Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

The Week 10 NFL Power Rankings show exactly why I love the NFL so much. It’s truly a week-to-week league, so you really don’t know who teams are until the games are played. Any team can win any given week. Also, teams that looked like power houses a few weeks ago can end up on the fringe of playoff contention this week. What will next week have in store? Who knows. But, let’s dive into what we learned from this week…

32. Detroit Lions (0-8)

Last Week: 32

The Detroit Lions come off the bye week still stuck in the basement of the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings. You really shouldn’t have expected anything else, to be fair. Everyone else has won a game, so it would have taken a special level of incompetence I don’t think we’ve seen in the NFL yet to displace this Lions team. Maybe they can take advantage of a Steelers team that has been super inconsistent this year? Hard to imagine, but they can’t go 0-17 can they?

31. Houston Texans (1-8)

Last Week: 31

The Texans won the turnover battle. But, they still turned the ball over four times themselves. Despite forcing five, they only managed to put nine points on the board. They couldn’t find the endzone once, despite being set up in or near Miami territory four times. In fact, they elected to take a field goal at the one-yard line despite being down 11 points in the fourth quarter. I guess the idea was to take the points so you’re only down by a touchdown and a two-point conversion? I don’t know. I’d have tried a quarterback sneak or something. Just seems cowardly.

30. Miami Dolphins (2-7)

Last Week: 30

The Dolphins… did it? They beat the Texans, I guess. Woo. The Dolphins turned the ball over five times, but somehow managed to hold onto a lead they built in the first half. They won’t win many more games playing like that, especially against the Ravens next week.

29. New York Jets (2-6)

Last Week: 26

There’s the Jets we know and love. It looked like Mike White was going to have another good day. But, he exited the game with a nerve contusion. He should be fine after 10 days of rest. But, now the question is, does he get another opportunity, or do the Jets bring back their No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson? It’s probably the only exciting Jets related talking point that exists right now, because they don’t have much else going on. That defense is still wretched. Frankly, they should be 1-7 right now. But, I’m sure they’ll find loss No. 7 next week in Buffalo.

28. Washington Football Team (2-6)

Last Week: 28

Washington went into their bye week on a four game losing streak after looking relatively competitive through the first four weeks. The division is completely out of reach at this point, and it’s tough to find many more winnable games on their remaining schedule. Maybe the Panthers? Maybe they can split with the Eagles? I don’t know. It’s a rough time in the nation’s capital these days.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)

Last week: 29

I don’t know if I’ve ever been so impressed and, simultaneously, not impressed by a win in my life. The Jaguars did knock off a team I’ve had at No. 1 in these power rankings before. But, they also didn’t score a single touchdown and had to finish the game without Trevor Lawrence. He should be fine, but the Jags aren’t going to hold opponents to six points every week.

26. New York Giants (3-6)

Last Week: 27

Two good games in a row against AFC West opponents, but this time the Giants actually pulled it off. I’m not ready to start buying into them yet. But, they do have the Bucs, Eagles, and Dolphins after the bye week. If they can come out of that stretch 2-3 I’ll probably take them out of the cellar.

25. Chicago Bears (3-6)

Last Week: 23

The Bears couldn’t overcome multiple obviously terrible calls by the zebras this week in a hard-to-watch game against the Steelers. I think there might have been more flags than actual game-changing plays. To be fair, some of them were deserved. The Bears played sloppy this week. At the end of the day, if you’re in position for the refs to beat you, you don’t deserve to win. The Bears don’t deserve much winning right now. The wheels are starting to fall off and I’m not sure how much longer Matt Nagy lasts.

24. Philadelphia Eagles (3-6)

Last Week: 22

Man, the Eagles had ‘em. They held a lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter and their defense was playing great. But, Justin Herbert did Justin Herbert things and took the lead back. The Eagles did manage to march back down the field and tie the game, but they couldn’t stop the chargers from taking the entire remaining six minutes of the game on the last drive to knock in what was essentially the game winning field goal. The Eagles’ desperation double lateral at the end of the game that only lost 14 yards perfectly highlighted the false hope and actual payoff this game felt like.

23. Carolina Panthers (4-5)

Last Week: 18

I didn’t give the Patriots a bump in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings this week for beating the Panthers. But, I’m definitely knocking the Panthers down for that loss. The Patriots took care of business in a game they were expected to win if they were for real. But, the Panthers fell flat in a game they desperately needed to win to maintain some semblance of competitiveness. Sam Darnold’s three interceptions reminded you of the ghosts he so famously saw against New England in the past.

22. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

Last Week: 25

Woah! I thought for sure the Falcons were going to find a way to lose that game, and they almost did! Even after Cordarelle Patterson put them in easy field goal range with less than a minute remaining, Mike Davis almost fumbled the game away. Arthur Smith made a decision that looks cowardly, but is probably the smartest thing to do if you’re the Falcons. He took the gift, told Matt Ryan to kneel on the ball, and took the highest percentage chance of winning possible to squeeze out a win that almost wasn’t.

21. Seattle Seahawks (3-5)

Last Week: 21

The Seahawks could get lucky next week if Aaron Rodgers is unable to pass COVID protocols. Russell Wilson should have no problem dispatching the team the 2021 version of the Chiefs overcame. But, if Rodgers does play, the Seahawks could find that Wilson couldn’t come back quick enough. They only managed to win one game with Geno Smith and now have an uphill battle with the Packers and Cardinals next on the schedule. 

20. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)

Last Week: 17

The 49ers had no answers for James Connor, Colt McCoy, and Christian Kirk. That’s not a great sign for a team that was looking to stay relevant in the playoff hunt. There’s still time to turn things around, but they still have a handful of tough games left on their schedule.

19. Denver Broncos (5-4)

Last Week: 24

Is that a sign of life I see from Denver? It might be false hope, because weird games happen in the NFL. But, after being one of the most promising teams through the first three weeks, the Broncos finally have a reason to feel like they could turn their season around. Weirdly enough, it came after they shipped Von Miller to Los Angeles. They have a bad Eagles team coming up next. If they find a way to come away with a win, they’ll be 6-4 at the bye. That would put them in great position to make something out of a mostly disappointing season.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

Last Week: 19

I can’t say I’m terribly impressed by the way Pittsburgh won this game. An absolutely terrible run of form by the referees killed any semblance of hope for the Bears. Yeah, the Steelers won, but did it make you believe in this team any more than you did last week? Not me. They play the Lions next week and I’m sure they’ll win that one too. That said, if they can pull off the upset over the Chargers in Week 11, I’ll put them in the top 14.

17. Minnesota Vikings (3-5)

Last Week: 16

I’m pretty much done with the Vikings at this point. Yes, their record could be so much better than it is right now. I have been preaching that non-stop all season. But, this is what separates the good teams from the bad teams. The Ravens are the team that finds a way to come away with wins in these close games. The Vikings find a way to lose. It doesn’t always make perfect sense, but that’s the NFL baby.

16. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

Last Week: 20

Although the AFC South division race is starting to look out of reach for the Colts, the playoffs are still a realistic possibility. The Colts get a boost in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings because they took care of business against a bad team, and they have a few more bad teams coming up. The Colts could realistically be 6-5 by Week 11 and possibly in control of a wild card spot. Quite the turnaround for a team that started 1-4.

15. New Orleans Saints (5-3)

Last Week: 14

Last week, I was asked why I didn’t have the Saints higher considering they beat Green Bay and Tampa Bay, two top-10 teams. Well, that’s why. Without Jameis Winston, I’m just not sure how competitive this Saints team can really be. This week, they lost to a Falcons team that is suddenly .500. You read that right. The Falcons got right against the Saints. Not a position you want to be in.

14. Las Vegas Raiders (5-3)

Last Week: 13

There’s the Raiders team we were expecting to see. They overcame the Gruden distraction to play some of the best football they’d played all season. But, losing Henry Ruggs III seems to have been a bit more than they were prepared to overcome. The defense didn’t exactly play great, but Derek Carr threw two interceptions to only one touchdown. They had to rely on Daniel Carlson for their remaining 10 points, which just wasn’t going to get the job done against the good version of Daniel Jones. 

13. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

Last Week: 10

Had the Bengals’ next opponent, after their upcoming bye week, not also lost in embarrassing fashion this week, I’d probably have them at 14 right now. Essentially, I’m saying I still consider them a playoff team, but barely. According to the standings, they wouldn’t even be in the playoffs right now when they held the AFC’s No. 1 seed just two weeks ago. This defense is a train wreck right now. The bye week couldn’t come at a more perfect time. They need to readjust and refocus if they want to be alive in January.

