This week, our top four holds steady, but there’s plenty of movement up and down our big board. Andrew Luck, Gus “The Bus” Edwards, Philip Rivers and Jamal Adams are among our favorites for the week, while Aaron Rodgers and Marcus Mariota are feeling down and out. Which traditional member of the AFC elite is in danger of not making the playoffs? Why is everyone laughing at the Jaguars now? How foolish are football fights? And could Josh McDaniels get the call about the Cleveland job? Read on and find out all the answers in this week’s edition of the BSJ NFL Power Rankings.
1. Saints (10-1 — last week, No. 1): New Orleans’ Marcus Willams had a sack in 1.54 seconds against Matt Ryan and the Falcons last week, the fastest of the year, per Next Gen Stats. That’s the very definition of bananas. This week: at Cowboys.
2. Rams (10-1 — last week, No. 2): The Rams have 10 wins in 11 games this year. The Jets have 10 wins in their last 36 games, dating back to the end of the 2016 season. This week: at Lions.
3. Chiefs (9-2 — last week, No. 3): Patrick Mahomes has 37 touchdown passes and is on pace for 53, which would be second-most all-time in NFL history. (Peyton Manning had 55 in 2013.) This week: at Raiders.
4. Patriots (8-3 — last week, No. 4): The win over the Jets means New England will finish with at least a .500 record for the 18th straight season. It’s the second-longest streak of .500 or better, behind the Cowboys (1965-85) streak of 21 straight years. This week: vs. Vikings.
5. Chargers (8-3 — last week, No. 7): On Sunday, Philip Rivers tied the NFL mark for consecutive completions (25) and broke records for the most to start a game and the highest completion percentage in a game. He’s now completed 70 percent of his passes this year and has his team in the thick of the playoff race, despite a rash of injuries. Maybe we should start talking about him as an MVP candidate? This week: at Steelers.
6. Texans (8-3 — last week, No. 6): Lamar Miller had an electrifying 97-yard touchdown return against the Titans. He also had one in 2014 with the Dolphins, which makes him the only player in NFL history with two rushing touchdowns of 95-plus yards in his career, per NFL Research data. This week: vs. Browns.
7. Steelers (7-4-1 — last week, No. 5): Pittsburgh is a maddening team — as we said here, the Steelers might not even make the playoffs — but let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge Ju Ju Smith-Schuster, who just turned 22 but became the younger receiver in franchise history to hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark. This week: vs. Chargers.
343 passing yards. And his 8th straight 3+ passing TD game.
Andrew Luck was in the ZONE in Week 12. #Colts pic.twitter.com/qLNE7k9xpS
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2018
How did Von Miller keep a straight face while doing this Bill Belichick impression?!? ?
pic.twitter.com/FKqiTBLvp9
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 26, 2018
With Andy Dalton out for the year, Cincinnati’s new QB depth chart now looks like this:
Starter: Jeff Driskell
Backup: Tom Savage
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 26, 2018
Pop Quiz:
"You've been hired for your first job as an NFL playcaller. Your QB was just demoted, the foundation RB of your offense was just suspended, and your OL prize free agent signing is out. You're facing the highest scoring team in your division. What's your gameplan?" https://t.co/5ItE9urYo2
— Sigmund Bloom (@SigmundBloom) November 27, 2018
