1. Lions (last week No. 2; 9-1): Dan Campbell says getting questions about whether to remove starters during garbage time of a blowout is a good problem to have. Here’s a not-good problem — getting a starter seriously injured during garbage time of a blowout.
2. Bills (No. 3; 9-2): We know they can beat the Chiefs in the regular season. Can they do it in the postseason?
3. Chiefs (No. 1; 9-1): They’ll just shrug and keep going.
4. Steelers (No. 5; 8-2): The Steelers are fun to watch when they’re winning.
5. Eagles (No. 7; 8-2): The Eagles are fun to watch when they’re winning.
6. Ravens (No. 4; 7-4): The Ravens are fun to watch, winning or losing.
7. Vikings (No. 8; 8-2): The Vikings are simply not fun to watch.
8. Packers (No. 9; 7-3): They’d be 9-1 if they’d beaten the Lions and Vikings.
9. Commanders (No. 6; 7-4): The offense is getting sluggish, and the coaching on Thursday night was not good enough.
10. Cardinals (No. 10; 6-4): Best evidence that Cardinals are legit? When they were on their bye, I missed them.
11. Chargers (No. 12; 7-3): Could they catch the Chiefs for the division title?
12. 49ers (No. 11; 5-5): At some point, we just have to accept that there’s something missing — and that it’s not coming back this year.
13. Texans (No. 14; 7-4): Keep feeding Joe Mixon.
14. Broncos (No. 15; 6-5): Bo Nix might catch Jayden Daniels for offensive rookie of the year.
15. Rams (No. 16; 5-5): If they get a little healthier, they could take the NFC West.
16. Falcons (No. 13; 6-5): Their hammerlock on the division crown is getting a lot looser.
17. Buccaneers (No. 17; 4-6): They’re still very much alive, despite many recent struggles.
18. Seahawks (No. 19; 5-5): The season was about to be put to sleep, until Geno Smith scored the touchdown that caused him to say night-night to the Niners.
19. Dolphins (No. 20; 4-6): There’s a realistic path to 9-8. Will that be good enough to get in?
20. Colts (No. 22; 5-6): Old narrative, “You can’t bench a struggling young quarterback.” New narrative, “Benching a struggling young quarterback might be the best way to get the most out of him.”
21. Saints (No. 29; 4-7): The Saints have all the Rizz.
22. Bengals (No. 18; 4-7): How many heartbreaking losses can they take before they fold the tents on 2024?
23. Bears (No. 21; 4-6): Bad news is they lost. Good news is the offense is better. Worst news is look at the upcoming schedule.
24. Jets (No. 23; 3-8): Would Aaron Rodgers retire before the end of the season? Would the Jets be relieved if he did?
25. Cowboys (No. 24; 3-7): The roof, the roof, the roof is not stable.
26. Browns (No. 25; 2-8): If it looks like a tank, walks like a tank, tanks like a tank. . . .
27. Patriots (No. 26; 3-8): They’ve now had back-to-back 3-8 starts for the first time since before Robert Kraft bought the team.
28. Panthers (No. 27; 3-7): They’ve somehow gotten to two wins in a row. To get to three, they’ll have to beat the Chiefs.
29. Raiders (No. 28; 2-8): Tom Brady is very glad his other job keeps him from attending games played by the team he owns.
30. Giants (No. 31; 2-8): Let them eat cutlets.
31. Titans (No. 32; 2-9): The moments that provide a spark are too short, too few, and too far between.
32. Jaguars (No. 30; 2-9): How can any non-player other than ownership still be employed at this point?