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: Dec. 3

Miami Dolphins (3-9) – Previously: 32.
A third victory should do it. No more Joe Burrow or a healthy Tua Tagovailoa. The good news is that the Dolphins have Ryan Fitzpatrick to be their quarterback of the future. All they had to do was lose to land Burrow, but I guess they don’t see the value in that because Fitzpatrick might be able to play the next 12-15 years for them.

Sarcasm aside, Brian Flores might be the best head coach of all time. The Dolphins have maybe four healthy players on their team who would make most 53-man rosters across the league, and yet Flores is finding a way for his squad to be competitive in half of their games. I can’t wait to see what Flores can do with actual talent.

New York Giants (2-10) – Previously: 27.
The Giants must be the only smart bad team in the NFL, because they keep losing, while the Dolphins and Redskins keep winning. They’ll just take Chase Young and improve, while Miami and Washington will acquire worse talents. But hey, enjoy your meaningless wins, Dolphins and Redskins.

Detroit Lions (3-8-1) – Previously: 30.
I was glad to see my hard work pay off. I spent the night before Thanksgiving watching every single preseason snap of David Blough’s, and I ended up betting three units on Detroit +6 as a result. If you missed it, here’s what I saw from Blough:

Preseason Week 1: 4-of-7, 59 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 12 rush yards

The first thing that stood out to me was that Blough showed terrific ball placement on two back-shoulder throws, one of which was a touchdown pass. The announcers were impressed, though Blough made one big mistake when he had a pick-six that was dropped when he heaved a pass into tight coverage.

Preseason Week 2: 7-of-12, 74 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 6 rush yards

Blough would have been 10-of-13, but he had two passes that were dropped, and he also drew a pass interference flag near the goal line. Blough threw some impressive strikes otherwise. Take a look at what one of the preseason announcers said of him:

“I’ve been very impressed with Blough on this drive. He’s thrown a nice couple of passes over across the middle.”

Preseason Week 3: 3-of-7, 23 yards; 1 carry, 12 rush yards

The preseason announcers were even more impressed with Blough this time:

“David Blough can read these coverages. His sense of timing is impeccable.”

Blough didn’t get to see much action, but he was praised for his intelligence. He appeared to throw a touchdown on one play, but the receiver was able to get just one foot inbounds after replay review. Blough made one mistake where he panicked a bit under pressure and released a pass off his back foot. The ball sailed out of bounds.

Preseason Week 4: 11-of-17, 115 yards, 2 INTs

Only one of Blough’s interceptions was on him. His first pick occurred when a defender hit his arm as he released the ball. The second pick was an underthrown floater down the sideline.

Blough was able to bounce back from this however, making a nice throw on third-and-9 to move the chains. The pass was right on the money.

I liked what I saw from Blough overall. He’s an accurate, smart quarterback. His arm strength sucks, but he could emerge as a viable No. 2 quarterback in the NFL because of his intelligence, ball placement, timing and positive pocket awareness. He can also scramble somewhat well. He’s not going to rush for 50 yards in a game, but he can break away for a decent scramble once every quarter.

Washington Redskins (3-9) – Previously: 29.
Dwayne Haskins barely did anything in the victory over the Panthers, and Washington lost some valuable draft positioning, but the silver lining is that Derrius Guice looks like a future stud. Between Guice, Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon, the Redskins have some nice, young offensive play-makers. Now, all they need is for Haskins to not totally suck, and perhaps they’ll be able to win more consistently.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) – Previously: 26.
I guess the Jaguars are going back to Gardner Minshew? So much for all that money the front office spent on Nick Foles. Whoops!

I really don’t think it matters. It’s apparent that Doug Marrone era is over, which is great news, given that he sabotaged the previous coaching staff. What comes around, goes around in a circle.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-11) – Previously: 31.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Bengals are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Atlanta Falcons (3-9) – Previously: 25.
Nothing that happened Thanksgiving night was a surprise, save for the end when Younghoe Koo converted three successful onside kicks. Koo is going to have a great career coaching kickers on how to convert onside kicks when his career is over unless the NFL reverts back to the old rules.

Arizona Cardinals (3-8-1) – Previously: 21.
I don’t even know what to say about how Arizona performed against the Rams. I haven’t been off on many huge-unit plays this year, but I couldn’t have been more wrong about Arizona +3 versus the Rams. The Cardinals’ offensive line had shown improvement throughout the season, as the team competed well with the 49ers in two meetings, and yet they inexplicably regressed following their bye. What the hell were they doing during their week off?

Denver Broncos (4-8) – Previously: 28.
Drew Lock made some mistakes in his initial start, but he was far better than Brandon Allen because, you know, he actually completed basic passes. Still, Lock showed enough to keep the Broncos off from selecting a quarterback in the first few rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the win may have taken Denver out of the running for Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy.

New York Jets (4-8) – Previously: 13.
I’ve had the Jets as underrated the past few weeks, but what in the world happened against Cincinnati? I can understand the Bengals moving the chains against New York, but what happened to the Jets’ offensive line? It was so much better with Kelvin Beachum, but everyone on the front refused to block for Sam Darnold. I’d like to blame Darnold for going out during the season and hooking up with skanks, but it’s not his fault no one blocked for him!

Chicago Bears (6-6) – Previously: 24.
Mitchell Trubisky had a great second half, spoiling what should’ve been a great Thanksgiving story for David Blough. And it’ll all be for naught, as the Bears have an impossible schedule to finish the season. What a waste!

