It’s possible that the Lions never punt again. Dan Campbell was super aggressive on fourth down during a Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers and it paid off in keeping the Lions atop the NFC North and these NFL Power Rankings.

The no-punting thing is obviously an exaggeration, but it’s an illustration of how the Lions like to play. That’s why they’ve maintained supremacy most of the season. The Philadelphia Eagles are also on a roll, surging into the elite portions of the NFC playoff picture. Same with the Minnesota Vikings, who keep finding ways to win behind Sam Darnold.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Overreactions: Thomas Brown’s debut, Bears defense misses Matt Eberflus, Rome Odunze as the top WR
• Instant analysis: Evaluating Bears performance in loss to San Francisco
• ‘We got our butts kicked’: How Bears are dealing with latest loss
• Vibe Check: Bears shocked by result in Thomas Brown’s debut

The AFC isn’t quite as dominant at the top, though the Kansas City Chiefs keep finding ways to survive and win football games. The Chargers are pretty good, as are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

The NFC West is still wide open. So is the NFC South, where the Falcons have fallen back on a long losing streak.

The Bears have lost seven in a row now and are heading down to the bottom despite a talent level that seems much higher than the other teams down there.

Let’s see how the league shakes out, over last week, at this late point in the season:

1. Detroit Lions (12-1): Don’t bet against Dan Campbell.   

2. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1): Every week the Chiefs find a way. Astonishing. And scary when we get to the single-elimination portion of the schedule.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2): Saquon Barkley on the march to set the NFL single-season rushing record. Kinda hope he does it.

4. Buffalo Bills (10-3): Josh Allen put on a show, but Bills didn’t get the win despite six touchdowns and no turnovers. How does that happen?

5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2): What Sam Darnold is doing is nothing short of amazing.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3): Steelers apparently don’t need George Pickens to win games. Make a note of that, both player and team.   

7. Green Bay Packers (9-4): Packers would be leading most divisions. Not in the bare knuckle brawl that is the NFC North.

8.  Baltimore Ravens (8-5): This Diontae Johnson thing is not what the Ravens need right now.

9. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5): Like many other teams, Chargers can’t seem to sneak past the Chiefs.

10. Washington Commanders (8-5): It will be interesting to see how Washington responds down the stretch. Are they ready to be serious contenders?

11. Denver Broncos (8-5): Sean Payton has to be in the coach of the year conversation.

12. Los Angeles Rams (7-6): Matthew Stafford is on one. Rams are playing so much better late in the season.

13. Houston Texans (8-5): Texans has been floundering a bit this season. Time to step and show they’re an AFC contender.

14. Seattle Seahawks (8-5): Seahawks scored 30 without Kenneth Walker. Zach Charbonnet is a bruiser.  

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6): Bucs are somehow back on top of the NFC South. The Tampa Bay offense looks like it’s back in rhythm.  

16. San Francisco 49ers (6-7): Kyle Shanahan put on a master class in offensive play calling against the Bears. If they the 49ers play like that each week, they’ll surge back into the playoff conversation.

17. Atlanta Falcons (6-7): Here’s the thing about replacing Kirk Cousins. That’s not a move you come back from. Raheem Morris has to be really sure going to Michael Penix is the right call.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8): Bengals show some life and clutch play (a rarity this season), but it might be too little, too late.

19. Dallas Cowboys (5-8): Cowboys really sure they want Mike McCarthy to remain their head coach.

20. Miami Dolphins (6-7): Mike McDaniel press conferences are so entertaining. Like how he messes with the media, rain or shine.

21. Arizona Cardinals (6-7): Cardinals run out of steam this time every year, no matter who is the head coach.

22. New Orleans Saints (5-8): Derek Carr’s banged up. Oh, and he’s got an injury guaranteed for 2025. Saints are hoping he heals quick.

23. Indianapolis Colts (6-7): Another year is gonna sail by with no idea whether Anthony Richardson is a franchise quarterback.

24. Chicago Bears (4-9): There’s nobody left to fire. Bears just have to play out the string. Certainly one of the league’s most disappointing teams in 2024.  

25. Carolina Panthers (3-10): Dave Canales is a good football coach. Hope ownership doesn’t prevent him from turning things around in Carolina.  

26. Cleveland Browns (3-10): As Browns fan is learning, the Jameis Winston experience has its drawbacks.

27. New England Patriots (3-10): Can’t lose when you’re on a bye, so…

28. New York Jets (3-10): Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention. Can we officially call the Aaron Rodgers experiment a disaster?

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10): We’ve got a Mac Jones sighting in Jacksonville. For better or worse.  

30. Tennessee Titans (3-10): Fixing the Titans must be a bigger project than Brian Callahan when he took over as head coach.

31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11): The Raiders can’t keep quarterbacks healthy, possibly setting up a scenario where Desmond Ridder goes up against his old Falcons team. That would be a juicy matchup in an otherwise uninspiring game.

32. New York Giants (2-11): A plane flew above the Giants game towing a sign that asked Jon Mara to “fix this dumpster fire.” It’s gonna take a lot of work and several years to do that.