NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Biggest risers and fallers after Week 13

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

You simply have to tip your cap to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who can go out there and win a 13-6 barn-burner on a given week and then win a 44-38 shootout another week. This Pittsburgh team doesn’t get enough credit for just how dynamic it has been all year and how great they execute in every phase of the game.

Not only that, but Pittsburgh’s offense has exploded since Russell Wilson came into the lineup a handful of weeks ago. The Steelers had to travel to Cincinnati after losing a tough one against the Cleveland Browns last week, and they not only had to overcome being the road team in this situation but they also had to overcome an early pick-six by quarterback Russell Wilson.

And frankly, Wilson did his part to erase that bad taste pretty quickly.

Wilson threw for a whopping 414 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers got their 9th win of the year, keeping their hold on top of the AFC North for the time being. This Pittsburgh team looks ready-made for a deep run in the playoffs with the way their offense is playing and the fact that their defense can keep them in every game.

5. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are kind of like the Roadrunner from the Looney Toons. No matter how hard that coyote tried to off the roadrunner, he just couldn’t do it. The Roadrunner always found a way to escape, and not only escape, but make Wil E. Coyote look bad in the process.

This is the Chiefs in 2024. They were one of the biggest favorites in the NFL going into their Black Friday matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders and they couldn’t cover the spread. As a matter of fact, the Chiefs haven’t covered the spread for almost two full months. 

I’m not going to sit here and say that the Chiefs are frauds – they’re not – but they’re certainly not as good as their record indicates. They have had to overcome injuries just like everyone, and you can’t discount the fact that they have been in every game. With that said, the minute the Chiefs play a team that isn’t crushing its chances of winning with self-inflicted wounds, they’re not going to be escaping with wins like we saw on Black Friday.

What are the odds of that happening for this team twice in less than three weeks? The Chiefs allowed two division rivals to march right into game-winning field goal territory only to have two of the wildest plays of the season result in a Chiefs win.

The Chiefs are either inevitable to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl or they’re going to be a quick one and done in the playoffs (first team in the NFL to guarantee a spot). They are 5th this week because these are NFL Power Rankings, not NFL standings. Style points matter.