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NFL Nation, ESPNDec 10, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
Welcome to Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs kept rolling last week to move to 12-1, but a few wild games shook up our standings.
The Buffalo Bills were upset by the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles narrowly escaped the Carolina Panthers, and the Arizona Cardinals lost their third straight game.
In addition to the updated rankings, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick the most shocking statistical ranking — good or bad — for the team they cover. Where does quarterback Bryce Young rank among the best in the league right now? Is the Minnesota Vikings‘ defense sliding?
Let’s start with the Lions.
Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluates how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
Previous rankings: Preseason | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14
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Week 14 result: Beat the Packers 34-31
Week 14 ranking: 1
Most shocking ranking: 1st in total points per game
Detroit’s offense has posted 20-plus points for 11 straight games while averaging a league-high 31 points. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson uses a creative approach to getting the most out of his playmakers, including quarterback Jared Goff, running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, receivers Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, among others. Detroit also has a point differential of plus-183, which is its highest through the first 13 games of any season in franchise history. This offense has appeared unstoppable at times. — Eric Woodyard
Editor’s Picks
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Week 14 result: Beat the Chargers 19-17
Week 14 ranking: 3
Most shocking ranking: 28th in sack percentage
The Chiefs sack opposing quarterbacks on just 5.5% of dropbacks and put pressure on them just 32% of the time, which is 22nd in the league. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is still blitzing 36.5% of the time, which is the third-highest mark, but it is far from the dominant pass-rushing team it was last season when the Chiefs led the NFL in sack percentage (8.8%). — Adam Teicher
Week 14 result: Beat the Panthers 22-16
Week 14 ranking: 4
Most shocking ranking: 1st in total defense
The Eagles had one of the worst defenses in the league in 2023 and have done a complete 180 under new coordinator Vic Fangio. Philadelphia allows the fewest yards per game (284.2) and is tied for second in points per game (18) compared with 30th last season (25.2). The pass defense has shown the most growth, jumping from 31st (252.7 yards per game) to second (178.5). — Tim McManus
Week 14 result: Lost to the Rams 44-42
Week 14 ranking: 2
Most shocking ranking: 19th in time of possession
The Bills are second in the NFL in points margin per game (9.9) and have the ninth-most rushes per game (27.8). Despite all of that, winning time of possession (29:40) has not been a strength. Part of that is due to the Bills’ ability to score quickly, as they’re averaging 30.5 points per game. It’s also due to the defense struggling to get off the field — it’s eighth worst in third-down defense, which was an extreme issue against the Rams. — Alaina Getzenberg
Week 14 result: Beat the Falcons 42-21
Week 14 ranking: 6
Most shocking ranking: 17th in yards allowed per game
The Vikings’ defense ranks No. 1 in efficiency and No. 2 in expected points added, but it allows 337.8 yards per game. In fact, over the past three weeks, Vikings opponents have averaged 433.3 yards. Largely, that tells us there are holes in the Vikings’ zone coverages that can be exploited. But Minnesota has limited scoring to 18.5 points per game, sixth in the NFL, in part because it has the second-most takeaways (27). — Kevin Seifert
Week 14 result: Beat the Browns 27-14
Week 14 ranking: 5
Most shocking ranking: T-15th in total sacks
With 32 sacks, the Steelers’ pass rush ranks near the middle of the pack — a surprise given the Steelers and T.J. Watt usually rank near the top. But don’t mistake this number for a lack of effectiveness. After all, the Steelers lead the league with 28 takeaways. Prior to facing the Bengals, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin noted opponents are trying to neutralize Pittsburgh’s pass rush by running a lot of max protection and three-man routes. Austin didn’t sound too concerned about the lack of sacks. “Sometimes the pressure is just as good as a sack if we can force an errant throw or force some things like that,” he said. — Brooke Pryor
Week 14 result: Lost to the Lions 34-31
Week 14 ranking: 7
Most shocking ranking: 32nd in dropped passes
The Packers had an issue with dropped passes last season, but nothing like this. They lead the league in both drops (26) and drop percentage (7.3%) and already have one more drop than they had in all of 2023 (when their 25 drops were tied for 10th most), according to ESPN Research. Green Bay has three players in the top 10 in drops. Dontayvion Wicks is No. 1 with nine drops, Jayden Reed is tied for second with seven, and Romeo Doubs is tied for ninth with five. — Rob Demovsky
play
1:27
Why Josh Jacobs is a star fantasy RB
Mike Clay refers to Josh Jacobs as a “fantasy star” following his hat trick touchdown performance in the Packers’ loss to the Lions.
