NFL Power Rankings

My current NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2019 NFL Mock Draft during the 2018 draft season. Follow @walterfootball.

I’ve gone from WORST to FIRST, so if you don’t see reverse numbering (via Javascript), don’t worry; the 49ers and Cardinals aren’t my top teams.

Updated: Nov. 27

Arizona Cardinals (2-9) – Previously: 32.
The Cardinals have only beaten C.J. Beathard this year. I thought they’d be at least competitive against the Chargers, given that they stayed within 10 and 12 against the Vikings and Chiefs, respectively. Instead, Philip Rivers decided to have the most accurate day for a quarterback in NFL history, while the Cardinals looked utterly helpless after establishing a 10-0 lead.

The reason for this was two-fold. One, left tackle D.J. Humphries was really missed against the Chargers’ edge rushers. And two, the Cardinals lost their best linebacker, Josh Bynes, in the early going, so Rivers was able to repeatedly attack the middle of the field. Bynes is out for the year, so Arizona is probably the worst team in the NFL at the moment.

Oakland Raiders (2-9) – Previously: 31.
The Raiders looked like they were going to pull the upset when they were up 7-0, but… wait, who am I kidding? No one thought they were going to pull the upset.

By the way, I’ve noticed that the Raiders have success with their early scripted plays each week. Remember the Monday night opener when they drove down the field versus the Rams, or when they scored their only points versus the 49ers on a recent Thursday night on the first possession? The Raiders might be struggling in almost every facet this year, but whoever is scripting the opening drive, whether that’s Jon Gruden or Greg Olson, is doing a tremendous job, for what it’s worth.

San Francisco 49ers (2-9) – Previously: 28.
Why couldn’t have Reuben Foster gotten arrested on Thursday night rather than Saturday night? I would’ve liked to have known that he would be a douche bag prior to submitting my Supercontest picks! The 49ers looked discombobulated in the wake of the Foster news at Tampa, while Nick Mullens looked awful.

Speaking of Foster, I loved this Wikipedia edit that already proclaimed him as a member of a new NFL team:

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) – Previously: 24.
The Jaguars showed zero faith in Blake Bortles in their great-effort game against the Steelers. They opted to run the ball on third down on so many occasions. Despite this, they threw the ball on so many occasions on obvious running downs against the Bills. I’d like to know why that was. The only valid excuse would be: “We were trying to lose the game on purpose to help our draft status, and we wanted to preserve Leonard Fournette for next year in the process.” That’s the only explanation I’m willing to accept.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) – Previously: 16.
“Cincinnati will appear in the underrated section soon. Once A.J. Green, Vontaze Burfict and Nick Vigil return from injury, the Bengals will be a very undervalued commodity.”

I wrote this last week, and I’d still stand by that if it wasn’t for Andy Dalton’s thumb injury. Dalton is out for the year. Go here to see what we wrote about Jeff Driskel prior to his entry into the NFL.

New York Jets (3-8) – Previously: 30.
The Jets didn’t try at all prior to their bye, so it was nice to see them put forth some effort against the Patriots, albeit in a 14-point loss. That said, we saw an ugly side from the Jets heading into some time off, so this is something I’m going to remember come Week 17. The Jets should be easy fade material by then.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) – Previously: 29.
I still don’t understand why Jameis Winston is playing, given that his salary will be guaranteed if he gets hurt. If I’m Winston, and I throw four interceptions in a game, I’m faking an injury, even if it’s obvious. Make the Buccaneers pay for their stupidity. That said, Winston is so aloof that I doubt he even knows about this clause in his contract.

Detroit Lions (4-7) – Previously: 26.
The Lions are officially done, and it’s back to the drawing board to figure out why they can never beat a good team. I would not advise the front office to check Wikipedia for answers, as this seems largely inaccurate:

And yet, it almost seems right.

New York Giants (3-8) – Previously: 25.
I’d really like to know why the Giants, who led for most of the second half, gave Saquon Barkley just four carries following intermission after the way he dominated the Eagles in the opening half. The only valid excuse would be: “We were trying to lose the game on purpose to help our draft status, and we wanted to preserve Barkley for next year in the process.” That’s the only explanation I’m willing to accept.

Washington Redskins (6-5) – Previously: 18.
“I’m not even sure there’s much of a difference between Smith and Colt McCoy, really. Both have limited arm strength with plus mobility, and I don’t think either can take a team deep into the playoffs.”

I wrote this last week before reading over what I wrote about Alex Smith back in 2014. Smith had one great game, then was awful enough to get benched for Robert Griffin. Sadly, we may have just seen McCoy’s best game.

Of course, it didn’t help that the officiating was awful. I thought we were going to hear this at one point:

Buffalo Bills (4-7) – Previously: 27.
The Bills moved up last week because Josh Allen was set to return from injury after the bye. We saw what they’re capable of with competent quarterback play when they battle other crappy teams, and they managed to defeat the Jaguars, making Jalen Ramsey eat his words about Josh Allen being “trash.”

