A season of nail-biters continues

It was a history-making week that changed very little in the NFL hierarchy.

An NFL record-tying 12 games were decided by seven points or less on the wraparound Thanksgiving weekend. Just call it a continuation of a season of nail-biters, with a league-record 106 games decided by seven points or less through Week 13.

So, there must be a lot of moving parts to digest, right?

Think again.

The Post’s power rankings from last week look spot on after the top 13-ranked teams went 12-1, with the only loss coming from the Ravens against the higher-ranked Eagles.

Here are The Post’s power rankings for Week 14:

1. Lions 11-1 (1)

Make it 10 wins in a row. Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta and Jake Bates kicked three field goals in a 23-20 victory against the Bears. A little help — the Bears’ horrendous end-of-game clock management that prevented a game-tying field-goal attempt and later got head coach Matt Eberflus fired — added to the win probability.

2. Bills 10-2 (2)

Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass on a play where he had the receiving touchdown — with an Amari Cooper catch and lateral in between. Playing on a snow-covered field, the Bills pulled out all the stops in a 35-10 victory, and the defeated 49ers looked like they wanted to be anywhere else. The Bills clinched a fifth straight AFC East title.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, foreground right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. AP

3. Chiefs 11-1 (3)

The Chiefs clinched a playoff berth when practice squad call-up Matthew Wright drilled four field goals in a 19-17 victory against the Raiders. The kicking game was the decisive factor because Daniel Carlson missed three field goals and never got a chance to try for the win when Nick Bolton recovered Aidan O’Connell’s fumble with 15 seconds left.

4. Eagles 10-2 (4)

Bottled up for the first half, Saquon Barkley ran for a 25-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to break open a 24-19 victory against the Ravens. He finished with 107 rushing yards, possibly becoming the leader in the NFL MVP race. The defensive-minded Eagles became just the second NFC team to beat quarterback Lamar Jackson (joining the 2022 Giants) in 25 career starts.

5. Packers 9-3 (5)

Jordan Love and Jayden Reed connected twice for touchdowns as the Packers beat the Dolphins, 30-17, for their seventh win in the past eight games. After jumping out to a 27-3 lead, the Packers defense made a fourth-quarter goal-line stand — capped by Quay Walker’s fourth-down sack — when their lead could’ve been cut to one score.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

6. Vikings 10-2 (6)

Aaron Jones fumbled on each of the Vikings’ first two possessions and got benched — only to return and make the game-winning touchdown catch with 73 seconds remaining in a 23-22 win against the Cardinals. The Vikings scored on their final three possessions, totaling 187 yards on 23 plays to erase a 13-point deficit behind Sam Darnold’s two touchdown passes.

7. Steelers 9-3 (7)

It’s been a long time since Russell Wilson looked as good as he did in throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-38 shoot-out win against the Bengals. Most of the damage came after throwing a first-quarter pick-six. The Steelers led 27-21 at halftime in the highest-scoring first half in the 110 meetings between the rivals.

8. Ravens 8-5 (8)

All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker’s nightmare season continued as he missed two field goals and a PAT in the loss to the Eagles. Mark Andrews scored his 47th career touchdown — tying a franchise record — but the Ravens strayed too far from what works best with 36 passes by Jackson and only 27 runs by the Jackson-Derrick Henry combination.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) celebrates following the win against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

9. Chargers 8-4 (9)

Defense can be beautiful. Rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still had two of the Chargers’ four interceptions against Kirk Cousins, including one returned for a 61-yard touchdown, in an ugly 17-13 win. The offense managed just three field goals while overcoming five sacks, a lost fumble and just two first downs in the first half. The special teams failed on a fake punt.

10. Broncos 8-5 (10)

Michael Burton and Javonte Williams both finished with the strange stat line of one rushing yard and one rushing touchdown in a 41-32 victory against the Browns. The Broncos blew a 28-17 lead and trailed with three minutes remaining, but Will Lutz’s 27-yard go-ahead field goal and Ja’Quan McMillan’s 44-yard pick-six sealed the comeback and picked up Bo Nix after he threw two interceptions.

Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian (29) celebrates his pick six interception with fans in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

11. Texans 8-5 (11)

12. Commanders 8-5 (12)

13. Seahawks 7-5 (13)

14. Cardinals 6-6 (14)

15. Rams 6-6 (19)

16. Buccaneers 6-6 (16)

17. Falcons 6-6 (15)

18. Dolphins 5-7 (17)

19. 49ers 5-7 (18)

20. Colts 6-7 (21)

21. Bengals 4-8 (20)

22. Saints 4-8 (22)

23. Cowboys 5-7 (23)

24. Bears 4-8 (24)

25. Browns 3-9 (25)

26. Panthers 3-9 (28)

27. Jets 3-9 (27)

After losing to Sam Darnold’s Vikings earlier this season, the Jets fell to another one of their former quarterbacks when Geno Smith led the Seahawks to a 26-21 comeback victory. Aaron Rodgers threw two first-quarter touchdown passes but missed too many game-breaking opportunities and threw a costly pick-six. Kene Nwangwu added a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown.

Jets running back Breece Hall (20) sits on the bench after the Seattle Seahawks 26-21 win over the Jets in East Rutherford, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

28. Titans 3-9 (26)

29. Patriots 3-10 (29)

30. Raiders 2-10 (30)

31. Giants 2-10 (31)

Making his first start of the season as the Giants’ third different quarterback in three games, Drew Lock threw a pick-six but ran for a touchdown in a 27-20 loss to the Cowboys. Trailing by as many as 17 points, the Giants fell one third-down stop away from regaining possession with a chance to tie. Instead, it’s seven straight losses.

32. Jaguars 2-10 (32)

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