2023 NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Eagles, Niners poised for showdown of top teams
The top of the food chain feels pretty obvious after a week when the NFL’s favorites dominated to a surprising degree.
It won’t stay that way for long, though. Fresh off the Super Bowl showdown between the Eagles and Chiefs, we’re barreling toward an even bigger grudge match. It’s finally Eagles/Niners week (Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), and one way or another, we’re going to have a lot to talk about among the league’s elite. With Baltimore taking a well-deserved week off, don’t be surprised if the winner of this one is sitting atop the rankings a week from right now.
Whatever happens, it should be a lot less confusing than trying to figure out the league’s middle class.
Here are the power rankings heading into Week 13.
NFL Power Rankings
1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) no change
The Eagles seem to have finally reached a point where their success is breaking rival fans’ brains. I’m not going to say the officiating was good in Philadelphia on Sunday, but we still need to give the Eagles their credit for rallying from a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit and outdueling one of Josh Allen’s best-ever performances. This was Herculean stuff from the Birds, who continue to do an amazing job of simply never saying die.
2. Baltimore Ravens (9-3) +1
Rather than harp on the ugly aspects of that win in L.A., I’ll simply say this for the Ravens: they finally found a way to win a close one. And as grueling as it must have been to play 12 straight games, they now get to enjoy the benefit of taking a week off just before the home stretch.
3. San Francisco 49ers (8-3) +2
We figured the offense would be fine when Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel came back, but the San Francisco defense is back to breathing fire once again. That demolition of Seattle, on the road in front of a national audience, was good enough to jump them ahead of the Chiefs. And if they knock off Philly this coming weekend, they just might reclaim the top spot.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) no change
Go figure that Rashee Rice would have his best game as a pro one week after the Chiefs’ passing game collapsed. Now we just need that type of performance consistently as Kansas City tries to lock up another AFC No. 1 seed.
5. Miami Dolphins (8-3) +1
It’s a tough blow to lose a player as good as Jaelan Phillips in the fourth quarter of a blowout win. But Miami’s success is always going to be about the offense, and the Dolphins torched a talented Jets defense.
6. Dallas Cowboys (8-3) +1
I’ve hesitated to bump the Cowboys too high up the rankings because I need to see them beat a good team or two. Well, the chance starts now. Seattle on Thursday, followed by Philly, then back-to-back road trips to Buffalo and Miami. We’ll know very soon how real the Cowboys are.
7. Detroit Lions (8-3) -5
The Lions were upset at home as seven-point favorites in a week when all the other heavyweights took care of business. It’s not the end of the world, but I don’t blame you if you’re starting to get concerned about the Lions’ defense. Can their offense sustain if their defense doesn’t pick up its play?
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) +1
I’m just not sure if we’re talking enough about the season that Josh Allen (the Jags edge rusher, not the QB) is having. The guy has a career-best 12 sacks for a division leader and never gets mentioned among the league’s top pass rushers. As well as Trevor Lawrence and Calvin Ridley played against Houston, Jacksonville needs Allen to continue leading the way on the other side.
9. Houston Texans (6-5) +1
Sorry, but I just don’t think much less of the Texans after missing out on overtime against Jacksonville by a doink. C.J. Stroud is an amazing player, and I fully believe he and his receivers give Houston a chance against virtually any team in the league.
10. Buffalo Bills (6-6) +1
It’s cruel that the Bills played their best game since Week 4 on a day when they fell to 6-6 on the year. As far as reaching the playoffs go, the math is not forgiving. But if Josh Allen can play like that consistently over the next five weeks, I’m not going to rule Buffalo out as a team to be feared.
11. Denver Broncos (6-5) +2
It hasn’t looked pretty any step of the way, but five-straight wins are five-straight wins. Denver’s defense is a unit transformed, and Sean Payton has Russell Wilson playing clean, if not exciting, football. Clearly, it’s a hard formula to beat, because the Broncos have won against some strong teams during this streak.
12. Cleveland Browns (7-4) -4
Monitoring Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s injury status is one thing, but I don’t like the Browns’ odds if Myles Garrett is hampered by this shoulder injury. It’s got to hurt Browns fans that a roster this good is hamstrung so badly by injury.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) +4
Sunday showed why the change in offensive coordinator was overdue. Pittsburgh’s 421 yards and 16 points weren’t outstanding by NFL standards. But when you cross the 400-yard threshold for the first time in 58 games, it’s worth celebrating. The Steelers got to 6-4 with an awful offense, so even a decent one could help them make some noise.
14. Seattle Seahawks (6-5) -2
Whatever ails the Seahawks’ offense, they’ve got to fix it soon – and there’s no time for tuneups. Seattle got bludgeoned by San Francisco, and the next three games come against Dallas, San Francisco (again) and then Philadelphia. If Geno Smith and his guys can’t score some points, the season is going to get away from them in a hurry.
[2023 NFL midseason awards picks, playoff predictions: Who wins MVP, Super Bowl?]
