NFL Week 13 Power Rankings: Streaking Dolphins Make Big Splash

Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 13. (To see our Week 12 rankings, click here.)

1. Dallas Cowboys (10-1; last week: 1): The Cowboys dispatched the division rival Redskins on Thanksgiving in a game that wasn’t as close as the 31-26 final score would indicate.

2. New England Patriots (9-2; 3): A hard-fought win over the Jets — which also happened to be Tom Brady’s 200th career victory — bumps the Patriots up one spot.

3. Oakland Raiders (9-2; 4): The Raiders blew a 24-7 lead but rallied late to beat the Panthers 35-32 and extend their winning streak to five games.

4. Seattle Seahawks (7-3-1; 2): Seattle managed a mere five points in a loss to the Buccaneers, snapping its three-game win streak.

5. Atlanta Falcons (7-4; 7): Taylor Gabriel and the Falcons beat both the Cardinals and the Browns on Sunday.

6. Kansas City Chiefs (8-3, 8): Justin Houston was a beast as KC won a wild one in the Mile High City.

7. New York Giants (8-3; 9): The G-Men breezed past the Browns to win their sixth straight.

8. Denver Broncos (7-4; 5): If the season ended today, the defending Super Bowl champs would miss the playoffs.

9. Washington Redskins (6-4-1; 6): Kirk Cousins put up huge numbers (41 of 53, 449 yards, three touchdowns), but the Skins couldn’t keep pace with the streaking Cowboys on Turkey Day.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5; 10): The Steelers blew out Scott Tolzien and the Colts in the Thanksgiving nightcap.

11. Detroit Lions (7-4; 11): Eleven games, eleven fourth-quarter deficits. How in the world is this team 7-4?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3D67Bi626A

12. Miami Dolphins (7-4; 16): Can anyone catch the Patriots in the AFC East? Probably not, but after reeling of their sixth consecutive win, the Dolphins remain just two games back and currently own a wild-card spot.

13. Baltimore Ravens (6-5; 14): Kicker at the podium!

14. Buffalo Bills (6-5; 12): The Bill trailed on three separate occasions but were able to hold on to beat the miserable Jaguars.

15. New Orleans Saints (5-6; 23): New Orleans stuck it to persona non grata Gregg Williams by destroying the ex-Saints coordinator’s new team, the Rams, 49-21 in a game that featured a wholly unnecessary touchdown pass by wideout Willie Snead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mD5kjLYjWs

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5; 20): What a win for Jameis Winston & Co., which held the Seahawks’ potent offense to just a field goal in a 14-5 win.

17. Houston Texans (6-5; 13): We have no idea who will win the AFC South, but we do know they’ll most likely get worked in the wild-card round.

18. Green Bay Packers (5-6; 22): At long last, a win.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6; 17): This has been a precipitous drop for Philly, which sat at No. 10 just two weeks ago.

20. San Diego Chargers (5-6; 24): The Chargers took care of business against the Texans, but they remain miles behind the rest of the stacked AFC West.

21. Minnesota Vikings (6-5; 15): First five games: zero losses. Last six games: five losses.

22. Tennessee Titans (6-6; 19): Tennessee barely held on against lowly Chicago.

23. Carolina Panthers (4-7; 21): The Panthers are in line to go from Super Bowl to playoff no-show.

24. Indianapolis Colts (5-6; 18): Shocker: The Colts aren’t a very good team without Andrew Luck.

25. Arizona Cardinals (4-6-1; 26): Arizona stood no chance in a blowout loss to Atlanta.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1; 25): On the bright side, Marvin Lewis won’t have to worry about losing another first-round playoff game this season.

27. New York Jets (3-8; 30): The Jets kept it close but ultimately lost to the Patriots. Per usual.

28. Los Angeles Rams (4-7; 27): The good: Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes in his second NFL start. The not-so-good: L.A. gave up a whopping 49 points in a loss to the Saints.

29. Chicago Bears (2-9; 29): Josh Bellamy! No!

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9; 28): The poor Jags can’t catch a break.

31. San Francisco 49ers (1-10; 31): Colin Kaepernick racked up 409 yards from scrimmage (296 passing, 113 rushing), but the Niners lost their 10th straight.

32. Cleveland Browns (0-12; 32): The Browns are four losses away from a winless season, but I personally guarantee they won’t lose this week.

Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images