NFL Power Rankings Week 13
I’m not going to lie.
Thanksgiving week is probably my favorite week of the year. It’s also one of the most difficult weeks of the year for any handicapper.
There is a ridiculous amount of high-stakes sports action going on this week across the full gamut of sports. There’s college basketball morning, noon and night all week. There are big NBA and NHL matchups all week, along with Premier League and Champions League soccer.
And football. Lots and lots of football.
In college, it is rivalry week. And the final week of the regular season presents a unique set of challenges.
In the NFL, there are three potentially monster games on Thanksgiving, which we can all agree is one of the best sports traditions we have in this country. That is followed by an intriguing Black Friday game between Chicago and Philadelphia. And then the week closes with the usual Sunday slate leading up to Monday Night Football.
It's chaos. Glorious, glorious sports betting chaos.
And both the oddsmakers and us professionals have the added challenge of battling family, travel and sobriety obligations this week, raising the stakes even more.
I love every second of it.
Also, a quick programming note: the football plays from all of the Doc’s handicappers will be posted and available at 6 p.m. on Wednesday rather than Thursday. Because this week is truncated a bit, this week’s power rankings will be a little shorter than normal.
Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.
Here is Doc’s Sports NFL Power Rankings:
1. Los Angeles Rams (9-2) – The Rams have been excellent on the road this year. They are 4-1 SU and ATS and the only game they didn’t cover was that bizarre Eagles game. The Rams have wins road wins by 16, 28, 14, and 14 points and they are catching the Panthers on a short week after their Monday Night Football dud.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) – I am in the minority. And maybe I am wrong. But I just don’t understand all the hate being thrown at the Eagles week-in and week-out. They are 25-4 straight up in their last 29 games and they are 17-7 ATS in their last 24 games. The Eagles are 15-1 SU in their last 16 home games and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 at The Linc.
3. Seattle Seahawks (8-3) – The Seahawks are just 5-for-12 over the last three weeks in the red zone. Despite that, they are still averaging 33 points over their last four. Sam Darnold is going to be motivated against his former team this week and it will be interesting to see how he counters the blitz-heavy scheme he knows is coming.
4. Buffalo Bills (7-4) – Maybe Buffalo should consider signing some guys that aren’t former Bills. They pulled another one off the scrap heap this week when they signed Shaq Lawson. Admittedly, their defensive line is a mess. But part of the reason they are in this mess is because they keep giving retreads like Jordan Phillips chances.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) – This is going to be a monster game on Thursday. Kansas City saved its season with their clutch fourth quarter. But they have been shaky as hell on the road this season, losing their last three at Denver, Buffalo and Jacksonville. The Chiefs are just 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven games away from home.
6. Detroit Lions (7-4) – The Lions have had Green Bay’s number. They have won six of eight in the series and are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games against the Packers. The Lions are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games against Green Bay.
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-3) – Look for the Colts to overcorrect this week and force feed Jonathan Taylor the ball. Expect this team’s panic meter to continue to climb. Over the next three weeks they face Houston, Jacksonville and Seattle defenses that are all in the Top 5 against the run. That’s going to put more on Daniel Jones. And we all know where that is going.
8. New England Patriots (10-2) – The Patriots have played exactly one opponent (Buffalo) that is currently projected to make the playoffs. Their last seven wins have come against teams with a combined 21-56 record. The Bucs – who are sinking like a stone – are the only team above .500 that New England has beaten since Oct. 6. This week they face the 2-9 New York Giants. The Patriots are 1-3 ATS in their last four games and they are essentially a lock to lose their first playoff game this January.
9. Denver Broncos (9-2) – Speaking of impending playoff disappointments, Denver had the weekend off. They head to Washington this week to face a Commanders defense that has allowed 29.8 points per game during a six-game losing streak. The Broncos have averaged 20 points per game on the road this season (versus 26.1 per game at home).
10. Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) – Josh Jacobs, Matt Golden and Quay Walker are all inactive for Thursday’s game at Detroit. Emanuel Wilson did a great job filling in for Jacobs last week, grinding out 107 yards on 28 carries. Green Bay ran the ball 42 times in that game and I won’t be surprised to see them use the same game plan against the Lions.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) – The Chargers are 5-2 SU and ATS in their last seven games against the Raiders. Los Angeles has had two weeks to repair their shredded offensive line and to come up with a game plan for slowing down Maxx Crosby.
12. Houston Texans (6-5) – I have been banging the drum for a while that Davis Webb is a nice developmental prospect and, with some seasoning, he could be a perfectly average NFL starting quarterback. He missed some really easy throws against Buffalo, though, and Houston could’ve won that game by double digits if Webb – who is 3-0 as a starter this season – had been better.
13. Chicago Bears (8-3) – Chicago is dealing with a cluster injury problem in their back seven. There will be down to their fifth-string linebacker on Friday and if Tyrique Stevenson can’t go then they will be without three of their top four cornerbacks.
14. San Francisco 49ers (7-4) – That was a dominating effort by San Francisco’s defense on Monday, holding Carolina to just 230 total yards and 12 first downs. They should be able to do the same against Tennessee’s pop-gun attack.