12. Cleveland Browns (5-4)

Last Week: 15

This just in: Odell Beckham Jr was the problem in Cleveland. I’ve been saying it all year, but there was no greater proof than the Browns nearly equalling their highest point total of the year without the alleged ‘star’ wide receiver. Baker Mayfield looked locked in and efficient, helping the Browns to 41 points against a sputtering Bengals defense. Interestingly enough, the only other time the Browns put up a comparable point total this year was against the Chargers. OBJ played, but he wasn’t exactly a major part of the game plan with only 3 targets.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)

Last Week: 12

I’m starting to think the Chiefs aren’t going to turn things around. They got a win against the Packers this week, but it wasn’t pretty. Patrick Mahomes didn’t make any major mistakes, which is huge. But, he also couldn’t get much done against a stout Packers defense either. The Chiefs were handed a golden opportunity to beat a top team with the Rodgers situation. To their credit, they came away with the win. But, it was an ugly win that didn’t inspire much confidence they can replicate the result going forward.

10. Los Angeles Rams (7-2)

Last Week: 5

The Rams end their four game win streak with a loss to the newly minted Week 10 NFL Power Rankings No. 2 team. On the whole, the defense didn’t play too badly. They only allowed just over 200 yards of total offense, although they did allow three touchdowns. The fourth touchdown came with the absolute meltdown of the Rams’ offense. Matt Stafford reverted back to his Detroit form with two killer interceptions. Their running game generally did pretty well. But, with the game being out of control at halftime, they ended up throwing WAY more than running.

9. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3)

Last Week: 9

I was ready to knock the Chargers down a few spots for the run of form they’ve been on lately, especially after a loss to the lowly Eagles. But, LAB found a way to get it done on the road this week. It was a rough first half, but they found their stride against the Eagles in the second half and salted things away with a Dustin Hopkins field goal at the death. For now, they maintain their spot in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings.

8. New England Patriots (5-4)

Last Week: 8

Last week I gave the Patriots an 8 spot jump. I thought, perhaps, I might be being a little too generous. Yeah they massacred the Jets and beat a former top-5 team. Yeah they came close to beating the Cowboys. Their only bad losses this year were a Week 3 loss to the Saints and a weird Week 1 loss to the Dolphins. But are they really turning things around this quickly in New England? Oh yes. They wholloped the struggling Panthers this week. I didn’t give them a bump in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings. But, it confirmed to me that my faith was well placed.

7. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

Last Week: 7

At a certain point, the ability to pull out miracles against opponents, no matter how cursed, is impressive. Throughout much of the season, the Ravens have reminded me of last year’s Steelers, who famously went 11-0 against bad teams and fell apart when the schedule got hard. The Ravens should be 5-3 because of the uncalled Delay of Game against the Lions, but that hardly matters now with the rest of the AFC North tearing itself apart.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)

Last Week: 6

Although it doesn’t affect their standing in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, the Saints’ loss helps the Buccaneers out dramatically. With WFT, the Giants, Colts, and Falcons coming up the next four weeks, the Buccaneers should be able to capitalize on their lucky regaining of control of the NFC South this week.

5. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

Last Week: 2

Bad games happen, so I still consider this Bills team to be a top 5 contender. But, games like that can’t happen often. It was the first time all season they failed to score a touchdown and the only time other than Week 1 when they scored under 20. So, Bills fans shouldn’t be ready to panic yet. Bounce back against the Jets last week and all will be forgiven.

4. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

Last Week: 3

The Cowboys probably deserve a deeper dive in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings than this. But, luckily for them, many other teams around them had worse losses, or were on bye. Dak Prescott was outplayed by Teddy Bridgewater and their defense allowed the Broncos to put up 30 points. It was their highest point total of the season, and they’ve only scored 20 points once since September.

3. Green Bay Packers (7-2)

Last Week: 1

I’m not going to knock the Green Bay Packersdown in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings too hard for losing without their starting QB. However, I am going to knock them down for showing how screwed they are without Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers plays that game, they probably crush a still sloppy looking Chiefs team. But, Jordan Love didn’t look ready to lead this team. Hopefully Rodgers comes back for Seattle.

2. Tennessee Titans (7-2)

Last Week: 11

Alright, so maybe the Titans will be fine without Derrick Henry. I famously pushed them down in the Week 9 NFL Power Rankings due to losing the player I assumed their football team would live and die with. Well, they went out and dropped 28 points on the Rams before the Rams ever got their first touchdown. Derrick Henry? How about Adrian Peterson.

1. Arizona Cardinals (8-1)

Last Week: 4

How do you counteract losing to a heavily undermanned Green Bay Packers team in the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings? You go beat a team while being heavily undermanned yourself! The Cardinals handily took care of business this week without Kyler Murray or DeAndre Hopkins. They still put up 31 points and bullied a 49ers team that is desperately trying to claw its way into the playoff race.