32. Raiders. They have scored only 3 points twice this season, have given up over 20 points every week and we were embarrassed in every fashion Thursday night. They have no reason to be in any position but last place in the rankings, and until they prove otherwise, do not deserve to ever leave this position. 32
31. Buffalo Bills. What if I told you the Bills lost and it wasn't Nathan Peterman's fault? Well not entirely… He threw one pick that was his bad, but one other pick six bounced off of his receiver's hands and another turnover was a fumble forced by the Bears secondary (which they returned for a touchdown). The Bills aren't the worst team in the league because of the guys mentioned above them^^^(psst…Raiders), but they are without a doubt Number 31 overall.
30. Giants.
29. Cleveland Browns. If you needed evidence that the Browns are cursed then just look at this past week for evidence. They fired their coach which usually rallies players and leads to them winning their next game. This is usually because firings happen before a bad team plays another bad team. This allows the team to rally and feel like the franchise is turning around. The week after the Browns fired Hue Jackson, they had to play the Chiefs. Why couldn’t they play the Dolphins or Lions or Falcons? They really had to have the misfortune of playing a top 5 team? The Browns allowed whoever stepped on the field for the Chiefs to score a touchdown. That was really kind of them so if I was the Chiefs I'd send the Browns a fruit basket or something. Browns fall again in the rankings to 29. Browns hypothetical record is now 0-2-6.
28. 49ers. The final spot in my rankings was going to whoever lost last Thursday which means the Raiders win that by default. The 49ers, despite their record are actually a well coached team. Besides their 39-10 loss to the Rams three weeks ago, the 49ers have been competitive in basically every game they have played. Each week they are prepared to play and always play hard for Coach Shanahan. That is all you can ask for from a team that doesn’t have the talent to win any games because of their depleted roster. That is why they are 28 in my rankings. They have a hard time winning games, but they play really hard and I will reward them in my rankings for that.
27. Cardinals.
26. Jets. Sam Darnold doesn’t have the protection he needs to be a successful Quarterback this year. That being said, Sam Darnold (14) also has twice as many interceptions as Nathan Peterman (7). Yes he has played more games, but it's still not a good look. This loss on Sunday to the Dolphins was a big loss too. This loss basically solidified 3rd place in the division and gives them no chance to catch the Patriots in first (not that they could have anyway) which means they should go into full tank mode now and are going to keep dropping this year. For now, we'll keep them at 26 in case they do improve somehow. Their defense is still a top 10 unit so maybe they can sneak out a big win or two.
25. Dolphins. So here is every offensive drive for the Dolphins yesterday: punt, punt, punt, field goal, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt, and punt. They don’t deserve to move up even though they won on Sunday. They are flipping spots with the Jets. Congrats on Rank 25. I can't wait to move you down again after next week. For the record, next week you play an angry Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. This game has major blowout potential. Speaking of Green Bay, here's a sick video of a fan listing off 27 types of cheeses in 30 seconds at a Milwaukee Bucks game:
24. Denver Broncos. They are another one of those teams that is just good enough to compete in games, but not good enough to win them. I don’t think they Broncos can fix their offensive problems this year and they may not have a chance to pick a franchise QB in the draft this year. They are a bottom 8 team this week and will continue to be so the rest of this year unless something radical or unexpected comes along.
23. Dallas Cowboys. Run the football! You ran the ball 16 times in the first three quarters and then only once in the 4th! After that you didn’t score again! Coincidence? I think now…You deserve a loss after that game. You had a bye week and you were playing at home on a Monday night. If you cant win that game, then you can't win anymore going forward. I feel like I say the same things about them every week. I feel defeated repeatedly critiquing them. It’s the same thing every week. Did I mention it’s the same thing every week?
21. Detroit Lions. You take away your best receiver in Golden Tate and your offense struggles to score efficiently the next week. What are the chances of that? I don’t know the exact math, but I have to imagine it's pretty likely. The Lions squeezed out 9 points which was a season low for them and Matthew Stafford made probably the worst pitch so far this season. Detroit is the definition of inconsistency and this pitch basically summed up their season. It was a play that was a bad idea, but Kerryon Johnson still should have caught the ball. The Lions are so close to being good, but even closer to being bad. This play basically summed that up for me.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I am not sure what you do now if you're the Bucs. Neither of your QBs are good and you're in one of the toughest divisions in football. They give up over 410 yards per game and the Fitzmagic has worn off. They don't scare anyone they play and they frankly aren't coached well. They start off slow and just don’t seem like their prepared in the 1st half. This week they were outscored 35-14 in the 1st half and last week they were outscored 29-7 in the first half. This is an indication that their coaches aren't preparing them to start games…also once again their QBs are bad. Tampa Bay is dropping to 22.
