I have decided to map the changes in power rankings through this season. Week 1 is the preseason ranking.
32
Detroit Lions
Last Week 31
The Lions failure to win a game is killing them. I loved the fight in the first three weeks, and I figured wins would come for them eventually. That is why despite losses, they moved up as high as 23, but after failing again, they dropped to the bottom spot.
31
Houston Texans
Last Week: 30
The Davis Mills experience isn’t turning into success on the field. They keep getting dropped save a win against a rookie in his first game, since they’ve lost to the rookies they’ve played. They have been blanked in a game, and they have been stagnant on offense.
30
Miami Dolphins
Last Week: 29
They dropped a game to Jacksonville, and that hasn’t been done in 20 weeks of football. They just keep dropping games even though Tua is back, and they aren’t looking promising down the stretch.
29
Jacksonville Jaguars
Last Week: 32
They had some strong fight early in the season, and that is why it took a little while to drop them to the bottom, but they finally put it together and pulled out a victory. They don’t move up much because they beat the 29th best team, so I’ll let them take their position.
28
New York Jets
Last Week: 28
This is a team that has been battling to stay out of the bottom, and I think their win against the very injured Titans gives them a little boost. The bottom 5 teams haven’t moved much this season.
27
New York Giants
Last Week: 27
They got a little bump when they got a win, but since then they’ve looked awful and they’re lucky that the Cowboys blowout is countered by a win against the Saints. I have a feeling they may drop if they don’t stay healthy or find a way to win a game.
26
Atlanta Falcons
Last Week: 26
This team is dog shit and they have barely found a way to steal wins against shit opponents. They are competitive against bottom tier opponents, and they will stay here until they stun a top opponent.
25
Washington Football Team
Last Week: 25
This is a team that I had high hopes for, I thought the defense would handle business and steal them a few wins, and it has kept them semi-competitive in games, but they haven’t been able to turn it into wins. The game this weekend against the Chiefs shows that their defense can effect a game, but their offense couldn’t bail the defense out down the stretch.
24
Carolina Panthers
Last Week: 23
The Panthers started off hot, but they took a beating by the Cowboys and haven’t been the same team since. Darnold all of a sudden looks like a shell of himself, or rather a little like his former Jets self. I haven’t seen this top defense that Kay Adams touted all preseason.
23
Denver Broncos
Last Week: 20
The Broncos started off 3-0, but after dropping to the Ravens, they, like the Panthers, fell off. The Broncos are 0-3 since their undefeated start. Reminiscent of the Cowboys from a few years back. When facing tough competition, the tricks that they got away with aren’t working the same.
22
Philadelphia Eagles
Last Week: 22
I was hoping to see a jump from Jalen this season, but the coaching doesn’t seem to put him in a position to be very successful. The transition away from the run game has been detrimental to the offense making them very one dimensional. They are still in the race for the NFC East, especially given the long season, but they have work to get done.
21
San Francisco 49ers
Last Week: 21
They started off 2-0, granted against the Lions and the Eagles. Since then they dropped 2 divisional games, and they dropped a key game against the Packers. I don’t see a lot of upside in this team, and I think Lance is not quite polished enough to replace Jimmy G, and their hope has to be that Jimmy G can keep them competitive enough to win games on the back of their defense.
20
Las Vegas Raiders
Last Week: 24
They won 3 to start the season off, including an impressive Ravens win, and it is likely that the Ravens, like the Bills, slipped in the opener while adjusting to their new roster. However, the Bears stomped them and they hadn’t looked great this season, the Chargers beat them bad, yet they rebounded well this week by taking out Denver in the midst of a tough news cycle.
19
Seattle Seahawks
Last Week: 14
I’ve thought the Seahawks were frauds from the start of the season. They gave up the massive lead against the Titans, and they were punked by the Vikings. They now have to ride Geno Smith until Russ comes back, and in such a tough division, they might be dead in the water.
18
New England Patriots
Last Week: 18
They lost a heart breaker to Dallas, but they have been very competitive against the Cowboys high powered offense and the Buccaneers high powered offense. Their offense hasn’t clicked quite yet, and they don’t seem to have the weapons necessary for Mac to get a rhythm. They have stayed around the same spot simply by being competitive in most of their games. That won’t hold them up here if they don’t start finding ways to win soon.
17
New Orleans Saints
Last Week: 17
They smoked the Packers, and we knew that that was a fluke. They got smoked by the Panthers, and we thought maybe that was a fluke. This team looks dominant one week, then looks like shit the next. They lose to arguably the worst NFC East team, the Giants, then dominant last years NFC East Champs. They pick apart the Patriots defense, and they have a perfect defensive scheme to match the offense. I don’t understand, the wins keep them in the middle of the pack compared to where they started from.
