NFL Power Rankings

My current NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2022 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 Jets and Giants aren’t my top teams.

Updated: Sept. 14

Atlanta Falcons (0-1) – Previously: 30.
I thought this team was going to suck hard heading into the season – the Falcons were 30th in my previous rankings – and yet they’re even worse than I thought! The Eagles are not a good football team by any stretch of the imagination, and yet Atlanta was outplayed in every single facet. Matt Ryan looks completely done, and many Falcon fans will be wondering what could have been had their franchise traded away Ryan and used their first-round pick on Justin Fields.

Detroit Lions (0-1) – Previously: 31.
The Lions lost to the 49ers, 38-10. At least, that’s what I’d like to believe. It was a 38-10 score when the 49ers fell asleep and took their foot off the gas. Detroit’s defense had no hope of stopping a Jimmy Garoppolo-led offense, which doesn’t bode well in their future matchups.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) – Previously: 24.
Imagine losing your first-ever regular season game in college or the NFL to the Texans. Trevor Lawrence did not play poorly because of six drops in the opening half, but he also wasn’t very good because Lovie Smith’s zone defense confused him. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Jaguars finish with a better record than the Texans by the end of the year.

Houston Texans (1-0) – Previously: 32.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

New York Giants (0-1) – Previously: 29.
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Daniel Jones turnovers. Actually, with Cylon technology, we could maybe live forever, and taxation is theft, so perhaps that’ll be abolished in the future. That means there is only one certainty in life: Daniel Jones turnovers.

Minnesota Vikings (0-1) – Previously: 18.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

New York Jets (0-1) – Previously: 27.
Zach Wilson didn’t play nearly as poorly as his stats say he did. He endured some horrible drops, while his offensive line didn’t give him any help. The former problem could disappear if Elijah Moore plays up to his ability and stops dropping 50-yard receptions, but the blocking can only get worse with Mekhi Becton sidelined.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) – Previously: 28.
Save for the Texans, the Bengals are probably the worst team to win a game in Week 1. Beating the Vikings will impress some people, but Minnesota is much worse than everyone thinks they are.

Chicago Bears (0-1) – Previously: 17.
Many want to see Justin Fields, but I’m fine with Andy Dalton serving as the sacrificial lamb until the issues with the offensive line are resolved. Patrick Mahomes sat his entire rookie year – not including the meaningless finale – and he really was able to benefit from that. Given the Bears’ poor blocking, they should consider redshirting Fields as well.

Carolina Panthers (1-0) – Previously: 22.
The good news is that Carolina’s pass rush was excellent against an improved Jets offensive line. The bad news is that Sam Darnold was barely able to score points against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. I had some hope for Darnold entering the season, but between this game and the preseason finale versus Pittsburgh, Darnold has been extremely disappointing thus far.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – Previously: 25.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Eagles are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) – Previously: 26.
The Raiders were able to use the emotion from the crazed fans at the Death Star to beat the Ravens. Many will see this as an impressive victory, but I get the feeling that both teams weren’t very good. We’ll find out for sure soon, but I still have major concerns about the Raiders’ offensive line.

Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – Previously: 20.
Carson Wentz thought he was getting an improved offensive line in Indianapolis. That was not the case, at least in the opener. Wentz’s protection was poor, and yet the Seahawks aren’t even projected to have a quality pass rush!

Dallas Cowboys (0-1) – Previously: 21.
I almost wrote “1-0” for the Cowboys’ record because they played so much better than expected at Tampa Bay. Unfortunately for them, there was some dire news after that, as La’el Collins was suspended for five games. Assuming the Cowboys don’t have any offensive line injuries on top of that, they should be able to weather the storm until Collins returns with a potential 3-3 record heading into their bye.

Tennessee Titans (0-1) – Previously: 15.
The Cardinals are a great team, so Tennessee fans shouldn’t feel too discouraged. I expect the Titans to rebound. That said, perhaps people shouldn’t have had sky-high expectations for this team. The Tennessee defense is weak, while Julio Jones is nearing his mid-30s and is not the same player he once was.

New England Patriots (0-1) – Previously: 19.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when every single NFL Network analyst predicted the Patriots to make the playoffs. Everyone was on the Mac Jones hype train, which seemed to come crashing in the opener. That said, Jones played extremely well despite his team scoring just 16 points. He did this against Brian Flores, which made the performance even more impressive.

Miami Dolphins (1-0) – Previously: 13.
Tua Tagovailoa needs to thank his lucky stars that Damien Harris lost a fumble in the red zone. Otherwise, he would’ve been responsible for the loss with his horrible interception. Tagovailoa had a very uneven game, but he was battling Bill Belichick on the road. His future matchups will be much easier.

