Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL groups. The rankings will take into consideration not simply weekly efficiency, accidents and roster depth, however how nicely every staff measures up as Super Bowl contenders.
Here are the rankings heading into Week 12:
Super Bowl favorites
1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-2, No. 1 final week)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-1, No. 2)
The Most Valuable Player race may already be determined, and it’s not even Thanksgiving. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes put collectively one other unimaginable efficiency Sunday evening, throwing for 329 yards and three touchdowns within the Chiefs’ 30-27 comeback win over the Chargers. After Los Angeles took the lead with 1:46 to go, Mahomes wanted simply six performs to cowl 75 yards by himself, hitting tight finish Travis Kelce for the go-ahead landing with 31 seconds left. With JuJu Smith-Schuster sidelined by a concussion and Kadarius Toney exiting with a hamstring damage, Mahomes’ prime pass-catchers behind Kelce had been tight finish Justin Watson and rookie huge receiver Skyy Moore. It didn’t matter. Kelce deserves simply as a lot credit score, catching six passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns to interrupt the NFL file for essentially the most 100-yard receiving video games by a good finish in NFL historical past (33). With that connection thriving, the Chiefs are the clear staff to beat.
The flawed contenders
3. Buffalo Bills (7-3, No. 3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (7-3, No. 8)
5. Miami Dolphins (7-3, No. 6)
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-3, No. 5)
After letting a late lead slip away in a loss to the Vikings and having their dwelling recreation moved to Detroit due to a snowstorm in Buffalo, the Bills may have had a significant letdown this week. Instead, they restricted one of many league’s greatest dashing groups to three.1 yards per carry in a 31-23 win over the Browns. The largest concern is the offense, as quarterback Josh Allen regarded out of sync once more as he battles by means of a proper elbow damage. He began 4-for-10 for 27 yards however ended the primary half with a 5-yard landing cross to Stefon Diggs to present the Bills the lead for good. Buffalo gained’t be pleased with settling for six area objectives, however it pulled out a much-needed victory that retains it in place to seize the highest seed within the AFC.
The Cowboys made the largest assertion of the week, rolling to a 40-3 win over a Vikings staff that entered with one loss and had simply taken down the vaunted Bills. It was the sort of efficiency that places Dallas squarely within the Super Bowl dialog, given how dominant it regarded on each side of the ball. Quarterback Dak Prescott had one of the vital environment friendly video games of his profession, finishing 22 of 25 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Running again Tony Pollard dazzled, turning into the primary Cowboys operating again with at the least 100 receiving yards and 50 dashing yards in the identical recreation since Emmitt Smith in 1993. Micah Parsons had two extra sacks to steer a protection that completed with seven. This is among the greatest groups within the league, and the numbers show it. Dallas has risen to No. 2 in general effectivity and now has a 13.7% probability to win the Super Bowl, in keeping with Football Outsiders. It may lastly be the Cowboys’ 12 months.
What can we make of the Ravens’ 13-3 win over the Panthers? On one hand, the protection regarded dominant, forcing three turnovers within the fourth quarter and permitting simply 2.1 yards per carry. On the opposite, quarterback Lamar Jackson and the offense struggled mightily, scoring only one landing on 11 significant drives due to a Panthers fumble deep in their very own territory. While Jackson has been with out a number of of his prime playmakers for a lot of the season, together with huge receiver Rashod Bateman and operating backs J.Okay. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, his efficiency has been disappointing. According to ESPN, Jackson’s 49.3 QBR since Week 4 ranks nineteenth within the league. When excluding rushes, it drops to 36.8, which ranks twenty sixth of 30 qualifying passers in that span. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman will not be with out blame, as among the route ideas in Sunday’s recreation had been puzzling, to say the least. The Ravens have seven extra video games to determine the perfect model of this offense to maintain up with the highest contenders within the AFC.
