1. Eagles (11-1; last week No. 2): They’re back on top -- and they may stick around for a while this time.
2. Cowboys (9-3; No. 3): Could there be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in Dallas on Christmas Eve?
3. Bills (9-3; No. 5): They’re back in the driver’s seat for the AFC playoff field.
4. Chiefs (9-3; No. 1): They still haven’t won in Cincinnati since Reagan’s first term.
5. 49ers (8-4; No. 6): The team that made Jimmy Garoppolo into a handoff machine for most of the 2019 postseason will be fine without him now.
6. Vikings (10-2; No. 7): They keep finding a way when it matters most.
7. Bengals (8-4; No. 8): Three wins over the Chiefs in the 2022 calendar year should get them some sort of trophy.
8. Dolphins (8-4; No. 4): Although few teams have a defense as good as San Francisco’s, the loss to the 49ers is a reason for concern.
9. Ravens (8-4; No. 9): Another late-season injury to Lamar Jackson could result in another missed playoffs.
10. Seahawks (7-5; No. 12): They’ll likely need to qualify as a wild-card, and they’re currently in position to grab a spot.
11. Giants (7-4-1; No. 10): The slow fade continues. There’s a great opportunity to change that when the Eagles come to town this weekend. Or to see it get worse.
12. Commanders (7-5-1; No. 15): Seventy minutes against the Giants, a week off, and at least 60 more minutes against the Giants after that.
13. Patriots (6-6; No. 11): Bill Belichick has built up a ton of equity over the years. He’s burning up plenty of it up this year.
14. Titans (7-5; No. 13): A year after being the top seed, they’re on track to face the top wild-card team in the opening round.
15. Jets (7-5; No. 14): They may not get to the playoffs, but they may have finally found their long-term quarterback in Mike White.
16. Buccaneers (6-6; No. 17): The Saints couldn’t hold the lead, in part because Donovan Smith was holding on every play.
17. Chargers (6-6; No. 16): “We’re three games better than the Rams” isn’t going to fly.
18. Lions (5-7; No. 19): They could make things very interesting, if they could steal the No. 7 seed.
19. Browns (5-7; No. 20): The quarterback of a Rust Belt team was showing plenty of it on Sunday. When they play an actual NFL team this week, that could be a problem.
20. Steelers (5-7; No. 21): Why should you never write off Mike Tomlin? Here’s why.
21. Raiders (5-7; No. 23): The 50th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception playoff game could be a de facto playoff game.
22. Panthers (4-8; No. 22): Mayberry wasn’t for Mayfield.
23. Falcons (5-8; No. 18): It’s time to see what Desmond Ridder can do.
24. Packers (5-8; No. 25): A loss would have ended things for the Packers. A win over the Bears doesn’t change a whole lot, yet.
25. Jaguars (4-8; No. 24): The Jags are the kid who gets straight As once per year and otherwise is flunking out.
26. Cardinals (4-8; No. 26): They finally had a good excuse for not showing up.
27. Colts (4-8-1; No. 27): A 54-19 loss makes it harder for Jim Irsay to justify keeping Jeff Saturday for 2023. That won’t stop Irsay from trying.
28. Saints (4-9; No. 28): Having to wait 13 days to play again makes that one even harder to digest.
29. Rams (3-9; No. 29): The “eff them picks” team will display a much more welcoming attitude toward the various excuses they’re already making as to why they stink this year.
30. Bears (3-10; No. 30): Before the season, it was fair to wonder whether the new regime wanted to keep Justin Fields. Fields may soon be thinking about whether he wants to stay there.
31. Broncos (3-9; No. 31): They aren’t giving up, which is good. They’re still not winning, which is bad.
32. Texans (1-10-1; No. 32): Twenty years after they were the most recent expansion team, maybe it’s time to start thinking about contraction.
