Admin December 3, 2024
Bills secure AFC North, Ravens continue with self-inflicted wounds
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top storylines from Week 13 in the NFL.
Sports Seriously
NFL power rankings entering Week 14 of the 2024 season (previous rank in parentheses):
1. Detroit Lions (1): Now 11-1 for the first time in club history after snapping a seven-game Thanksgiving skid, they’ll take aim at their first-ever 11-game winning streak this Thursday night. Two massive games ahead with the Packers and Bills coming to Ford Field and threatening Detroit’s very precarious perch atop the NFC standings … though hopefully they won’t discourage more pass attempts from 335-pound RT Penei Sewell, who was sacked during his only opportunity on Turkey Day.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2): Should they be considered the league’s top team? They have a very strong case and will overtake the Lions atop the conference table this week if they beat the Panthers and Detroit loses. One unheralded aspect of Philly’s success has been the arrival – literally and figuratively – of Zack Baun, who seems to make impact plays every week and is ranked by the NFL analytics site PFF as the league’s No. 1 off-ball linebacker.
3. Buffalo Bills (3): Should they be considered the league’s top team? They have a very strong case after wrapping up their fifth straight AFC East crown and riding a seven-game win streak – during which the Bills are averaging 30.4 points. Like Philadelphia, the Bills just need one slip-up from the team ahead of them in the standings (Kansas City) to move into position for the No. 1 playoff seed.
4. Green Bay Packers (5): A team that won six of its final eight regular-season games in 2023 ahead of a strong playoff showing is 7-1 since Week 4 and will try to win in Motown for the second straight year while potentially throwing the NFC North into upheaval. A team that infamously features no No. 1 receiver has three guys between 450 and 500 receiving yards, and no one who’s yet reached 700. Doesn’t seem to be a problem.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (4): Beat the Bolts on Sunday night, and K.C. is the AFC West champion for the ninth straight season – might even be nice if they don’t have to win a record 15th consecutive game by one score to achieve it. However, given the state of QB Patrick Mahomes’ protection and a defense that’s appeared vulnerable lately …
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6): In the four games since he was acquired from the Jets, WR Mike Williams has been targeted one time – his game-winning 32-yard TD catch at Washington. If volatile WR1 George Pickens goes off the rails at any point, this offense is in serious trouble.
7. Baltimore Ravens (7): Their five losses are by an average of 4.4 points, and they’re rolling with the league’s least-accurate kicker – in 2024 anyway. Justin Tucker’s 10 missed kicks this season are the most in the league after he misfired a career-worst three times (1 PAT, 2 FGAs) in Sunday’s five-point setback against Philly.
8. Washington Commanders (9): The last time Washington had as many as three 40-point games in a season – 1991 – the Lombardi Trophy arrived in the nation’s capital.
9. Minnesota Vikings (8): A 10-2 squad probably deserves a little more respect and air time. But the Vikes are also riding a five-game heater – warmer? – in which their average margin of victory is 5.4 points against opponents who are all currently .500 or (much) worse. Next up? A visit from the 6-6 Falcons and old friend Kirk Cousins.
10. Seattle Seahawks (10): Since their Week 10 bye, they have a neutral turnover differential and are averaging 81 rushing yards a game. Somehow, that’s translated to a 3-0 record.
11. Arizona Cardinals (11): Trey McBride is the first tight end in league history with at least a dozen receptions in consecutive games. Naturally, his only TD this season came on a running play.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (13): QB Justin Herbert is reaching new levels of efficiency for what is still, perhaps, an overly conservative offense. But he’s joined Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay version) as the only players to pass for at least 2,500 yards and fewer than two picks in their first 12 games of a season. Herbert, whose interception rate is a league-low 0.3%, averaged 10.5 over his first four seasons.
13. Denver Broncos (14): Add another sack plus a 71-yard pick-six to OLB Nik Bonitto’s low-key (but growing) case for Defensive Player of the Year.
