NFL Week 12 overreaction: Chiefs survive, Cowboys shock Eagles
USA TODAY Sports’ Prince Grimes is “overreacting” to some of Sunday’s best games of Week 12.
- The Los Angeles Rams have remained in first place 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 heading in the wrong direction.
NFL power rankings entering Week 13 of the 2025 season (previous rankings in parentheses):
1. Los Angeles Rams (1): I don’t want to say that I told you all, but I just want you to know that I told you all. (We also named QB Matthew Stafford the league MVP for Week 7, but who else is counting?) This will be the fourth consecutive week the Rams have been in this lead — mainly because they don’t have a weakness here — unless Stafford’s back tightens up. Heck, they haven’t been able to catch up since Week 6. But things could get even more interesting in a long stretch, with four of the final six games of the regular season played on the road.
2. Seattle Seahawks (3): WR Jackson Smith-Njiba is on track to record 2,029 receiving yards. This is all the more remarkable considering Seattle moves the ball more often than all but one NFL team and passes less often than all but one NFL team.
3. New England Patriots (2): A strong case to be made that the versatile Marcus Jones is the Pats’ best corner and one of their most valuable players.
4. Denver Broncos (4): The team, which relies heavily on special teams, signed running back Will Lutz to a three-year extension on Monday. A good way to end the bye week.
5. Green Bay Packers (7): Thursday at Motown, with five games (including away dates) against NFC North foes over a seven-week stretch, with running back Josh Jacobs hopefully returning to the lineup.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (5): It feels like this team is suffering from self-inflicted injuries, but Philadelphia’s six turnovers are the least in the league.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (9): It must be scary to be involved with KC players. The team is scheduled to play on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, but despite Sunday’s loss to Indy, they may be off by MLK Day given the circumstances.
8. Indianapolis Colts (8): A team with the league’s highest-scoring offense failed to generate a first down on its final four possessions in KC on Sunday…but did manage to surrender 33 of them.
9. Detroit Lions (10): RB Jahmil Gibbs has certainly benefited from Dan Campbell’s play selections, averaging over 20 touches per game for 194 yards from scrimmage and two TDs over the past three weeks.
10. Baltimore Ravens (11): Strongest team in the AFC North? Technically. Apparently. But the Ravens have struggled to beat last-place teams for the third straight week. They will play Cincinnati in another game on Thanksgiving night.
11. Houston Texans (13): Another impressive piece of the top-ranked defense: 17 takeaways in the past eight games, an increase that increased as the Texans went 6-2.
12. Buffalo Bills (6): QB Josh Allen has been sacked 17 times in his past four starts on the road. Welcome to Pittsburgh, MVP.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (14): The Jags are one game away from first place in the AFC South, playing four of their remaining 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 in both 1,000-yard rushes. and He has accomplished many feats that no one in NFL history has ever accomplished.
15. Chicago Bears (16): How balanced is this offense? We have four players with at least 500 yards and four TDs from scrimmage (D’Andre Swift, Roman Odunze, Kyle Monangai and DJ Moore).
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12): This should help QB Baker Mayfield, who has been sick, feel better. The Bucks’ next three games on the homestand will be against opponents with an overall record of 9 wins and 24 losses.
17. Los Angeles Chargers (17): After overcoming a bye, the Bolts’ next two games will be played in front of large crowds of Raiders and Eagles fans. Then the Chargers go on the road.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (18): Congratulations to TJ Watt on becoming the family’s all-time sack leader. We would pick J.J. at the top of Watt’s draft.
19. Dallas Cowboys (22): QB Dak Prescott has won 19 straight starts against NFC East opponents at AT&T Stadium, but his next matchup at North Texas won’t be until 2026.
20. Carolina Panthers (19): The Rams’ NFC West nightmare soon continued in Charlotte, as they fell to .500 without taking advantage of a golden opportunity to take first place in the NFC South.
21. Arizona Cardinals (21): In some ways, this offense is very inconsistent as of 2025. On another note, he has scored between 20 and 27 points in all but one game.
22. Minnesota Vikings (20): WR Justin Jefferson’s career average of 93.5 receiving yards per game is the highest in NFL history and is 20 yards shy of what he could achieve in 2025 with the Vikes having issues behind center.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (23): QB Joe Burrow is expected to make his first start since Week 2 on Thanksgiving night. It’s still very unclear whether that’s a good idea, especially considering Burrow’s health.
24. Cleveland Browns (24): If DE Myles Garrett only averages one sack per game the rest of the game, he would finish with 24 sacks.
25. Miami Dolphins (25): We’re still waiting for flexible decisions on the teams still scheduled to play two more prime-time games.
26. Atlanta Falcons (26): Kirk Cousins should broker an introduction for Michael Penix Jr. and Darnell Mooney by next season.
27. Commander Washington (27): Perhaps this offense will be even better in 2026 with the addition of QB Jaden Daniels and fellow former Sun Devil WR Brandon Aiyuk?
28. New York Giants (30): They probably gave up a league-high five leads in the fourth quarter. But they also managed to turn Jameis Winston into a tight end, which is far more noteworthy.
29. New Orleans Saints (28): They looked good on Sunday…I mean, it was their first game wearing head-to-toe black.
30. New York Jets (29): QB Tyrod Taylor’s promotion coincided with NYJ’s worst rushing performance of the season and sealed the team’s 10-game losing streak. Then you’ll understand. Trust the process.
31. Las Vegas Raiders (31): Pete, coach them all yourself. It’s basically the Pop Warner team.
32. Tennessee Titans (32): If you thought a four-game homestand could save a team in Nashville that hasn’t won in 13 months… you’d be wrong.
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