NFL Week 12 Power Rankings: Kansas City Chiefs remain at No. 1, Houston Texans rise four spots

• Biggest riser: Houston Texans (up four spots since Week 11)

• Biggest faller: Washington Commanders (down six spots since Week 11)

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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

You can find a statistical review of Week 11 here.

NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs (no change)
Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
San Francisco 49ers (no change)
Baltimore Ravens (no change)
Dallas Cowboys (no change)
Miami Dolphins (no change)
Detroit Lions (no change)
Jacksonville Jaguars (up 1)
Cleveland Browns (up 1)
Buffalo Bills (up 1)
Cincinnati Bengals (down 3)
Seattle Seahawks (up 1)
Houston Texans (up 4)
Minnesota Vikings (no change)
Los Angeles Chargers (up 1)
Indianapolis Colts (down 1)
New Orleans Saints (down 1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (no change)
New York Jets (no change)
Green Bay Packers (up 1)
Los Angeles Rams (up 1)
Denver Broncos (up 3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (no change)
Atlanta Falcons (up 2)
Tennessee Titans (down 1)
Washington Commanders (down 6)
Las Vegas Raiders (no change)
Arizona Cardinals (no change)
Chicago Bears (no change)
New England Patriots (no change)
Carolina Panthers (no change)
New York Giants (no change)

NFL WEEK 11 TAKEAWAYS

The Houston Texans earned an 81.1 team offense grade in Week 11, their second-highest mark of the season. The offense continues to improve: From Week 1 to Week 5, the Texans ranked 12th among offenses in expected points added (EPA) per play (0.002). Since then, they rank fifth in the same metric (0.064).

The New York Jets continued to struggle and finished last in team offense grade (44.7). They scored on only one of their 10 drives, generating the lowest conversion rate of the week. One bright spot was their aggressiveness on fourth downs — they went for it five times this week, converting four of those attempts.

After their recent string of disappointing performances, the Buffalo Bills redeemed themselves (slightly) in their win over the Jets. Sean McDermott's defense did not allow a third-down conversion, with the Jets going 0-for-11 on third down.

Justin Herbert was the highest-graded quarterback of Week 11, but the Chargers offense ranked 15th in team offense grade (64.8) and 12th in EPA per play (-0.03). They also earned their lowest team receiving grade of the season (56.5).

Will the Bengals make a comeback? According to PFF Greenline, they have the eighth-hardest schedule remaining and an 8% chance of making the playoffs.

Biggest Riser: Houston Texans

The Texans are the biggest riser this week, mainly because of quarterback C.J. Stroud and his connection with fellow rookie Tank Dell.

The first-year wide receiver went over 140 receiving yards for the second time this season and now boasts an 82.3 receiving grade on the year. His 40-yard touchdown reception was one of the plays of the season.

Stroud has now graded above 80.0 in three consecutive games and is well on his way to securing Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Biggest Faller: Washington Commanders

The Commanders lost to the Tommy DeVito-led New York Giants as 9.5-point home favorites. No team suffered a more devastating loss in Week 11, leading to a tumble down these rankings.

Even though Washington sacked DeVito nine times — with seven different players registering a sack — they still allowed him to throw for 246 yards and three touchdowns.

Quarterback Sam Howell had another disappointing game against the blitz-heavy Giants team. He finished 31-of-45 for 255 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, earning just a 49.7 passing grade.

PFF WAR Lost to Injuries

Notable offensive injuries this week include:

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III
Packers running back Aaron Jones
Jets tackle Mekhi Becton
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp
Dolphins running back De’Von Achane and receiver Tyreek Hill
Bears running back D’Onta Foreman
Giants receiver Darius Slayton
Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman

The Jets had to use their 13th offensive lineman of the season. They’ve been affected by injuries on both sides of the ball but have not lost the most in WAR.

Notable defensive injuries include:

Commanders edge defender Efe Obada
Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa
Bills cornerbacks Taron Johnson and Dane Jackson and safety Taylor Rapp
Vikings edge defender Dean Lowry
49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga

Late-Down Decision-Making

The Bengals lost the most in win probability by kicking on fourth downs in Week 11. Only 25% of their offensive plays on third and fourth downs were successful, 24th among the 28 teams that played.

The Eagles and Chiefs punted a combined 13 times on Monday night. Both teams were successful on only 25% of their drives.

Game Finishers

The Ravens earned the highest team offense grade (90.5) in the second half in Week 11. They converted three of their five second-half drives into points.

The Texans came out strong in the first half against the Cardinals, ranking fifth in successful drive rate (60%) and first in team offense grade (88.4). Their offensive performance deteriorated in the second half, with their 62.4 team offense grade ranking 17th. Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw two interceptions in Cardinals territory in the second half, which never helps.

The Jets just could not score in the second half against the Bills. Through Week 11, they have the lowest conversion rate in the league (23.9%) in the second half.

The Trenches

From Week 1 to Week 10, the Broncos ranked 14th in team pass-blocking grade. They stepped up in a big way in Week 11, earning a league-best 83.6 grade.

The Panthers mustered just a 21.2 team pass-blocking grade against the Cowboys. The offensive line allowed eight sacks, the most by any unit in a game this season, giving up pressure on 62.2% of their pass-blocking snaps.

Defensive Success

The Bills earned the highest team defense grade of the week (88.0) and were second in EPA allowed per play (-0.33). Cornerback Rasul Douglas and linebacker Tyrel Dodson both graded above 90.0.

The Commanders' run defense has been stout of late and earned a league-best 85.1 run-defense grade as a team.

The Vikings were right behind Washington at 80.7. Rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was the highest-graded run defender of the week (92.5).

Sustaining Drives on Offense

The Steelers have been near the top of this chart for a while, though offensive coordinator Matt Canada was relieved of his duties this week.

The Lions seem to be drifting further away from the rest of the league, and Ben Johnson is making a very strong case as a head coaching candidate for next season.