Updated NFL Team Power Rankings: Week 12
Top 10 NFL Teams heading into Week 12
Boston Mountain Publishing, Thursday. November 24, 2022 8:08 AM
We have ranked the Top 10 NFL teams as Week 12 starts today with 3 big games on tap for Thanksgiving Day.
NFL TEAM POWER RANKINGS
Heading into Week 12 of the 2022 NFL season, we already have several teams in a position to start talking about playoff appearances. The Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Minnesota Vikings have at least 8 wins and have a decent chance at securing a playoff spot over the next few weeks.
Leading their division by at least 2 games:
AFC South - Tennesse Titans
AFC West - Kansas City Chiefs
NFC East - Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North - Minnesota Vikings
The NFC South, NFC West, AFC East, and the AFC North have the tightest divisions to date and it may be a few weeks before a leader emerges. Teams in these divisions are separated by a game or less and the division title may come down to the final week of the regular season. With divisional games on the horizon, the December schedule will create separation between many teams.
#10 - CINCINNATI BENGALS 6-4
AFC NORTH
QB Joe Burrow leads the Bengals offense and is currently ranked 3rd in the league with 2,890 passing yards adding 22 TDs with 8 interceptions. He has a 69.1% completion rate for Cincinnati. His top target was WR Ja'Maar Chase who led the Bengals with 605 yards with 47 receptions and 6 TDs until he went down with a hip injury a few weeks ago. WR Tee Higgins has emerged as the leading receiver since Chase went down.
- Ja'Marr Chase has been working to come back this weekend from his injury, but it hasn't been ruled official. It's trending towards playing.
RB Joe Mixon gets the majority of snaps out of the backfield and is averaging 3.83 yards per carry for 605 yards on the ground to go along with 6 TDs.
The offense has completed 261 passes and they have run the ball 246 times.
LB Logan Wilson leads the team with 40 tackles and S Vonn Bell has 4 INTs on the year.
Cincinnati faces two division leaders over their next 2 games. Winning 1 of the 2 will be critical if they want to keep up with the Ravens in the AFC North.
Upcoming Games:
Sunday November 27
Cincinnati Bengals
@ Tennessee Titans (7-3)
Sunday December 4
Kansas City Chiefs (8-2)
@ Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday December 11
Cleveland Browns (3-7)
@ Cincinnati Bengals
#9 - TENNESSEE TITANS 7-3
AFC SOUTH
Coming off back-to-back wins, the next two games will give us an idea of how this Titans team plays against the better teams in the league starting this Sunday against the Bengals at home. Tennessee's three losses have come against the Giants, Bills, and Chiefs, all ranked in this week's Power Rankings. If the Titans can score 24 points in a game, they have a decent chance to win.
Their Defense has given up just 2 rushing TDs which ranks 1st in the NFL, and they have only given up 822 yards on the ground, the 2nd fewest in the league. Their secondary ranks near the bottom in yards allowed through the air and have allowed 18 passing TDs.
RB Derrick Henry leads the league with 1,010 yards rushing and has 10 TDs on the ground.
Upcoming Games:
Sunday November 27
Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)
@ Tennessee Titans
Sunday December 4
Tennessee Titans
@ Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
Sunday December 11
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7)
@ Tennessee Titans
#8 - NEW YORK GIANTS 7-3
NFC EAST
The Giants do not throw the ball very much having attempted the 4th fewest passes in the league, but when QB Daniel Jones gets the call to throw the ball, he completes 65.1% of his passes. He has thrown 9 TDs through the air. He threw the most passes of any game this season during last weekends loss against the Lions. Jones also has 4 rushing TDs this season.
RB Saquon Barkley is leading their rushing attack, ranking 2nd in the league with 953 rushing yards while adding 6 rushing TDs. He also has 31 receptions for 210 yards receiving.
The New York defense has recovered 10 fumbles which is tied with Seattle for the most in the league.
Their schedule over the next 5 games looks difficult. They have 4 consecutive divisional games and then travel to Minnesota the day before Christmas. Starts today with the Cowboys on the road.
Upcoming Games:
Today @ 4:30/3:30(c) FOX
New York Giants
@ Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
Sunday December 4
Washington Commanders (6-5)
@ New York Giants
Sunday December 11
Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
@ New York Giants
# 7- MIAMI DOPLHINS 7-3
AFC EAST
The Dolphins have won 4 in a row and are tied atop the AFC East division with the Bills. Early in the season, QB Tua Tagovailoa and back-up QB Teddy Bridgewater both went down with concussions which called attention to the NFL protocols related to head injuries. Fortunately, both QBs have returned and have helped the team recover from their mid-season losses.