Week 14 result: Bye
Week 14 ranking: 8
Most shocking ranking: 1st in wide-open throws
Quarterback Lamar Jackson tops the NFL with 35.9% of his passes being wide-open throws, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That means over one-third of his attempts have come when the average separation between the target and nearest defender is 5 or more yards at the arrival of the pass. This is the result of Jackson’s ability as well as the improved elusiveness of Baltimore’s wide receivers and tight ends. There have been many instances when he doesn’t see anyone open and scrambles to buy time for one of his targets to free up. — Jamison Hensley
Week 14 result: Lost to the Chiefs 19-17
Week 14 ranking: 9
Most shocking ranking: 19th in rushing
Throughout the offseason, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman boasted about the dominant rushing offense they would build in L.A., but it hasn’t panned out that way. Averaging 111.5 yards per game, the rushing offense is slightly improved from where the Chargers finished last season (25th), but it has largely been a disappointment and by far the worst of Harbaugh’s NFL career. During Harbaugh and Roman’s four seasons in San Francisco, they had the second-best rushing offense in the NFL; the lowest the 49ers ranked was eighth in Harbaugh’s first season. — Kris Rhim
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Week 14 result: Bye
Week 14 ranking: 10
Most shocking ranking: 3rd in rushing
Under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy last season, Washington rushed for more than 125 yards only twice and ranked 27th in rushing yards per game (93.6). Now, it averages 156.9 rushing yards per game. Some of that stems from quarterback Jayden Daniels, but even if it was just the running backs, Washington would still rank eighth and average almost 14 more yards per game than a year ago. It has been an emphasis under coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and it has led to five games with more than 200 rushing yards and nine with more than 125. — John Keim
Week 14 result: Bye
Week 14 ranking: 11
Most shocking ranking: Quarterback C.J. Stroud leads the league in dropbacks under pressure
Stroud has been pressured on 39% of his dropbacks (199), the third most in the NFL, and he has the most passing yards under pressure (1,053). That starts with the offensive line. It would make more sense if the unit wasn’t heavily invested in, but it’s made up of high draft picks and expensive contracts. That’s why the Texans have a cap hit of roughly $51 million this season, per Roster Management System, which is seventh highest in the NFL. In 2023, Stroud was pressured on only 35% of his dropbacks (16th). — DJ Bien-Aime
Week 14 result: Bye
Week 14 ranking: 12
Most shocking ranking: T-8th in pass attempts
During the offseason and training camp, coach Sean Payton talked about a good defense and a productive run game as two of the best “allies” for a rookie quarterback. And then he proceeded to put the first rookie starter he has coached in dropback mode early and often, with 434 pass attempts so far. Bo Nix has responded positively for the most part, but he has thrown more passes than Josh Allen, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson, and he’s tied with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. It’s a good bet a lot of folks didn’t see that coming, perhaps even Payton, when the season began. — Jeff Legwold
Week 14 result: Beat the Cardinals 30-18
Week 14 ranking: 13
Most shocking ranking: Quarterback Geno Smith is second in passing attempts
Smith has thrown 466 passes, and the Seahawks are fifth in designed pass rate. Few expected their offense to be that pass heavy with a defensive-minded coach in Mike Macdonald who wants to run the ball, but that has been the reality in Ryan Grubb’s first season as coordinator. A number of factors contributed, including repeated struggles to stay on schedule, some large deficits that put Seattle in dropback mode and perhaps Grubb’s pass-first inclination. The Seahawks also haven’t been effective at running the ball for much of the season, though their run game might be emerging after breaking out for a season-high 176 yards Sunday. — Brady Henderson