15. Baltimore Ravens (6-5) – Lamar Jackson will turn 29 years old on Jan. 7. He is getting older and I think we’ve seen the last of his jaw-dropping athletic feats. He looks a step slower. And if he becomes just a pocket passer then I think his decline over the next several seasons is going to be sudden.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) – Every Jaguars game is such an emotional roller coaster. This team is a mess. Trevor Lawrence has 32 interceptions and 20 fumbles I his last 37 games over the last three seasons. He is a disaster. I can honestly say that I was WAY ahead of the curve on this guy. The Jaguars are just 2-9 SU in their last 11 games at Tennessee.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5) – I think that Baker Mayfield is going to play this week despite his shoulder sprain. The problem is that if he plays he really won’t be able to run or even risk taking shots in the pocket. His toughness is his superpower and without it the Bucs are in serious trouble. The Bucs are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) – Is Mason Rudolph kidding me with that mustache? When are non-ironic mustaches going to stop being a thing? The Steelers have lost some of their invincibility as underdogs. They are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games catching points. They have also been blasted by the Bills 31-17 (last year) and 38-3 (2022) in the last two meetings.
19. Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1) – The Cowboys have won and covered on three straight Thanksgivings. They really are going to be a dangerous team down the stretch of this season and I might be selling them short here.
20. Carolina Panthers (6-5) – Bryce Young’s first interception was a perfect example of why this guy is not good and will never be a winning quarterback. His tight end Mitchell Evans wide open on his release in the end zone. I mean, that was the whole point and design of the play, right? Fake the run, then hit the unaccounted-for tight end when the linebackers bite the play action. Young didn’t make the throw, waited, allowed another defender to get back into the play, and then decided to lollipop one to the 49ers defense.
21. Minnesota Vikings (4-7) – I still don’t really understand the physics of J.J. McCarthy’s second interception (by linebacker Isaiah McDuffie). He was getting stripped, yet somehow the ball traveled 10 yards down the field to get picked off. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. There is no way that Minnesota can start McCarthy again this week. No way. He’s in the concussion protocol this week. That has to be Minnesota’s way of letting him avoid the embarrassment of another start. Looks like it is Max Brosmer time.
22. Miami Dolphins (4-7) – Oddly, Miami is 18-4 SU And 17-5 ATS in its last 22 games in November. They had been playing much better before their bye week. We will see if they can keep it going. Miami is 5-2 ATS in its last seven home games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams from the NFC South.
23. Arizona Cardinals (3-8) – Michael Wilson can play. He is having a third-year breakout and this guy can play. He’s caught 25 balls for 303 yards over his past two games, both coming against very good defenses (49ers, Jaguars). Arizona is just 6-19 SU in its last 25 road games but they are also 10-4 ATS in their last 14 away from home and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games in Tampa Bay.
24. Atlanta Falcons (4-7) – Don’t be fooled. Atlanta allowed 21 first downs to the Saints, and New Orleans could only turn five trips inside the Falcons 30-yard-line into three points. The Falcons have lost five of their last seven road games and they are just 9-24 SU in their last 33 games away from home.
25. Cleveland Browns (3-8) – Shadeur Sanders did not look good against that weak Raiders team. He didn’t look bad. But he didn’t look sharp. And he shouldn’t. He’s a rookie quarterback making a road start. I think the Browns would be smart to start Sanders the rest of the season and let him prove what his potential actually is.
26. Washington Commanders (3-8) – Jayden Daniels is making noise about returning this week. I would be stunned if Washington put him back out there. They made a mistake by leaving him out there in garbage time of their blowout loss to Seattle. I have to think that they are going to be a lot more cautious bringing him back in a season that has gone off the rails.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) – Joe Burrow is going to play on Thanksgiving night. The spread in that Bengals-Ravens game dropped from 10.5 to 7.0 with the expectation of his return. Do we think Burrow is going to be rusty? The Bengals are just 4-10 in their last 14 games against the Ravens and 1-5 ATS in their last six games against Baltimore. Cincinnati is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games in Baltimore.
28. New Orleans Saints (2-9) – Not a good look to bring in Justin Tucker for a tryout this week. I mean, the guy is a kicker. You can’t find a goddamn kicker that doesn’t have nearly 20 different sexual assault accusations against him? The Saints are now 5-21 SU and 8-18 ATS in their last 26 games overall.
29. New York Giants (2-10) – The Giants finally realized that Shane Bowen has no idea what he’s doing. The Giants have blown five fourth quarter leads of 10 points or more – an NFL record. In five years as a defensive coordinator, Bowen never fielded a stop unit in the Top 10 in total defense and had just one defense (his first, in 2021) that finished in the top half of the NFL in yards allowed.
30. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) – Geno Smith deserves a purple heart for the abuse he took on Sunday. The Raiders simply don’t have an NFL-caliber offensive line and they still have the worst crop of skill position players in the league. Chip Kelly is the perfect example of The Peter Principle. Good riddance. But I don’t know that anyone can jump start this pathetic offense, which has averaged 12.7 points per game over its last seven games (2-5 against the total).
31. New York Jets (2-9) – Aaron Glenn is obviously a “rah-rah” head coach rather than an X’s and O’s head coach. His players have responded. These guys do not quit. The Jets are 4-0 ATS in their last four games and 5-1 ATS in their last six.
32. Tennessee Titans (1-10) – Like the Jets, the Titans have been on a bit of a hot streak at the window. The Titans are 3-0 ATS in their last three games. They had been 4-21 ATS in their 25 previous games so I guess they were due. The Titans have lost 13 straight games to AFC opponents.
Robert Ferringo has posted seven of 10 winning football seasons, including last year thanks to an astounding +10,660 football run last season. Robert banked nearly +40,000 in profit between 2010-2019 for a 10-year average profit of nearly +4,000. He has earned 11 of 16 overall winning years and 69 of 114 winning months while also going 23-9 with his football futures rated 5.0+ and earning 16 of 19 winning Super Bowls. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and he is set for another amazing football season.
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