NFL Power Rankings

My current NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2021 NFL Mock Draft during the 2020 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: Sept. 26

New York Jets (0-3) – Previously: 32.
The Jets are the worst team in the NFL, and it’s not even close. They’ve been blown out every single week, as they have yet to be competitve with an opponent. If there’s another massive loss this Thursday to the Broncos, that could be the end for Adam Gase.

Denver Broncos (0-3) – Previously: 29.
The Broncos are just snake-bitten under Vic Fangio. Last year, it was nonsensical losses late in several games due to bogus personal foul penalties. This year, it’s countless injuries. The Broncos just have no chance without Von Miller, Drew Lock and Courtland Sutton, and now Jurrell Casey, who has also been lost for the year.

Washington Redskins (1-2) – Previously: 30.
I saw people on Twitter opining that Carson Wentz is the worst quarterback in the NFL. Clearly, they haven’t seen Dwayne Haskins, who is incredibly raw and can’t read defenses at all. He has major upgrades to make, and if he doesn’t spend lots of time in the film room, he won’t be in the NFL much longer.

New York Giants (0-3) – Previously: 25.
I was +$1,200 on the NFL Picks for Week 3, but if my Giants pick of the month hit, I would have won nearly $3,000. Can you imagine what I could have done with $3,000? I could have bet many more NFL games with that sort of money!

Anyway, the Giants absolutely blow. They got to battle a San Francisco team missing 10 starters, including its starting quarterback, and yet they couldn’t even be competitive (though the 49ers got plenty of help from the refs.)

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) – Previously: 28.
Maybe the Trevor Lawrence dream is still alive! It was presumed dead when the Jaguars beat the Colts in Week 1, but Gardner Minshew’s poor performance on Thursday night might mean that the Jaguars will lose a bunch of games going forward. It’s possible that they could finish 1-15. I wouldn’t bet on it, but it could happen.

Carolina Panthers (1-2) – Previously: 31.
It’s too early to say that the Panthers can kiss Justin Fields goodbye, but they played much better than what we saw in the first two weeks of the season. Teddy Bridgewater is good enough to manage the team into the playoffs, though major upgrades are needed all over the roster, obviously.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-2-1) – Previously: 22.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Bengals are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1) – Previously: 26.
I got a kick out of a Philadelphia newscaster saying the following Sunday night, “The Eagles lost to the Bengals today, 23 to 23.”

It effectively was a loss. The Eagles should be the better team, but they allowed the Bengals to hang around and nearly win. They deserve the tie.

Atlanta Falcons (0-3) – Previously: 17.
I dropped the Falcons in the weekend update ahead of Week 3 because of all their injuries. I felt like an idiot when they held a 26-10 lead over the Bears.

Well, we all saw what happened. The Falcons blew a huge lead once again. Dan Quinn might just be coaching for his job Monday night against the Packers.

Miami Dolphins (1-2) – Previously: 27.
I don’t get all of this talk that Tua Tagovaila is one bad Ryan Fitzpatrick game away from starting. He hasn’t taken a hit since suffering that devastating injury, and he’s not even a year removed from that yet. Plus, his own agent, Leigh Steinberg, opined that rookie quarterbacks should sit. Steinberg knows a thing or two about this because his top client, Patrick Mahomes, sat for all but one game as a rookie.

Detroit Lions (1-2) – Previously: 23.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Lions are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Minnesota Vikings (0-3) – Previously: 24.
The Tank for Trevor Lawrence Dream is still alive! The Vikings held a 24-12 lead against the Titans, but I never had faith that Kirk Cousins would find a way to screw it up somehow. I don’t think the Vikings will be in position to ultimately get Lawrence, but they should at least try.

Dallas Cowboys (1-2) – Previously: 19.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Cowboys are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Houston Texans (0-3) – Previously: 20.
The Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals for David Johnson and a second-round pick. What do you think would happen if the Texans offered Arizona that same trade? How hard would the Cardinals laugh if O’Brien called them and asked, “Derp dee derp dee doo, can I get DeAndre Hopkins, and we’ll give you David Johnson and a second-round pick?” Arizona general manager Steve Keim might think it was the funniest thing he’s ever heard.

The Hopkins-less Texans are now 0-3. It seemed as though they had a chance when they were leading the Steelers for the majority of the first half, but Deshaun Watson’s lack of help meant that he would ultimately complete just five passes after intermission.

Cleveland Browns (2-1) – Previously: 18.
I initially planned on making the Browns an underrated team, but they were so underwhelming against the Redskins. Even with Chase Young knocked out with a groin injury, Cleveland struggled to put away the Redskins before Dwayne Haskins imploded.

