NFL Power Rankings

My current NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2020 NFL Mock Draft during the 2019 season. Follow @walterfootball.

I’ve gone from WORST to FIRST, so if you don’t see reverse numbering (via Javascript), don’t worry; the Dolphins and Bengals aren’t my top teams.

Updated: Nov. 19

Miami Dolphins (2-8) – Previously: 32.
The Dolphins are still the worst team in NFL history despite their two victories, given how many practice squad-caliber players they have starting for them. If it wasn’t for their kickoff return touchdown, they would’ve lost by 20 points at home to the Bills, a team that had trouble putting away the Dwayne Haskins-led Redskins.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-10) – Previously: 31.
Amazingly, the Bengals lost twice this past weekend. Once to the Raiders, and once to cruel football gods, who may have wrecked Tua Tagovailoa’s career with a potential Bo Jackson-type hip injury. If Tagovailoa’s injury is as bad as the medical experts are making it out to be, Cincinnati is going to settle for a lesser quarterbacking option, which is just sad.

Washington Redskins (1-9) – Previously: 27.
“Dwayne Haskins didn’t look terrible against the Bills, so perhaps this is a sign that he could improve in the second half of the year.”

I wrote this last week, and holy s**t, Haskins was terrible against the Jets. It’s not like it was a difficult matchup, either. The Jets have a crap secondary that can’t cover anyone, and yet Haskins couldn’t even take advantage of that.

Denver Broncos (3-7) – Previously: 30.
The Broncos had the perfect game against the Vikings. They played well enough to give their fans hope for next year, as they opened up with a 20-0 lead, and yet they still lost to help their draft positioning. With Tua Tagovailoa going down, it’ll be fierce competition for the Broncos to land one of the two top quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft (or one of the top left tackles if Drew Lock plays well down the stretch.)

Detroit Lions (3-6-1) – Previously: 26.
Matt Patricia was caught crying during the national anthem prior to the Dallas game. It’s unclear if he had tears in his eyes because he was remembering fallen soldier friends, or because he knew he didn’t have a chance of beating Dallas with Jeff Driskel as his quarterback. If it’s the latter, Patricia was almost wrong because the aloof Cowboys made some mistakes and kept his team in the game. Ultimately, however, the Lions didn’t really stand a chance once Dallas stopped shooting itself in the foot.

New York Giants (2-8) – Previously: 29.
I now have the Giants selecting Ohio State defensive end Chase Young in my 2020 NFL Mock Draft. The Giants’ defense has been utter trash this year and needs plenty of help at edge rusher and defensive back.

Chicago Bears (4-6) – Previously: 23.
The NBC announcers were asking what the Bears will be doing with Mitchell Trubisky, given that he was apparently benched at the end of the game. It was eventually revealed that Trubisky had a hip injury of some sort that wasn’t apparent to anyone, but the question still remains. It’s a conundrum for sure, but it’s not like the Bears have a first-round pick to select a successor. My thinking is that Chicago will sign a veteran like Teddy Bridgewater and then use a second-day selection on a quarterback this offseason. Whatever the Bears do, they better make sure they improve their offensive line, which has struggled this year.

Cleveland Browns (4-6) – Previously: 18.
I had the Browns as an underrated NFL team a week ago. I’d still feel the same way about them if it weren’t for Myles Garrett’s suspension. Cleveland’s defense won’t be nearly the same without him as the Browns attempt to go 5-1 down the stretch to sneak into the playoffs.

New York Jets (3-7) – Previously: 28.
I joked about Sam Darnold saying last week that his team could make the playoffs. Well, I can still joke about it because the Jets are 3-7, but the good news is that it appears as though Darnold found the appropriate number of power pellets to finally exorcise the ghosts that were haunting him earlier in the year.

San Angeles Chargers (4-7) – Previously: 22.
The Chargers had a classic “Chargers” loss Monday night, as they outplayed their opponent, yet found a way to lose. This time, it was Philip Rivers’ four interceptions, caused, in part, by three missing offensive linemen.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) – Previously: 20.
Nick Foles wasn’t very good in his first full game with the Jaguars, but he doesn’t deserve the entire blame. Just look at his defense, which had extreme difficulty getting off the field versus the Colts. Jacksonville surrendered 100-yard rushing performance to two separate Indianapolis runners! This was an embarrassing look for the Jaguars’ defense, which is a shell of its former self.

Tennessee Titans (5-5) – Previously: 21.
The Titans repeatedly shot themselves in the foot the week before against the Panthers, but they were the ones taking advantage of blunders versus the Chiefs. Tennessee had no businesses beating Kansas City, yet it did. The Titans then celebrated as if they won the Super Bowl, so I feel obligated to remind you that they won a very similar game last year versus New England, but then got blasted the following week. Luckily, they had a bye week to avoid a potential hangover.

By the way, I had a dream for some reason that the Titans gave Tannehill the richest contract in NFL history. I’m guessing this is unlikely to happen.

Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1) – Previously: 24.
The Cardinals have a poor record, but they’ve been so close to winning several games this year. They tied the Lions in Week 1, then played closely to the Ravens in Baltimore. They lost by four in Tampa, and they lost by a combined seven points in two matchups versus San Francisco if that spread-pushing lateral play is excluded. With better luck, the Cardinals would be 6-5 or 7-4 right now, which bodes well for them in 2020.

Buffalo Bills (7-3) – Previously: 19.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Bills are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Los Angeles Rams (6-4) – Previously: 17.
The Rams were so close to dropping to 5-5 with a potential Sunday night loss to the Bears. Chicago cornerback Kyle Fuller had Jared Goff’s pick-six in his hands, yet dropped the ball. This interception almost certainly would’ve given the Rams a loss. Instead, Los Angeles will continue onward to next week, when it’ll almost surely lose to the Ravens on Monday night.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7) – Previously: 16.
Don’t worry, Buccaneer fans, only six more games of Jameis – until you get to watch more Jameis in 2020! There’s no way in seven hells that Jason Licht is going to admit that he was wrong about Winston, no matter how jittery his quarterback looks in the pocket. Licht is going to re-sign Winston to a mega deal this offseason, and everyone except those reading this Web site will be shocked.

Oakland Raiders (6-4) – Previously: 15.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Raiders are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) – Previously: 14.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Houston Texans (6-4) – Previously: 13.
Bill O’Brien had two weeks to prepare for the Ravens, and the result was Baltimore 41, Houston 7. What the hell was O’Brien doing during his week off? My best guess is that O’Brien was thinking of new ways to fire talented personnel evaluators in an attempt to gain more power. O’Brien is like the NFL’s version of Littlefinger, except he’s not cunning or intelligent.

Carolina Panthers (5-5) – Previously: 12.
So, I guess this Kyle Allen character isn’t going to be the Panthers’ franchise quarterback, eh? This is a bummer for the Panthers; otherwise, they could have traded Cam Newton for a king’s ransom and moved forward with a very cheap option at quarterback, which has been a winning formula over the years. It should be apparent to everyone now, however, that Allen is just a terrific backup at best.

Atlanta Falcons (3-7) – Previously: 25.
Are the Falcons the best team in the NFL right now? Serious question. They went into New Orleans and Carolina and dismantled both divisional foes. They absolutely dominated both games versus opponents that have winning records. If this continues, I hope that one day, Dan Quinn writes a book about what he did during the bye week, because he certainly has my attention.

Indianapolis Colts (6-4) – Previously: 11.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Seattle Seahawks (8-2) – Previously: 10.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Seahawks are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) – Previously: 7.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Eagles are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Minnesota Vikings (8-3) – Previously: 9.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) – Previously: 4.
Kansas City’s offense will get back on track when Tyreek Hill returns from his hamstring injury – and he has the bye week to get healthy – but the defense is so bad. If Philip Rivers wasn’t so careless with the football, the Chargers would’ve defeated them in Mexico.

Green Bay Packers (8-2) – Previously: 3.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Packers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Dallas Cowboys (6-4) – Previously: 6.
I’d love the Cowboys’ chances of making a deep run into the playoffs – assuming La’el Collins and DeMarcus Lawrence are healthy – but I can’t trust Jason Garrett. He’s one of the worst head coaches in the NFL, and whoever’s holding the clipboard on the other side of the field in the postseason is going to coach circles around him.

San Francisco 49ers (9-1) – Previously: 2.
I came close to marking down the 49ers as underrated. I think some of their most recent results will throw people off their scent. They lost to the Seahawks on a Monday night, but they led 10-0 before they suffered numerous injuries. They then struggled to beat the Cardinals, but they were coming off a grueling overtime victory and were missing some key personnel. The 49ers will be healthier soon, and when they are, they’ll be able to dominate once again.

New Orleans Saints (8-2) – Previously: 5.
I suppose Drew Brees’ ribs are just fine. The Saints had an easy victory over the Buccaneers, and Brees looked great. Then again, the Buccaneers made things very easy with four dumb interceptions, one of which resulted in an early score that allowed New Orleans to control most of the game.

That said, I don’t want to take away anything from the Saints. They prevailed without Marshon Lattimore, and it looks like they’ll continue to win going forward.

New England Patriots (9-1) – Previously: 1.
The Patriots won a tough game in Philadelphia, but Bill Belichick didn’t trust his pass protection at all. It’s also worth noting that New England trailed 10-0 before Lane Johnson suffered a concussion. The Eagles didn’t score a single point after that, though a receiver of theirs dropped what would’ve been the game-tying touchdown (or game-winning touchdown, had Doug Pederson opted to go for two.)

Baltimore Ravens (8-2) – Previously: 8.
WOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW was I wrong about the Ravens. They’re the real deal. If Lamar Jackson can have a B- or better passing performance in every game, Baltimore will be able to win the Super Bowl.

To be frank, I was stupid. I focused too much on Baltimore’s sketchy results – blowout losses to the Browns and Chiefs earlier in the year – but what I didn’t take into account was that they were so banged up in those games. A reader pointed this out to me on Facebook, but I was cocky and dismissed him. I paid the price as a result.

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