The wild run that was Week 12 of the 2018 NFL season is nearly wrapped up, and this week featured a bit of a different feel. After a day of turkey, stuffing and a whole lot of other food, we saw a few teams emerge from the Thanksgiving action as big winners in the power rankings for the week.
But after a wild Week 11 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, both teams had a bye this week, leaving one big question. Did they move out of their spots following the action? We'll break that down and look at some of the other big winners, and a few of the losers from the week of action while we go through the latest rankings.
Before we get there, let's take a look at a few interesting storylines from the action this week, starting with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Could the Chargers Topple the Chiefs?
To be clear, nothing about the Chargers' 45-10 win over a poor Arizona Cardinals team is what makes me even mention this. But the Chargers sit at 8-3 on the season while the Chiefs are 9-2 and both teams have a few interesting games. If Los Angeles manages to get past the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals the next two weeks, it could set up a fun one in Arrowhead.
Unfortunately, the Chargers lost Melvin Gordon to a knee injury Sunday. The severity is unknown, but it seems he could miss Week 13 against the Steelers. If that's the case, there'll be heavy lifting to be done by Austin Ekeler and rookie Justin Jackson to keep the Chargers in the mix for a division title.
Bears Look Like the Real Deal
While the Detroit Lions haven't looked great at times this year, the performance the Chicago Bears put together on Thanksgiving was impressive. This is largely due to the fact that they did so without Mitchell Trubisky, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Chicago has won five straight and sit at 8-3 on the season, but winning a nationally televised road game with your backup quarterback 23-16 is worth talking about.
Except, it seems very few players were surprised by the 230-yard, two-touchdown performance from Chase Daniel in the victory. Running back Taquan Mizzell may have summed it up best in comments courtesy of ESPN.
"Everyone in this locker room knew what he [Daniel] was going to do, and he didn't let us down," Mizzell said. "People forget how long he's been in the NFL and how much talent he has. They talk about the number of games he's started, but the people that practice with him every day knew that he was going to give us a chance to win this game."
The Bears are quite a story, but let's dive in and see where they rank currently. Click the next arrow to see this week's NFL power rankings heading into Week 13.
No. 1 New Orleans Saints
No. 2 Los Angeles Rams
It was a happy Turkey Day for the Saints and Drew Brees, who once again made winning look a bit too easy. While there have (understandably) been rave reviews about both the Rams and Chiefs to this point, Sean Payton's squad deserves a lot of attention and even more praise. During the 31-17 victory against the rival Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans had control from pretty early on and never looked back.
Brees threw just 22 times but four of them went for touchdowns while the Saints' stifling run defense was on full display once again. Aside from Matt Ryan (16 rushing yards) no player on Atlanta had more than six yards on the ground, and that was Tevin Coleman, who got there on eight attempts.
With the Thanksgiving victory, Saints pass-rusher Cameron Jordan may have summed up the win best, calling the victory their holiday, per USA TODAY.
"I do love the way that we played today," said defensive end Cameron Jordan, who had two sacks. "I do love the four turnovers. I do love the sacks. I do love the pressures. I do love the quarterback hits. For all terms and purposes, we had our Thanksgiving."
Next up for the 10-1 Saints is a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, who have seemingly hit their stride as well and picked up a big win over the Washington Redskins on Thursday. That game will be played on Thursday Night Football in Week 13.
Rams Hang Tight at No. 2
There was no reason to drop the Rams below this following their wild victory over the Chiefs in primetime this past week. Although Todd Gurley did suffer an ankle injury during the win, it seems the week off came at a perfect time for him. Rams coach Sean McVay detailed the ankle injury after the game but denied using the back as a decoy, as Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register revealed.
"McVay said he wasn’t really using Gurley as a decoy, and that if Gurley was on the field, he was healthy enough to play, but clearly Gurley didn’t look 100 percent. McVay said Gurley was “OK.”" Hammond tweeted.
The Rams are tied with the Saints for the best record in the NFL at 10-1 currently. They have an interesting home stretch which features three of five games away from home. The first comes next Sunday against the Detroit Lions and is followed up by what should be a huge primetime game against the Bears and star defender Khalil Mack.
No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs
No. 4 New England Patriots
It would be unfair to dock the Chiefs for losing a wild shootout on the road in what many believe could be a potential Super Bowl preview against the Rams. Kansas City looked good in the game, and although they had some mishaps, the same can be said about their opponent in that one.
