1. Patriots (last week No. 1; 11-2): The AFC East crown is within reach.
2. Broncos (No. 2; 11-2): The degree of difficulty increases, starting this week against the Packers.
3. Rams (No. 3; 10-3): On Sunday, Matthew Stafford has a chance to seriously complicate his former team’s playoff chances.
4. Seahawks (No. 4; 10-3): They’re starting to feel like a team of destiny.
5. Packers (No. 6; 9-3-1): Those ugly back-to-back home losses are a fading memory.
6. Bills (No. 8; 9-4): Josh Allen saved the season. (Christian Benford had a big assist.)
7. Jaguars (No. 9; 9-4): They played once at Levi’s Stadium this year. Could they be returning?
8. Bears (No. 5; 9-4): Even though they lost to the Packers, they’re showing they can compete with the best teams in the conference.
9. Texans (No. 12; 8-5): Defense wins championships — and takes out champions.
10. 49ers (No. 10; 9-4): They badly needed a break.
11. Chargers (No. 14; 9-4): They found a way on a night that didn’t feel like it was going their way.
12. Lions (No. 13; 8-5): Give the ball to Gibbs and good things will happen.
13. Eagles (No. 11; 8-5): It’s 2023 all over again.
14. Steelers (No. 20; 7-6): The Steelers forged a horseshoe in Baltimore.
15. Panthers (No. 15; 7-6): If they make the playoffs, drinks will be on the house.
16. Colts (No. 7; 8-5): No, it’s not April Fool’s Day.
17. Cowboys (No. 16; 6-6-1): There’s a realistic path to the NFC East crown.
18. Buccaneers (No. 17; 7-6): If you can’t beat the Saints, you don’t deserve to win the division.
19. Chiefs (No. 18; 6-7): How bad would they be if they didn’t have Patrick Mahomes?
20. Ravens (No. 19; 6-7): They need to stop the bleeding now.
21. Dolphins (No. 22; 6-7): They haven’t lost a game since they fired G.M. Chris Grier.
22. Vikings (No. 24; 5-8): They’ve got a chance to keep the season from being a complete disaster.
23. Bengals (No. 21; 4-9): The curtain fell quickly.
24. Falcons (No. 23; 4-9): The curtain fell slowly.
25. Saints (No. 30; 3-10): Tyler Shough is showing the Saints something.
26. Titans (No. 31; 2-11): They’re refusing to give up.
27. Browns (No. 26; 3-10): Shedeur Sanders deserves the chance to be the Week 1 starter in 2026.
28. Jets (No. 25; 3-10): Bring back Mike White.
29. Cardinals (No. 27; 3-10): Will Jonathan Gannon make it to Week 18?
30. Commanders (No. 28; 3-10): If they don’t win one down the stretch, Dan Quinn could have one of the hottest seats in 2026.
31. Giants (No. 29; 2-11): The Commanders are coming to town, along with a chance at a rare win.
32. Raiders (No. 32; 2-11): Tom Brady’s cloned dog should become a Broncos fan.
