Aside from the one spot, not a whole lot of movement in the top ten. That’s probably because the good teams are doing what they’re supposed to (At least in the second half, Minnesota and San Fran). Luckily, we have some games that might shake things up a bit coming this weekend, as the Packers travel to the  Bay Area to take on the Niners, and the Texans and Colts square off for AFC South supremacy. Now that teams have played about 10 games, it’s a little harder to place teams over teams that have beaten them, but luckily nothing that happens in September or October really matter in regards to how a team should look. Remember when Cleveland Beat Baltimore?

  1. Baltimore +1
    • How many teams do the Ravens have to smash in a row in order to hit the one spot? Looks like the answer is two, as they’ve finally done it. They Scorch Earthed the Texans on Sunday, in rout to what appears to be an inevitable bye. The schedule toughens, but ultimately the Ravens have shown us who they are and it’s probably going to take a major implosion from their quarterback to halt them from getting to the Super Bowl.
  2. San Francisco -1
    • What is it about the Cardinals that the 49ers can barely handle? Two too-close-for-comfort Niner wins in this year’s yearly series, and before that Arizona had won eight straight! The “-1” you see above honestly speaks more about the recent success of Baltimore, and not anything about San Francisco’s play. Not every game will be a blow out, and the Cardinals are the ultimate spoiler team. It’s especially hard to beat a team outright without your best offensive player, but the 49ers will need George Kittle‘s services vs Aaron Rodgers and the Packers this Sunday night.
  3. New England –
    • Tom Brady’s frustration with his offense is weird to see. After enjoying ~12 years as one of, if not the premier attack in the NFL, Brady has now conceded that he is not much more than an effective game manager in the late stage of his career. That is definitely fine if you are a 42 year old quarterback, and it’s definitely fine if you are the best to ever play the position, like he is. It isn’t fine, when you have offenses like the Ravens, Chiefs, and Texans, that can put up scores with the blink of an eye to contend with. They play a much better unit this week. We’ll see how he manages that one.
  4. Seattle –
    • I’m sure Pete Carrol knows the number one seed is still in play for his team, even in the stacked NFL. He shouldn’t be afraid of anyone in his conference, because when you have a player like Russell Wilson making magic on the field every Thurs-Mon, you are never out of a game. Carrol and Wilson have some desperate teams left on the schedule, and just need to stay within a game of the Niners in the win column to have a chance to overtake them. It might be the first time a 13-3 squad goes on the road in the playoffs if they can’t.
  5. Green Bay –
    • Green Bay has benefitted from being one of the healthiest team in football and had every member of the 53 man roster practice in some capacity today. They couldn’t be happier/luckier that it’s all happening going into the most important game of their season. I’d love to see how Matt LaFleur’s squad comes out of the bye, and what this couching staff can do with an extra week of preparation. This part of the season is go-time for the Packers, who look to drive a hammer through their two-year long playoff drought.
  6. Saints –
    • In what amounts to a “back on track” game, Drew Brees and the Saints were able to take out the Bucs on the road and right the ship. Alvin Kamara is back to being a superstar, and Michael Thomas is even fielding some MVP love. While a wideout winning the MVP is a little far-fetched, he is playing out of his mind right now, and his record setting pace is helping New Orleans play like a powerhouse. The Atlanta loss looks like a minor stumble at this point, as the Saints close in on an NFC bye. You’re definitely rooting for Green Bay this week if you are a Saints fan, as they get the Niners all to themselves in week fourteen.
  7. Minnesota –
    • Some might take the high road view, that the Vikings showed a lot of guts coming back from a 20-point deficit to win in the final moments of Sundays game against Denver. I’ll take the rare low road criticism view, that they should never have been down to Brandon Allen and the Broncos, at home, in the first place. I will balance this take out by not dropping them in the rankings, but you have been warned, Vikings. Take care of business at home a little easier against a 3-6 team with a backup quarterback next time. Or else.
  8. Kansas City –
    • A win is a win, but man, the Chiefs looked lost in the fourth quarter down in Mexico City. After their late third quarter touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, Kansas City scored no more points the rest of the game. Four drives, four punts. Still, the higher altitude and the desolate Chargers team were no match for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Nor were they a match for this suddenly ball-hawking defense. Four interceptions of Phillip rivers, and another that S Tyrann Mathieu dropped outright. The Chiefs are getting back to finding ways to win, and on a night like this it shows.
  9. Dallas –
    • Pay the man! I am of course referring to Michael Gallup, the Cowboys second year wideout who took over the game in Detroit this past weekend with 148 yards. With a little help of course, from his quarterback, who threw for 400 yards for the third time this year (Cowboys record). Dak Prescott has led his team within striking distance of an NFC East crown and has all of the talent and potential to do even more this year. With RB Ezekiel Elliot sitting below his normal pace in statistics this year, Prescott has needed to be the type of productive pass that he has been this year. Luckily for Dallas, Zeke could explode in production at any given time. The Cowboys hope it overlaps with Dak’s game on the upswing.
