2020 NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Patriots rise after blowout win vs. Chargers
Week 13 of the 2020 NFL season was full of surprising results.Perhaps the most shocking outcome was the New York Giants going on the road and defeating the Seattle Seahawks in a matchup between NFC division leaders. The Cleveland Browns also made a statement with an impressive victory over the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans.And don't forget about the New England Patriots, who are starting to play their best football at the most important time of the season. The Pats dominated the Los Angeles Chargers in a 45-0 win to keep New England within striking distance of a wild card berth in the AFC.Let's take a look at our updated NFL Power Rankings entering Week 14.
The Jets had a 28-24 lead over the Raiders with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter and still lost! The Raiders went 61 yards in four plays, culminating with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to rookie Henry Ruggs III.
The loss is actually great for New York, as it takes the franchise a step closer to securing the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
It's also very likely the Jets will become the third team in NFL history to go winless in a 16-game season.
(Last three rankings: 32, 32, 32)
The Jaguars nearly tied the Jets in the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but New York pulled off a miracle victory. Jacksonville also lost in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings despite tying the score late in the fourth quarter.
(Last three rankings: 31, 31, 31)
The Bengals lost 19-7 to the Dolphins and failed to score over the last three quarters. The goal for Cincinnati over the rest of the regular season should be to lose games and improve its 2021 NFL Draft position.
(Last three rankings: 30, 25, 26)
The Chargers suffered their most lopsided loss in franchise history Sunday against the Patriots. New England earned a 45-0 victory on the strength of two special teams touchdowns -- a punt return and a return on a blocked field goal.
Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert struggled against Bill Belichick's defense and gave his worst performance of the season, throwing for just 209 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
(Last three rankings: 27, 21, 23)
A 34-17 loss to the Ravens on Tuesday night has the Cowboys at the bottom of the NFC standings. The goal for Dallas over the remainder of the season should be improving its position in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Cowboys currently have the No. 4 pick.
(Last three rankings: 28, 29, 29)
The Eagles suffered their fourth straight loss with a 30-16 defeat to the Packers at Lambeau Field. Philadelphia's offense continued to struggle, forcing head coach Doug Pederson to bench Carson Wentz and give rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts some reps in the fourth quarter. The Eagles pulled within 23-16 in the fourth quarter but Packers running back Aaron Jones ended Philly's comeback hopes with a 77-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles now own the NFC's second-worst record and next week's matchup is a tough one against the conference's top seed, the Saints.
(Last three rankings: 24, 20, 22)
The Lions kept their very slim playoff hopes alive with a comeback win over the Bears in Chicago. Detroit outscored Chicago 21-7 in the second half thanks to a great performance from quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for 402 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
(Last three rankings: 29, 26, 20)
The Broncos put up a good fight against the defending champion Chiefs on "Sunday Night Football" but ultimately lost 22-16. Broncos quarterback Drew Lock returned to the lineup after missing last week's game, and he threw two interceptions versus the Chiefs defense.
(Last three rankings: 23, 24, 25)
The Panthers had a Week 13 bye, and they'll return to game action in Week 14 against the struggling Broncos.
(Last three rankings: 22, 22, 24)
The Texans had a chance to tie the game or take the lead late in the fourth quarter Sunday versus the Colts, but quarterback Deshaun Watson fumbled in the red zone and Indianapolis recovered. The Colts ran out the clock to secure a 26-20 win.
(Last three rankings: 21, 27, 28)
And just like that... we have a new "bloody sock" game. Alex Smith, who should already be a shoo-in for Comeback Player of the Year just for playing again after his devastating injury, drew comparisons to Curt Schilling after being cleated Monday night -- and that was before jump-starting a Washington offense that slept walked through the first half en route to a road win over the previously undefeated Steelers. Impressive.
(Last three rankings: 26, 30, 30)
The Falcons gave the first-place Saints a tough test Sunday, but New Orleans made a few more plays and escaped with a 21-16 win.
Luckily for Atlanta, it has a very winnable game next week versus the 3-9 Chargers.
(Last three rankings: 20, 23, 19)
The Bears have now lost six consecutive games after blowing a 10-point halftime lead in a 34-30 loss to the struggling Lions. Chicago faces a must-win Week 14 game versus the Texans. Another loss would end any playoff hopes the Bears might have left.
(Last three rankings: 17, 11, 16)
The injury-ravaged San Francisco/Arizona 49ers lost their first game in their temporary home in Glendale on Monday night, dropping their home record this season to 1-5. Rough follow-up season for the defending NFC champs.
(Last three rankings: 18, 17, 21)
Give the Giants credit -- it's not easy to go into Seattle and beat Russell Wilson's Seahawks. New York became the first team to accomplish that feat in 2020 with an impressive 17-12 win Sunday. The Giants have won five of their last seven games and lead the NFC East.
New York's upcoming schedule is pretty tough, though, with matchups against the Cardinals, Browns and Ravens over the next three weeks.
(Last three rankings: 25, 28, 27)
The Cardinals are trending downward after an abysmal loss to the rival Rams, which puts Arizona into a tie with the Vikings for the third and final wild card spot in the NFC. Arizona will try to end its three-game losing streak in Week 14 against the NFC East-leading Giants, who are coming off a huge win over the Seahawks.
