NFL Power Rankings 2022

My current NFL Power Rankings for Week 2 of the 2022 NFL Season.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2023 NFL Mock Draft during the early stages of the 2022 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 Texans aren’t my top teams.

NFL Power Rankings updated Sept. 13, 2022

New York Jets (0-1) – Previously: 28.
Joe Flacco couldn’t even score against the Giants’ backups in the preseason, so it was no surprise that he was able to generate only three points versus Baltimore until garbage time. The Jets should consider other options.

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

Houston Texans (0-0-1) – Previously: 30.
The Texans struggled to score against backup defenses this preseason. How in the world will they compete with the Colts in Week 1!?

I was trolling when I wrote this last week, as I ended up betting on Houston. That said, the Texans were nearly doubled up in yardage, so take this tie with a grain of salt.

Dallas Cowboys (0-1) – Previously: 24.
Dak Prescott’s broken hand might be the best thing to happen to Mike McCarthy because this Dallas team was not going to win very many games with a healthy Prescott. McCarthy can now use this as an excuse to keep his job one more year.

Atlanta Falcons (0-1) – Previously: 29.
How are the Falcons going to recover from that brutal Week 1 loss? That was basically their Super Bowl, yet they blew a huge lead in the fourth quarter. It’s a good thing something like that didn’t happen in the real Super Bowl … oh, wait.

Really, though, what was Arthur Smith thinking? What a foolish decision to punt on a fourth-and-1 on the New Orleans 43. Rather than go for the yard and potential win, Smith took 23 yards of field position, which was more than erased on one play!

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) – Previously: 22.
New coaching staff, better supporting cast, same Jaguars. Jacksonville continued to kill itself with dumb mistakes. I thought things would change with Doug Pederson coaching the team, but apparently not. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pederson gets a lap dance from some woman at a bar sometime soon.

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) – Previously: 31.
Geno Smith just had an amazing game, somehow completing his first 13 passes. I wouldn’t expect much more of this in the future. Instead, we’ll see the Smith who connected on just six passes after halftime.

Carolina Panthers (0-1) – Previously: 25.
I still think that Baker Mayfield makes the Panthers a playoff contender, but I’ve been disappointed with Carolina’s offensive line thus far. The Panthers didn’t stand a chance to block Myles Garrett in the opener.

Washington Redskins (1-0) – Previously: 27.
Carson Wentz tried his best to throw away a potential victory with his two interceptions in the second half, but to his credit, he came up big in the clutch. We’ll see what happens against tougher defenses, however.

Arizona Cardinals (0-1) – Previously: 23.
The Cardinals picked up where they left off last year when they were getting crushed by the Lions. They scored just seven points against the Chiefs before garbage time. They’ll be better when they’re healthier, but I was down on them heading into the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – Previously: 21.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Tennessee Titans (0-1) – Previously: 20.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Titans are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

New York Giants (1-0) – Previously: 26.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Giants are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) – Previously: 19.
I still think the Colts aren’t as good as people think they are, but they were better than their tie indicated; they outgained Houston by a colossal margin, 517-299. They scored a combined six points from drives that ended at the Houston 27, 2, 22, 30, 39, 4, and 16. The Colts should have prevailed, and perhaps even covered.

New England Patriots (0-1) – Previously: 18.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Patriots are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Cleveland Browns (1-0) – Previously: 17.
So far, so good with Jacoby Brissett even though the Browns were so close to pulling Brissett in favor of Josh Dobbs. Still, things will be better when Jack Conklin returns from injury.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) – Previously: 16.
The Saints were the worse team on the field for three quarters in Week 1. The good news is that they had a tremendous comeback to get the victory. The bad news is that this occurred against the Falcons, who are one of the worst teams in the NFL.

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

Las Vegas Raiders (0-1) – Previously: 12.
My only worry is the offensive line, but if the Raiders can block better than I expect, they could make a Super Bowl run.

I wrote this last week, and my concerns were validated by the Raiders’ inability to keep Derek Carr upright. Carr took five sacks and threw three picks because of the pressure.

Miami Dolphins (1-0) – Previously: 13.
Tua Tagovailoa didn’t kill his team with any mistakes, but only because the Patriots couldn’t capitalize on a couple of them. Tagovailoa fumbled, but recovered it, and then he fired a horrible potential interception into double coverage that was dropped.

Minnesota Vikings (1-0) – Previously: 15.
The Vikings will win every game this year if they play against defenses that leave Justin Jefferson wide open like the Packers did in Week 1. Credit new head coach Kevin O’Connell for designing plays to get Jefferson open like that.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – Previously: 11.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Buccaneers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) – Previously: 10.
The Ravens’ 24-9 win wasn’t all that great, considering that John Harbaugh had extra time to prepare, and Joe Flacco was playing for the other team. That said, Baltimore didn’t have either starting tackle once JaWuan James suffered an injury. The Ravens will need Ronnie Stanley back versus better teams.

San Francisco 49ers (0-1) – Previously: 9.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the 49ers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Los Angeles Rams (0-1) – Previously: 7.
The Rams looked terrible in their 2022 debut. They couldn’t block because Andrew Whitworth retired, and their pass rush was weakend by Von Miller’s move to Buffalo. That said, I have faith in Sean McVay to turn things around in Week 2.

Green Bay Packers (0-1) – Previously: 6.
The Vikings’ chances of winning the NFC North rose when the Packers traded Davante Adams.

I wrote that in the previous update, but it was Green Bay’s injured tackles that were the bigger factor. Aaron Rodgers had no chance with that horrible pass protection, and it didn’t help that Green Bay left Justin Jefferson wide open on every play. The Packers will be better once their tackles return, which could be this week.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – Previously: 8.
Don’t pay attention to the 38-35 score. The Eagles were up 38-21 against an underrated Lions team in the fourth quarter before they took their foot off the gas. I’m confident in saying that Philadelphia is the best team in the NFC.

Denver Broncos (0-1) – Previously: 4.
The previous two Super Bowl winners were teams that were mediocre or above average that acquired a great quarterback. The Buccaneers were 7-9 with Jameis Winston, then went on to win the Super Bowl with Tom Brady. The Rams were a No. 6 seed in the playoffs with Jared Goff, then went on to triumph with Matthew Stafford. The Broncos fit that formula with Russell Wilson. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they have a head coach who doesn’t understand basic late-game concepts. The defeat to Seattle was ridiculous, but I expect Denver to rebound.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) – Previously: 3.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Bengals are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) – Previously: 5.
The Chiefs can still score! Who would’ve thunk it? Patrick Mahomes certainly had a big chip on his shoulder in the opener, so it was not a surprise to see him prove everyone wrong once again.

San Angeles Chargers (1-0) – Previously: 2.
The Chargers had a great debut. They beat the Raiders by only five points, but they were winning by double digits for most of the afternoon. I wonder if they took their foot off the gas because they had the Chiefs upcoming next week.

Buffalo Bills (1-0) – Previously: 1.
Wow, what a win! The Bills made numerous mistakes in the first half, and yet they clobbered the Rams, 31-10. Imagine how that game would have gone if the Bills were able to hang on to the ball prior to intermission.