NFL power rankings: Week 14

After a second year in a row of the NFL putting a game on a Friday to celebrate world holiday Black Friday, they might as well start having a Giving Tuesday game. Anyway, here are the top teams in the league to look out for this week.

0. The Kansas City Chiefs

If the ending of the Chiefs game against the Raiders doesn't convince you that the league is rigged, I don't know what will. For those who didn't watch this game, a referee quite literally blew a play dead before it started, the Raiders fumbled the ball and the Chiefs recovered. Needing to figure out how they can give the Chiefs the ball, they call a different penalty than what was originally flagged on the play, allowing the turnover to stand and for the Chiefs to escape with their 11th win of the season.  This column will continue to feature the Kansas City Chiefs at rank 0 since the NFL appears to currently be rigged for the Chiefs to win it all. I will continue to refuse to have them take up a spot on the list of best teams in the league until they — by some miracle — don’t win a Super Bowl.

8. The Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers defense dominated the Falcons for a full 60 minutes. Four interceptions — and one returned for a touchdown — against the normally not turnover-prone Kirk Cousins kept the Chargers in this game. That said, the offense was sluggish and one-dimensional, with Ladd McConkey accounting for 117 of Justin Herbert's 147 passing yards. Pair that with a weaker-than-normal rushing attack from the Chargers due to J.K. Dobbins being out for the foreseeable future, and you have a team whose defense is firing on all cylinders while their offense attempts to keep the wheels from fully falling off the bus.

7. The Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels looked like he's back to being fully healthy after a dominant game against the Titans. He had four total touchdowns through the air and on the ground, a performance that was aided greatly by the return of running back Brian Robinson Jr. — who carried the ball 16 times for 103 rushing yards and a touchdown. This team looks like they're back to being 100% heading into their bye week, needing to secure a couple wins to end the season with a wild card spot in the highly contested NFC playoff race.

6. The Baltimore Ravens

After this Sunday, it looks like Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are both out of MVP contention. The team came out swinging, putting up 9 points in the first quarter against a dominant Eagles defense. They would then only score a field goal at the end of the first half and a touchdown at the end of the game in garbage time. Lamar Jackson highlighted the team's need to be more consistent, and that looks to be the problem they need to solve as they head into their bye week. They have the star power to make a push for the Super Bowl, they just need to play their dominant brand of football more consistently than they do now.

5. The Pittsburgh Steelers

Was this 400 yard torching of the Bengals defense by Russell Wilson an outlier? Most definitely. Was it still impressive? Absolutely. With Wilson eclipsing the 400-yard mark for the first time since 2019 and the Steelers putting up more than 40 points in a game for the first time since 2018, this team annihilated the Bengals defense on Sunday. Granted, this Bengals defense is historically awful, but no one expected this kind of performance out of a Steelers offense that has been sluggish all year, no matter how bad the defense they've faced. I doubt this type of performance is repeatable by the team, but the Steelers now have a lot of momentum heading into their rematch at home vs. the Browns.

4. The Detroit Lions

This game was a tale of two halves. As one stat so eloquently put it, Shaboozey was on the field longer for his halftime show than the Bears offense was on the field during the first half. The Lions were playing lights-out at home, until they suddenly weren't. What kept them from losing this game outside of da Bears being da Bears was a bomb of a punt by Lions punter Jack Fox that pinned the Bears at their own one-yard line for their final drive. No matter how bad the Lions seem to start playing, they still execute in big situations and have the best record in the NFC because of it. But in an end-of-season stretch featuring division rematches and a highly anticipated primetime game against the Bills, it's going to take a little more than solid execution out of this Lions team to come out on top of their conference heading into the playoffs.

3. The Green Bay Packers

For the first time this season, Jordan Love has gone two consecutive weeks without throwing an interception. All this team did last year when Love managed his turnovers was win six of their last eight games to get into the playoffs before barely losing to the 49ers in the divisional. If this team can manage that kind of performance down the stretch, they're in prime position to snatch the No. 1 seed from their division opponent Lions and secure home field throughout the playoffs. They have to get through a gauntlet of division rematches plus games against the Saints and Seahawks, but if Jordan Love keeps the ball safe, I can see this team going undefeated to end the season.

2. The Philadelphia Eagles

Saquon Barkley will not win MVP. Not because he's having a bad season, it's just rarely awarded to running backs. Currently projected to break the record for rushing yards in a season, Barkley dominated one of the league's best run defenses to the tune of 107 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Hurts quietly threw for nine consecutive completions that put the Eagles in position to score two touchdowns in the second quarter while also not turning the ball over, helping manage the team to their eighth straight win against what looked to be their most difficult remaining opponent on the schedule.

1. The Buffalo Bills

Speaking of the current frontrunner for MVP, Josh Allen had himself a game on Sunday night. Becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to score a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in a single game, Allen was lights-out against the 49ers. The Bills used the weather to their advantage, dominating  in the snow that was pouring down to bring their record to 10-2 with a 35-10 win. This team can still secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC if the Chiefs lose before the end of the season, but even if they have to settle for the No. 2 seed, they are still the best team in the NFL this week.