NFL Week 14 power rankings: Bears make huge jump in Top 10

The NFL, if you can believe it, is already headed for Week 14. As we enter December, teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack in the standings.

The bottom teams are all jockeying for draft position while the top teams are battling for playoff berths. Our Week 14 Power Rankings reflect those races, which include plenty of surprises including the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.

Teams are climbing, others are falling, while some remain steady. Here's a look at our Week 14 power rankings:

The Contenders

1. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 1)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 2)

3. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 4)

4. Denver Broncos (Last Week: 3)

5. Chicago Bears (Last Week: 10)

6. New England Patriots (Last Week: 7)

7. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: 6)

8. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 9)

9. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 11)

10. Detroit Lions (Last Week: 8)

11. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 5)

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 12)

The contenders tier has a lot of teams that make people wonder about their legitimacy. The Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts are all new to this level of success, but they haven't stopped winning this year. For the Bears in particular, they took some flak for their weak strength of schedule. Then they went on the road and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The 9-3 NFC North-leading Bears are for real.

The Green Bay Packers just defeated the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving in an NFC North heavyweight battle, but both they and the Bears are dominant so far this year. The NFC North is not the only division in the conference that is playing well. The NFC West has three teams in contention as well, with the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers. Some incredible finishes are on the way.

A loss for the top two teams in the ranking isn't going to tank their entire stock, but they are in danger of dropping if they slip up again.

Teams To Watch

13. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 16)

14. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 13)

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 14)

16. Houston Texans (Last Week: 17)

17. Carolina Panthers (Last Week: 20)

18. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 19)

19. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 15)

20. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 18)

21. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 25)

22. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 24)

All of the teams in this tier have one or two things that can be fixed in order to make them a contender. For the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, it may be too late, but there is still a small chance. In Cincinnati's case, a top-four quarterback is back in the mix.

Most of these teams have a quarterback whom they trust in the regular season, but there are other things holding them back from becoming a true contender. The Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Chargers are much closer to being where they want to be because of the talent on their roster.

The Kansas City Chiefs are as low as they've been in a long time. There isn't enough weaponry to see them as a contender, but they have Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, who may be one of the best situational coach/quarterback combos of all time. Nobody wants to face them in the playoffs.

The two teams from Texas, the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, have been on a nice little run to get themselves back in the conversation.

More To Prove

23. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 22)

24. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 21)

25. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 26)

26. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 23)

27. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 27)

28. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 28)

29. New York Jets (Last Week: 30)

30. Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 31)

31. New York Giants (Last Week: 29)

32. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 32)

The bottom six or seven teams in this tier were all expected to be here for a long time. There are also some disappointing teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, and Atlanta Falcons, who have no business being as bad as they've been. It's back to the drawing board for all three of them.

Will the Tennessee Titans snag the first overall pick in the draft for the second year in a row, or will one of the two win teams sneak up and get it?

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFL Week 14 power rankings: Bears make huge jump in Top 10