NFL Power Rankings Week 10

By James Watkins

1. Philadelphia Eagles (last week’s ranking: 1): *Bye*
2. New England Patriots (3): Was there ever any doubt? The Pats are firmly past the defensive issues that plagued them during the first quarter of the season. Tom Brady is as good as he has ever been (that metaphorical cliff he’s going to fall off is nowhere to be found). There seems to be no reason the defending champs won’t win the AFC East and be contending for the number one seed in the AFC. Again.
3. Los Angeles Rams (5): In the Rams past 4 games (all double-digit victories), Jared Goff has thrown 9 touchdowns and only 1 interception. There are few things more dangerous in the NFL than a young, talented quarterback brimming with confidence both in himself and in the playmakers around him. LA has steady play under center, an experienced o-line, and a vicious front 7. Teams like that win games in January.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (2): It’s fair to criticize this team after yet another uninspired road performance against an inferior team. But, the schedule is chock-full of home games against beatable teams, and the rest of their division (and really their entire conference outside of New England) isn’t inspiring any fear either. The trap games that have tripped up Pittsburgh teams in the past have actually gone their way this season: in the six road games they’ve played thus far, the Steelers are 5-1.
5. New Orleans Saints (8): The NFC South has three of the top ten defenses in yards allowed per game in the NFL at the moment, and the division leaders are no exception (8^th in the league, currently giving up 312.3 yards on average). What sets the Saints apart from the other elite defenses in football is just how explosive their offense can be (2^nd in the league in yards per game, with 402.4). The NFC is stacked with complete teams, and the Saints can claim to be the most balanced in the conference.
6. Minnesota Vikings (7): Speaking of balanced teams, the only reason Minnesota isn’t ahead of New Orleans is because of quarterback play. I trust Drew Brees in any situation. I can’t say the same for Case Keenum, who’s thrown 5 interceptions in his last 4 games. That should be a very alarming stat. Except, the Vikings won all four of those games. Quite handily in fact (only one victory was by less than 10 points, and none were less than 5). That’s a remarkable testament to how rock-solid this roster is.
7. Seattle Seahawks (6): Yes, Richard Sherman’s season-ending injury will have widespread ramifications for the Seahawks defense moving forward. However, the true Achilles heel of the team is a lack of offensive firepower outside of Russell Wilson’s heroics. As great as he is, Wilson can’t hold this offense together through willpower and mobility alone. They’ll get buried in late season games if they fall behind early (which is all the more likely with all the injuries in the secondary).
8. Carolina Panthers (13): I’ve had my doubts about this team, particularly on offense. I’ll freely admit I didn’t think they were a playoff team a few weeks ago. But they’re elite where it counts: tops in the NFL in yards allowed per game, and 2^nd in offensive 3^rd down conversion percentage. I can’t stress enough how important those stats are to winning championships.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (9): *Bye*
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (10): No one deserved to win the game between Jacksonville and the Chargers, but Phillip Rivers handed the win to the Jags. Now “Sacksonville” is in prime position for a playoff spot of some kind. But before any of their fans get cocky, I have to ask: do you expect Blake Bortles to turn the ball over any less in the playoff? There is definitely a correct answer to that question.
11. Tennessee Titans (15): They’re 6-3? Really? I can’t think of any 6-3 team that’s ever flown under the radar as much as this Tennessee team. They sit near the middle of the pack in most major statistical categories, and have taken advantage of a relatively easy schedule up to this point. However, they do excel at one key aspect of the game: the defense is only allowing conversions on 33% of the third down attempts they face. That’s top notch by any stretch.
12. Detroit Lions (12): I find it hard to reward a team for beating Cleveland. However, they kept pace with the glut of teams vying for wildcard spots, so I find it hard to punish them as well. The key to success to keeping their turnover differential near the top of the league. Right now they’re tied for 3^rd at plus 7.
13. Atlanta Falcons (17): It’s unrealistic to expect 8 sacks every week, but if they can sustain even half of that pressure against their remaining opponents, they’ll have a chance to make some noise. Considering they face the Seahawks and Buccaneers in the next two weeks, it’s not the most unrealistic proposition for this defense.
