Just as we expected, the Thanksgiving Day slate of games was absolutely loaded with drama. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Kansas City Chiefs right after the Green Bay Packers went on the road and shocked the Detroit Lions.
How do all 16 NFC teams stack up after a wild Thanksgiving Day? It's clear, at this point, that the Cowboys and Packers are on the rise, but where does that leave some of the other contenders like the Rams and Seahawks?
We're breaking it all down in our bonus Week 13 NFL Power Rankings, taking a look at the state of the NFC after the Thanksgiving weekend of festivities.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Cowboys and Packers skyrocketing after Thanksgiving wins
16. New Orleans Saints
We all saw this coming before the 2025 season even began. The Saints have proven all the doubters right, although I still think this team's roster shouldn't be in this position. The Saints are a classic example of why the quarterback position is so important. It'll be shocking if they don't blow the whole thing up after the year is done and start building from the studs back up.
15. Arizona Cardinals
Injuries have ruined the potential of this Arizona Cardinals team in 2025. Even though the Cardinals have shown their tremendous potential on a variety of occasions this season, they've just got too many key players out for extended periods of time. It's hard to say there's light at the end of the tunnel, either. This team is going to be in QB purgatory in 2026 after benching Kyler Murray.
14. New York Giants
The Giants play on Monday night against the Patriots, and I think we could see a little upset from them in that game. Mike Kafka is getting an extended look as a future head coach candidate and getting Jaxson Dart back in the lineup. Despite their injuries, the Giants have played some of the better teams in the NFL really tough this season. They might give the Patriots fits.
13. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings' four wins this season have to count for something, but in my head, they're closer to 16 than they are the top 10 in the NFC. Despite their four wins this season, and despite a defense that has dominated at times, the Vikings have a horrendous quarterback situation on their hands with JJ McCarthy playing worse than his biggest critics could have anticipated. It's now Max Brosmer time. Let's see what kind of magic Kevin O'Connell has up his sleeve now.
12. Washington Commanders
Just like a number of teams at the bottom of these NFC power rankings, it feels like the Commanders are kind of skating by thanks to a few wins earlier this season. They have three wins to their name right now, but coming out of the bye week, they're on a six-game losing streak and still don't have Jayden Daniels back. With Terry McLaurin returning this week, we'll see if the Commanders can put anything together in the final six games of the year.
11. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are only 4-7, but Kirk Cousins helped breathe a little life in their 2025 season with his performance last week. Atlanta obviously doesn't have the most impressive record or body of work to this point, but as we've come to expect in the NFC South in recent years, they have a shot. The Bucs are free-falling, and so are the Panthers. We'll see if Atlanta can keep the pressure on.
10. Carolina Panthers
After a brilliant performance by Bryce Young, the Panthers had a chance to take down the 49ers on Monday Night Football and take over the top of the NFC South. They couldn't do it. Despite getting three interceptions off of Brock Purdy, they couldn't do it. This team is on a rollercoaster ride right now and they've got to dig deep over the next handful of weeks. The Rams are coming to town on Sunday.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I miss the Cardiac Bucs. This is a really unfortunate blurb to have to write. The Buccaneers are obviously the leader in the NFC South right now, but in these bonus NFL Power Rankings, they wouldn't even be a playoff team compared to the rest of their peers in the NFL. Obviously, that's not how it works in the NFL. The Bucs, as much as anything, need to get healthy. We've seen this team compete with the best when they are at full strength, or even 85 percent.
8. Detroit Lions
The Lions being 8th on this list really speaks volumes about the quality of teams in the NFC so far this season. The NFC isn't top-heavy, nor is it super muddy. There are just a lot of good teams. And the Lions are not playing up to their standard this season, but even with four losses and a tough one against the Packers on Thanksgiving, this is still a team that you feel could beat anyone in the NFL. And they're currently 8th in the NFC.
7. Dallas Cowboys
I'm not going to sit here and say, "I told you so." That's not what these NFL Power Rankings are about. We get plenty of stuff wrong around here, but the prediction of the Cowboys going on a bit of a run? Well, we were right about that. Dallas came back from the bye week with a completely revamped defense, and Dak Prescott playing out of his mind. They beat the reigning NFC (Super Bowl) and AFC champions in consecutive games. In four days, as a matter of fact.
6. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers already have won eight games this season, and it feels like nobody is talking about them. This has got to be the most underrated team of the Kyle Shanahan era, and I suppose that's understandable. The 49ers have been dealing with so many injuries all year, it's hard to peg them as a truly "elite" team. But they are right in the thick of it in the best division in football.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
We have no choice at this point but to put the Eagles as one of the top five overall teams in the NFC. They are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and even though we've seen some cracks in the foundation for this team, you have to be ready for them to put it all together when it matters the most. It's fair to be critical of what we've seen from the Eagles this season while also acknowledging that they keep finding ways to win. With the exception of their game against Dallas -- and now Chicago -- of course.
4. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have a couple of really fun ingredients as a team so far this season. They are the best team in the NFL so far this year at creating takeaways, and they have a ton of young playmakers on the offensive side of the ball who are being used every week as chess pieces by Ben Johnson. There's no doubt that this upcoming stretch of games will be massive for the Bears, but they've been a fun story so far this year. And as of Black Friday, they've put themselves in great position with a win over the Eagles.
3. Seattle Seahawks
If you want to talk about the most balanced teams in the NFL this season, the Seahawks have to be close to the top of that list overall. Seattle has been elite when it comes to both offense and defense this season, and it feels like they could be true contenders. To be fair, we were saying similar things last year at this time about the Minnesota Vikings, so the pressure is on Sam Darnold to make it happen come January.
2. Green Bay Packers
We've been all over the map with the Green Bay Packers in our NFL Power Rankings this year, but there's no question that this team -- at its best -- is truly one of the elite teams in the NFL. The Detroit Lions found that out on Thanksgiving. Jordan Love has been playing well despite being banged up over the last few weeks, and even with some struggles offensively in the month of November, this team could be turning it up at just the right time.
1. Los Angeles Rams
No team in the NFL heading into Week 13 has looked as good as the Los Angeles Rams. Obviously, this is a team you have to take seriously as a Super Bowl contender, but it isn't just because of Sean McVay or Matthew Stafford. The Rams have elite weapons offensively, they have an elite pass rush, and they are getting so much out of a secondary that came into the year with huge question marks. They look like the best all-around team in the NFL right now.