14. Houston Texans (12): If LB Azeez Al-Shaair receives a significant suspension for his brutal hit on Jags QB Trevor Lawrence, a defense that was already suspect at the second level could be in serious trouble against upcoming opponents (Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens) that exploit the middle of the field.
15. Atlanta Falcons (15): Maybe some (previous) home cooking will do Cousins some good. He averaged 266.1 yards and two TDs passing in his 44 appearances at Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium, where he’s headed Sunday. Over the last three weeks, all losses, Cousins has averaged 241.3 yards and two picks with nary a TD pass.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20): Did you have RB Bucky Irving as the first rookie to crack 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2024?
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17. Miami Dolphins (16): Those ugly “narratives” are alive and well, Tua, though your 5-0 record against the Jets should fuel a more favorable one this week.
18. Los Angeles Rams (18): The only rookies with more than four sacks league-wide in 2024 are LA’s Braden Fiske (6) and Jared Verse (4½), whose pressure helped seal Sunday’s win at New Orleans.
19. Cincinnati Bengals (17): They’ve allowed an average of 33.9 points in their eight losses. QB Joe Burrow and Co. are supposed to overcome that?
20. Indianapolis Colts (21): They’ve got the league’s second-easiest remaining schedule … which probably would have been far more helpful had the Browns done Indy a big favor and beaten Denver on Monday night.
21. San Francisco 49ers (19): It’s legitimately been a tragic season, LT Trent Williams and CB Charvarius Ward both losing children in recent weeks. Between the lines, a sinking team’s most reliable play Sunday night was a Deebo Samuel Sr. kickoff return – which averaged 34.7 yards. The fact he had six of them tells you all you need to know about how the snow job in Buffalo went otherwise.
22. New England Patriots (22): Among NFL players with at least 25 rushing attempts this season, none have averaged more yards per rush than rookie QB Drake Maye’s 9.1.
23. Chicago Bears (23): Interim coach Thomas Brown is preaching “coachability, accountability and dependability.” QB Caleb Williams has largely been doing his part lately, setting a rookie record with 232 passes (and counting) without an INT.
24. Carolina Panthers (24): Eddy Piñeiro entered Week 13 as the most accurate field-goal kicker in league history (89.7%), but two misses in an overtime loss to the Bucs dropped him behind Harrison Butker and Tucker.
25. New Orleans Saints (25): TE/FB/RB/KR/QB Taysom Hill’s devastating knee injury is going to eliminate a sizable chunk of this offense’s unpredictability.
26. Dallas Cowboys (27): That’s two Ws in a row with the next three games against teams that are no better than .500. Is Mike McCarthy really about to coach himself into an extension?
27. Cleveland Browns (26): Whether it’s Joe Flacco or Jameis Winston, amazing how wildly productive – and entertaining – this offense is when operated by veteran quarterbacks not named Deshaun Watson. Winston threw six touchdowns Monday night – four to his teammates and two to the Broncos.
28. New York Jets (28): Rodgers has preached all season about the need for this offense to score at least 30 points a week. Still hasn’t happened.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (30): Need evidence that DE Maxx Crosby is unique? Per Next Gen Stats, he hasn’t missed a snap in six games. Talk about a unicorn.
30. Tennessee Titans (29): WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has 20 receptions this season … and eight have gone for touchdowns. Based on that, might be wise to target him more than three times a game.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (31): A team that hadn’t shown much fight this season suddenly displayed admirable fire Sunday – all it took was seeing their franchise quarterback nearly get decapitated.
32. New York Giants (32): Think it’s gotten ugly here? A team that’s allowed at least 120 rushing yards in seven consecutive games just put Pro Bowl DL Dexter Lawrence (dislocated elbow) onto injured reserve. Imagine what that means for Baltimore RB Derrick Henry’s owners when the fantasy playoffs begin in two weeks.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.