16
Pittsburgh Steelers
Last Week: 19
This team is fucking roller coaster. They beat the Bills, where I think maybe it’s a fluke or maybe it’s that great defense of theirs. Then they can’t win a game at home against Derrick Carr or a sophomore QB Joe Burrow that hasn’t played much. They got stomped out by the Packers, and they have a tight game against the Broncos and a tighter game against the backup QB in Seattle. They look vulnerable and I don’t love the odds moving forward.
15
Cleveland Browns
Last Week: 12
I let them stay in the top ten after the loss against the Chiefs. I gave them credit against the Texans and the rookie QB in Chicago. However, despite the power of their roster, they’re suffering from Clowney-ism, he goes somewhere for high costs and under-produces. They have played 3 “good” teams or top tier teams and they have been beaten by 2 of them. In fact, the Cardinals crushed them. I need to see something from this team soon.
14
Chicago Bears
Last Week: 16
They played a very good Rams team early, and they were adjusting to a new QB. They showed great defensive play in beating their Bengals. They got obliterated by the Browns in an extremely embarrassing fashion. They had a few get right games for the offense to catch a stride under Fields, and they have moved up because of it. However; the same old Bears showed up against the Packers again.
13
Indianapolis Colts
Last Week: 15
They opened up on a 3 game slide. I gave them the benefit of a not totally healthy Carson Wentz early, then they dropped a division game to the Titans and got narrowly beat by the Rams. They look like they are trending in the right direction. I look forward to watching the development of the team with T.Y. Hilton back in the lineup.
12
Minnesota Vikings
Last Week: 13
They had two early losses, but both losses were due to special teams failures and early season jitters. They fought a tough defensive matchup against the Browns, yet since then they have flexed their clutch bone. I think they are moving along in a way that makes them dangerous in any game.
11
Las Angeles Chargers
Last Week: 8
This is a team that finds a way to win in almost any game, Herbert is really an amazing talent. However, they got shlacked by the Ravens, they couldn’t get their offense working and they have to hope that it wasn’t a blueprint game. They upset a divisional rival and dropped a game to the Cowboys when they were very short staffed.
10
Kansas City Chiefs
Last Week: 11
Mahomes hasn’t looked great and the receivers have been letting him down week in and week out. They show grit battling back in the Browns game, but they lose the grudge match against the Ravens and then drop the divisional matchup. They battle Philly close and then get smacked by the Bills who also have been harboring resentment for the playoff eliminations and tough battles.
9
Cincinnati Bengals
Last Week: 9
The Bengals have been very competitive this season, and they win gritty games and they take their toughest matchups into overtime. They stole a game against the Vikings, and they are a few missed kicks from beating the Packers who may be a contender in the NFC this year.
8
Tennessee Titans
Last Week: 10
The Titans had a nasty loss where they dropped to 12, but since then, they have seemingly just found ways to win tight games. They have the best running back in the league, and a deep WR room that still needs to find its rhythm.
7
Dallas Cowboys
Last Week: 7
The Dallas Cowboys have looked like the most balanced offense in the country, they have played lower competition so it is hard to move them up. That being said, they have blown out a few of their opponents and their defense looks massively better than last years’.
6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Week: 4
They are so complete, but they have struggled with bad competition. The Eagles hung around, the Falcons hung around. They seem to lack the knock out blow.
5
Green Bay Packers
Last Week: 6
Before the season, I would have said these guys are Super Bowl or bust. However, week one made me a little nervous about the Packers. Since then, they have looked very dominant. They haven’t opened up the offense to multiple targets it is either Jones or Adams with a little Dillon sprinkled into the fray. Also, the defense seems to be a problem without Z. Smith.
4
Baltimore Ravens
Last Week: 5
They finally got the monkey off their back and beat the Chiefs, and they are another one of those teams that just finds a way to win. That might be on the leg of Tucker or their MVP QB, but they just win games in this league.
3
Buffalo Bills
Last Week: 1
Briefly number one, the Bills looked amazing from Week 2 to Week 5, but in week 6 they showed they still have no answer for Henry. I still think they are contenders in the AFC, but they better hope someone else knocks out the Titans.
2
Los Angeles Rams
Last Week: 2
I think the Rams have been as dynamic as any in this league, but I need to see them split with the Cards before I could leave them at number 1. They look better with Stafford under center. I am excited to see them progress this season.
1
Arizona Cardinals
Last Week: 3
The expectations were low heading into the season, and they’ve had some breaks that went their way, but as the lone undefeated team, they get the top spot. I can’t disrespect the winning of this team, they have no horrendous losses.
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