On the cusp of rivalry
7. San Francisco 49ers (6-4, No. 7)
8. Minnesota Vikings (8-2, No. 3)
9. Tennessee Titans (7-3, No. 10)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-4, No. 11)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5, No. 12)
In a 12 months filled with worthy candidates for Coach of the Year, Mike Vrabel deserves a glance. Since beginning 0-2, the Titans have gained seven of their previous eight video games, with the one loss in time beyond regulation to the Chiefs whereas taking part in their backup rookie quarterback. Thursday evening’s 27-17 win over the Packers was one more robust displaying, with quarterback Ryan Tannehill throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns and first-round draft choose Treylon Burks catching a career-high seven passes for 111 yards on an evening operating again Derrick Henry was held in test. Nothing concerning the Titans screams Super Bowl contender, however it is a deep roster that hardly makes errors. They’re going to be an especially robust matchup within the postseason.
The wild playing cards
12. Seattle Seahawks (6-4, No. 14)
13. New York Giants (7-3, No. 9)
14. Washington Commanders (6-5, No. 16)
15. Los Angeles Chargers (5-5, No. 15)
16. New England Patriots (6-4, No. 17)
Is it time to take the Commanders severely? Despite all of the drama off the sphere, this staff is rising as one of many hottest within the NFL. Since quarterback Taylor Heinicke took the beginning job in Week 7, the Commanders are 4-1, together with a 23-10 victory over the Texans on Sunday. While Heinicke has helped the offense take off in current weeks, it’s the protection, particularly a line of defense led by tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, that’s main the best way. Houston is much from an offensive juggernaut, however it solely mustered 2.7 yards per play in opposition to Washington. That protection ought to solely get higher with the return of star defensive finish Chase Young, who was activated to the 53-man roster on Monday. The Commanders have the misfortune of taking part in in one of many hardest divisions within the NFL, however there’s a transparent path to the postseason, particularly if the Giants proceed to slip.
Not performed but
17. New York Jets (6-4, No. 13)
18. Detroit Lions (4-6, No. 27)
19. Atlanta Falcons (5-6, No. 22)
20. Arizona Cardinals (4-7, No. 19)
21. Green Bay Packers (4-7, No. 18)
22. Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1, No. 20)
23. New Orleans Saints (4-7, No. 29)
This is the Lions staff everybody wished to see. After a 1-6 begin, Detroit has gained three video games in a row, together with a dominant 31-18 victory over the Giants on Sunday. It’s the franchise’s first three-game successful streak since 2017, and it’d vault it into the playoff hunt. No. 2 general draft choose Aidan Hutchinson is coming into his personal, recording an interception Sunday to grow to be the primary rookie with at the least two interceptions and 5 sacks in a season since Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard in 2018. With three extra landing runs, operating again Jamaal Williams leads the NFL with 12. Rookie huge receiver Jameson Williams, the twelfth general choose within the draft, returned to follow Monday and will make his NFL debut quickly. This is among the most fun younger groups within the NFL, and it’s lastly beginning to present a few of that potential.
The basement
24. Las Vegas Raiders (3-7, No. 31)
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7, No. 26)
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7, No. 25)
27. Denver Broncos (3-7, No. 24)
28. Cleveland Browns (3-7, No. 21)
29. Los Angeles Rams (3-7, No. 23)
30. Chicago Bears (3-8, No. 28)
31. Carolina Panthers (3-8, No. 30)
32. Houston Texans (1-8-1, No. 32)
Mike Tomlin is headed for his first shedding season as Steelers coach, however there have been some constructive indicators in Sunday’s 37-30 loss to the Bengals. The protection intercepted Joe Burrow twice and bottled up operating again Joe Mixon earlier than he exited with a concussion, whereas the offense lastly confirmed indicators of life behind rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. The first-round choose threw for 265 yards, together with a 24-yard landing to standout rookie huge receiver George Pickens. Running again Najee Harris additionally received again on observe with 90 dashing yards and two touchdowns. The protection nonetheless isn’t taking part in as much as its excessive requirements, however the return of star cross rusher T.J. Watt and an rising offense ought to make Pittsburgh a troublesome staff to minimize the stretch.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com