Week 13 On SI NFL Power Rankings: NFC North Dominates Top 8
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Miami Dolphins
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans
- Washington Commanders
The Detroit Lions remain the No. 1 team in the On SI NFL Power Rankings entering Week 13.
In fact, the top five teams remain unchanged, with the Buffalo Bills (six-game winning streak), Kansas City Chiefs (two-time defending champions), Philadelphia Eagles (seven-game winning streak) and Minnesota Vikings (four-game winning streak) in hot pursuit of dominating Detroit.
Here are this week’s rankings, as voted upon by the On SI team publishers, along with their unit-by-unit grades.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (-)
Offense: D. Defense: F. Special teams: A.
In short, the Jaguars' coaching staff has not had an exemplary 2024. Coach Doug Pederson and Press Taylor run the offense, and it has alternated between horrible (last two games with Mac Jones, first four games of the season) and middling at best. The defense has been one of the worst in the entire NFL under Ryan Nielsen, whose hiring appears to be a bust. Punter Logan Cooke and rookie kicker Cam Little have been excellent, however. —John Shipley, Jacksonville Jaguars On SI
31. Las Vegas Raiders (-3)
Offense: F. Defense: B. Special teams: A.
A pattern emerges when you look at the Raiders coaching in all three phases. While the offense has made holistic changes over the last two weeks, we are grading the season, not just the previous two weeks. —Hondo S. Carpenter, Las Vegas Raiders On SI
30. New York Giants (-)
Offense: F. Defense: F. Special teams: C.
The Giants are a far more talented team than their 2-9 record suggests but, strangely enough, the offensive play-calling, taken over by coach Brian Daboll, is at its worst in his three-year tenure. Defensively, Shane Bowen could be on the hot seat if his defense doesn’t start defending the run better and eliminating the big plays that continue to bite this team in the backside. The special teams are probably the least of the team’s worries, but the next time this unit makes a big play this season will be its first, as it’s done a lousy job of consistently flipping the field and providing advantageous starting field position. —Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI
29. New England Patriots (+3)
Offense: B-. Defense: C. Special teams: C+.
Truthfully, Jerod Mayo has done a poor job. The team has looked completely unprepared in most games and he has been far too vocal with the media casting blame away from himself. The honest truth is that the Patriots have been poorly coached this season. —Evan Massey, New England Patriots on SI
28. Tennessee Titans (+3)
Offense: D. Defense: A: Special teams. F.
The Titans are minus-12 in turnovers, 28th in points scored and 27th in points allowed. — Jeremy Brener, Tennessee Titans On SI
27. Carolina Panthers (+2)
Offense: C-. Defense: D. Special teams: B.
The offense has improved tremendously recently, lifting that grade from what it would have been a few weeks ago. The offensive coaching staff seems to be learning how to best utilize their talent, including Bryce Young. On defense, they deserve an asterisk or two given they are missing star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who’s on injured reserve. The special teams unit has been relatively sharp if not spectacular since early in the season. —Tim Weaver, Carolina Panthers on SI
26. New York Jets (-1)
Offense: D. Defense: D. Special teams: D.
Let's not mince words. The team has been atrocious overall. The only reason the Jets aren't getting an F is because they've won three games. New York has fired the head coach, the general manager, demoted the offensive play-caller and little has worked. —Matthew Postins, New York Jets On SI
25. Cleveland Browns (+2)
Offense: D+. Defense: C. Special teams: B-.
The only reason it isn't an F on offense is because we've seen a couple of good performances against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but otherwise it's been as bad as an expansion-era team. Myles Garrett is playing like he could win the Defensive Player of the Year Award again, but it's been hard to find too many other bright spots. Cleveland has the best punt return unit in the NFL, plus a productive kickoff return game and excellent punt team. But they've been absolutely terrible kicking field goals and extra points. —Brendan Gulick, Cleveland Browns On SI
24. Chicago Bears (-1)
Offense: D. Defense: C. Special teams: D-plus.
The biggest offense problem was hiring Shane Waldron, who had no idea how to bring along a rookie QB. Their defensive standards are high but detail and discipline lacking. Injuries also brought them down. Special teams have been abysmal and cost them two games with blocked field goals. —Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI
23. Dallas Cowboys (-1)
Offense: C. Defense: D. Special teams: B.
It is hard to go much higher after Dak Prescott’s underperformance and the replacement. Cooper Rush shined this past week, but his inconsistency leaves concerns. The defense has underperformed after a strong Week 1 performance. The coaching staff has been unable to utilize what seemed to be a talented defensive unit that entered the year with high hopes. Despite this past week’s anomaly from Brandon Aubrey, special teams has been a strong suit and KaVontae Turpin's return TD has to be in consideration for top plays of the year. —Josh Sanchez, Dallas Cowboys On SI
22. New Orleans Saints (+2)
Offense: B. Defense: C-. Special teams: C-.