Week 14 result: Beat the Bills 44-42
Week 14 ranking: 16
Most shocking ranking: Linebacker Jared Verse ranks fifth in QB pressures
Verse, the Rams’ 2023 first-round pick, has 59 pressures, which ranks fifth in the NFL this season. He’s first among rookies, beating out Chop Robinson (43), Laiatu Latu (39) and teammate Braden Fiske (32) through Week 14. The Rams entered the season trying to figure out how to replace the production of retired defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and they added two players who have had success getting to the quarterback this season. — Sarah Barshop
play
2:19
Dan Orlovsky calling in receipts after Rams’ win over Bills
Dan Orlovsky calling in receipts after Rams’ win over Bills
Week 14 result: Beat the Raiders 28-13
Week 14 ranking: 14
Most shocking ranking: 8th in rushing
Tampa Bay not only went from the league’s worst rushing attack the past two years, averaging 82.5 yards per game, to 138.3 yards per game this season, but its 6.7 yards per rush on gap run plays is tops in the league. The Buccaneers have dominated with a three-headed attack featuring Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. — Jenna Laine
Week 14 result: Lost to the Seahawks 30-18
Week 14 ranking: 15
Most shocking ranking: T-24th in receiving touchdowns
An offense with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride, along with Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch, has just 15 receiving touchdowns through 13 games. This is as talented and deep of a receiving unit as the Cardinals have had in recent memory. The touchdown receptions, thus far, have been concentrated between Harrison, who leads all rookies with seven, and Wilson, who has four. No one else has more than two, but another shocking stat is that McBride — who leads the team in receiving yards with 851 — doesn’t have a touchdown reception. — Josh Weinfuss
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Week 14 result: Beat the Jets 32-26 (OT)
Week 14 ranking: 20
Most shocking ranking: 30th in rushing yards per attempt
The Dolphins led the NFL in 2023 with 5.1 rushing yards per attempt on the strength of Raheem Mostert‘s career season and De’Von Achane‘s breakout campaign. This year, that number has dropped to 3.9 yards per carry as Miami has struggled to find the explosiveness that made it so dangerous last season. Mostert has battled injuries and was essentially demoted after a critical fumble in Week 9. Achane has been Miami’s lead rusher, but his efficiency unsurprisingly dropped after he averaged nearly 8.0 yards per carry in 2023. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Week 14 result: Beat the Bears 38-13
Week 14 ranking: 21
Most shocking ranking: 22nd in red zone efficiency
In 2023, the Niners led the league in red zone efficiency and their 67.2% conversion rate was the fourth best by any team over the past three seasons. This year, the Niners have had little trouble moving the ball with 51 red zone drives, which is tied for sixth in the NFL. But they have consistently failed to put the ball in the end zone. Some of that can be attributed to the star players they’ve been missing with injury, such as wideout Brandon Aiyuk (ACL) and running back Christian McCaffrey (PCL), but the number of negative plays and ineffectiveness in the run game has been jarring for an offense that not long ago was the best in football at finishing drives. — Nick Wagoner
Week 14 result: Lost to the Vikings 42-21
Week 14 ranking: 17
Most shocking ranking: Quarterback Kirk Cousins leads league in interceptions
Through the first nine games, Cousins was efficient enough to lead the team to a 6-3 record, including a 4-0 NFC South mark. The wheels have come off since. The Falcons have lost four in a row, and Cousins has been a major turnover risk with 15 interceptions on the season. He has no touchdown passes and eight interceptions during that four-game stretch, the first time a QB has had no touchdowns and eight or more interceptions in a four-game span in a season since 2005. Cousins is tied with Baker Mayfield for the most fumbles (12) this season. — Marc Raimondi
Week 14 result: Bye
Week 14 ranking: 18