Green Bay Packers (0-1) – Previously: 11.
Each year, there’s a Week 1 result that makes absolutely no sense. Last year, it was the Jaguars beating the Colts outright as double-digit underdogs. Two years before that, the Buccaneers went into New Orleans and also won as a double-digit underdog. In the end, the 2020 Colts were better than the 2020 Jaguars, and the 2018 Saints were better than the 2018 Buccaneers. I believe the Packers will rebound. They’re too good not to do so. Their lifeless performance in Jacksonville was extremely discouraging, however.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – Previously: 16.
The Steelers had immense issues blocking against the Bills, so it’s still hard to believe that they came out of Buffalo with a victory. It was a great win, with the defense being absolutely dominant, but the offensive line will eventually be Pittsburgh’s downfall. It could be argued that the Steelers belong on the overrated list.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) – Previously: 23.
I don’t know what to make of the Saints’ win versus the Packers. They are not 35 points better than Green Bay. The Packers appeared lifeless, as if they were almost intentionally willing to lose to New Orleans. I got a text from two people who asked me if it was possible that Aaron Rodgers was throwing the game on purpose to stick it to management, much like he did versus the Josh Rosen-led Cardinals a few years ago. Thus, I’m not going to upgrade the Saints too much (they’ve moved up so much because other teams fell.)

Washington Redskins (0-1) – Previously: 10.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Redskins are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Baltimore Ravens (0-1) – Previously: 7.
The Ravens must be downgraded for losing to the lowly Raiders. Their secondary is an issue, while their offensive line couldn’t pass protect against a team with a pedestrian pass rush.

Denver Broncos (1-0) – Previously: 14.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Broncos are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) – Previously: 12.
Russell Wilson is still great. That was never the issue. I was worried about the Seahawks’ defense heading into this season, but based on the Week 1 results, the unit appears better than I anticipated.

Buffalo Bills (0-1) – Previously: 4.
Josh Allen showed so much exponential growth over the first three years that we were bound to see some regression, I suppose. This Allen, however, looked like he was somewhere in between his first and second year. It was an ugly performance to start the season, but I expect Allen to bounce back. I was very close to putting Buffalo on the underrated list.

San Angeles Chargers (1-0) – Previously: 8.
Don’t discount the Week 1 result as just a victory over the lowly Redskins. I think there’s a good chance both the Chargers and Redskins finish as top-10 NFL teams this year. What Justin Herbert did on the final drive, converting third down after third down, was extremely impressive. He had a great game while battling a top-three defense.

San Francisco 49ers (6-10) – Previously: 5.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the 49ers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Cleveland Browns (0-1) – Previously: 6.
It was almost poetic when the Browns were up 22-17 against the Chiefs because that was the final score of the divisional round loss. Cleveland couldn’t hang on to the victory, but the team should not be discouraged. Had Nick Chubb not fumbled, and if the punter didn’t screw up, the Browns may have prevailed. With the Bills struggling, the Browns appear to be the second-best team in the AFC, and their toughest regular-season game of the year is now behind them.

Arizona Cardinals (1-0) – Previously: 9.
I love what the Cardinals did this offseason. They upgraded their defensive line with J.J. Watt, but the greatest move was trading for Rodney Hudson. The former Raider center is going to be a huge boon for Kyler Murray, who could make big strides in his third season as a consequence. I’ve bet $300 on the Cardinals to win the Super Bowl, so if they do – they remind me of the 2017 Eagles, so I think it’s a strong possibility – I will win $15,000!

I wrote this heading into the season, and I’m extremely happy with my bets. This includes a 16/1 prop on Kyler Murray to win MVP.

Los Angeles Rams (1-0) – Previously: 3.
The Rams’ offense looked great against the Bears. The defense allowed too many successful runs to my liking, but they’re still getting used to Raheem Morris’ defense, so the unit could improve as the season progresses. Everything sounds great in Los Angeles, but what’s up with the Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp 2-hour breakfasts? What are they ordering each morning to eat breakfast for two hours? I can eat my bowl of Frosted Flakes in 10 minutes!

Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) – Previously: 2.
It’s amazing that Jared Goff was successful on a pair of two-point conversions to get the inexplicable cover, yet the Chiefs couldn’t even get one to beat the spread. The Chiefs won, and non-degenerate gamblers won’t care, but I was extremely upset by this. Nevertheless, Kansas City prevailed in what could be a preview of the AFC Championship.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – Previously: 1.
The Buccaneers beat the Cowboys by two, but that victory easily could’ve been by double digits if Chris Godwin didn’t drop a touchdown and then fumble at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. The one concern I have is the pass rush, which couldn’t generate any pressure on Dak Prescott.

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