New Orleans still is mathematically in the playoff race. However, the Saints need to win all six remaining games on the schedule and need the Falcons and Buccaneers to fall flat to give the third-place Saints an opportunity. But first, they must defeat the Rams on Sunday. —Kyle Mosley, New Orleans Saints On SI
21. Los Angeles Rams (-3)
Offense: C-. Defense: C-. Special teams: D-.
The Rams struggled on offense, finishing 0-for-8 on third down, but had flashes of success against the Eagles. Defensively, the Rams could not stop Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, but who has this season? They did all they could and could not take him down. On special teams rookie kicker Joshua Karty missed a FG for the third week in-a-row. —Tom Cavanaugh, Los Angeles Rams on SI
20. Indianapolis Colts (+1)
Offense: C-. Defense: C+. Special teams: B-.
It took weeks of hardship and benching their quarterback before the Colts realized the best way to utilize Anthony Richardson's talents. Gus Bradley's defense got off to a disastrous start but turned things around. Bradley has grown as a playcaller, mixing up his coverage and blitzes. However, this is intentionally a bend-but-don't-break defense, and it's not good when it isn't generating big plays. Matt Gay has had a really solid year kicking, as has Rigoberto Sanchez as the punter. The Colts wanted to be more aggressive in the return game and drafted Anthony Gould as a result, but he got yanked from the lineup after the first couple weeks. —Jake Arthur, Indianapolis Colts On SI
19. Cincinnati Bengals (-)
Offense: B+. Defense: F. Special teams: C.
Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase have carried the Bengals' offense. They're among the league’s best units, despite Orlando Brown Jr. and Tee Higgins missing time. This defense has been awful. Outside of star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, they've underachieved in virtually every area. It's been a mixed bag for Darrin Simmons' special teams unit. Ryan Rehkow and Tycen Anderson have shined, but Evan McPherson and the return game have struggled. —James Rapien, Cincinnati Bengals On SI
18. San Francisco 49ers (-1)
Offense: C. Defense: D. Special teams: F.
Both defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen and special teams coordinator Brian Schneider likely will get fired this offseason. Kyle Shanahan did a good job with the offense while Christian McCaffrey was out, but since his return they're averaging just 16.7 points per game. —Grant Cohn, San Francisco 49ers On SI
17. Miami Dolphins (+3)
Offense: C+. Defense: B. Special teams: C-.
The offensive grade deserves an asterisk because of how completely it fell apart when Tua Tagovailoa was on injured reserve and how impressive it has looked over the past four games. The defense has been pretty good all year, while the special teams had some rough spots throughout. —Alain Poupart, Miami Dolphins On SI
16. Atlanta Falcons (-2)
Offense B. Defense: D-. Special teams: D.
Zac Robinson has merged Kirk Cousins well into the offense and gotten more from high draft picks Drake London and Bijan Robinson. Too many mistakes in plus territory. Defensively, a historically bad pass rush, soft underneath leading to long, ball-control scoring drives. On special teams, there have been too many missed kicks, poor coverage and return unit. —Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons on SI
15. Arizona Cardinals (-3)
Offense: B-. Defense: B. Special teams: A.
The Cardinals’ offense has sputtered at times, though looking through their overall body of work, Kyler Murray’s played well enough when it matters most. Arizona’s defense has surprisingly risen to the occasion in the last month despite being depleted and outmatched most days. DC Nick Rallis deserves massive credit. The Cardinals again have one of the top special teams units in the league and have been nothing short of effective in each facet. —Donnie Druin, Arizona Cardinals On SI
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2)
Offense: B-. Defense: C-. Special teams: C-
Baker Mayfield has turned heads in Tampa Bay, throwing for 24 touchdowns and rushing for another three in an offense that many discounted before the start of the season. Combine that with a solid run game, a just good-enough defense (24th in points allowed) and a so-so special teams unit, the Buccaneers are firmly in the playoff hunt. However, Todd Bowles' experience as a defensive coordinator will be put to the test should the Buccaneers clinch a wild card spot, given NFC's riches of high powered offenses this season. —Matt Solorio, Tampa Bay Buccaneers On SI
13. Seattle Seahawks (+1)
Offense: C+. Defense: B+. Special teams: A-.
The lack of a run game has been a significant problem and coordinator Ryan Grubb hasn't been able to figure out balance to complement Geno Smith. It hasn't always been pretty on defense, but Mike Macdonald has pushed the right buttons, especially revamping the linebacker unit midseason, to build a suddenly stout defense. Kicker Jason Myers and punter Michael Dickson have performed like All-Pros and few teams, if any, have been better in kick and punt coverage with Jay Harbaugh building a strong third phase for Seattle. —Corbin Smith, Seattle Seahawks On SI
12. Denver Broncos (+1)
Offense: B. Defense: A. Special teams B+.
