NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

We’re not yet to December and yet we’re already up to two teams mathematically eliminated from this season’s NFL playoffs. There are bound to be even more in the coming weeks as the race for the No. 1 overall pick heats up just as much as the chase for the No. 1 seed in both conferences.

Related: NFL 2016 Regular and Postseason Predictions

With that in mind and factoring in everything from overall roster strength, to quarterback play, to the coaching staff, to injuries, here is the latest edition of NFL power rankings and where every team stacks up from 1 to 32.

Week 13 NFL Power Rankings

Note: Last week refers to Week 11 power rankings.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Last week: 1
It’s not just that the Cowboys keep winning and continue to look like the class of the NFL, but they’re now putting considerable distance between themselves and others in the NFC East and their conference as a whole.

2. New England Patriots

Last week: 3
The rare struggle with the Jets may have been attributed to division familiarity and the fact that it was essentially New York’s Super Bowl. Still, the narrow win and the fact that there’s real competition for home-field advantage means the team needs to pick things up going forward. 

3. Oakland Raiders

Last week: 4
That Derek Carr MVP talk should be enhanced by the way he played with a finger injury in leading his team to a comeback win. He may need to continue to play that way if the Raiders make mental mistakes like they did in allowing the Panthers back into the game on Sunday.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

Last week: 6

The Chiefs can thank Gary Kubiak and his overtime decision for their latest victory, which makes them 3-0 in the division and just a game behind Oakland overall.

5. Seattle Seahawks

Last week: 2
Another lackluster offensive performance that came as the result of the woeful offensive line. Maybe it was a letdown outing that was bound to pop up but the Seahawks are still in line for a first-round bye so the damage wasn’t too bad.

6. Atlanta Falcons

Last week: 8

The best part of the Falcons’ win on Sunday over Arizona had to be their Twitter trolling of the Cleveland Browns over Taylor Gabriel’s remarkable performance.

7. Denver Broncos

Last week: 5

For a stretch there against Kansas City, Denver looked plenty capable of running with the top tier of the AFC. Then the Broncos lost in overtime and find themselves currently out of the playoff picture.

8. New York Giants

Last week: 8
We didn’t learn much from a win over the Browns but it’s still impressive that the team is winning close games and have moved into the No. 5 seed in the NFC.

9. Detroit Lions

Last week: 10

Detroit fans have to pinch themselves that the Lions occupy sole possession of first place and are suddenly in the running for a home playoff game.

10. Miami Dolphins

Last week: 19
That’s six wins in a row with quarterback Ryan Tannehill doing much of the damage in the win over San Francisco. Can the 'Fins keep the momentum going against Baltimore on the road?

11. Baltimore Ravens

Last week: 11
The Ravens keep living dangerously but continue to win and remain atop the division. We’ll find out if the team is for real in the month of December however, but at least could benefit from the return of top cornerback Jimmy Smith soon.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week: 12
Maybe the most impressive thing about the romp over Indianapolis was not the three-touchdown margin of victory but the way the defense played (albeit against a quarterback not named Andrew Luck). 

13. Washington Redskins

Last week: 14
The Cowboys put a halt to their win streak but it didn’t knock the team out of the playoff picture. Kirk Cousins continues to play well but it wasn’t been enough to top the best in the league. This is still a team capable of making a run down the stretch but the Redskins will need to get over the hump of this extra-long road trip.

14. Buffalo Bills

Last week: 13
The return of Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy’s long run were bright spots in a closer-than-expected win over Jacksonville. We’ll see if the team can make a jump in its level of play with the upcoming cross-country trip to Oakland. 

15. New Orleans Saints

Last week: 16
You think Sean Payton enjoyed running up the score on Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams? It certainly seemed that way. 

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week: 25
That’s two straight wins (one on the road) against two of the best teams in the league. If the Bucs can keep things up on the road at San Diego, it might be time to move the team way up in the rankings. The status of defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is in the air and is very concerning given the way he played against Seattle.

17. Philadelphia Eagles

Last week: 9

The team has come back to Earth with back-to-back losses, one understandable in Seattle and another that is puzzling at home to Green Bay. The flaws in the offense are becoming readily apparent and that’s spilling over on the defensive side of the ball.

18. Tennessee Titans

Last week: 20
You can probably count on one hand the number of quarterbacks who are playing as well as Marcus Mariota has recently. Now if the defense can find another gear, that whole winning the AFC South thing might become more of a reality.