(Last three rankings: 13, 10, 6)
The Vikings nearly lost in ugly fashion to the one-win Jaguars but managed to win 27-24 in overtime. The victory was a massive one for the Vikings, who are now tied with the Cardinals for the third and final wild card spot in the NFC and own the tiebreaker over Arizona based on win percentage in common games.
(Last three rankings: 19, 18, 18)
The Ravens snapped their three-game losing streak with a 34-17 win over the Cowboys on Tuesday night. The victory maintains Baltimore's one-game lead over the Patriots in the AFC playoff race, but the Ravens still trail a playoff spot by one game entering Week 14.
(Last three rankings: 12, 5, 8)
The Raiders almost suffered an embarrassing loss to the winless Jets but left MetLife Stadium with an improbable comeback win. Las Vegas won the game on a 46-yard touchdown pass with five seconds remaining. It was a pivotal win for the Raiders to maintain their lead over the Ravens and Patriots in the AFC wild card chase.
The Raiders can move into a wild card spot with a win over the Colts in Week 14.
(Last three rankings: 15, 12, 12)
The Patriots gave their best performance of the season with a 45-0 win over the Chargers in Los Angeles.
Patriots wide receiver Gunner Olszewski was the star of the game with 145 punt return yards and a touchdown, in addition to a 38-yard receiving touchdown.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, nearly all the teams they needed to lose Sunday ended up winning, including the Dolphins, Colts and Raiders. As a result, New England will trail a wild card spot by two games entering Week 14.
(Last three rankings: 16, 19, 17)
The Dolphins took another step toward their first playoff appearance since 2016 with a comfortable 19-7 win over the Bengals.
Next up for the Dolphins is a difficult Week 14 matchup versus the defending champion Chiefs in Miami.
(Last three rankings: 14, 13, 13)
The Buccaneers had a much-needed bye this week to rest up and work out the issues that have plagued the team's offense.
Tom Brady's team will return to game action in Week 14 against a hungry Vikings team fighting Tampa Bay for a playoff spot.
(Last three rankings: 9, 7, 5)
The Colts nearly lost Sunday's game late in the fourth quarter but the defense stepped up and forced a turnover to seal a much-needed win.
Next up for the Colts is a pivotal matchup versus the Raiders -- the team right below Indy in the AFC wild card race.
(Last three rankings: 9, 14, 10)
The Titans defense got destroyed by the Browns in a 41-35 loss, but Tennessee is still barely holding on to the AFC South lead thanks to a better win percentage in division games.
Luckily for the Titans, they should be able to get back on track with two very winnable games versus the Jaguars and Lions over the next two weeks.
(Last three rankings: 6, 9, 11)
The Rams earned a convincing 38-28 win over the Cardinals to take over first place in the NFC West. Los Angeles holds the tiebreaker over the Seahawks based on head-to-head results.
Up next for L.A. is a Thursday night game against the resurgent Patriots, who haven't lost to the Rams franchise since 2001 -- a streak of six consecutive wins.
(Last three rankings: 11, 15, 14)
The Browns have had a good record all year but it was hard for people to believe in them as a legit AFC contender based on poor finishes to recent seasons and the lack of a signature win in 2020.
Well, the Browns earned a lot of respect Sunday with an impressive 41-35 victory over the AFC South-leading Titans that wasn't as close as the score suggests. Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 334 yards with four touchdowns.
The Browns have also reached the 9-win mark for just the third time since re-entering the league in 1999.
(Last three rankings: 10, 16, 15)
The Seahawks fell from the No. 2 seed in the NFC to the No. 5 seed with a perplexing 17-12 loss to the Giants at home. Seattle quarterback and MVP candidate Russell Wilson was sacked five times and threw one interception in an unusually poor performance from him.
The Seahawks trail the Rams in the NFC West due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. A Week 16 matchup between these teams likely will decide the division crown.
(Last three rankings: 4, 6, 9)
The Bills' last trip to Arizona ended in heartbreak with a last-second loss to the Cardinals on a Kyler Murray-DeAndre Hopkins hail mary, but Josh Allen ensured Buffalo wouldn't lose in the desert again, leading the Bills to their first Monday Night Football win this century.
Their first AFC East crown in a quarter-century is well within reach.
(Last three rankings: 5, 4, 4)
The Packers held off a fourth-quarter rally by the Eagles to earn a 30-16 victory at home.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for three scores and became the fastest player ever to reach 400 career touchdown passes.
Green Bay still is the No. 2 seed in the NFC and should wrap up the NFC North title fairly soon.
(Last three rankings: 7, 8, 7)
The Saints became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff spot with their victory over the Falcons. New Orleans still has plenty at stake, though. The Saints lead the Packers for the NFC's top seed by just one game, and Green Bay holds the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams.
(Last three rankings: 3, 3, 3)
It wasn't the prettiest performance, but the Chiefs beat the Broncos 22-16 on "Sunday Night Football" and take a step closer to clinching a playoff spot.
The schedule gets tougher for the Chiefs with matchups against playoff-caliber teams in the Dolphins and Saints over the next two weeks.
(Last three rankings: 2, 2, 2)
The '72 Dolphins are celebrating again, with the Steelers finally falling from the ranks of the unbeaten. We'll give Pittsburgh a slight pass for losing just four days after a win over Baltimore -- but it doesn't get easier in Week 14 at Buffalo. A loss there would definitely drop Mike Tomlin's club out of the top spot.
(Last three rankings: 2, 1, 1)