With a young, unproven roster that was panned by all the analytics sites before the season, Sean Payton has the Broncos at 7-5 and in clear control of a playoff berth. Meanwhile, Vance Joseph's no-name defense (outside of Patrick Surtain II) ranks as a top-three unit. Special teams has been a total asset. Flying colors in Denver. —Chad Jensen, Denver Broncos On SI
11. Washington Commanders (-2)
Offense: A. Defense: C. Special teams: B.
The Washington Commanders have seven wins before the end of November and that's more than most expected them to have all year. For that, Dan Quinn deserves an A. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury started with an A but the least few weeks have earned failing marks, so we'll even it out with a C. Defensively the unit is making the best with what they have and gets a B as well while special teams gets a solid B for all the kicking woes its gone through and an absence of return touchdowns. —David Harrison, Washington Commanders On SI
10. Houston Texans (+1)
Offense C. Defense B-. Special teams: B+.
The Texans have had bright spots in all three phases so far this season, but their lack of consistency brings all of their grades down. —Jeremy Brener, Houston Texans On SI
9. Los Angeles Chargers (-1)
Offense: B. Defense: A+. Special teams: B.
Greg Roman’s offense is swinging toward an “A” now that Justin Herbert’s ankle is healthy. The Chargers have a league-low five turnovers. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter wanted to prove Jim Harbaugh right and has with the NFL’s top scoring defense despite Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack battling injuries. The Chargers boast one of the better overall special teams units in the NFL, too. —Chris Roling, Los Angeles Chargers on SI
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (-2)
Offense: B-. Defense: A-. Special Teams: B+.
Mike Tomlin’s work in Week 12’s loss to the Browns may have been his worst performance of the season. But the Steelers remain a contender, and there’s still “Coach of the Year” talk surrounding Tomlin. —Noah Strackbein, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI
7. Green Bay Packers (+3)
Offense: B. Defense: C+. Special teams: C.
Jordan Love has been too erratic and the red zone has been a problem, but Josh Jacobs has carried the load and Malik Willis rescued them three times when Love was injured. Defensively, with Jaire Alexander playing only 52 percent of the snaps and without a consistent pass rush, this group sinks or swims with takeaways. Brandon McManus has saved the day and Karl Brooks saved them at Chicago. —Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers on SI
6. Baltimore Ravens (+1)
Offense: A+. Defense: C. Special teams: B-.
Todd Monken has taken this offense to new heights in his second season and the unit is still rolling. Zach Orr’s first season as defensive coordinator has been up-and-down, but two solid performances in a row are a good sign of progress. Kicker Justin Tucker’s struggles aren’t on coaching, but it’s hard to ignore when looking at the unit as a whole. —John Alfano, Baltimore Ravens On SI
5. Minnesota Vikings (-)
Offense: A. Defense: A. Special teams: B.
Coach Kevin O'Connell deserves a solid “A” for leading the Vikings to a 9-2 record with Sam Darnold at quarterback. Brian Flores also deserves an “A” for helping reshape the defense and turning it into one of the best in the league. The special teams have been operating smoothly despite an injury to kicker Will Reichard. —Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI
4. Philadelphia Eagles (-)
Offense: A-, Defense: B+, Special teams: B.
The Eagles coaching staff faced a lot of scrutiny early on. A seven-game winning streak has notably shifted that narrative. The NFC powerhouse is in the top 10 in points scored and points against, using the run game as effectively as possible on offense and clicking on all cylinders defensively. As for the special teams, Jake Elliott has oddly yet to hit from 50-plus yards as part of an average unit. —Scott Neville, Philadelphia Eagles On SI
3. Kansas City Chiefs (-)
Offense: B+. Defense: A-. Special teams: A.
Overall, this is an A-minus coaching season from an A-plus staff. The offense hasn't found enough in the deep passing game, but an impressive midseason pivot followed the loss of the team's top two wide receivers. The defense has struggled since losing its No. 2 cornerback. The issues are understandable and the coaching staff has minimized the loss of talent, but there's still room to improve. —Joshua Brisco, Kansas City Chiefs On SI
2. Buffalo Bills (-)
Offense: A-. Defense: A-. Special teams: B-.
Much was made about the turnover in the receiving corps throughout the offseason, and while the lack of weapons has been apparent at times, MVP frontrunner Josh Allen is the great equalizer. The offense has scored 30 or more points in eight of its 11 games. Buffalo’s defense doesn’t rank as one of the league’s elite in a bevy of statistics, but it’s been without Matt Milano all season, and both Taron Johnson and Terrel Bernard have missed significant time. The reinforcements have played above expectation, and with the unit slowly returning to full health, there’s reason to believe the defense could get even better. Punter Sam Martin has been stellar when called upon, and Brandon Codrington looks like a burgeoning star as a returner. That said, Tyler Bass has been inconsistent, even after his heroic 61-yard game-winner in Week 9.. —Kyle Silagyi, Buffalo Bills on SI
1. Detroit Lions (-)
Offense: A. Defense: A. Special teams: A.
Dan Campbell's squad are winners of nine straight games and the defense has not allowed a touchdown in 10 consecutive quarters. —John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI
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