NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Updated Standings, Predictions Before MNF

The NFL power rankings are becoming increasingly difficult to piece together due to the jumbled mess of teams hovering around .500. 

As we enter Thanksgiving week, there is a solid group of four teams at the top: the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. Three of those four teams won again on Sunday, with the Raiders set to take the field on Monday night in Mexico. 

But after those squads, it’s difficult to distinguish between the contenders and pretenders. 

Due to the lack of separation, many teams with losing records are still very much in the playoff hunt. Their seasons may feel like disappointments so far, but with so few teams pulling away from the pack, the playoff race remains wide open. 

Here’s a look at the latest power rankings, followed by a closer examination of four teams in the middle which could rise to the top and contend or fall flat and wind up with an early draft pick:

Share Tweet Embed 14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pulled off some impressive upsets in the Jameis Winston era, including Sunday’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. But they have often followed up those victories with confusing defeats. 

The Bucs’ win pulled them to 5-5 and just one game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. They’re on the verge of emerging as a serious contender, but they’ll need to prove they have staying power now. 

Tampa Bay will host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, in what is likely the most important game of Winston’s young career. With an upset over Seattle, the Bucs would have to be taken seriously as a viable threat in the …

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