There’s a new No. 1 at the top of our rankings. Meanwhile, the Seahawks and Chargers are surging and the Chiefs and Bills are tumbling. With the last quarter of the season looming, here’s the latest edition of our big board.
1. Patriots (10-2 — last week, No. 2): This was the spot New England was aiming for all season after its Week One loss. Just took them a few weeks to get back. This week: at Dolphins.
2. Eagles (10-2 — last week, No. 1): A hard-fought road loss, combined with the Patriots’ win, means Philly slips a bit. But the Eagles should still be able to clinch home field advantage sooner rather than later. This week: at Rams.
3. Steelers (10-2 — last week, No. 3): Pittsburgh escapes against the Bengals. Worth watching how they respond following the Ryan Shazier injury. This week: vs. Ravens.
4. Vikings (10-2 — last week, No. 4): With Los Angeles and Philly slugging it out this week, Minnesota could potentially step into the breach. This week: at Panthers.
5. Rams (9-3 — last week, No. 5): The Rams assured themselves of the first winning season in franchise history since 2003 with the win over the Cardinals. Next week: vs. Eagles.
6. Saints (9-3 — last week, No. 6): New Orleans finished off a season sweep of the Panthers. That might be the difference in the NFC South. This week: at Falcons.
7. Seahawks (8-4 — last week, No. 10): Seattle keeps losing players, but Russell Wilson has kept the Seahawks hanging around. Big test looms in Jacksonville. This week: at Jaguars.
8. Panthers (8-4 — last week, No. 8): Carolina still has a shot in the NFC South, but last week’s loss in New Orleans means the Panthers will need to get some help to make that happen. A win over Minnesota would be a statement victory. This week: vs. Vikings.
9. Falcons (7-5 — last week, No. 7): Atlanta has done a nice job rallying over the last month, but if the playoffs started today, the Falcons would be on the outside looking in. This week: vs. Saints.
10. Raiders (6-6 — last week, No. 13): Probably a little too high, but Oakland has won its last two and appears to be playing well after getting smooshed by the Patriots in Mexico. The Raiders’ schedule the rest of the way, with road games against the Eagles and Chargers, is really tough. This week: at Chiefs.
11. Ravens (7-5 — last week, No. 14): No team other than the Chargers has had a crazier arc this year; a 3-4 start, following by four wins in five games. Eat that W, Joe.
This week: at Steelers.
12. Chargers (6-6 — last week, No. 16): Los Angeles has won six of its last eight, and the two losses were by a combined 10 points. Not a bad run. This week: vs. Redskins.
13. Jaguars (8-4 — last week, No. 15): Jacksonville leads the NFL in pass defense and sacks and ranks in the top three in turnovers forced and interceptions. This week: vs. Seahawks.
14. Titans (8-4 — last week, No. 17): Only reason the Jags are ranked ahead of the Titans is because of the Jacksonville defense. But both teams are still going to win at least 10 games. This week: at Cardinals.
15. Chiefs (6-6 — last week, No. 9): If Kansas City keeps sliding, is Andy Reid's job in jeopardy? This week: vs. Raiders.
16. Cowboys (6-6 — last week, No. 18): Dallas needs to decide this week if its playing for 2018 or still holding out hope at making a run this season. This week: at Giants.
17. Lions (7-5 — last week, No. 11): Injuries are really starting to pile up for Matthew Stafford and the Lions. This week: at Bucs.
18. Bills (6-6 — last week, No. 12): Buffalo needs everything to break right to sneak in and get that last playoff spot. It’s a longshot, but still possible. This week: vs. Colts.
19. Packers (6-6 — last week, No. 21): Aaron Rodgers’ return would turn the NFC playoff picture upside down, but the Packers have to keep everything together just a little while longer to make that happen. This week: at Browns.
20. Dolphins (5-7 — last week, No. 22): The playoffs might be out of the question, but Miami showed some fight in Sunday’s win over the hapless Broncos. This week: vs. Patriots.
21. Texans (4-8 — last week, No. 19): Houston is an injury-riddled mess. But JJ Watt and Jose Altuve were named the Sportspersons of the Year by Sports Illustrated, so there’s that. This week: vs. Niners.
22. Redskins (5-7 — last week, No. 20): Just mediocre enough to hang around the playoff picture, but not good enough to seriously challenge. And I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that Kirk Cousins is out the door at the end of the year, which will be just one part of a wild quarterback carousel this offseason. This week: at Chargers.
23. Jets (5-7 — last week, No. 25): If New York gets a real quarterback and if ownership/the front office doesn’t screw things up this offseason (two big ifs, I know), this could be a really interesting team in 2018. This week: at Broncos.
24. Bucs (4-8 — last week, No. 23): Crossing the days off the regular-season calendar. This week: vs. Lions.
25. Bengals (5-7 — last week, No. 24): If a team could be summed up in one eight-second video, it’s Cincinnati.
William Jackson forgot you're supposed to tackle people when you play football #MNF #Bengals pic.twitter.com/xUINDmv4IO
— The PUP List (@ThePUPListBlog) December 5, 2017
49ers players were so impressed with Jimmy Garoppolo yesterday after their 15-14 win at Chicago that wide receiver Marquise Goodwin - with other players cheering - offered to get up and give Garoppolo his first-row seat on the team bus when Garoppolo boarded it. #49ers
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) December 4, 2017