NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Steelers & Saints Shine, Eagles Plummet

NFL Power Rankings Week 12

Getty Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In Week 11 we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers continue their winning streak, coasting to a 27-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and pulling further ahead in the AFC North. The New Orleans Saints didn’t miss a beat with Drew Brees out of the lineup. Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles make the woeful NFC East even more interesting.

Below, we highlight some of the most impressive and least impressive teams of Week 11, plus a first look at our updated NFL power rankings heading into Week 12.

*We will continue to update this list as more Week 11 games are completed.


AFC: Steelers Stay Undefeated, Titans Knock Off Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers may very well be one of the least talked about 10-0 teams in NFL history. In fact, in the Steelers’ storied 83-year history, this is the first time the franchise has won their first 10 games of the season.

As highlighted by Beyond the Steel Curtain, since 1970, 10 of the 16 teams who have started their season 10-0 made it to the Super Bowl, with six of those teams bringing home a Lombardi Trophy.

From an on-field perspective, Pittsburgh has now held their last two opponents to a combined score of just 13 points, albeit those opponents happen to be the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars. On offense, the Steelers’ trio of wideouts are becoming so scary good that JuJu Smith-Schuster has almost become an afterthought. Chase Claypool has now scored 10 touchdowns over his 10 career games, while Diontae Johnson has recorded 111-plus yards receiving in back-to-back weeks.

Pittsburgh has a fast turnaround on their hands, set to face off with their AFC North foes, the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night. The Ravens, fresh off an overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans, have dropped two games in a row, and as of now are on the outside looking in at the playoffs.


NFC: Saints Stay Hot Without Brees, Eagles Have Costly Loss

No Brees, no problem. Taysom Hill made his first career-NFL start at quarterback on Sunday in place of the injured Drew Brees, quickly silencing the Jameis Winston truthers. Hill completed 78.3% of his passes against the Falcons for 233 yards. He also chipped in with a team-high 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Hill has now outrushed Alvin Kamara in three consecutive games.

While we won’t say the Saints are better off without Brees, Hill does add a new element to the offense that should prove difficult to match up with for the time being while the future Hall of Famer works his way back in the lineup.

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their second consecutive game in Week 11, dropping to 3-6-1 on the season and putting their NFC East-lead on life support. The New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Football Team are each just one half-game out of first place. The Birds’ next four games are against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals. Simply put, things aren’t looking so great for Philly.


NFL Power Rankings: Heading into Week 12

RANKING TEAM
1 Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
2 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0)
3 Seattle Seahawks (7-3)
4 New Orleans Saints (8-2)
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4)
6 Green Bay Packers (7-3)
7 Los Angeles Rams (7-3)
8 Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
9 Tennessee Titans (7-3)
10 Las Vegas Raiders (6-4)
11 Buffalo Bills (7-3)
12 Baltimore Ravens (6-4)
13 Indianapolis Colts (7-3)
14 Cleveland Browns (7-3)
15 Miami Dolphins (6-4)
16 New England Patriots (4-6)
17 San Francisco 49ers (4-6)
18 Houston Texans (3-7)
19 Minnesota Vikings (4-6)
20 Denver Broncos (4-6)
21 Carolina Panthers (4-7)
22 Chicago Bears (5-5)
23 New York Giants (3-7)
24 Dallas Cowboys (3-7)
25 Los Angeles Chargers (3-7)
26 Detroit Lions (4-6)
27 Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-1)
28 Atlanta Falcons (3-7)
29 Washington Football (3-7)
30 Cincinnati Bengals (2-7-1)
31 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9)
32 New York Jets (0-10)

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