Thanksgiving came in Week 13 and that meant three games on Thursday instead of one. I'm not sure any of them were particularly good, especially the night game between Seattle and San Francisco. Honestly, I don't understand why either team gets national attention, because their styles are not conducive to a watchable product for a national audience.
Neither team is flashy. They don't throw the ball down the field effectively and usually don't find many opportunities to do so.
Still, Seattle's win finds them back in the Rankings this week as they are once again one of the top 10 teams in the NFL.
Here are the Rankings for Week 13:
1.) Green Bay (9-3) [+1]
In Week 13, the Packers were the best team in the NFL. How long this lasts might determine if they can keep the #1 seed or lose it to someone else.
Next opponent: vs. Atlanta (12/8)
2.) New England (9-3) [-1]
Clearly, the Pats are the class of the AFC. But in a game where the top two teams faced off, they came up short and thus drop a spot. No hard feelings.
Next opponent: at San Diego (12/7)
3.) Philadelphia (9-3) [+2]
An excellent win on Thanksgiving, though I'm not jumping on the bandwagon that proclaims it "dominating". It wasn't domination, but it was a great win. Now they have to deal with their head coach being coveted by a college program while also facing the defending champions. It's never easy.
Next opponent: vs. Seattle (12/7)
4.) Denver (9-3) [+2]
Peyton Manning likely injured many a fantasy owner's chances of making the playoffs by utilizing the run-first strategy against Kansas City and being as inaccurate as I've seen in over 10 years. Still, the results are there, even if the style points aren't.
Next opponent: vs. Buffalo (12/7)
5.) Arizona (9-3) [-2]
A tough schedule is compounded by the injury to Palmer. Still, he was by no means an "elite" QB, so Stanton doesn't have a Herculean task ahead of him in replacing Palmer. And yet, the victories aren't coming.
Next opponent: vs. Kansas City (12/7)
6.) Indianapolis (8-4) [+1]
Not sure how much trust I have in the Colts, though finding Herron could potentially be huge. They need to get away from Richardson's plodding tendencies and have a game-breaker in the backfield with Bradshaw out. It also helps that Fleener is finding himself wide open more often than not.
Next opponent: at Cleveland (12/7)
7.) Detroit (8-4) [+3]
They looked bad in losing to Arizona and New England, but are on a stretch where the only good opponent remaining is Green Bay. And that game is in Week 17, so who knows how that one will turn out.
Next opponent: vs. Tampa Bay (12/7)
8.) Dallas (8-4) [-4]
Bad loss at home to the most important division rival in 2014. So they drop a fair amount and my confidence in them is shaken, to say the least. But they get another Thursday game to right the ship.
Next opponent: at Chicago (12/4)
9.) Seattle (8-4) [-]
Are they "back" finally? I wonder. Consistent showings of that defense and the ability for the offense to put enough points on the board will tell the tale, but for now, there's a huge gap between what they did against Green Bay and San Francisco and what they did against virtually every other opponent they've faced in 2014.
Next opponent: at Philadelphia (12/7)
10.) San Diego (8-4) [-]
I don't buy the penalty that essentially won the game for the Chargers.
Next opponent: vs. New England (12/7)
That's all for this week. See you next week.