Most shocking ranking: 28th in pass block win rate
The Colts have had some surprising offensive line struggles. Their highly regarded line is still one of the league’s best at run blocking (74.1% run block win rate), but pass protection (53.2% pass block win rate) has been an adventure. If not for quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s ability to escape the pocket, the Colts might rank much worse than seventh in sacks allowed, where they currently sit. — Stephen Holder
Week 14 result: Beat the Cowboys 27-20
Week 14 ranking: 19
Most shocking ranking: 31st in run block win rate
The Bengals are never going to be known for their ground game. Since 2022, Cincinnati has the fewest total rush attempts in the league. However, the run blocking has been lackluster, to say the least. The Bengals have the worst win rate on run plays (67.4%) after being eighth(71.8%) in the same category last season. Chase Brown has helped mitigate that by ranking 11th in yards after contact per carry, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But the inability to win on blocks should be something that must be evaluated as the Bengals enter a pivotal offseason. — Ben Baby
play
5:27
Ja’Marr Chase reunites with young Bengals fan Brixton Wood
Ja’Marr Chase reunites with Brixton Wood after the young Bengals fan’s cancer returned and required significant treatment.
Week 14 result: Beat the Giants 14-11
Week 14 ranking: 24
Most shocking ranking: T-32nd in yards per carry allowed
The Saints didn’t allow a 100-yard rusher for 55 straight games from 2017 to 2020 under then-defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who became the head coach in 2022 before he was fired earlier this season. The Saints’ once stout run defense has struggled and is tied for last in yards-per-carry allowed. The Saints and Panthers are allowing rushers to run for 5.0 yards per carry. — Katherine Terrell
Week 14 result: Lost to the Bengals 27-20
Week 14 ranking: 23
Most shocking ranking: 32nd in rushing touchdowns
The Cowboys’ four rushing touchdowns have them threatening the team record. In 2011, they had just five. Three other times they had six, including the first two seasons of the franchise in 1960-61. Calvin Hill (1971) and Emmitt Smith (1990, 1995) share the team record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with … four. With how the Cowboys handled running back in free agency, maybe there figured to be a drop-off in 2024, but the poor efficiency up front has contributed to the lack of rushing touchdowns. — Todd Archer
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Week 14 result: Lost to the Steelers 27-14
Week 14 ranking: 25
Most shocking ranking: 2nd-most explosive plays allowed
The Browns gave up the fewest yards per play (4.6) last season, but that figure has ballooned to 5.7 in 2024, mainly because of the 100 explosive plays they’ve allowed. It’s a head-scratching issue for a defense that gave up the second-fewest explosive plays in 2023 and returned the majority of its starters for a second season with coordinator Jim Schwartz. According to Schwartz, there has been no commonality in these plays — sometimes it’s missed tackles and other times it’s coverage breakdowns. — Daniel Oyefusi
Week 14 result: Lost to the 49ers 38-13
Week 14 ranking: 22
Most shocking ranking: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams leads NFL in sacks taken
Opposing defenses have brought down the No. 1 draft pick 56 times through 14 weeks, which is 15 more than the next most-sacked quarterback (Houston’s C.J. Stroud, 41). The Bears did a better job of protecting Williams after Thomas Brown took over playcalling duties beginning in Week 11 (Williams was sacked three times each versus Green Bay and Minnesota), but the numbers crept back up against Detroit (five) and culminated with Williams taking seven sacks in the Bears’ seventh straight loss in San Francisco. David Carr still owns the single-season record (2002, 76), which Williams is flirting with because he’s sacked an average of 4.3 times per game. — Courtney Cronin
Week 14 result: Lost to the Eagles 22-16
Week 14 ranking: 26
Most shocking ranking: Quarterback Bryce Young is 13th in Total QBR since Week 9