Miami traded for RB Jeff Wilson Jr. and they will lean on him down the stretch. He had a great game on Sunday, 119 yards on 17 carries and 1 TD.
WR Tyreek Hill leads the league with 81 receptions and 1,148 yards receiving.
They will need to win this weekend as the schedule gets tougher in December. They close the year with 3 out of 4 divisional games in the strong AFC East where 1 game separates all 4 teams.
Upcoming Games:
Sunday November 27
Houston Texans (1-8-1)
@ Miami Dolphins
Sunday December 4
Miami Dolphins
@ San Francisco 49ers (6-4)
Sunday December 11
Miami Dolphins
@ LA Chargers (5-5)
#6 - BALTIMORE RAVENS 7-3
AFC NORTH
The Ravens have won 4 in a row and look to make it 5 after this weekend.
QB Lamar Jackson is the 14th best rusher in the league with 666 yards on the ground while adding 3 TDs for the Ravens. He is also 7th in the league in passing TDs with 16 on the year. The offense revolves around his decisions.
The Raven's running game is ranked 3rd in the league with 1,628 yards on the ground and they are averaging 5.4 yards per carry, 1st in the NFL.
TE Mark Andrews has been the top target of Jackson, catching 48 passes for the Ravens to go with 5 TDs.
The Ravens D has 11 INTs on the year (S Marcus Williams has 3) ranking 4th in the league. They rank 3rd in the league giving up only 864 yards on the ground. They have recovered 7 fumbles on the year.
The next 6 games for the Ravens offer the opportunity to jump ahead in the division as all of the teams on their schedule are at or near the bottom of their division. Baltimore has the easiest schedule on paper of all teams in playoff contention.
Upcoming Games:
Sunday November 27
Baltimore Ravens
@ Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7)
Sunday December 4
Denver Broncos (3-7)
@ Baltimore Ravens
Sunday December 11
Baltimore Ravens
@ Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7)
#5 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS 8-2
NFC NORTH
After a Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings won 7 games in a row until meeting up with Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. The Cowboys embarrassed the Vikings Defense winning 40-3 last Sunday in their worst game of the year. Minnesota is still leading the NFC North and are up 4 games on the 2nd place Detroit Lions in the division.
QB Kirk Cousins has completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,461 yards, 8th best in the league. He has thrown 14 TDs and 8 INTs. He has also been sacked 27 times this year.
Dalvin Cook is leading the Vikings out of the backfield, ranking 6th in the league with 799 rushing yards and 6 TDs on the ground.
Justin Jefferson has caught 72 passes and is currently ranked 4th in the NFL while also scoring 4 TDs for the Vikings receiving corp.
The defense has 26 sacks on the year, 10 INTs, and 8 fumble recoveries. They are led by LB Jordan Hicks who has 83 tackles and S Harrison Smith who has 4 INTs out of the secondary.
The Vikings are 4 games up on the Lions in the NFC North with 7 games to go in the regular season. They hold the largest lead of any team within their own division.
The game of the day will be the Vikings at New England today. The Vikings need to bounce back after last week's embarrassment, and the Patriots need to stay near the top of the tight AFC East division.
Upcoming Games:
Today 8:20/7:20(c) NBC
Minnesota Vikings
@ New England Patriots (6-4)
Today's Game Preview
Sunday December 4
New York Jets (6-4)
@ Minnesota Vikings
Sunday December 11
Minnesota Vikings
@ Detroit Lions (4-6)
#4 - BUFFALO BILLS 7-3
AFC EAST
QB Josh Allen has led the Bills offense, throwing for 2,930 yards, 2nd in the league. He has a 64.7% completion rate, passing for 21 TDs along with 10 INTs to date.
WR Stefon Diggs is the top target in Buffalo, ranking 2nd in the league with 76 receptions, and 3rd with 1,033 yards to go with 8 TDs.
FS Jordan Poyer is leading the team with 4 INTs on the year.
The Bills Defense has 28 sacks to date, and they are tied for the lead with the Eagles in the league with 13 INTs.
K Tyler Bass has made 21 FGs this season, 2nd in the league.
Ok stay with me: After traveling to Detroit for a home game to play the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bils stay in Detroit to take on the Lions for today's game on the road in Detroit.
December presents a tough stretch for the Bills, so a win today will certainly help in the closely contested AFC East division because following this weekend, they face back-to-back-to-back division rivals.
