Welcome to Gridiron’s Week 14 power ranking where the run-in to the end of the regular season starts with changes throughout a volatile top ten.

GRIDIRON POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 14

1. Buffalo Bills (10-2) +1

Returning from their bye week and putting up another 30-point effort to squash San Fran in the snow looked good, both on TV and in terms of Buffalo’s form going forward. Josh Allen continues to do Josh Allen things — even adding new wrinkles to his repertoire — and, with the AFC East crown stashed for another season, the focus can turn to securing crucial home field advantage for what is to come.

2. Detroit Lions (11-1) –1

The inability to finish off a Bears team that looks set to, once again, draft in the top ten costs Detroit top spot this week — although, to be fair, Chicago also made both Green Bay and Minnesota work hard for victories in an NFC North that could still go any which way of three. A tough run-in for the Lions, coupled with a mounting injury list, could even make it hard holding onto second spot.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) +1

Philly has been pushing for a top three spot for most of the season as it rolled to a 10-2 record, but question marks remained over the validity of its bid until last Sunday, when the Eagles saw off Baltimore in a clash of the league’s leading running backs. How ‘real’ are the Ravens? Only time will tell, but Saquon Barkley and a rapidly-improving defense bode well for the NFC East leader.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) –1

They may share the best record in the entire NFL but, like fellow 11-1ers Detroit, KC slips one place this week. Like Detroit, the Chiefs haven’t looked convincing of late, but Andy Reid’s team is also failing to look potent, eking out wins in low-scoring affairs. At what point does Lady Luck tire of playing with the rest of the league’s emotions and leave KC to its own fate?

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) +1

The enigma that is the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers took another turn over Thanksgiving weekend as the real Russell Wilson finally stood up. Winning a shootout against the Bengals should not be sniffed at, despite Cincy’s lowly record, but tougher tests — ones which could yet decide the destiny of the Steelers’ season — are still to come, and could keep them yo-yo’ing in this list.

6. Green Bay Packers (9-3) +1

The Packers are quietly moving themselves into position to steal the NFC North from Detroit, a mission that could accelerate when the two meet in this week’s Thursday Night Football offering. Both teams have injury concerns, but the Packers appear to be able to win on either offense or defense — and are playing cleaner football than when they went down to Detroit at Lambeau in Week 9.

7. Minnesota Vikings (10-2) +1

Minnesota aren’t pretty, but are pretty ruthless, both on Brian Flores’ blitz-happy defense and when QB Sam Darnold decides that the time has come to settle scores on offense. The Vikings’ last few games might have been a bit too close for the comfort for the Skol-chanters in the stands but, like KC, they seem to have found a way to keep emerging on the positive side of the ledger.

8. Baltimore Ravens (9-3) –3

Who, or what, are the Baltimore Ravens? A preseason tip that started 0-2 before transforming into a powerhouse that occasionally trips itself up seems to be the obvious answer. Granted, their three defeats have come against teams that all reside above them in this ranking, but doubts continue to linger about the Ravens true potential. And is it time for Justin Tucker to consider his own future?

9. Denver Broncos (8-5) =

The Cleveland Browns have proven to be a stumbling block for other teams in this top ten this season, so Denver should not be criticised for ending up in a shootout on Monday night. Yes, the Broncos’ defense did get exposed, especially by former teammate Jerry Jeudy, but also pulled out all the stops to ensure victory, including two pick sixes. Denver remains, if you pardon the pun, something of a dark horse.

10. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) +1

Like their AFC West rivals, the Chargers are also relying heavily on good defense to keep them in games and, in the case of Tarheeb Still’s pick six against Atlanta, ensure victory. Losing J.K. Dobbins from their rushing attack is a big blow for L.A. especially when the passing game doesn’t fire consistently (and relies on a banged-up rookie for most of its production). I this merely a top ten visit?