NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Bears show improvement in losing effort

I planned on getting a jump on my weekly “studs and duds” piece as the Chicago Bears played out the final few minutes of what looked like a disappointing, two-score loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12, but with just 22 seconds remaining, Caleb Williams threw his second touchdown of the game and converted on the two-point attempt to pull within three. Chicago recovered the onside kick attempt, Williams lasered a pass to DJ Moore to get in field goal range, and suddenly, the Bears were headed to overtime.

They still lost, and it was disappointing to see Williams take such a bad sack to all but end their overtime drive, but that comeback effort made the defeat much easier to stomach. Bears fans saw glimpses of a potential future, one where Caleb Williams is driving the Bears into field goal range as the final seconds tick down in a playoff game. The pieces seem to be there for the Bears to be a contending team, they just need the right head coach.

That’s why, despite the loss, I have Chicago moving up in this week’s rankings. Who else is making moves up or down the ladder? Let’s take a look.

1. Detroit Lions (Last week: 1)

At this point, it will be considered a disappointing season for Detroit if they don’t get to the Super Bowl. They are juggernauts.

2. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 2)

Buffalo had a bye week, so they stayed put.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 6)

Potentially, the only real challenge to Detroit will come from the city of brotherly love. The Eagles demolished the Rams 37-20 on Sunday Night Football, their seventh consecutive win, and will face their biggest test of the season next week against the Ravens.

4. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 4)

The Ravens put on a clinic on Monday Night Football, handily defeating the surging yet limited Chargers. Next week’s tilt with the Eagles will be appointment viewing for football fans and could be a Super Bowl preview.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 5)

Another walk-off win for the Chiefs brings them to 10-1 on the season. Somehow, someway, they keep winning games.

THANK YOU SHRADER! pic.twitter.com/zGZ5sWE4ny

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 24, 2024

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 3)

I hate to drop the Steelers this far when they’re still 8-3, but cracks are beginning to show. Twice now this season, they’ve gone without a touchdown, and they nearly did it again in Thursday’s loss to Cleveland. That’s not going to be winning football in January.

7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 9)

That had to be cathartic for head coach Matt LaFleur. No other team has burned the Packers more in recent years than the 49ers, but they ran right over them on Sunday. But temper those Super Bowl expectations. The 49ers were missing seven players due to injuries, including Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa, after all.

8. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 11)

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster for Vikings fans. They started the day with an Aaron Jones fumble at the one to let the Bears take an early lead. The Vikings largely dominated much of the game until an implosion in the final moments sent the game into overtime, only for Sam Darnold to march down the field for the game-winning field goal.

9. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 9)

Atlanta had a bye week, so they stayed put.

10. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 7)

What a missed opportunity for Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers. A primetime win over the Ravens would have proven that they are legit. Instead, a loss that was never as close as the final score indicated proves that the Chargers are in a transition year.

11. Houston Texans (Last week: 8)

I don’t know what’s happened to the Texans, but they have fallen far from grace since their surprise 2023 playoff run. Losing to the Titans after starting the game with an 80-yard kickoff return, a touchdown on your first play from the line of scrimmage, and hauling in a pick-six on defense is simply inexcusable.

CJ Stroud’s safety at the end of the game perfectly summed up the team’s incompetence all afternoon.

SAFETY AND THE TITANS WILL WIN IT pic.twitter.com/0iGlaN2Np8

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 24, 2024

12. Denver Broncos (Last week: 15)

Sean Payton has this team humming. They’re comfortably in the playoff race at 7-5, and rookie quarterback Bo Nix suddenly looks like the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

13. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 17)

Don’t look now but the Dolphins have won three straight and are back in the playoff hunt. To be fair, the last two wins have been over terrible teams in the Raiders and Patriots, but a Thanksgiving Day matchup against the 8-3 Packers at Lambeau Field will tell us a lot about this team.

14. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 13)

Without Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa, the Niners never stood a chance against Green Bay. Injuries will end San Francisco’s season far earlier than they deserve.

