better division. The team has been a big letdown so far.
13. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 13, Average Score: 13.4)
Record: 7-5, +7
Week 13: Beat the Jets 26-21
Week 14: @ Arizona
Seattle got lucky in Week 13. By all rights, their sloppiness on special teams should have cost them.
14. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 14, Average Score: 14.2)
Record: 6-6, +7
Week 13: Lost to the Vikings 23-22
Week 14: vs. Seattle
Arizona had a grip on the NFC West title until they lost their last two in a row, but they could get back to it with a win over Seattle this week.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 13, Average Score: 15.2)
Record: 4-8, -5
Week 13: Lost to the Steelers 44-38
Week 14: @ Dallas (Monday)
Are we overrating the Bengals at this point? Probably — that defense is horrific. But the offense can keep up with anyone, and that counts for a lot.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 17, Average Score: 16.2)
Record: 6-6, +39
Week 13: Beat the Panthers 26-23
Week 14: vs. Las Vegas
Tampa needed a Chuba Hubbard fumble to escape with a win last week, but with the Falcons in free fall, they could still claim the NFC South.
17. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: 16, Average Score: 17.4)
Record: 5-7, -25
Week 13: Lost to the Bills 35-10
Week 14: vs. Chicago
The 49ers are only this high based on pedigree. They’ve lost the last two weeks by a combined 73-20.
18. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 20, Average Score: 17.8)
Record: 6-6, -36
Week 13: Beat the Saints 21-14
Week 14: vs. Buffalo
Is Blake Corum on the rise? The rookie played a career-high 32% of the snaps last week (also setting career highs in rush attempts and yards), while Kyren Williams dropped to a season-low 68%.
19. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 18, Average Score: 18.2)
Record: 6-6, -34
Week 13: Lost to the Chargers 17-13
Week 14: @ Minnesota
It might be premature to jump to Michael Penix Jr. quite yet in Atlanta, but the rope for Kirk Cousins is getting shorter.
20. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 19, Average Score: 19.0)
Record: 5-7, -34
Week 13: Lost to the Packers 30-17
Week 14: vs. NY Jets
Thanksgiving might have been the Dolphins’ last bit of slack. They can’t afford any more slip-ups. Luckily for them, their schedule the rest of the way (NYJ, @HOU, SF, @CLE, @NYJ) isn’t that fearsome.
21. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 23, Average Score: 20.4)
Record: 6-7, -31
Week 13: Beat the Patriots 25-24
Week 14: Bye
The only over-.500 team the Colts have left on their schedule is the Broncos, the team they are chasing for a playoff spot. Could they come back from the bye to a postseason push?
22. Chicago Bears (Last Week: 22, Average Score: 22.4)
Record: 4-8, +1
Week 13: Lost to the Lions 23-20
Week 14: @ San Francisco
Thomas Brown is the “accidentally became important at work and it’s ruining my life” meme come to life.
23. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 21, Average Score: 22.6)
Record: 4-8, -5
Week 13: Lost to the Rams 21-14
Week 14: @ NY Giants
Now Taysom Hill is done for the year. The Saints are running out of players to put alongside Alvin Kamara.
24. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 24, Average Score: 25.2)
Record: 3-9, -90
Week 13: Lost to the Broncos 41-32
Week 14: @ Pittsburgh
The Browns got the full Jameis Winston experience Monday. The good and the bad. They aren’t a good team, but at least they aren’t boring.
25. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 27, Average Score: 25.8)
Record: 5-7, -91
Week 13: Beat the Giants 27-20
Week 14: vs. Cincinnati (Monday)
The Cowboys have won two in a row and, given the Cincinnati defense, they could get to four with the Panthers on the schedule in Week 15. Is it possible they aren’t done-done?
26. New York Jets (Last Week: 25, Average Score: 26.0)
Record: 3-9, -43
Week 13: Lost to the Seahawks 26-21
Week 14: @ Miami
The Jets losing despite the Seahawks gifting them so many points on special teams is just about the nadir. Or at least it needs to be.
27. Carolina Panthers (Last Week: 28, Average Score: 27.0)
Record: 3-9, -149
Week 13: Lost to the Buccaneers 26-23
Week 14: @ Philadelphia
Playing competitive games, Bryce Young looking competent, and still losing to improve draft stock? It’s going about as well as it reasonably could be for Carolina right now.
28. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 26, Average Score: 28.0)
Record: 3-9, -111
Week 13: Lost to the Commanders 42-19
Week 14: vs. Jacksonville
The Titans have allowed the second-fewest yards per game this year for the sixth-most points per game. That feels almost impossible.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 31, Average Score: 28.8)
Record: 2-10, -110
Week 13: Lost to the Chiefs 19-17
Week 14: @ Tampa Bay
The Raiders could have beaten the Chiefs Friday and arguably should have. That said, the team was at 3 points and 172 passing yards midway through the third quarter. It was a good game, but not a complete one.
30. New England Patriots (Last Week: 29, Average Score: 29.2)
Record: 3-10, -86
Week 13: Lost to the Colts 25-24
Week 14: Bye
Drake Maye is drawing warranted excitement. It would be good if the Patriots could start to have other reasons for that as well.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 30, Average Score: 29.8)
Record: 2-10, -111
Week 13: Lost to the Texans 23-20
Week 14: @ Tennessee
Trevor Lawrence likely being done for at least a bit is the final nail in the coffin for the 2024 Jaguars. We’ll see a very different team in 2025.
32. New York Giants (Last Week: 32, Average Score: 31.0)
Record: 2-10, -96
Week 13: Lost to the Cowboys 27-20
Week 14: vs. New Orleans
News came out that the Giants might get Tommy DeVito back for Week 14. Is that … good news?
Check out the full voting below.
