NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

Who’s up, who’s down? Frank Schwab surveys the landscape following the Week 12 games.

It’s hard to take a 10-0 lead and lose 45-10. The bright spot, of course, was Larry Fitzgerald. He scored his fifth touchdown in the Cardinals’ last five games. (Larry Fitzgerald)

Jared Cook’s one-handed touchdown catch was one of the best you’ll see this season. At 31, Cook probably isn’t a cornerstone of the Raiders’ rebuild, but he’s having a remarkable season. (Jared Cook)

The Reuben Foster story should put a harsh light on where the 49ers are in the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era. There have been a lot of missteps, and other than a Jimmy Garoppolo trade that fell in the 49ers’ laps, it’s not too pretty. (John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan)

Jamal Adams was all over the field again on Sunday, and he has become one of the best safeties in the NFL. Adams was the sixth overall pick of the 2017 draft, and it looks like a great choice for the Jets. (Jamal Adams)

Benching Blake Bortles probably had to happen, but firing the offensive coordinator? Were they the problem, or is this just Doug Marrone blaming everyone but himself? (Blake Bortles)

Saquon Barkley is on pace for 1,206 rushing yards and 845 receiving yards. Only Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk have rushed for 1,000 yards and had 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. Barkley might not get there, but being this close as a rookie is amazing. (Saquon Barkley)

Josh Allen continues to show why the Bills drafted him in the top 10. He had 99 yards rushing and made some huge plays with his legs. He continues to make plays with his arm too, though consistency hasn’t arrived yet. (Josh Allen)

That 4-1 start seems like it happened a few seasons ago. The Bengals are sliding fast and now Andy Dalton is done for the season. (Andy Dalton)

Slot receiver Adam Humphries is becoming a reliable piece of the Bucs offense. Over the last four weeks he has four touchdowns, and has caught 19 of 22 targets. (Adam Humphries)

The Lions’ plan on Thanksgiving was strangely conservative. They basically turned Matthew Stafford into a check-down artist, and if that’s the offense they want, there are many other cheaper quarterbacks capable of playing that role. (Matthew Stafford)

Adam Gase caught some criticism for his play-calling after the Colts tied the game at 24-24. Backed up at their own 6-yard line, the Dolphins ran up the middle for no gain, they threw a short pass that was incomplete, then had another run up the middle that practically conceded a punt from deep in their own territory with about three minutes left. That’s just bad. (Kenyan Drake)

Matt Ryan leads the NFL in passing yards, with a higher completion percentage and lower interception percentage than he had his MVP season. (Matt Ryan)

Baker Mayfield made some tremendous plays on Sunday. He doesn’t look like a rookie. He’s the star the Browns have desperately been looking for. (Baker Mayfield)

Here are the Broncos’ next four games: at Bengals, at 49ers, vs. Browns, at Raiders. Three road games, but all beatable teams. They’re legitimately in the wild-card race. (Will Parks)

With the right coaching hire, the Packers can be right back to contender status. It’s not a dire situation. They just need a shakeup at the top. (Mike McCarthy)

Monday night’s loss was a tough one, but take a peek at what they have left: vs. Jets, vs. Jaguars, at Giants, vs. Redskins, at Colts. It’s very easy to talk yourself into the Titans winning four in a row and being 9-6 facing the Colts in Week 17. (Marcus Mariota)

The best thing the Eagles have going for them is three of their remaining games are against the Redskins (twice) and Cowboys. (Michael Bennett)

Colt McCoy didn’t play great in his first start, but it was a tough spot in a short week on the road. The Cowboys have to be considered NFC East favorites now, but don’t totally count Washington out yet. (Colt McCoy)

Darius Leonard went down early, grabbed at his leg and was taken back to the locker room. Colts fans were just thrilled to see the rookie linebacker back on the field, and then he had 10 tackles and a sack in the win. Leonard has been a great pick and is right in the NFL defensive rookie of the year mix. (Darius Leonard)

Stories like Gus Edwards are part of what makes the NFL great. Edwards was undrafted, probably because there was nothing remarkable about his college career. Then, suddenly, he rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back weeks. What a fun story. (Gus Edwards)

The Panthers still play at the Browns and the Saints twice. Even if they just lose the two to the Saints, they wouldn’t be guaranteed a playoff spot at 9-7. It’s stunning a team as good as the Panthers, which started 6-2, finds itself in such a spot. (Christian McCaffrey)

The Seahawks had to survive a stretch of games against the Chargers, Rams, Packers and Panthers. They did that. Seattle is in good shape with five games to go. (Russell Wilson)

It’s too soon to call the Amari Cooper trade a success. Though, if the Cowboys win the division, it’s hard to argue against it. (Amari Cooper)

Kirk Cousins has the highest completion percentage of his career, and, by three-tenths of a point, his highest passer rating. He’s on pace to blow by his career high in touchdowns. It’s hard to blame him for the Vikings having four losses already, though a lot of people will anyway. (Kirk Cousins)

A Week 1 loss to the Patriots is problematic, as far as their ability to get a first-round bye. New England has the head-to-head tiebreaker. But after an 0-3 start, who would have ever thought we’d be talking about the Texans being in the mix for a playoff bye? (Angelo Blackson)

Criticizing Anthony Lynn for playing Melvin Gordon with a big lead is hindsight. The problem was that Gordon shouldn’t have played at all. It might cost the Chargers a shot at the AFC West. (Melvin Gordon)

Akiem Hicks has been an excellent defensive end since joining the Bears and has been great again this season even though Khalil Mack gets most of the attention. It would be the right thing to get him to the Pro Bowl this season. (Akiem Hicks)

The potential game-tying touchdown pass was somehow intercepted by Broncos nose tackle Shelby Harris, who wasn’t even supposed to be in coverage. Those are the losses you regret, especially when playoff seeds are handed out. (JuJu Smith-Schuster)

The Patriots got Rob Gronkowski and Sony Michel back on Sunday. Rex Burkhead was activated off IR on Monday. The Patriots aren’t getting the same hype as a lot of other teams, but they’re 8-3, a lock to win the division and finally are getting healthy. (Rob Gronkowski)

Eric Berry is supposed to practice this week and presumably return sometime in December. It’s possible he’s just not the same player, at least for the rest of this season. But if he is? That changes things for Kansas City. (Eric Berry)

The Rams could have clinched the division in November had the Panthers beat the Seahawks on Sunday. That’s coming soon of course, but it helps to show how dominant the Rams have been. (Jared Goff)

It seems possible a 14-2 team gets the No. 2 seed in the NFC. It’s not even out of the question the 15-1 Rams get the second seed. There’s no more important race over the last five weeks than Rams vs. Saints for the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. (Mark Ingram)