21. Detroit Lions. You take away your best receiver in Golden Tate and your offense struggles to score efficiently the next week. What are the chances of that? I don’t know the exact math, but I have to imagine it's pretty likely. The Lions squeezed out 9 points which was a season low for them and Matthew Stafford made probably the worst pitch so far this season. Detroit is the definition of inconsistency and this pitch basically summed up their season. It was a play that was a bad idea, but Kerryon Johnson still should have caught the ball. The Lions are so close to being good, but even closer to being bad. This play basically summed that up for me.
20. Tennessee Titans. They played hard, ran the ball well, Mariota extended plays, and most importantly they won which kept a playoff race alive in the AFC South. This win was huge for their momentum going forward this season. Great win by the Titans and they're moving up as a reward.
19. Jaguars.
18. Colts
17. Atlanta Falcons. JULIO!!!!! Finally!! This is a sign! The Falcons' season is turning around after this week! The Falcons are primed for a good second half of the season. Their next two weeks are against the Browns and Cowboys and they are currently on a three game winning streak. They have arguably the most depth at each offensive position in the NFL, and on Sunday it was on full display. The Falcons are winning and so is Julio! I am high on the Falcons for the second half of this season. I am moving them into the top 20!
16. Seahawks. The Seahawks are about as average of a team we can find in the NFL. They beat the bad teams, get a surprising win on the road, and lose games to the good teams at home. They have had a pretty brutal schedule and it will only get harder as the season goes on. Over the next three weeks they play the Rams, Packers, and Panthers consecutively. Their offensive line has improved much more than I expected it to this year and Russell Wilson is playing hard to keep them in games. That being said, their schedule is too difficult to allow them to make the playoffs this year. That’s why this team is 16th in my Power Rankings. I wont punish them too much for losing to the Chargers, but I have a bad feeling they will continue to drop going forward.
15. Eagles.
14. Packers. It's tough for Aaron Rodgers. It's really tough. He's good. Really good. If you want to say that he's the best QB of all time then I have no problem with that. I personally think its Tom Brady, but Aaron Rodgers is so incredible and keeps so many plays alive that I don’t blame you for thinking he's the GOAT. That being said, Rodgers' supporting cast is worse than Brady's. The Packers' coaching is worse and their running game is worse. Plus Aaron Rodgers' running backs fumbling when he needs them most is a relationship older than time itself. As good as he is, his team is worse which is why I can't have them better than 14 overall. Playing at New England on Sunday night is brutal, but at this point in the season I feel like the Bears are even better than the Packers.
13. Baltimore Ravens. Flacco, I get that you don’t like Lamar Jackson because he's here for your job, but at least pretend to look his way when he's playing receiver. You don’t ever try when you line up out wide, but that doesn't mean he doesn’t try either. I was pretty high on the Ravens to start this year and, barring a major turn around, I am okay admitting I was wrong. They have lost three in a row and heading into their Bye Week this week, you will see people start to call for John Harbaugh's head. I don’t think he needs to be fired yet, but if he can't turn this around then maybe a change is what the Ravens need. I am not ready to count them out complete just yet, but I am looking for any reason to after this week.
12. Bengals.
11. Washington Redskins. The Redskins were blown out. The Redskins lost 3 of their 5 offensive linemen, Adrian Peterson returned to Earth (although that's probably my fault because I added him to my Fantasy Roster this week), and Jordan Reed left for a bit with a neck injury. This could turn bad quickly for the Skins who no longer have an offensive line which means they no longer have an effective running game. They are currently the Number 10 rushing offense in the NFL and that was due mainly to their line. Alex Smith isn't enough to carry them consistently and their Ranking is dropping this week as result.
10. Da Bears! Their defense is good as we anticipated. Both Cohen and Howard are good runningback as well predicted. And finally, Mitchell Trubisky is just good enough to help them not lose games. The way the NFC North has gone this season, it seems like they are in the best position to win the division. Obviously, the Vikes and Bears play Week 11 which will probably decide the division, but it looks like the Bears are the best team because of how good their defense is. The Bears limited the Bills to 264 yards of offense and the Bears offense in turn only generated 190 resulting in a 41-9 victory (obviously). If their offense has an even average day, then their defense can do more than enough to put them in positions to win games. The Bears haven't done enough to crack top 5 for me, but I allow them to be number 10.