15. Washington Commanders (Last week: 12)

After three straight losses, including an embarrassing flop against the three-win Cowboys, the Commanders are on fraud watch. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is struggling as defenses adjust to him, their own defense has given up over 28 points per game in their last four matchups, and the special teams unit was a complete disaster.

Per the broadcast, this Cowboys-Commanders game is the first in NFL history to have:

– 2 missed PATs
– 2 kick return touchdowns
– 1 blocked punt

Absolutely bonkers.#DallasCowboys

— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) November 24, 2024

16. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 14)

Well, that was a snooze-fest. On a Sunday packed full of excitement elsewhere, the Cardinals fell to the Seahawks 16-6 in a game that featured just one touchdown. To make matters worse, highly anticipated rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. was held to less than 60 yards for the third straight game. Are the Cardinals cooling off?

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 19)

The Bucs dominated New York on Sunday, earning a 30-7 win. But let’s be honest, it came against a tanking Giants team. I can’t yet put them higher than this.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 18)

Cincinnati had a bye week, so they stayed put.

19. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 20)

A win as uninspiring as Seattle’s will not earn them much of a bump up the rankings. They’re still in the playoff hunt, but no one expects them to contend in January.

20. LA Rams (Last week: 17)

That was a rough loss for a Rams team hoping to springboard up the NFC West standings, with the 49ers and Cardinals taking losses earlier on Sunday. Talk about a missed opportunity on the national stage.

21. Chicago Bears (Last week: 24)

As aforementioned, the Bears get a small bump in the standings despite a loss. Why? Because they played a very good Vikings team to the very end, Williams showed his elite potential, and the Bears are one step closer to firing head coach Matt Eberflus and bringing in someone much better equipped to develop a contending team.

Depending on the type of Bears fan you are, Sunday might have been as close to a perfect outcome as you could imagine.

Caleb Williams best plays vs. Vikings pic.twitter.com/EienARv4X6

— Dave (@dave_bfr) November 25, 2024

22. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 21)

The Colts had a rough day at the office on Sunday, but that’s what happens when a mediocre team runs into a great team. The good news for Indy is that four of their final five games are against teams with three or fewer wins. They’ve still got a chance to sneak into the playoffs if they go 4-1 down the stretch.

23. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 23)

New Orleans had a bye week, so they stayed put.

24. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)

By far, the biggest upset of the week belongs to the Titans after dramatically toppling division rival Houston. They deserve to celebrate this win and feel good about themselves, but this is still a lost season for Tennessee.

25. New England Patriots (Last week: 22)

Rookie Drake Maye continues to flash franchise quarterback potential, but this Patriots team is awful. As the saying goes, they are at least a year away from being a year away.

26. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 25)

Maybe some in the media and within the Panthers organization wrote Bryce Young off too early? In a duel with heavyweight champion Patrick Mahomes, Young went the distance and very nearly pulled off the upset win. If the Panthers are smart, they’ll give the former first-overall pick at least one more season to prove that they made the right choice by drafting him, after all.

27. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 30)

The Cowboys gave us one of the most dramatic wins of the weekend, handing division rival Washington their third consecutive loss in a game that featured not one but two kickoff returns for touchdowns, one from Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin and another from undrafted safety Juanyeh Thomas.

TURPIN RETURNS IT 99-YARDS TO THE HOUSE

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/TemErsmk1n

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2024

28. New York Jets (Last week: 29)

The Jets had a bye week, but I moved them up one spot because the Raiders simply had to drop from last week.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 28)

Not only did the Raiders lose their seventh consecutive game, they lost Gardner Minshew for the rest of the season. Just as well, however. They should be hoping to pick as close to first overall in the 2025 draft as possible so they can finally (hopefully) add a franchise quarterback.

30. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 31)

Maybe the Browns deserve a more significant bump for beating an excellent Pittsburgh team, especially in such a cinematic fashion. But the Browns are still the Browns, and they have only just begun to climb out of the immense hole they dug for themselves.

31. New York Giants (Last week: 26)

Benching Daniel Jones wasn’t supposed to save New York’s season, but boy did that get ugly fast. After losing 30-7 to the Buccaneers, the Giants may not win another game all season.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 32)

Jacksonville had a bye week so they stay at the bottom of the rankings.