Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Rams on top once again
Dec 4, 2018, 8:07 AM
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is tackled by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
(AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
After 13 weeks, NFL teams pretty much are what they are.
Thus, there wasn’t a lot of drastic movement in this week’s Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings.
There is a new (old) team at the top; the Los Angeles Rams, the league’s only one-loss team, is back at number one after a 14-point road win over Detroit.
The Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off cutting one star running back Kareem Hunt as a video of a domestic assault surfaced, rolled up 40 points in a less-than-dominant win over Oakland. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints ran into a defensive buzzsaw in Dallas that cost them two spots in the rankings.
At the bottom, Arizona’s nearly inexplicable win at Lambeau Field along with the San Francisco 49ers getting blown out by Seattle have the league’s lower fourth looking a little different.
Here’s a look at this week’s order:
Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings – Week 14
| Rank | Team | Record | Result | Movement | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  |
Los Angeles Rams | 11-1 | beat Detroit 30-16 | (▲1) | The Rams could have three legitimate MVP candidates in Goff, Gurley and Donald. |
| 2. |  |
Kansas City Chiefs | 10-2 | beat Oakland 40-33 | (▲1) | Mahomes now has seven games with four or more touchdown passes. |
| 3. |  |
New Orleans Saints | 10-2 | lost to Dallas 13-10 | (▼2) | Weird, lifeless offensive performance in Thursday night’s loss in Dallas. |
| 4. |  |
New England Patriots | 9-3 | beat Minnesota 24-10 | (–) | Bounced back with two strong defensive games after loss to Tennessee. |
| 5. |  |
Houston Texans | 9-3 | beat Cleveland 29-13 | (▲1) | Texans didn’t sack Mayfield, but forced four Browns turnovers. |
| 6. |  |
Los Angeles Chargers | 9-3 | beat Pittsburgh 33-30 | (▲1) | Easily the best win of the year for the Chargers. |
| 7. |  |
Dallas Cowboys | 7-5 | beat New Orleans 13-10 | (▲3) | Really impressive defensive performance to shut down Saints. |
| 8. |  |
Chicago Bears | 8-4 | lost to NY Giants 30-27 (OT) | (▼3) | There’s a reason Chase Daniel has been a backup in this league for nine years. |
| 9. |  |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-4-1 | lost to LA Chargers 33-30 | (▼1) | Steelers blow a 16-point lead and have lost two straight. |
| 10. |  |
Seattle Seahawks | 7-5 | beat San Francisco 43-16 | (▲1) | Wilson only threw 17 passes, but four of them went for touchdowns. |
| 11. |  |
Indianapolis Colts | 6-6 | lost to Jacksonville 6-0 | (▼2) | Colts were averaging 35 points per game over their last eight games. |
| 12. |  |
Baltimore Ravens | 7-5 | beat Atlanta 26-16 | (▲1) | Ravens are undefeated with Jackson at QB. |
| 13. |  |
Minnesota Vikings | 6-5-1 | lost to New England 24-10 | (▼1) | Vikings’ season is like a bad Paula Abdul song. One step forward, two steps back. |
| 14. |  |
Denver Broncos | 6-6 | beat Cincinnati 24-10 | (▲2) | Denver rolls up 218 yards rushing behind Lindsay’s strong game. |
| 15. |  |
Philadelphia Eagles | 6-6 | beat Washington 28-13 | (▲2) | Eagles broke open a close game in the fourth quarter. |
| 16. |  |
Tennessee Titans | 6-6 | beat NY Jets 26-22 | (▲3) | Mariota to Davis with :36 left clinches the win for Tennessee. |
| 17. |  |
Carolina Panthers | 6-6 | lost to Tampa Bay 24-17 | (▼2) | Panthers have lost four straight — with ‘Ls’ to Detroit and the Bucs in that span. |
| 18. |  |
Miami Dolphins | 6-6 | beat Buffalo 21-17 | (▲2) | Dodged a bullet in Buffalo. |
| 19. |  |
Washington Redskins | 6-6 | lost to Philadelphia 28-13 | (▼4) | Done. Mark Sanchez the QB now. Done. |
| 20. |  |
Green Bay Packers | 4-7-1 | lost to Arizona 20-17 | (▼3) | Lifeless performance leads to Mike McCarthy’s firing. |
| 21. |  |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-7 | beat Carolina 24-17 | (▲6) | Bucs have won two straight on the heels of a four-game skid. |
| 22. |  |
New York Giants | 4-8 | beat Chicago 30-27 (OT) | (▲4) | Giants have won three out of last four. |
| 23. |  |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-8 | beat Indianapolis 6-0 | (▲5) | Jags get a shutout of the Colts for the second straight year. |
| 24. |  |
Cleveland Browns | 4-7-1 | lost to Houston 29-13 | (▼3) | Trailed 23-0 at halftime. |
| 25. |  |
Buffalo Bills | 4-8 | lost to Miami 21-17 | (▼2) | If only Charles Clay caught that ball after a miraculous Josh Allen scramble. |
| 26. |  |
Cincinnati Bengals | 5-7 | lost to Denver 24-10 | (▼4) | Fourth straight loss for the striped ones. |
| 27. |  |
Detroit Lions | 4-8 | lost to LA Rams 30-16 | (▼3) | Hung with the Rams for three quarters. |
| 28. |  |
Atlanta Falcons | 4-8 | lost to Baltimore 26-16 | (▼3) | Falcons manage 131 yards of offense vs Ravens. Yuck. |
| 29. |  |
Arizona Cardinals | 3-9 | beat Green Bay 20-17 | (▲3) | Cardinals win at Lambeau for the first time since 1949. |
| 30. |  |
New York Jets | 3-9 | lost to Tennessee 26-22 | (▼1) | Jets couldn’t muster an offensive touchdown in close loss to Titans. |
| 31. |  |
Oakland Raiders | 2-10 | lost to Kansas City 40-33 | (–) | Didn’t get crushed by KC — that’s progress. |
| 32. |  |
San Francisco 49ers | 2-10 | lost to Seattle 43-16 | (▼2) | Season can’t end fast enough for the Niners. |