The Chiefs have one of the brightest young stars in the NFL in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who's thrown for 3,628 yards and an incredible 37 touchdowns through 11 games. He's averaging 318.5 passing yards per game and has fueled one of the NFL's best offenses. Although the second-year signal-caller may lose out on the NFL's Most Valuable Player award to Drew Brees, he has as strong a case as anyone to be in the mix.
Arguably the best part about Mahomes following his team's loss to the Rams was that he took a whole lot of the blame, due to his three interceptions (he also had six touchdowns). Per USA TODAY:
"I gave them 21 points through turnovers," said Mahomes, who completed 33 of 46 passes for 478 yards. "It sucks right now, plain and simple. You wanted a win like that over a playoff team."
Fortunately, Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn't seem overly concerned by the turnovers, likely due to the fact that aside from this game, Mahomes had thrown just seven all season. Reid said that the quarterback has "made enough of those players where you have full trust in him."
"He's resilient and has confidence in himself. Things are going to happen in a game," Reid said. "The great ones come back firing and tries to rip their hearts out the next series."
Bye Week Does Patriots' Offense Well
There may be no team who needed a bye week more than the Patriots, and the fact that theirs fell in Week 11 came at a good time. Following a loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots were banged up essentially across the board. Even quarterback Tom Brady popped up on the injury report.
Fortunately, the team was able to come out far more healthy and it was apparent in the Week 12 victory over the New York Jets. While the Jets are struggling this season, New England went about handling business and got it done in every facet. They won 27-13 with Tom Brady completing 20-of-31 passes for 283 yards and two scores.
Arguably the most important part of this game for the Patriots was the health of both Rob Gronkowski and Sony Michel. Both players have been banged up and missed time, but each flashed upside and most importantly, good health during this win. Gronkowski hauled in a touchdown and totaled 56 yards, also receiving a team-high seven targets from Brady.
Michel was impressive once again, coming back from the bye and looking like the player who began turning a corner just weeks prior. He rushed 21 times for 133 yards and one score in the win and the Patriots moved to 8-3 in the process. Next up for Bill Belichick and company is a date with the Minnesota Vikings at home.
No. 5 Chicago Bears
No. 6 Los Angeles Chargers
It's all aboard the Bears bandwagon. No, defeating the Lions isn't a feat which shoots your team up power rankings, but when it comes with the QB2 under center, that's worth noting. I've followed Chase Daniel a bit and know he's a more than capable backup, and simply hasn't had a major opportunity to showcase his talent.
Even still, Daniel stepped in and played a solid game, leading the Bears to that victory on Thanksgiving. The most impressive part of this Bears team right now has to be their defense, though. After acquiring Khalil Mack this offseason in a trade with the Oakland Raiders, they're riding high with the new-look pass-rush and talented group around him.
The Bears have had plenty of talent on defense, but coach Matt Nagy is also getting the most out of his offense as well. There may have been no Mitchell Trubisky, but the fact that so many players stepped up as pass-catchers was a big deal. Both Taylor Gabriel and Tarik Cohen hauled in seven passes against the Lions while four other players caught at least two passes.
The arrow is pointing up for Chicago and they have a nice lead in the NFC North heading into a Week 13 game against the New York Giants.
Chargers Keep Winning Ways Rolling
Dating back to Week 4, the Chargers have won seven of eight games, with the lone loss coming by one point to the Denver Broncos. While they did defeat the Oakland Raiders twice, Arizona Cardinals and Jimmy Garoppolo-less San Francisco 49ers, putting together any type of win streak in the NFL is a tall task.
The obvious concern for the Chargers heading into the final stretch of the season is the health of running back Melvin Gordon. As ESPN's Eric D. Williams detailed, the knee injury suffered by Gordon in the win over the Cardinals was diagnosed as an MCL knee injury, and there's a "real possibility" he misses next week.
"I’m told initial diagnosis is an MCL knee injury for RB Melvin Gordon. He will have further evaluation on Monday, but real possibility Gordon misses next week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers." Williams tweeted.
Although Gordon was unable to finish Sunday's game, his impressive start to the season continued. The 25-year-old back now has 153 carries for 802 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. For good measure, he's also added 44 receptions for 453 yards and four additional scores.
No. 7 Houston Texans
No. 8 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Houston Texans cemented their spot in the rankings with an impressive Monday Night Football victory over the Tennessee Titans. Some may be opposed to placing the Texans above the Steelers, and there's probably some level of an argument to be made. But on the other side of that, Houston has looked exceptional as of late.