Young’s QBR of 62.8 over his past five games is better than that of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels, to name a few. This is shocking because Young had a QBR of 9.9 in his first two starts of the season and only 34.1 last season as a rookie. His improvement has been remarkable. — David Newton
Week 14 result: Bye
Week 14 ranking: 28
Most shocking ranking: 32nd in pass block win rate
After finishing 32nd in pass block win rate in 2023, addressing the offensive line was one of the Patriots’ top priorities in the offseason. Yet, through 13 games, the Patriots have had nine different starting lineups on the line due to a combination of missed personnel evaluations, poor performance and injuries. There has been zero improvement with a 51.4% pass block win rate, which hasn’t helped Drake Maye‘s welcome to the NFL. — Mike Reiss
Week 14 result: Lost to the Dolphins 32-26 (OT)
Week 14 ranking: 27
Most shocking ranking: T-28th in takeaways
It’s hard to believe a defense with three players who earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl status in 2023 (cornerback Sauce Gardner, linebacker Quincy Williams and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams) has only 10 takeaways in 13 games. That includes only two interceptions (both by backup cornerback Brandin Echols). In fact, the Jets have yet to record an interception since Jeff Ulbrich became the interim coach eight games ago. Scheme, coaching and underperforming players have contributed to the turnover shortage. — Rich Cimini
play
1:18
Rodgers uncertain what the Jets will look like next season
Aaron Rodgers tells Pat McAfee the importance of finishing the season strong since there are no guarantees of having a spot on the Jets next year.
Week 14 result: Lost to the Jaguars 10-6
Week 14 ranking: 29
Most shocking ranking: 27th in red zone touchdowns allowed
Tennessee’s red zone defense was the best in the league last season, allowing touchdowns only 37.7% of the time. This year’s team is giving up touchdowns on 65.1% of opposing teams’ red zone visits. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has had a tough time finding ways to get pressure on quarterbacks without sacrificing coverage on the backend. Tennessee has also had its share of issues with penalties at the most inopportune times, which extends drives and give offenses another set of downs to find the end zone. — Turron Davenport
Week 14 result: Beat the Titans 10-6
Week 14 ranking: 30
Most shocking ranking: 32nd in total defense
The Jaguars are giving up 396.1 yards per game. If that number holds over the final month, it will be the second-worst average in franchise history, behind only the 2020 team (417.7). They hired coordinator Ryan Nielsen to fix the defense, and the numbers in the four major defensive categories — total defense, rushing (132.6 allowed per game, 24th), passing (263.5 allowed per game, 31st) and scoring (26.5, 28th) — are all worse than 2023. — Mike DiRocco
Week 14 result: Lost to the Buccaneers 28-13
Week 14 ranking: 31
Most shocking ranking: 32nd in the NFL in rushing
After grinding out a combined 494 yards on the ground in their final four games last season, averaging 123.5 yards per game, the Raiders had high hopes for the running game in 2024. Instead, Las Vegas is averaging 79.1 yards per game. But while Zamir White and Alexander Mattison have missed a combined eight games because of injury, former practice squad lifer Sincere McCormick is averaging 5.5 yards per carry in three games. Diamond in the rough, or more like fool’s gold? — Paul Gutierrez
Week 14 result: Lost to the Saints 14-11
Week 14 ranking: 32
Most shocking ranking: 32nd in points per game
There’s no reason to get too fancy. Sure, the Giants are averaging an embarrassing 5.2 yards per pass play and rank dead last with eight touchdown passes in 13 games, but it all ties into their inability to score points. The Giants are averaging 14.9 points per game, which is more than two full points worse than any other team. When asked Sunday why their passing game struggled so badly against the Saints, coach Brian Daboll said, “It’s a collective thing, put it on me.” Fair enough, because he took over playcalling this season. — Jordan Raanan
