NFL Week 12 overreactions: Chiefs stay alive, Cowboys shock Eagles
USA TODAY Sports’ Prince Grimes ‘overreacts’ to some of the best games from Sunday’s Week 12 slate.
- The Los Angeles Rams remain the top-ranked team for the fourth consecutive week.
- The Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs both moved up two spots in the rankings.
- The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills are headed in the wrong direction.
NFL power rankings entering Week 13 of the 2025 season (previous rank in parentheses):
1. Los Angeles Rams (1): Hate to say we told y’all − except we love to tell you we told y’all. (We also anointed QB Matthew Stafford as the league MVP in Week 7, but who’s counting … besides us?) This will be the Rams’ fourth straight week in this top spot − largely because there are no weaknesses here … unless Stafford’s back tightens up. Heck, these guys haven’t trailed since Week 6. A stretch run with four of their final six regular-season games on the road could make things more interesting, though.
2. Seattle Seahawks (3): WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on pace for a record 2,029 receiving yards − which is all the more remarkable given Seattle runs the ball more frequently than all but one NFL team … and passes more infrequently than all but one NFL team.
3. New England Patriots (2): Strong argument that multi-talented Marcus Jones is the Pats’ best corner and one of their most valuable players.
4. Denver Broncos (4): A team that relies heavily on its special teams signed K Wil Lutz to a three-year extension Monday − good way to end any bye week.
5. Green Bay Packers (7): A seven-week stretch with five games against NFC North foes − including all three away dates − rolls on Thursday in Motown, hopefully with RB Josh Jacobs back in the lineup.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (5): Much as it feels like this team suffers from self-inflicted wounds, Philly’s six turnovers are the league’s fewest.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (9): Must be horrible being related to a K.C. player. The team is playing on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year … though it might be on vacation by MLK Day given how things have been going, Sunday’s defeat of Indy notwithstanding.
8. Indianapolis Colts (8): A team with the league’s highest-scoring offense couldn’t generate a first down over its final four possessions Sunday in K.C. … but it managed to surrender 33 of them.
9. Detroit Lions (10): RB Jahmyr Gibbs has certainly benefited from Dan Campbell’s play selection − now averaging more than 20 touches, 194 yards from scrimmage and two TDs per game over the past three weeks.
10. Baltimore Ravens (11): The AFC North’s best team? Technically. Apparently. Yet the Ravens have struggled to put away last-place teams for three weeks running. They’ll face another one, Cincinnati, on Thanksgiving night.
11. Houston Texans (13): Yet another impressive component of a top-ranked defense? It has 17 takeaways over the past eight games, a stretch when the Texans have gone 6-2.
12. Buffalo Bills (6): QB Josh Allen has been sacked 17 times over his past four starts on the road. Welcome to Pittsburgh, MVP.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (14): Just a game out of first place in the AFC South, the Jags have four of their final six games against the Colts and Titans.
14. San Francisco 49ers (15): RB Christian McCaffrey is on track for his third season with 2,000 yards from scrimmage and second with both 1,000 yards rushing and receiving − a feat no player in NFL history has managed on multiple occasions.
15. Chicago Bears (16): How balanced is this offense? It has four players (D’Andre Swift, Rome Odunze, Kyle Monangai and DJ Moore) with at least 500 yards and four TDs from scrimmage.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12): This should make ailing QB Baker Mayfield feel better − the Bucs’ upcoming three-game homestand will be against opponents with a collective record of 9-24.
17. Los Angeles Chargers (17): Coming out of their bye, the Bolts’ next two games will be played in front of hordes of Raiders and Eagles fans. After that, the Chargers will hit the road.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (18): Congratulations to T.J. Watt for becoming his family’s all-time sack leader. We’d still pick J.J. atop any Watt draft.
19. Dallas Cowboys (22): QB Dak Prescott has now won 19 consecutive starts against NFC East opponents at AT&T Stadium, but he won’t face another one in North Texas until 2026.
20. Carolina Panthers (19): Rather than capitalize on a prime-time chance to assume first place in the NFC South, they retreated to .500 − and a continued NFC West nightmare with the Rams soon headed to Charlotte.
21. Arizona Cardinals (21): In one sense, this offense has been wildly inconsistent in 2025. In another, it’s scored between 20 and 27 points in every game but one.
22. Minnesota Vikings (20): WR Justin Jefferson’s career average of 93.5 receiving yards per game is the highest in NFL history … and 20 yards clear of what’s been able to produce in 2025 amid the Vikes’ issues behind center.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (23): QB Joe Burrow will apparently make his first start since Week 2 on Thanksgiving night. Whether that’s a good idea, especially as it pertains to Burrow’s health, remains very much unclear.
24. Cleveland Browns (24): If DE Myles Garrett merely averages one sack per game the rest of the way, he’ll finish with 24.
25. Miami Dolphins (25): Still awaiting any flex decisions for a team that remains scheduled to play two more prime-time games.
26. Atlanta Falcons (26): Kirk Cousins really should broker an introduction between Michael Penix Jr. and Darnell Mooney before next season.
27. Washington Commanders (27): Maybe this offense will look a lot better in 2026 when WR Brandon Aiyuk, a former Sun Devil like QB Jayden Daniels, gets plugged into it?
28. New York Giants (30): Maybe they’ve lost a league-most five fourth-quarter leads. But they’ve also managed to convert Jameis Winston into a tight end, which is far more notable.
29. New Orleans Saints (28): They looked good Sunday … meaning their first-ever game while dressed in black head to toe.
30. New York Jets (29): QB Tyrod Taylor’s promotion coincided with the NYJ’s worst rushing output of the season while clinching the franchise’s 10th consecutive losing campaign. That’ll show ’em. Trust the process.
31. Las Vegas Raiders (31): Just coach ’em all by yourself, Pete − it’s basically a Pop Warner squad anyway.
32. Tennessee Titans (32): If you thought a four-game homestand was going to help a team that hasn’t won in Nashville for 13 months … welp.
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