Realistically, the Texans have just been red-hot, even if they've been winning close games prior to Monday's win. The old saying that "a win is a win" stands true for this team, as they've won seven-straight ahead of their primetime matchup with a tough AFC South rival. This streak includes some wins far more impressive than others, but regardless, Houston just keeps getting the job done.
While quarterback Deshaun Watson is getting things back on track, DeAndre Hopkins has proven that he's capable of dominating in any and all matchups. He had hauled in 68-of-96 targets this season through Week 11 for 950 yards and eight scores through 10 games. Hopkins has topped 50 receiving yards in each game this season, but that's far from the most impressive part. If opponents have managed to hold him in check at all from a yardage standpoint, he's had little trouble finding the end zone.
Hopkins has scored at least one touchdown in five of the last six games and seven of 11 games on the year.
Steelers Stumble After Hot Run
The Denver Broncos spoiled a six-game win streak for Ben Roethlisberger and company on Sunday. While the No. 8 spot may seem a little harsh for this team, the same argument about win streaks of the aforementioned teams can be made about the Steelers. Aside from the Carolina Panthers and either the Baltimore Ravens or Cincinnati Bengals (both need help), Pittsburgh hasn't been knocking off playoff teams.
That still doesn't change the fact that the Steelers are a talented team and one who nearly knocked off one of the NFL's best teams in the Chiefs earlier in the season. For what it's worth, this loss to the Broncos came on a bit of a wild play, which Roethlisberger even openly stated after, per ESPN.
"Of all the interceptions I've thrown it's one of the most fluky I've been associated with," Roethlisberger said. "I never thought in a million years a defensive lineman would get blocked off the ball that far, right into an interception."
Fluky or not, it was unfortunate and now the Steelers sit at 7-3-1 and have the Ravens at 6-5 hot on their tail. They have a few big tests ahead, with the first coming against the Chargers next week, followed by a final three-game stretch that could reveal a lot about this team. To wrap up the season, Pittsburgh faces hte New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and the Bengals.
No. 9 Minnesota Vikings
No. 10 Seattle Seahawks
Although the Vikings weren't in quite as tough a spot as the Green Bay Packers were heading into Sunday Night Football in Week 12, there was some cause for concern. Kirk Cousins and company were coming off a loss to the Bears which pushed them further back from Chicago in the NFC North. So taking on the Packers and Aaron Rodgers in primetime set up a big game.
The Vikings walked away with a 24-17 win which moved them to 6-4-1 on the season and dropped Green Bay to 4-6-1. Most importantly, it meant that Rodgers and the Packers' playoff chance are now on life support and they'll need a big push to catch up and even stay in the Wild Card mix.
Minnesota had a lot to be excited about in their win over Green Bay, but it started with the duo of Cousins and his top-two wideouts in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Cousins had an excellent showing on Sunday Night Football, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns while Thielen got back above the 100-yard mark after falling short in the two weeks prior.
Diggs saw another game with double-digit targets, receiving 11 looks from his quarterback in the win. This now makes for his third-straight game with a touchdown and a total of 55 targets in the last four weeks.
Seahawks Hitting Their Stride at the Right Time
While the Seahawks, who are now 6-5 on the year, aren't going to catch the Rams atop the NFC West, they've started playing solid football in recent weeks, and it could come at a better time. After back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles teams – 25-17 to the Chargers and 36-31 to the Rams, they've won two-straight games.
Although a win over either the Chargers or Rams would have been big, Seattle won the two games prior and then proceeded to knock off the Packers. But their Week 12 win on the road against the Carolina Panthers was a victory that grabbed some attention. Traveling across the country and picking up a win is never an easy task, but it's especially tough when you consider it came against a solid Panthers team and quarterback Cam Newton.
This win against Carolina also could prove to give Russell Wilson and company an edge in the Wild Card race. The Panthers, who have their own 10-1 divisional opponent in the Saints, now sit with a 6-5 record as well.
Quite a few players stepped up big for the Seahawks in Sunday's victory, but a wide receiver duo in Tyler Lockett (five catches, 107 yards, one touchdown) and David Moore (four catches, 103 yards, one score) stood out. The fact that Wilson's rapport with his receivers other than Doug Baldwin is rapidly improving will go a long way towards this team's success in 2018 and beyond.
READ NEXT: Le'Veon Bell Holdout: Top 2019 Landing Spots for Steelers RB
NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Texans Climbing, Steelers Stumble