Week 13 NFL Power Rankings: Packers Soar as Love ‘Shut Up’ Critics
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are making a big move in the NFC playoff race as well as the latest NFL power rankings.
With back-to-back wins over the Chargers and Lions, the Packers have moved from 26.4 to 17.0 in our weekly survey of 10 national power rankings. Green Bay ranks between 15th and 19th in all 10 rankings.
After upsetting first-place Detroit on Thanksgiving, the Packers will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Led by NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. Their average spot in our rankings is 3.2.
After a Week 1 loss to Detroit, Kansas City won six straight before splitting its last four games. On Sunday, the Chiefs spotted the Raiders a 14-0 lead before rolling to a 31-17 win. Mahomes threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense gave up nine first downs over the final three quarters.
Here’s where you’ll find the Packers in each of the rankings, with longer analysis by following the links.
Yahoo: 15th
Last week: 23rd.
Frank Schwab noted the Packers’ playoff chances are 55 percent or 43 percent, depending on the model. “That's still good for a team that looked cooked a few weeks ago. Jordan Love's progress has been a revelation.”
USA Today: 16th
Last week: 25th
Nate Davis took a page from our coverage in comparing Love to Aaron Rodgers at the same point in their debut seasons. “How's Jordan Love doing? Through his first 11 games since taking over as QB1, he's gone 5-6 with 2,599 passing yards while being responsible for 21 TDs (pass/rush). Compare that to Aaron Rodgers' first 11 starts in 2008 after replacing Brett Favre … and the numbers are exactly the same.”
The nine-spot improvement is the largest this week.
The Athletic: 16th
Last week: 23rd
In this week’s rankings, Josh Kendall writes about the “best case” for each team. For Green Bay that’s a spot in the playoffs. “After upsetting the Lions on Thanksgiving, the Packers are only one spot out of the playoff picture. The reason is the improvement of Jordan Love, who is fourth in the league in EPA per attempt (.32) and passing yards (1,193) in November.”
Pro Football Talk: 16th
Last week: 19th
Wrote Mike Florio: “Where are all the people who were saying Jordan Love can’t play?” Contrast that to two weeks ago, when Florio wondered if “mediocrity” could be the Packers’ “new status quo.”
Sports Illustrated: 17th
Last week: 17th
SI.com’s Conor Orr loves the trajectory of Love. “Removing the Pittsburgh loss from the equation, Jordan Love has now had games with QB ratings of 115.5, 108.5 and 125.5 over the last month. I don’t think, by any stretch, Love is a quarterback we would consider off pace. And just because Patrick Mahomes emerged from one year of sitting to become a superstar doesn’t mean the sitting philosophy negates periods of struggle. It’s so nice to see him emerging into some clear-headedness, able to show off his best traits. “
ESPN.com: 17th
Last week: 24th.
This week’s rankings focused on ESPN’s rankings for offense, defense and special teams. As pointed out by Packers beat writer Rob Demovsky, the team’s biggest problem – by far – are the mistake-plagued special teams.
NFL.com: 18th
Last week: 22nd
At this point last year, the Packers were 4-7. This year’s team is 5-6, thanks to big games by Rashan Gary and Love at the Lions. Wrote Eric Edholm: “Gary, who recovered from a torn ACL suffered last season, fell into a four-game sackless streak around the time that he signed a $96 million contract extension, while Love threw 10 picks between Weeks 3 and 10. But both were humming in a big game, despite the team missing several key contributors on each side of the ball. You love to see that this time of year.”
Pro Football Network: 18th
Last week: 22nd
It’s not just Love, Dalton Miller pointed out. “Over the past few weeks, we have seen the young quarterback making significant strides, and the young pass catchers are also playing more consistently. It helps that Green Bay’s pass protection, even without David Bakhtiari, has been outstanding.”
The 33rd Team: 18th
Last week: 23rd
Ryan Reynolds sees the Packers challenging for a playoff spot. “A Sunday night matchup against Kansas City is a tall order, but Green Bay should be the favorite in the three games after that. If Love continues to play well while the Packers’ defense maintains consistency, Green Bay could overtake Seattle or Minnesota down the stretch.”
CBS Sports: 19th
Last week: 25th
Writes Pete Prisco: “Jordan Love has shut up a lot of critics the past few weeks to keep his team alive in the playoff chase. Watch out if they get all their injured guys back.”
Next Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
After delivering their biggest win of the season in an upset over the first-place Lions, the Packers will welcome the Chiefs on Sunday night for the ultimate measuring stick.
The Chiefs are No. 3 at Sports Illustrated after blowing out the Raiders on Sunday after a terrible start. Wrote Conor Orr: “Rashee Rice’s best game as a member of the Chiefs came at a good time, and against a Raiders defense that was actually playing pretty well over the past month (like, top 10 in the league caliber). I’m not ready to declare the Chiefs’ patient experiment with the wideouts a success – the proof of that will ultimately come in critical moments. But it’s a long play that is sensible and cost efficient. And it feels more promising than it has in recent weeks.”
