I don’t think I remember a season before where so many backup (and third string) quarterbacks got this much playing time. After 11 weeks, we’ve seen six starting quarterbacks go down with season ending injuries (five, if Aaron Rodgers miraculously makes it back next month), while several other teams have opted to replace their starting quarterback mid-season.
One team that won't be making a quarterback change is the Chargers. Justin Herbert continues to be one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, but is currently employed by a team that simply cannot win close games. Head Coach Brandon Staley is certainly on the hot seat and it would not surprise anyone if he is let go at the end of the season (or sooner) - particularly after his fiery press conference after yet another close loss.
Overall, the rankings remain relatively unchanged this week, but the Cincinnati Bengals took a big hit, falling nine spots primarily due to losing Joe Burrow for the season. The Packers made the biggest jump, moving up six spots, but still sit outside the top 20.
The Prime Time Pick’em would have been undefeated this week had I followed my gut, unfortunately I did not and went 1-2, dropping the season record to 23-12. This week, we get to pick six games thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday and our first ever Black Friday game. The early game on Turkey Day involves my team, the Packers, and you know the rule – we nearly always pick against them, so give me the Lions. I’ll take the Cowboys to get a big win in the afternoon slot and the 49ers to get a road win in the nightcap. On Black Friday, I like the Dolphins to win handily against the Jets. On Sunday Night football, I’m going to go with the upset and take the Chargers over the Ravens. And on Monday night, I want to take another upset, but I’ll stick with the favored Vikings to get the win at home.
Here are the rankings as we head to Week 12. Teams’ previous ranking in ( ).
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1): Once again the Eagles didn’t play their best game, but still found a way to win. At 9-1, they are in control of their own destiny to a first-round playoff bye.
2. San Francisco 49ers (3): There’s no doubting the legitimacy of this team, but they will face their toughest stretch of the season as they have the Seahawks, Eagles and Ravens in three of their next four games.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (2): Friendly reminder that this team has hosted the AFC Championship game every year of Patrick Mahomes’ career. I don’t see any reason this year will be different.
4. Dallas Cowboys (4): Until this team actually beats a good team, this is as high as they’re going to get. We will know much more about this team in December, as they face the Eagles, Bills, Dolphins and Lions in the final calendar month of the year.
5. Cleveland Browns (5): I still don’t understand why they moved away from PJ Walker as their quarterback, but once again the defense came through in a big way. This team may legitimately be the biggest favorite in the entire NFL if they had not lost Nick Chubb and DeShaun Watson for the season.
6. Baltimore Ravens (6): Baltimore now holds the #1 seed in the AFC but they’re no lock to hold onto it, as they face tough stretch of games over the final four weeks.
7. Detroit Lions (7): This is the most resilient team in the league. Jared Goff played one of his worst games as a member of the Lions, and still found a way to lead his team to victory.
8. Miami Dolphins (9): It’s hard to know if the defense actually played better, or if it was simply a result of facing a back-up quarterback. On the flip side, I’m not worried about the offense unless they go cold for multiple weeks in a row.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (12): The Jags finally put it all together and played their best game of the year. If they can do it again this week, they can give themselves some breathing room in the AFC South.
10. Houston Texans (14): They face a big test this week as they host their division foes. A win would go a long way towards solidifying their playoff position, but even with a loss I still like their chances to get in as a wild card.
11. Minnesota Vikings (10): They’ll look to start a new winning streak this week as they host the Bears in their final game before the bye.
12. Seattle Seahawks (11): The sit firmly in the #6 seed right now but if they come up short of the playoffs, they’re going to look back at this lost against the Rams as one they absolutely should have had.
13. Buffalo Bills (16): While beating up on the Jets isn’t overly impressive, it’s a good start. Let’s see if the offense can continue their momentum as the schedule really gets tough.
14. Denver Broncos (19): Four straight wins has this team right back in the playoff hunt. They’ll face another stiff test this week against the Browns defense. If they want to make a serious run at a wildcard spot, this feels like a must-win based on their upcoming schedule.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (13): They’ve been outgained in all 10 games this year but somehow sit at 6-4. Mike Tomlin finally listened to all the yinzers and made a chance, relieving OC Matt Canada of his duties. Let’s see if that sparks the offense as they face a relatively soft schedule in the coming weeks.
16. Los Angeles Rams (21): The Rams kept their playoff hopes alive with a narrow victory over the Seahawks, but at 4-6 still have plenty of work to do.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (8): Joe Burrow makes this team go and without him, it’s going to be a struggle. I’m not sure I see hardly any wins left for this team this year, so I expect them to tumble even further in the rankings next week.
18. New Orleans Saints (18): New Orleans comes off their bye this week and find themselves atop the NFC South at 5-5. Despite their inconsistency through 10 games, I still see them as the favorite in the division.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17): They hung in with the 49ers longer than I thought they would. If they’re going to make a run at the division, it has to start this week against the Colts.
20. Los Angeles Chargers (15): The Chargers lost another one-score game; who would have guessed?
21. Green Bay Packers (27): Jordan Love once again showed signs of greatness. Let’s see how he does on a short week against one of the best teams in the NFL.
22. Indianapolis Colts (22): The Colts are absolutely still in the race for the division. The best quarterback they face over the next six games is Baker Mayfield.
23. New York Jets (20): Benching Zach Wilson is not going to accomplish anything for this team. I assure you, Wilson gives them a better chance to win than Tim Boyle.
24. Las Vegas Raiders (24): The Raiders played the Dolphins down to the wire and while I don’t consider them a contender to make the playoffs, they’ve certainly turned things around since Antonio Pierce took over as head coach.
25. Washington Commanders (23): They’ve now lost four of five and are essentially completely out of the playoff race, especially since they have Dallas and Miami next on the schedule.
26. Atlanta Falcons (26): Atlanta comes off the bye this week with a critical matchup against the NFC South leading Saints. A win would vault Atlanta back into first place.
27. Tennessee Titans (25): Will Levis looked like a star in his first NFL start and has looked extremely mediocre ever since.
28. New York Giants (31): They certainly hurt their position in the draft order with a win against Washington, and may hurt themselves even more as I expect them to beat the Patriots this week.
29. Chicago Bears (28): The Bears finally remembered how to use Justin Fields, and it damn near led to a win against the Lions.
30. New England Patriots (29): The Pats come off the bye having lost three straight, and frankly if they don’t win this week against the Giants, I’m not sure they’ll win again the rest of the season.
31. Arizona Cardinals (30): Another close loss for Arizona, but at this point you have to believe it’s what’s best for the team in terms of the draft.
32. Carolina Panthers (32): At 1-9, Carolina now gets three straight road games. With that said, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if they found a way to win this week against the Titans.
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