  10. Oakland +2
    • The Raiders almost bungled their way into a loss on Sunday, staving off the winless Bengals 17-10  Rookie breakout star Josh Jacobs fumbled in the redzone, Derrek Carr walked into some drive killing sacks, and they even let Cincinnati QB Ryan Finley collect some chunk plays on the ground. Why did they move up two spots then? Because the Oakland Raiders of the past few years would have let that sink them. This time, they swallowed up the Bengal offense and found a way to win. Hey, it’s not like they were down by twenty points at the half.
  11. Houston +1
    • The Texans getting absolutely walloped by the Ravens last Sunday really made me think. Almost every good team has a game this season where they would love to hide the game film in some sort of Raiders of the Lost Ark style warehouse, never to be found again. That was this week for these Texans, who still have an all-world Quarterback, and still have the chance to seal a division title next week vs the Colts. This game was a blip on the radar for Houston and isn’t necessarily reflective of how good they are.
  12. Buffalo +1
    • Buffalo gets back to winning, as the AFC wildcard race tightens around them. It was great that we finally get to see the offense shine, as they put up 424 yards and 37 pints, both season highs. QB Josh Allen looked good, and WR John “Smokey” Brown looked even better. Brown has been a #1 wide receiver for this team all year and deserves some love from more of us outside of upstate New York. A home date with the Broncos is up next.
  13. Indianapolis +2
    • The Colts played to their brand of football last week, spoiling Nick Foles season sequel with 264 rushing yards en route to a 33-13 butt kicking. The untrained eye may think the Colts 33 points were a result of a mishmash of touchdowns and field goals, but if you look closely you see that the Colts RETURNED A 2PT CONVERSION FOR A SCORE. This is undoubtably the most exciting way to score two points. Back to the Colts, who only needed 148 yards through the air to bet the Jags, who were trailing for most of the game. This a weird Colts season, and it is exemplified by this game.
  14. Philadelphia -3
    • At this point the Eagles offense is nothing more than a car that just won’t start. Visiting an eminently beatable Patriots team last week, the Eagles receivers were no help to Carson Wentz, who was also no help to them, throwing for 5.35 yards per attempt in a game Philadelphia could have used to catch up to the division leading Cowboys. Without Jordan Howard, the Eagles also struggled to move the ball on the ground, totaling 64 yards out of their running back committee of Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. The Birds are slipping here, and things don’t get much easier with Seattle on the horizon.
  15. Carolina -1
    • Kyle Allen looks like he’s turning back into a Pumpkin, as the Panthers – out of nowhere – now have long term QB questions to answer. After a 29-3 flattening at the hands of the (surging?) Atlanta Falcons, Carolina’s offensive strategy comes into question. Was Cam Newton supposed to have come in and fixed this? Don’t worry, at least they were able to muster up a field goal on 4th and 7 from the Atlanta 13 down by 26. Ron Rivera has done a commendable job to this point without his starting quarterback, but the calls for his job seem to grow louder with every game the Panthers have that feels like this.
  16. Tennessee +3
    • It was not a bad bye week for the Titans, who saw some of their wildcard competition implode while they were away. The Steelers, Jags, and Chargers losses were a great development for a team that needs help and seems to be getting some. Head Coach Mike Vrabel has gotten his team back in the race the last few weeks (3-1 in the last 4), including a great win over the Chiefs, and has his QB Ryan Tannehill playing well. Best thing going for the Titans this week? The Colts and Texans play each other on Thursday.
  17. LA Chargers +1
    • Sucks to see what might be the final season of Philip Rivers (who is this Philipe Rios I have been hearing about all week?) come to an end like this. His offensive line, like it has for the last decade and a half, let him down on Monday night, causing an INT that should’ve been ruled a fumble, and the Tyrann Mattheu dropped INT later in the game. Even as the Chargers defense forced four punts by the Chiefs in the fourth quarter, the LA offense was not able to close the seven point gap. You hate to see Rivers playing in meaningless games for the Chargers in December, but the meaning might lie in their first-round draft choice next year. They may be in the market for a quarterback.
  18. LA Rams +1
    • I’d love to be higher on the Rams after a decisive win on Sunday Night over the Bears, but the offense was pretty depressing all the way through. Let’s just say LA is lucky the Bears fake benched Mitch Trubisky, or else more people may be talking about the “Rams offense is bad” narrative. Los Angeles only put up 16 more yards than a Chicago offense that is plainly bad to an untrained eye. I don’t even think it’s fair to see this team on the “in the hunt” graphic anymore. The hope is that Sean McVey can add a new wrinkle at some point that gets the Rams moving but if not, they may bottom out down the stretch.
  19. Tampa Bay +1
    • The Bucs were no match for the Saints last week, and there are a couple reasons why: Firstly, Michael Thomas is a god among men, and there is no one on Tampa Bay’s roster that can compete with him. Second, call it the Jameis Winston Rule, but if the Florida State QB is playing in an NFL game, his team is always good for two turnovers. They don’t even have to be by his hand! Winston Pick and Peyton Barber fumble? Winston Rule. Sack fumble and the punter throws and INT? Winston Rule.
