Week 13 did not feature the wackiness that each of the past few weeks had contained. All the favorites of a touchdown or more covered (including the new No. 1 in the Power Rankings) except for one very notable loss.
Congratulations to Dan Campbell, Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions on their first win in 364 days! A thrilling finish to a game involving this season's Vikings should surprise no one (what were you doing exactly with that defense on the final play, Mike Zimmer?).
Let's dive into the newest rankings and see what stands out.
Arizona Cardinals (1)
Arizona got Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins back in Week 13 and promptly went on the road to Chicago and covered against the lowly Bears. Week 14 should be a more difficult test at home, however, with the Rams coming to town for a crucial NFC West battle off a get-well drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Cardinals laying just a field goal, I think it's OK to pick on the Rams once again. Beating the Jacksonvilles of the world is something Sean McVay's squad has had no problem with this season. It's the good teams like, ya know, Arizona, that have given the Rams issues this season. Arizona is 9-3 ATS this season (second-best cover % in the league) and has already beaten this Rams team -- when it was playing much better football -- earlier this season in L.A.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3)
Whaddaya know? It's December and Tom Brady has his team rolling. The Bucs made light work of the Falcons in Week 13 behind four touchdown passes from Brady. Rob Gronkowski and Chris Godwin could not be stopped. Leonard Fournette has turned into one of the most valuable fantasy RBs in the league now that he has a pass-catching role. The Bucs are just legitimate as can be. In Week 14 they host the Bills on short rest after Buffalo played the biggest division game of the season Monday night against the Patriots. With the Bucs and Brady laying only a field goal in this spot, I think the value lies in the Bucs, who currently look far more imposing than the Bills.
Dallas Cowboys (8)
The Cowboys appear a little lower than I think they deserve heading into a fun little Week 14 matchup against the surging Washington Football Team. I know the Cowboys have had some letdowns this season, but I believe those can be explained away by who was and was not available for those games. Thursday night against the Saints, the Boys finally had the entire band back together. Dak Prescott. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. All the WRs. The OL. Tank Lawrence. When this team is fully healthy, it very well might be the most talented in all of the NFL. I appreciate the effort from Ron Riviera's bunch and the scrappy Taylor Heinicke, but I think the Cowboys should be laying more than 4 points in this matchup, even if it is on the road.