15. Indianapolis Colts (6-5) +1
This is the current playoff team we are talking the least about. Jonathan Taylor is the Colts’ only star player, and he didn’t even suit up until Week 5. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew is doing just enough to stay out of the way. Zaire Franklin is one of the best defenders in the league we don’t talk about. Not a great team, but a team that’s clearly doing enough to be in the conversation.
16. Minnesota Vikings (6-6) -2
Josh Dobbs was bound to have a game like he did last night; you just figured it would have happened when he first got to town rather than a month later. It’s as ugly a loss as any that’s happened in the league this season. But the Vikings get a week off, and they may have Justin Jefferson back when they return to action. Can’t afford to let it linger.
17. Atlanta Falcons (5-6) +4
It’s not just that Atlanta got a win against the hated Saints, but the Falcons are now 3-0 in the division. They’ve got the inside track on the division title and the home playoff game that goes with it – but man, it’d still be nice if Desmond Ridder could cut down on the turnovers.
18. Green Bay Packers (5-6) +5
It’s hard not to be excited by what we’re seeing from this team. You expect a young squad to take their share of bumps, but the Packers seem to be coming out on the other side — highlighted by the fact that Jordan Love looks like he might be their QB of the future. How real is it? We’ll get an idea this week, with a visit from the Chiefs on deck.
19. Los Angeles Rams (5-6) +7
I wasn’t surprised the Rams beat the Cardinals, but it was pretty impressive to see an outright demolition. The schedule is not forgiving, but I don’t know how many people expected them to be part of the wild card race when the season started.
20. Los Angeles Chargers (4-7) -2
This is the second week in a row I wouldn’t have been surprised to wake up to the news that Brandon Staley has been fired. Maybe the Chargers don’t see the value in doing that with so many games left. But unless a miracle rally is on the horizon, you’ve got to assume that news is coming eventually.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) -2
Two or three times per game, Baker Mayfield makes a “wow” throw or pulls off a clutch scramble that makes you want to believe. But the bottom line is that the Bucs have lost six of their last seven games. It’s certainly not all on Baker, either. But barring a big turnaround, it makes you wonder if the team will want to maintain this direction.
22. New Orleans Saints (5-6) -2
I’m not saying the Saints have the best roster in the NFL, but it’s good enough that we should consider them deeply disappointing. Thanks to the weakness of the division, they still have a chance to make the playoffs. But how many impressive or entertaining performances have we seen from this group so far? Maybe the win against the Colts? It’s not good enough.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) -8
This is what you’re afraid of when the starting quarterback goes down. The Jake Browning iteration of the Bengals managed 222 total yards and 10 points against Pittsburgh. They converted 2-of-10 third downs. It’s a tough break for them, but it’s hard to take this team seriously as any kind of playoff contender until they prove otherwise.
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24. Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) -2
Good vibes and a change of direction can make a big difference, but it can only take you so far against the NFL’s best. It’s been much more fun to watch the Raiders since they fired Josh McDaniels, but this organization’s main focus should be on what happens in 2024.
25. New York Jets (4-7) -1
Even if Aaron Rodgers can miraculously return and play, it’s going to be too little and too late. If the Jets want to run things back with Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh because they never got to actually work with Rodgers, that’s fine. But it doesn’t change how poor a job they did pivoting and keeping an otherwise strong roster competitive without their quarterback.
26. Tennessee Titans (4-7) +3
I’m calling this season a success in Tennessee for no other reason than that Will Levis is getting extensive playing time and has now managed multiple wins. Most important of all, this development for the young quarterback isn’t going to improve the Titans’ draft standing too much, judging by what’s looming on the schedule.
27. New York Giants (4-8) +3
Maybe the Giants are hurting their draft stock in the long run, but we’ll always have this fun stretch of Tommy DeVito memes to think back on. Seriously, though: for the sake of their draft prospects, Brian Daboll had better not get too cute and try to win many more games.
28. Chicago Bears (4-8) no change
I can’t in good conscience move the Bears up in the rankings after failing to score a touchdown, even if they did manage to win. It doesn’t seem great to mess up your draft positioning while also getting a forgettable performance from Justin Fields. But at least that Panthers pick is sitting pretty.
29. Washington Commanders (4-8) -4
Washington parted ways with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio shortly after his group surrendered 431 yards and 38 points in Dallas. Maybe that keeps Ron Rivera safe for the time being, but the writing seems to be on the wall about where this is all heading.
30. Arizona Cardinals (2-10) -3
The Cardinals have played far better games against far better teams than what they showed against the Rams. It’s a timely reminder that, no matter how much of a pleasant surprise they’ve been, this is still a group that needs a talent infusion.
31. New England Patriots (2-9) no change
At this point, my only question is whether Bill Belichick will still be around to use the Patriots’ first top-five draft pick in 30 years, or if it’s going to be an all-new regime making that decision. The latter seems likely.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-10) no change
The Panthers are horrible, but I can’t help but feel like another coaching change in Charlotte is more indicative of top-down turmoil than anything else. I hope for Bryce Young’s sake that Panthers owner David Tepper gets this next hire right after moving on from Frank Reich, but I can’t say those hopes are high.
David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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