14. Dallas Cowboys (5): All year we’ve been wondering what they’d look like without Ezekiel Elliot. Well… now we know. Keep in mind that this loss has much more to do with Tyron Smith being out than Zeke’s much more publicized absence. Alfred Morris filled in adequately for Dallas’ troubled star rusher, but Chaz Green wasn’t as lucky in place of Smith. The six Adrian Clayborn sacks mentioned above all came through Green’s side of the line.
15. Don’t Swearinger (11): It’s getting dicey in D.C. at this point. Hopes of catching up to Philly are basically over, and the NFC has too many wild card contenders to slip up now. The good news is that after next week’s game in New Orleans, the schedule gets way easier. The bad news is they might not be able to lose another game, so that easy schedule might not even matter if they can’t get past the streaking Saints.
16. Oakland Raiders (16): *Bye*
17. Buffalo Bills (14): ALL ABOARD THE NATHAN PETERMAN TRAIN! NEXT STOP: MISSING OUT ON THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE 17^TH STRAIGHT SEASON, PROBABLY. But seriously Buffalo, I think you made the right choice. I’m not just saying that because Peterman is a Pitt alum. Ok, maybe that has something to do with it. Sue me.
18. Green Bay Packers (22): Nothing wrong with winning for pride in this league, especially considering the circumstances surrounding this team. However, let’s not sugarcoat things. The problems go way beyond Aaron Rodgers. They still need an every-down back. They still need the secondary to develop. They still need to be better defensively on third down. The offseason has to be spent filling these holes.
19. Chicago Bears (18): Mitch Trubisky almost broke 300 passing yards for the first time. His top targets were Dontrelle Inman and Kendall Wright. Don’t worry, I don’t exactly know who those people are either. What I do know is Chicago has some talent on their hands, and they need to give him some help ASAP.
20. Los Angeles Chargers (20): You’d think the Chargers would know enough about failed attempts at game-winning field goals to know how to properly block a kick. You’d be wrong.
21. Houston Texans (19): If you want me to make fun of this team, don’t hold your breath. Take away a star quarterback (DeShaun Watson) and two elite pass rushers (J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus) away from your team and see how well they compete. That’s assuming you even have players like that to lose in the first place.
22. New York Jets (21): In all likelihood, the loss to the Buccaneers ends the Jet’s slim hopes of earning a wild-card berth. Playing every opponent tough is all well and good, but it has also made it virtually impossible for New York to choose a top-end quarterback talent in next year’s draft. Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg aren’t the future under center, but Gang Green might not have much choice next year.
23. Baltimore Ravens (23): *Bye*
24. Cincinnati Bengals (24): Don’t ever get rid of Vontaze Burfict. Please. I’ll never run out of material as long as he’s on an NFL roster.
25. Miami Dolphins (25): I know playing three night games in a row all on different days of the week has to be jarring to any franchise, but I’m still surprised at just how far this team has fallen over the past three weeks. First it was a complete offensive meltdown against the Ravens, then it was serious defensive lapses against both the Raiders and Panthers. The AFC wildcard race is by no means over, but Miami still has to face both the Patriots and Bills twice before the end of the regular season.
26. Indianapolis Colts (28): Call me crazy, but Jacoby Brissett might be a legitimate starting option under center for a different team next season. Indy has provided Brissett with no run game, an abysmal o-line, and a middling defense. He’s given them 9 touchdowns (with only 5 interceptions) and a completion percentage north of 60%. Imagine what he could do on a team built around him. The Colts have a heck of a trade chip up their sleeve.
27. Arizona Cardinals (27): ZZZzzzzzz…
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29): Well, at least the pass rush finally decided to show up for a full 60 minute. Tampa could have used that kind of play for about 5 weeks now, but better late than never, I guess.
29. San Francisco 49ers (31): I want to take a moment to offer condolences to Niners receiver Marquise Goodwin, who recently lost a child due to complications with his wife’s pregnancy. Goodwin played on Sunday anyway, scoring an 83-yard touchdown in the process, and his team played a hell of a game to support him. There is heart in this team, and that can often win the day no matter the odds.
30. Denver Broncos (26): Vance Joseph is definitely not having the time of his life.
31. New York Giants (30): They certainly looked better than they did against LA, but the G-men are still mired in a complete failure of a season. I’m not surprised at all by the rumors that Ben McAdoo has lost the locker room.
32. Cleveland Browns (32): I wish I had something witty to say about Cleveland every week, but only a sadist would keep kicking this fan-base while it’s down.