Carolina Panthers (5-7) – Previously: 11.
I defended Ron Rivera in this space last week, but wow… I don’t know if I can do it again. I don’t understand how a decent team can lose to the Redskins at home – especially after establishing a 14-0 lead! The Redskins can’t pass at all, so a 14-0 lead should take them out of the run somewhat. That didn’t happen at all, and Carolina went down in flames in epic fashion. Its once-promising season is officially over.

San Angeles Chargers (4-8) – Previously: 22.
The Chargers usually beat themselves, but the officials were to blame this week, as the refs called them for two phantom calls in the final minutes, including an inexplicable pass interference on Casey Hayward, where Hayward was flagged despite looking back for the ball on a pass that had absolutely no chance. The head official might as well have announced, “Penalty on the Chargers, because we need the Broncos to cover the spread. The game is over.”

Cleveland Browns (5-7) – Previously: 23.
I wrote this on my NFL Game Recaps page, but I contrasted Freddie Kitchens’ t-shirt stunt – he wore a shirt saying “Pittsburgh started it” – with legendary head coach Dick Vermeil, who used to always talk up the opposition, no matter who it was, just so no team would have added motivation against his Eagles/Rams/Chiefs. Kitchens, apparently, is no Vermeil. Who knew?

The Browns must fire Kitchens this offseason. I don’t understand how they can bring him back after he showed such utter incompetence this season. Then again, we are talking about the Browns, so I suppose anything is possible.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) – Previously: 18.
Last week, I wrote that Jameis Winston’s victory against the Falcons ensured his return next year. If that didn’t do it, Winston clinched his 2020 status in Tampa by beating the Jaguars. Winston didn’t even have a great game, but he didn’t make any mistakes either, which is very key for him. It’s just the ammunition inept general manager Jason Licht needs to justify an extension for Winston.

Oakland Raiders (6-6) – Previously: 16.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Raiders are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Los Angeles Rams (7-5) – Previously: 20.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Rams are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) – Previously: 14.
The offense finally played well because Alshon Jeffery and Lane Johnson were back from injury, but what the hell happened to the Eagles’ secondary, which had improved since Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills returned from their absences? They had no answer for Ryan Fitzpatrick and DeVante Parker, which is just embarrassing. Making matters worse, the Eagles did this in front of their fans in Miami, as the Dolphins’ stadium was overtaken by those wearing midnight green. Imagine buying a ticket to Miami just to see this sort of performance. Actually, it’s probably not too bad, given that you get a trip to South Beach out of it.

Tennessee Titans (7-5) – Previously: 19.
The Titans lucked their way into a win at Indianapolis, thanks to the Adam Vinatieri blocked field goal. This is the THIRD instance in Ryan Tannehill’s time as a starter that the Titans have benefited from such a situation, as Tampa’s blocked return was negated by a blown whistle, while a block on a Kansas City attempt set up Tannehill in great field position for a final touchdown drive. Let this be a warning that variance will swing the other way eventually.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) – Previously: 15.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Houston Texans (8-4) – Previously: 12.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Texans are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (6-6) – Previously: 10.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Dallas Cowboys (6-6) – Previously: 6.
Jason Garrett’s incompetence continues to be prevalent. He didn’t have his team prepared for the rain against the Patriots, and he put his team’s playoff chances in jeopardy by not sidelining Amari Cooper with seven minutes remaining in a sure blowout defeat. If the Cowboys had just an average football coach, they’d be 8-4 at the very least right now.

Buffalo Bills (9-3) – Previously: 17.
The Bills were on my overrated page since late September or early October, but Josh Allen’s development means that they have a legitimate chance to make a deep run into the playoffs. I didn’t think Allen would get to this level until 2020, but he’s there now.

Minnesota Vikings (8-4) – Previously: 8.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

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

Green Bay Packers (9-3) – Previously: 7.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Packers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) – Previously: 5.
If the Chiefs’ defense plays like it did against Oakland, it’ll be very difficult to beat this team come playoff time – even if Kansas City travels to Foxboro or Baltimore. The thing is, I’m not sure if the defensive performance was completely legitimate. The wind was blowing very heavily, and those sorts of conditions have never gone well for Derek Carr. Let’s see what the Chiefs do against the Patriots this upcoming week.

New Orleans Saints (10-2) – Previously: 4.
The Saints played very sloppily Thanksgiving night, dropping five touchdowns, two of which were in the end zone. They better not make those same mistakes against superior opponents moving forward.

San Francisco 49ers (10-2) – Previously: 3.
The 49ers looked like they were going to establish control of the Baltimore game. They were up 7-0 and then forced Lamar Jackson into a punt for the first time since Week 9. Jimmy Garoppolo, however, aided the Ravens with a turnover. It then came down to the Ravens succeeding where the 49ers failed. Baltimore converted a fourth down on the final drive and hit a long field goal at the end of regulation, while San Francisco failed on a fourth down on the preceding possession and missed a long field goal at the end of the opening half.

New England Patriots (10-2) – Previously: 2.
It’s Tom Brady FU Mode time…

Underrated NFL Team: See why the Patriots are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Baltimore Ravens (10-2) – Previously: 1.
The Ravens barely scraped by the 49ers, but it was a very difficult scheduling spot for them, as they were playing an early game on the East Coast following a Monday night game in Los Angeles. I sometimes wonder what the NFL schedule makers are thinking sometimes. Why not put that game at 4 p.m.?