JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser's pre-Week 12 2019 NFL power rankings. And we all know how important these are:
Rank.Team (record) | Comment
1.New England Patriots (9-1) | 1 | Shaky, but still the champs and still No. 1
2.Baltimore Ravens (8-2) | 5 | Looking stronger and stronger and stronger…
3.New Orleans Saints (8-2) | 2 | Well on way to clinching NFC South
4.San Francisco 49ers (9-1) | 3 | Shook off post-Seattle hangover just in time
5.Seattle Seahawks (8-2) | 4 | Will be brutally tough out in the postseason
6.Green Bay Packers (8-2) | 6 | Monster game at San Francisco Sunday
7.Minnesota Vikings (8-3) | 7 | As good as anyone in deep, deep NFC
8.Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) | 8 | As long as they're in it, they're a threat to win it
9.Buffalo Bills (7-3) | 9 | Quietly a serious contender for postseason
10.Houston Texans (6-4) | 10 | First place in South at stake versus Colts Thursday
11.Indianapolis Colts (6-4) | 11 | First place in South at stake versus Texans Thursday
12.Los Angeles Rams (6-4) | 12 | Margin for error getting thinner for final wild-card spot
13.Dallas Cowboys (6-4) | 14 | Doing enough to stay on top in struggling NFC East
14.Oakland Raiders (6-4) | 17 | Give Jon Gruden and this team credit – a lot of credit
15.Carolina Panthers (5-5) | 13 | Playoff hopes have faded a lot in the last two weeks
16.Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) | 15 | Still very much in contention in a down NFC East
17.Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) | 16 | Still in wild-card chase, but loss at Cleveland hurt
18.Tennessee Titans (5-5) | 18 | Up next for Derrick Henry and Co.: The Jaguars
19.Cleveland Browns (4-6) | 23 | Team of the offseason showing signs of life
20.Atlanta Falcons (3-7) | 27 | Back-to-back impressive victories
21.Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) | 19 | Need to figure out run defense in a big hurry
22.Chicago Bears (4-6) | 20 | Depth of NFC means they're probably out of contention
23.Detroit Lions (3-6-1) | 21 | Promising start continues to fade from memory
24.Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) | 22 | Close losses have defined this season
25.Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1) | 24 | Four consecutive losses after surprising three-game winning streak
26.Denver Broncos (3-7) | 25 | Brandon Allen is officially free
27.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7) | 26 | They feel capable of a few victories in final six weeks
28.New York Giants (2-8) | 28 | Will get another premium selection to go with Barkley, Jones
29.Miami Dolphins (2-8) | 29 | Still in danger of costing themselves draft position
30.New York Jets (3-7) | 30 | A few encouraging signs in recent weeks
31.Washington Redskins (1-9) | 31 | No. 1 selection remains a real possibility
32.Cincinnati Bengals (0-10) | 32 | They'll win one or two – but hard to say when
