JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser's pre-Week 13 2018 NFL power rankings. And we all know how important these are:
Rank.Team (record) | Comment
1.New Orleans Saints (10-1) | 1 | As good as there is entering December
2.Los Angeles Rams (10-1) | 2 | Also as good as there is …
3.Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) | 3 | See Nos. 1 and 2
4.New England Patriots (8-3) | 5 | Don't count them out
5.Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) | 7 | Don't count them out, either
6.Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1) | 4 | Looking surprisingly vulnerable lately
7.Houston Texans (8-3) | 6 | Franchise-record eight consecutive victories
8.Chicago Bears (8-3) | 8 | Finding a way again and again
9.Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) | 10 | Clawing into playoffs after tough start
10.Indianapolis Colts (6-5) | 12 | Quickly becoming wild-card favorites
11.Seattle Seahawks (6-5) | 21 | Remember when they were "rebuilding?"
12.Dallas Cowboys (6-5) | 17 | Your first-place Dallas Cowboys …
13.Carolina Panthers (6-5) | 9 | A month to forget for the Panthers
14.Washington Redskins (6-5) | 11 | Could miss Alex Smith big-time next month
15.Baltimore Ravens (6-5) | 13 | Jackson or Flacco? How will Harbaugh answer?
16.Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) | 19 | Still hanging on … but barely
17.Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) | 15 | Fading fast after surprising start
18.Green Bay Packers (4-6-1) | 16 | Closer and closer to elimination
19.Tennessee Titans (5-6) | 14 | Defense becoming a midseason worry
20.Cleveland Browns (4-6-1) | 23 | Future starting to look bright … at last
21.Miami Dolphins (5-6) | 20 | Sunday's loss has serious wild-card ramifications
22.Atlanta Falcons (4-7) | 18 | One of league's surprise struggles this season
23.Denver Broncos (5-6) | 24 | Getting close to salvaging the season
24.Detroit Lions (4-7) | 22 | Midseason fade continues
25.Buffalo Bills (4-7) | 28 | Josh Allen's future could be bright
26.New York Giants (3-8) | 25 | How long for Eli?
27.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) | 26 | Winston back, but for how long?
28.Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) | 27 | Stunning fall; NFL's longest losing streak
29.New York Jets (3-8) | 29 | A lot of questions as December approaches
30.San Francisco 49ers (2-9) | 30 | Settled in at No. 30
31.Oakland Raiders (2-9) | 31 | Settled in at No. 31
32.Arizona Cardinals (2-9) | 32 | Settled in at No. 32