Upcoming Games:
Today 12:30/11:30(c) CBS
Buffalo Bills
@ Detroit Lions (4-6)
Thursday December 1
Buffalo Bills
@ New England Patriots (6-4)
Sunday December 11
New York Jets (6-4)
@ Buffalo Bills
#3 - DALLAS COWBOYS 7-3
NFC EAST
The Cowboys are coming off a dominate performance last weekend against Minnesota winning 40-3 on the road. They were in control throughout the game, in all 3 phases of the game: offensively, defensively, and special teams.
WR CeeDee Lamb is leading the team and is ranked 9th in the league with 58 receptions and ranks 11th with 751 yards to go with 5 TDs this year.
The Cowboys' passing defense is ranked 3rd in the league, only allowing 5.6 yards per catch to go with 7 INTs. They have only given up 5 rushing TDs and 11 passing TDs.
Remember when Dak was out earlier in the year and his replacement at QB was Cooper Rush who came in and led this team to 4 wins over 5 games.
We reported 5 weeks ago:
"Their next 4 games are all against teams in the NFC North division. Ironically, this stretch starts with the worst team in the division and ends with the best team in the division. Every game matters if you are playing in the NFC East this year and the Cowboys will need to run the North if they want to compete for the East."
- Complete!
Big matchup today at home for their annual Thanksgiving Day game going against their division rival the New York Giants who are also 7-3 on the year and tied with them for 2nd in the East.
Upcoming Games:
Today @ 4:30/3:30(c) FOX
New York Giants (7-3)
@ Dallas Cowboys
Sunday December 4
Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1)
@ Dallas Cowboys
Sunday December 11
Houston Texans (1-8-1)
@ Dallas Cowboys
#2 - KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 8-2
AFC WEST
The Chiefs have won 4 in a row and are coming off a close win over their division rival the LA Chargers 30-27 last Sunday. Kansas City has put up the most points in the league so far this year, but their Defense has given up the 2nd most points and the 8th most yards in the league this year to opposing teams.
QB Patrick Mahomes is 1st in the league, passing for 3,265 yards with a 66.2% completion rate. He has thrown 28 TDs and 7 INTs to date.
His top target is TE Travis Kelcey who leads the team and ranks 5th in the league with 69 receptions for 855 yards and 11 TDs.
Their defense has given up the 2nd most TDs, and they have given up the 3rd most first downs to opposing offenses through the air in the league.
Although the secondary is questionable, they do much better against teams that run the ball, holding opposing running backs to only 6 TDs and they have only given up 1,006 yards on the ground to rank 5th in the league.
Teams are throwing the ball more against KC, so the defense will need to lock up or the offense will need to just score points.
The Chief's schedule does get a little easier over the next 4 weeks and with the momentum they have going, Kansas City should continue their winning ways. The next two games are against the defending champs and then on the road against a stingy Bengals D which should be entertaining.
Upcoming Games:
Sunday November 27
Los Angeles Rams (3-7)
@ Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday December 4
Kansas City Chiefs
@ Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)
Sunday December 11
Kansas City Chiefs
@ Denver Broncos (3-7)
#1 - PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 9-1
NFC EAST
The Philadelphia Eagles are leading the league through Week 11 and with 7 games in the regular season remaining, the Eagles could have the opportunity to secure a playoff spot next weekend on the road against the Titans if they can win at home against Green Bay this Sunday.
The Eagles started the year 8-0 and were the only team that remained undefeated in the NFL through Week 9, but a loss 2 weeks ago to their division rival the Washington Commanders, their chance at a perfect season which hasn't been accomplished since the Miami Dolphins in 1972 came to an end.
They followed up the loss with a close win over the Colts this past Sunday, down 10 heading into the 4th quarter against the Colts, they fought back for the win 17-16 which shows the character of this Philly team. The Eagles need to win this weekend against the Packers because their schedule doesn't get any easier over the next couple weeks.
QB Jalen Hurts has thrown for 2,407 yards, 15 TDs to 3 INTs and has a 68.3% completion rate. He has also added 440 yards on the ground to go with 8 TDs.
Miles Sanders is leading the Eagles rushing attack, ranking 9th in the NFL with 757 rushing yards and adding 6 TDs on the ground.
The Eagles are leading the NFL with 18 rushing TDs.
WR DeVonta Smith is the top target with 51 receptions and 3 TDs.
WR AJ Brown is leading the Eagles WR's with 785 yards and 6 TDs.
LB T.J. Edwards leads the defense and ranks 5th in the league with 96 tackles.
CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson is leading the league with 6 INTs.
Upcoming Games:
Sunday November 27
Green Bay Packers (4-7)
@ Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday December 4
Tennessee Titans (7-3)
@Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday December 11
Philadelphia Eagles
@ New York Giants (7-3)
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