The Bills-Jaguars game was fun for another reason, as @BuffRumblings had a Bingo card set up for it:

Green Bay Packers (4-6-1) – Previously: 19.
The Packers are 4-6-1, but they host the Cardinals and Packers during the next two weeks, so they can be 6-6-1 before we know it. That said, here’s a rundown of their wins this year:

– Aaron Rodgers’ miracle comeback versus the Bears

– A win over the Bills at home

– A close call against the C.J. Beathard-led 49ers on Monday night

– A win over Brock Osweiler and the injury-ravaged Dolphins.

Not good.

Atlanta Falcons (4-7) – Previously: 10.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an underrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Miami Dolphins (5-6) – Previously: 22.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Dolphins are an underrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) – Previously: 20.
The Eagles are only one game back in the division, and they could be tied at the very least if they win their next two games. Beating the Colt McCoy-led Redskins at home seems feasible, but I’m not sure about their trip to Dallas. The Eagles can’t block well this year, so Dallas’ defensive line will have a big advantage in that matchup.

Even if the Eagles lose, at least their fans still have this:

Dallas Cowboys (6-5) – Previously: 17.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Cowboys are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Meanwhile, check out the new dance that is sweeping the nation!

Tennessee Titans (5-6) – Previously: 14.
I don’t know why the Titans sucked so much Monday night. Their offensive line is usually good when healthy, but they allowed six sacks. Their defense is often sound, but missed countless tackles. Marcus Mariota did everything he could to keep his team in the game, misfiring on just one of his 23 passes, and yet, the Titans were still blown out.

Denver Broncos (5-6) – Previously: 23.
The Broncos were ninth in DVOA heading into Week 12, so it’s not a surprise that they beat the Steelers. That said, Pittsburgh outgained them by a wide margin, both in total and yards per play, and I have to believe that the Steelers win that matchup more often than not. People are suddenly buying the Broncos as a playoff contender, so I would’ve listed them on the overrated list if it weren’t for their surprisingly high DVOA rating.

Cleveland Browns (4-6-1) – Previously: 21.
Believe it or not, but the Browns are in the playoff picture. That’s what CBS is saying, anyway:

At the very worst, the Browns are in control of their own destiny. If they win their remaining games, they are guaranteed not to be in last place of the division.

Based on the way the Browns are playing now, they could conceivably finish 7-8-1 or better. It’s crazy that Baker Mayfield hasn’t been sacked in the past two games.

Houston Texans (8-3) – Previously: 15.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Texans are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) – Previously: 13.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (6-5) – Previously: 12.
The Colts have crawled back to a winning record with countless home wins. Is it just me, or have the Colts played almost every game at home this year? It seems like years since they’ve played on the road.

On that topic, the Colts travel to Jacksonville this week. The Colts are getting the Jaguars at the right time, as talented guard Andrew Norwell’s injury means Jacksonville will be down three offensive linemen, while Leonard Fournette is suspended.

Seattle Seahawks (6-5) – Previously: 11.
I’d like to list the Seahawks as overrated because they beat the Panthers despite being outgained in total and in yards per play, but Russell Wilson is playing out of his mind right now, while talented linebacker K.J. Wright has been out, so his return will definitely help an ailing defense.

Baltimore Ravens (6-5) – Previously: 9.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Ravens are an underrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Carolina Panthers (6-5) – Previously: 6.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Panthers are an underrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1) – Previously: 8.
The Steelers are off the overrated list. They got there in part because of the completely misleading 52-21 victory over the Panthers on national TV. It’s usually wise to fade teams coming off such marquee victories in the national spotlight, and the Steelers, to no surprise, failed to cover both games since.

However, now that they’ve lost, they’re off the overrated list. Pittsburgh was the better team at Denver, but committed so many gaffes. I expect the Steelers to perform much better at home, where they’ve been much better over the years.

Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) – Previously: 7.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Chargers are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Chicago Bears (8-3) – Previously: 5.
The Bears may have won by “only” seven in Detroit, but that was a great victory. They had their backup quarterback on the field with the least amount of time to prepare for a game ever.

Chase Daniel played well, so perhaps this hilarious video of him will have to be updated:

New England Patriots (8-3) – Previously: 4.
The Patriots were blown out prior to the bye, so they apparently resorted to their strategy of deflating balls:

All joking aside – although this is no laughing matter – the Patriots played poorly against the Jets despite their 14-point win. They’ll need to improve, or they’re going to lose to superior competition.

Los Angeles Rams (10-1) – Previously: 3.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Rams are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) – Previously: 2.
The Chiefs were on bye this week, but they had some great news. There was a report about Eric Berry saying that he feels much better than he did earlier in the year. That’s a major game-changer, even if Berry is at 80-percent capacity.

New Orleans Saints (10-1) – Previously: 1.
Of the top three teams, the Saints have the best defense, and it doesn’t seem close right now. They have to be considered the favorites to win the Super Bowl at the moment.

The MVP race:

1. Drew Brees
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Philip Rivers
4. Tom Brady
5. Todd Gurley

Brees and Mahomes are neck and neck in the MVP race. If it continues to be this close, I think the voters will give Brees the nod, given that he’s never won the award before. That’s hard to believe. He was Super Bowl MVP, but never got that distinction for the regular season.

I’ve moved Philip Rivers up to the No. 3 spot, as he’s been playing better than Tom Brady lately.