San Angeles Chargers (1-2) – Previously: 15.
We saw the amazing Justin Herbert against the Chiefs, and the struggling Justin Herbert against the Panthers. This is not typical rookie inconsistency; this was exactly how Herbert played at Oregon! Besides, I think the Chargers, as a whole, overlooked the Panthers, thanks partly to their deflating overtime loss to the arch-rival Chiefs.

Chicago Bears (3-0) – Previously: 21.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Bears are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) – Previously: 16.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the 49ers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-1) – Previously: 13.
I bet heavily against the Raiders versus the Patriots because 1) The Raiders would be down two starting offensive linemen against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and 2) Las Vegas had a tough road schedule, flying across the country to play an early game after a Monday night affair. The Raiders certainly looked like they ran out of gas in the second half.

Tennessee Titans (3-0) – Previously: 14.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Titans are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Los Angeles Rams (2-1) – Previously: 12.
It’s truly amazing what Sean McVay is doing for Jared Goff. If Goff were coached by almost any other coach in the NFL, he may have been benched by now, much like Mitchell Trubisky. McVay’s play-calling is so ridiculously good that I think he needs to be tested for football-coaching steroids.

Arizona Cardinals (2-1) – Previously: 9.
Ouch. I had a funny feeling about the Detroit game, but I didn’t think the Cardinals would lose outright to the Lions. That was a bad look for Kyler Murray, as he struggled against a defense missing two of its top three cornerbacks. Murray can be great at times, but he still needs to make upgrades to his game. He stared down his receivers like a leering drunk at a bar. That must stop.

New Orleans Saints (1-2) – Previously: 5.
I never imagined the Superdome being quiet enough for the opposing starting quarterback to get the Saints’ defense with several hard counts. I’m not sure who to blame for this, but the Saints better make sure the Superdome is at full capacity going forward to give the team the ultimate home-field advantage.

New England Patriots (2-1) – Previously: 7.
I had the Patriots marked down as 2-0 in my previous update. I think that’s how tilted I was about the idiots on Twitter constantly asking, “Hurr, durr, why was Cam Newton a free agent for so long?” Maybe it’s because he was injured and couldn’t pass a physical, derp dee derp dee doo? Sorry, I hate it when people have miserably poor short-term memories.

Indianapolis Colts (2-1) – Previously: 11.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – Previously: 10.
Slowly but surely, the Buccaneers are becoming a dominant team. I know they’ve played the 1-2 Panthers and 0-3 Broncos the past two weeks, but they’ve blown out both opponents. Tampa looked miserable in the opener, but considering Tom Brady had zero reps with his new teammates at the time, I think we can argue that the rematch between the two teams will go very differently.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) – Previously: 8.
I’ve had the Steelers on the overrated list earlier because David DeCastro’s injury meant that the offense wouldn’t be as explosive, as evidenced by the lackluster home performance against the Broncos. However, the Steelers now have DeCastro, so they were able to post 28 points against the Texans.

Buffalo Bills (3-0) – Previously: 6.
When Josh Allen entered the NFL, I called him a 3-year project. Well, this is his third year, and he’s finally paying dividends. In fact, you could argue that if it wasn’t for Russell Wilson, Allen would be the front-runner for MVP right now. He’s been amazing, and if he keeps playing this way, the Bills will have a great chance to win the Super Bowl.

Baltimore Ravens (2-1) – Previously: 2.
I understand why the Ravens’ defense struggled against the Chiefs – more below – but what happened to the offense? With the improvements Lamar Jackson made this offseason, I thought the Ravens would be able to at least keep pace with Kansas City. Instead, Jackson looked like a raw rookie against the Chiefs.

Green Bay Packers (3-0) – Previously: 4.
Note to any NFL franchises with a future Hall of Fame quarterback: You can get the most out of your old quarterback if you piss him off during the NFL Draft.

It’s truly amazing what Aaron Rodgers is doing when considering his supporting cast. He’s turning Allen Lazard and Robert Tonyan into stars. Even Marcedes Lewis is catching touchdowns (albeit with the help of uncalled offensive pass interferences.)

Seattle Seahawks (3-0) – Previously: 3.
I thought my Seahawks wager was toast when half their team was knocked out with injuries. Somehow, they hung on, and they managed to cover to boot!

I’m happy things turned out the way they did, but the Seahawks will be knocked down in the impending weekend update to these power rankings if their injury report looks as bad as I think it might.

Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) – Previously: 1.
It’s amazing that the Chiefs nearly lost to the Chargers, yet demolished the Ravens just eight days later.

Well, maybe not that amazing. Believe it or not, the Ravens provide an easier matchup. The Chargers can rattle quarterbacks with just four players, while the Ravens have to blitz everyone. Patrick Mahomes eats the blitz alive, so the Ravens must change up their tactics if they finally want to beat him.

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