2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Cowboys rising quickly, Jets tumbling
12. New England Patriots
47. . . Previous: 16th. New England Patriots. 12. team
Bill Belichick’s defense dominated Zach Wilson for four quarters, and this absolute dud of a 3-3 game ended up having one of the best and most exciting finishes of the week as Marcus Jones took a punt back for a touchdown basically to end regulation. The Patriots have now dominated Zach Wilson twice this season and they’ve now won three straight games to improve to 6-4.
Like some other teams in the NFL, the Patriots aren’t exactly winning pretty these days but their defense is great and Matthew Judon is putting forth an underrated DPOY type of season for Belichick’s unit. If the Patriots can find any sort of groove offensively, this team could be dangerous down the stretch in the AFC.
11. Cincinnati Bengals
56. . . Previous: 11th. Cincinnati Bengals. 11. team
A blowout win on the road this past weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers has the Bengals going toe-to-toe with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. They are one game behind the Ravens entering Week 12 action and both of those teams are seemingly pulling away in the AFC North.
Baltimore has won four straight while the Bengals have won four of their last five, scoring 30 or more points in each of those games. This Cincinnati offense looks as good or better than last year and they are scoring points in bunches right now. This team should be climbing up NFL power rankings in the near future but they have a tough matchup coming up this week against the Tennessee Titans. After handling their business against some of the league’s worst teams in recent weeks, the Bengals get a very tough test.