NFL Week 12 Power Rankings: Redskins Move Up After Smoking Packers

Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 12. (To see our Week 11 rankings, click here.)

1. Dallas Cowboys (9-1; last week: 1): Not much change near the top of our list this week, as the top four teams all notched victories. That includes the Cowboys, who came alive in the second half to take dpwn the Ravens.

2. Seattle Seahawks (7-2-1; 2): Three straight quality wins for Seattle, which got a receiving touchdown (yes, receiving) from Russell Wilson in a victory over the Eagles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRq4_fOJjf8

3. New England Patriots (8-2; 3): The Pats followed up a lackluster first half with a dominant second to pull away from the lowly 49ers.

4. Oakland Raiders (8-2; 4): The Raiders won again in primetime, putting away the Texans in Mexico on Monday night.

5. Denver Broncos (7-3; 6): Idle.

6. Washington Redskins (6-3-1; 9): Kirk Cousins guided the Redskins on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives as Washington won a wild one vs. Green Bay.

7. Atlanta Falcons (6-4; 7): Idle.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3; 5): The highest-ranked team to fall this weekend, the Chiefs slide three spots following their 19-17 loss to the Buccaneers.

9. New York Giants (7-3; 8): The G-Men scored 16 unanswered points to edge the Bears and claim their fifth consecutive win.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5; 11): A late strip-sack touchdown helped the Steelers secure a 24-9 win over the winless Browns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnkUvoIbFBA

11. Detroit Lions (6-4; 14): Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Lions trailed in the fourth quarter but rallied to win, knocking off the Jaguars 26-17. Detroit has been down in the fourth in all 10 of its games yet still won six of them, which might be the craziest stat of this NFL season.

12. Buffalo Bills (5-5; 13): A first-quarter touchdown and three Dan Carpenter field goals were enough to push the Bills past the Bengals.

13. Houston Texans (6-4; 19): We’ve had Houston slotted too low all season. They deserve a bump even after their Monday night loss to the Raiders.

14. Baltimore Ravens (5-5; 12): Baltimore lost to top-ranked Dallas but remains atop the AFC North.

15. Minnesota Vikings (6-4; 15): The Vikings snapped their four-game losing streak with a win over the Cardinals.

16. Miami Dolphins (6-4; 17): Make that five in a row for the Dolphins, who needed a fourth-quarter rally to knock off the Rams.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (5-5; 10): Even at .500, Philly resides in the basement of the NFC East by a fair margin.

18. Indianapolis Colts (5-5; 21): The Colts dispatched the Titans in a pivotal AFC South tilt, but they could be without Andrew Luck for their matchup with the Steelers on Thanksgiving night.

19. Tennessee Titans (5-6; 16): See above.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5; 24): The Bucs are a game out of first place in the wide-open NFC South after edging the Chiefs.

21. Carolina Panthers (4-6; 25): Cam Newton’s club is 3-1 over its last four games. But is it too little, too late?

22. Green Bay Packers (4-6; 18): We’re witnessing a full-fledged disaster in Pack Nation.

23. New Orleans Saints (4-6; 22): New Orleans has lost two straight games by a total of five points.

24. San Diego Chargers (4-6; 23): Idle.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (3-6-1; 20): The Bengals, who could be without A.J. Green for the remainder of the season, pretty much have to run the table or hope the Ravens and Steelers fall apart to have a realistic shot at making the playoffs.

26. Arizona Cardinals (4-5-1; 26): The Cardinals’ only win in the past month was a three-point victory over the Niners. That’s not a great sign.

27. Los Angeles Rams (4-6; 27): Good: The Rams allowed zero points over the first 55:58 on Sunday. Not so good: They allowed 14 over the final 4:04 and lost 14-10.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8; 28): We feel ya, Jalen Ramsey.

29. Chicago Bears (2-8; 29): The Bears lost. Again. And Jay Cutler got injured. Again.

30. New York Jets (3-7; 30): Idle. (But hey, Ryan Fitzpatrick is back!)

31. San Francisco 49ers (1-9; 31): The Niners hung with the Patriots for two-plus quarters but ultimately caved in their ninth consecutive loss.

32. Cleveland Browns (0-11; 32): Five more…

Thumbnail photo via Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports Images