  20. Jacksonville +1
    • I don’t know if Gardner Minshew could’ve saved the Jaguars from that. The Colts spoiled the Nick Foles’ return to the lineup and shellacked them 33-13.  They were not able to contain the Indy running attack, nor were they immune to falling victim to Jacoby Brissett and the wild plays he seems to make with an interesting regularity. The run defense though shoulders much of the blame. Doug Marrone’s squad can ill afford to continue to bleed yardage to running backs, or Derrick Henry will make they pay next week.
  21. Arizona +2
    • Another game against the division leading 49ers, another close loss. I was puling for these Cardinals after a 22 yard Kyler Murray touchdown run put them up by three, but they just didn’t have it in them on the final drive to close it out. Jimmy Garoppolo tore them apart for the second time in three weeks, and it’s no wonder he has had his two best games of the season vs the Cards. Their 32nd ranked pass defense failed them. Arizona should look to bolster their defense in next years draft. Just imagine how much better this team would be with Nick Bosa on their side.
  22. Atlanta +3
    • This is the definition of too little too late. Where were you 11 weeks ago Falcons! YOU WERE MY FOUTH SEEEEED. Great all around game from this team for a second straight week. They didn’t even need RB Brian Hill’s services, as the third year fill in went for 38 total yards on the day. Kenjon Barner is still running. I just have one plea to all networks: please don’t start putting the Atlanta in the playoff bracket graphic. We don’t need to go crazy out here.
  23. Cleveland +3
    • This tweet from Around the NFL host and fellow power ranker Dan Hanzus says everything this blurb could want to say.
  24. Pittsburgh -7
    • Unfortunately for the Steelers, their defense couldn’t hold them upright forever, and they came crashing down with a thud. I’ll give the Browns some credit for taking care of business but this Steeler defense is woeful. Mason Rudolph may be the worst quarterback in the league (still better at football than anything I’ll ever do) and it doesn’t help that the training staff operates like M*A*S*H* with skill position players coming in and out every week, and his offensive line is performing like they only get payed for playing 45 mins a week. Falling seven places down in the rankings may seem like an over-reaction to a game we just saw but Pittsburgh had been hiding among the competitors for too long.
  25. Chicago -3
    • The Bears went from Super Bowl contenders to, whatever this is they field every Sunday. Oh yeah, the rest of the world catches up to the fact that your quarterback stinks, and he suddenly has a hip injury that he sustained in the second quarter, before you sent him out on a designed quarterback run? You guys are either unbelievably stupid, or you think we are. The Bears should play in Washington. Too bad they already have their own depressing Football team. Last year’s Coach of the Year winner Matt Nagy needs to show some hope, as his seat suddenly gets warmer with each passing week.
  26. Detroit -2
    • Not super fair to evaluate this team without their quarterback, but it is very fair to evaluate the Matt Patricia experience so far. I’d give it a solid D. We’re at fifteen losses in almost two full years. Building up a successful organization out of pieces from a cursed one isn’t rocket science. It’s harder. I’m going to need the Bengals to play the Lions so I can get Jeff Driskel and Ryan Finley on the same field. It would sell a million tickets, but for some reason, the cowards at the NFL won’t set this up.
  27. NY Jets +1
    • Good for Jets fans, getting a feel good moment in this, a season of utter despair. That Sam Darnold guy isn’t half bad, is he? Probably in his top three Career games so far in a season and a half. I’m thinking, Week one last year, the Packer game last December, and then this one. I’ll need a Jets fan approval here to confirm. Nice little game put together by the defense as well. Gregg Williams may not be well liked in NYC, but his plan worked out well this past week in DC.
  28. Miami -1
    • This is the plan. Unfortunately, with Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa’s injury upsetting the draft class, suits in Miami may have their collars tugged on a bit more than they would have. I would never recommend the Dolphins to use their first round pick (either of them!) on a running back, but just look at the production from that room on Sunday vs the Bills, a team with a very weak run defense: Kalen Ballage – 9/9 Jakeem Grant – 1/7 Patrick Laird – 1/7 Myles Gaskin – 1/0 Fitzmagic – 1/0. Thy may need to send a telegram to the offices of Melvin Gordon of Derrek Henry this offseason.
  29. NY Giants +1
    • They’ll get the one up on the bye here, but hopefully for the Giants, this is the last time they rise all season. They are one game out from the first overall pick, and they get Miami and D.C. in successive weeks. Hopefully they don’t play spoiler to either the Packers or the Eagles in the final month of 2019 and can hold on to get on the clock first. The Giants have their QB and their RB of the future, so the first overall might not be all that important if #1 is in need a passer.
  30. Denver -1
  31. Cincinnati –
    • Kudos to the Bengals for keeping the game close against the Raiders on Sunday. Normally I would reward the effort with a small, ceremonial jump in the rankings, if only by one spot. Unfortunately, as long as they have Ryan Finley in their starting lineup, I can’t justify putting them in front of anyone (aside from DC). I believe Zach Taylor will get his first win as an NFL head coach at some point this year (will it be this week? Check my picks column on Thursday to find out!), but what would it even mean? They were officially the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention and did it in record time. This team’s is stuck in limbo, and they don’t have a quarterback to help them out of it.
  32. Washington –

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