Predominantly Orange Week 12 NFL Power Rankings
By Steven Kriz
This Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys are thankful for being ranked number one in the Predominantly Orange Power Rankings. See where everyone else ranks:
The Cowboys are officially the best team in the NFL according to these Power Rankings, and Dak Prescott should be atop the MVP voting if the season were to end today. New England bounced back after their first (real) loss of the season, and the Broncos re-joined the top-5 after the Chiefs were knocked off at home. What will happen on Thanksgiving? Is it time for the Cowboys to be bounced out of the number one seed by Captain Kirk and the Skins? Stay tuned and find out.
1. Dallas Cowboys (1)
It’s truly remarkable what is going on down in Dallas. Dak Prescott has taken over as the alpha on this team, and Ezekiel Elliott is leading the NFL in rushing by over 100 yards over former Cowboy Demarco Murray. Both rookies should be in contention for both rookie of the year, and should be in the top-10 for MVP voting as well. Prescott has thrown 17 touchdowns to only 2 INT’s. To put his season into perspective, his total QBR for the year is 84.5, trailing only Tom Brady this year. Peyton Manning’s QBR in 2013, the year in which he threw for 55 touchdowns, was 82.2. Dak Prescott should be the MVP of the NFL as a rookie, and it’s really not particularly close.
2. New England Patriots (3)
The Patriots bounced back after a tough loss with a win in Northern California. It wasn’t as easy as the final score looked. This was a one score game in the second half, and the Patriots were struggling to move the ball against a terrible Niners defense without Gronk. There was never really a doubt though that the Pats would pull it out—it just took longer than expected for them to pull away.
3. Oakland Raiders (4)
The Raiders got the win with some great plays, and with some very dicey officiating. The Texans had a clear touchdown waived off on their first possession, and also had back-to-back first downs that were given horrible spots in near sure field goal range. The Texans had 7 points taken off the board, the same 7 points they lost by. It helps to be lucky in this league, and the Raiders have been just that on their way to an 8-2 record.
4. Seattle Seahawks (5)
For the first time all year, Carson Wentz looked like a rookie. This was thanks to that dominant Seahawks defense that has been very good all season long. The Seahawks have really hit their stride now that Russell Wilson appears to be the Russell Wilson we all know. The Seahawks and the Cowboys are now the clear class of the NFC.