9. Minnesota Vikings. So Dalvin Cook is really good at football. He's been averaging 4.1 yards per play this year, but he hasn’t really had a big game or a big play yet this year. It looks like he finally found his legs this week and if he finally has gotten over his ACL tear. Him being healthy again brings another dimension to their offense. Latavius Murray has been good in the meantime, but he's better served as a 2RB than a 1. The Vikings started off slow, but now they have a rhythm. They are on the brink of cracking the Top 10 because of it.
8. Houston Texans. 6 in a row! Will these guys ever lose again? Well they keep getting close to losing, but somehow they continue to pull out wins. Demaryius Thomas looked comfortable in their offense to start and (somehow) looked more off as the game went on. Fortunately, none of his mistakes cost them as they escaped Denver in another close one. As the Ravens fall out of the top 10, we welcome the Texans in. Even if you think they're not that good, I need to reward them for winning 6 straight. They were dead in the water a month ago, and now they're comfortably at the top of the AFC South.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers. LeVeon who? James Connor is playing just as well as Bell and his entire salary is less than what Bell gets paid for one game. Sounds like a pretty good ROI to me. The Steelers avenged a bad early season loss against the Ravens and they're finally looking like a team that can be one of the best in the AFC. The only issue is that they play Carolina on a short week, but at least its at home. I know you could credit the Steelers' win today as more of a referendum on how bad the Ravens are, but going to Baltimore and winning is always difficult so I'll give the Steelers credit for that. They are firmly a top 5 team in the AFC and top 7 overall.
6. Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are really good and Cam Newton should be considered for MVP. I don’t think this season is as good as his 2015 one when he actually won MVP, but he is the reason for the Panthers success half way through the year. Their defense is only allowing 22.5 points per game and 344. yards per game. Both nearly top 10 in each category. Their only issue is that they play in the same division as the Saints who, barring an epic collapse, prevent them from winning the division. Despite that, the Panthers are still a top 10 team.
5. Chargers. Coming into this week, the Chargers had won 4 in a row, however all of those wins were against below average teams (although who knows if the Titans are good or not). This week was the perfect week to test if they are actually a good team or not. They proved that convincingly when they traveled to Seattle and won, despite horrible kicking from Caleb Sturgis. Now they have won 5 in a row and this Chargers team has proven that they are different than years before. Last year the Chargers would have lost to Tennessee when the Titans attempted their two point conversion. Last year the Chargers would have lost in Seattle because of their kicking. This year they won both of these games. Their only two losses this year were against 2 of the 5 best teams in the NFL which is why I believe they have solidified themselves as a top 5 team in the NFL.
4. Chiefs. Their offense looked like Oprah Winfrey on Sunday…if you stepped on the field then you got a touchdown! Kareem Hunt got one, Travis Kelce got one, and Mahomes got 3 of his own. Mahomes found 7 different receivers and made the Browns look like a college defense as they shredded them apart and won with ease. Chiefs stay put at Number 4 though. I can't put them ahead of the Rams yet and they aren't better than either the Saints or Patriots. They're pretty dang close though.
3. Los Angeles Rams. Pop the champagne bottles '72 Dolphins! Another year and another undefeated team falls. Jared Goff missed some big throws down the stretch and the Saints put together a drive whenever they needed it. The Rams are still one of the best teams in the NFC and this loss is more about how good the Saints are instead of the Rams being overrated. The Saints had a chance to run away with the game at halftime when they were up 35-17 and the Rams scored 10 unanswered points to the start the 3rd and make the game competitive again. This run, despite the overall loss, shows that the Rams can play from behind and compete when they fall behind. They will continue to be tested the rest of this year, but they are still a top 4 team even though they lost by 10 this week.
2. New Orleans Saints. Play *this* while re-watching the Michael Thomas touchdown celebration late in the 4th. I loved the call back and I loved the prop. I did not love him getting a penalty…although he probably deserved it. Although the game didn’t come down to a last second play and once the Saints went up ten the Rams never really threatened again, the game itself still had an amazing atmosphere and was a ton of fun to watch. I would be perfectly okay seeing this again in 10 weeks. The Saints move up to number 2 this week and if it wasn’t for the Patriots dominating the Packers this week, then they would be number 1. Instead they are number 2.
1. Patriots. Remember when they started 1-2 and the Brady/Belichick era was over? Yeah me neither. Their linebackers are still slow and their secondary is still below average in my opinion, but turns out good coaching and a great offense can cover many of those mistakes. Josh Gordon has become a number one option (for a conditional 5th round pick from the Browns) and has seemingly fixed their offense. Two of their best offensive options were out and the Patriots still won with ease at home. That is why they are the best team in the NFL. Your new number one: The New England Patriots.
Did not play this week so they didn’t move: Bengals, Colts, Giants, Eagles, Cardinals, and Jaguars.
Comments