NFL Power Rankings for Week 14: Pair of AFC contenders separating

One thing you can be sure of for the rest of the NFL season is that a lot of close games are coming.

Who wins?

That’s anybody’s guess.

The Patriots and Broncos have started to separate from the pack, but there are enough teams bunched together in the middle that nothing is guaranteed.

Not when there are 17 teams with winning records and 20 at .500 or better.

The final five weeks of games will come down to which teams execute in the final two minutes.

There have been 49 games this season that were decided by a game-winning score in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, which is the second-most through Week 13 in NFL history.

Almost half of those wins (24) were decided by a game-winning score as time expired in the fourth quarter or in overtime, which is tied for the second-most at this point in a season.

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

1. Patriots 11-2 (2)

That 1-2 start to the Mike Vrabel Era feels like ages ago now that the Patriots have extended their winning streak to 10 straight games and reached the cusp of a playoff berth by beating the Giants. The Patriots survived two missing starters on their offensive line and will go into their bye looking to get healthy and chase the AFC East title.

2. Broncos 10-2 (4)

Nik Bonitto batted down Marcus Mariota’s pass that would’ve won the game with two points if it was completed, and the Broncos walked off with a 27-26 overtime victory against the Commanders. Bo Nix threw for 321 yards and a touchdown to Courtland Sutton, but RJ Harvey’s second of two rushing touchdowns was the tiebreaker in overtime.

3. Rams 9-3 (1)

MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford went from setting the NFL record by throwing his 28th touchdown pass between interceptions to struggling in a 31-28 loss to the Panthers. Stafford threw two interceptions, including a pick-6, and lost a fumble with 2:25 remaining. Davante Adams caught his NFL-best 13th and 14th touchdown passes of the season. 

4. Seahawks 9-3 (6)

Sam Darnold got the last laugh on his former team but it was actually the defense that led the way in a 26-0 victory against the Vikings. The Seahawks posted their first shutout since 2015 and intercepted undrafted rookie Max Brosmer four times, including one returned for a touchdown by Ernest Jones IV. Jason Myers went 4-for-4 on field goals.

5. Packers 8-3-1 (8)

Jordan Love threw four touchdown passes, including two on fourth downs in the first half, as Matt LaFleur coached aggressively to beat the Lions at their own game in a 31-24 victory. The Packers sealed the game with a third conversion on fourth down. Micah Parsons added 2 ½ sacks to reach 12 for the fifth straight season to start his career.

6. Bears 9-3 (9)

Kyle Monangai (130) and D’Andre Swift (125) combined for 255 rushing yards and Caleb Williams threw a 28-yard touchdown strike to Cole Kmet in a 24-15 victory against the Eagles. The last time that the Bears had two 100-yard rushers was in 1985. The Bears improved to 7-1 in one-score games and clinched their first winning season since 2018.

7. Bills 8-4 (10)

Josh Allen set the career record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (76) and the Bills had the most rushing yards by an opponent in Pittsburgh in 50 years during a 26-7 victory against the Steelers. James Cook’s 144 yards set the pace for a 249 on the ground. Christian Benford had two takeaways and scored a touchdown in a 90-second span to start the second half

8. 49ers 9-4 (11)

The 49ers scored the final 19 points of a 26-8 win against the Shedeur Sanders-led Browns and earned their first victory in Cleveland since 1984. All three of the 49ers’ touchdowns came on short-field drives — two after forcing takeaways and one after a 66-yard punt return by Skyy Moore. Brock Purdy threw for a touchdown and ran for another.

9. Colts 8-4 (3)

Is a collapse underway? Playing with a fractured fibula, Daniel Jones completed only 14-of-27 passes but threw two touchdowns without an interception in a 20-16 loss to the Texans. The Colts are 1-3 in their last four games. The Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn seemed to miss a PAT that would’ve kept it a one-score game but it was ruled successful.

10. Eagles 8-4 (5)

The Eagles allowed 281 rushing yards – their worst in a game since 2015 — in the loss to the Bears. Malcontent receiver A.J. Brown caught two touchdown passes, but what good is that in a loss? Saquon Barkley’s disappointing season continued with 13 carries for 56 yards, and the home crowd chanted to fire offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

11. Jaguars 8-4 (12)

12. Chargers 8-4 (13)

13. Lions 7-5 (7)

14. Buccaneers 7-5 (14)

15. Texans 7-5 (17)

16. Panthers 7-6 (19)

17. Cowboys 6-5-1 (18)

18. Chiefs 6-6 (15)

19. Ravens 6-6 (16)

20. Dolphins 5-7 (21)

21. Steelers 6-6 (20)

22. Bengals 4-8 (25)

23. Falcons 4-8 (22)

24. Vikings 4-8 (23)

25. Jets 3-9 (29)

Nick Folk rebounded from his first missed field goal of the season to drill a walk-off 56-yard kick and finish off a 24-21 comeback victory against the Falcons. Adonai Mitchell had the best game of his career, with eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Tyrod Taylor and Breece Hall both rushed for touchdowns.

26. Cardinals 3-9 (24)

27. Commanders 3-9 (26)

28. Browns 3-9 (27)

29. Saints 2-10 (30)

30. Giants 2-11 (28)

With the loss to the Patriots, the Giants dropped to 0-3 since firing head coach Brian Daboll, 0-1 since firing defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and 0-1 with quarterback Jaxson Dart working under interim head coach Mike Kafka. The Giants are 2-11 for the second straight year, turning up the heat on general manager Joe Schoen.

31. Raiders 2-10 (31)

32. Titans 1-11 (32)