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 Nov. 8, 2022
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Houston Texans (1-6-1) – Previously: 32.
The Texans played their “Super Bowl” against the Eagles, yet they still lost by 12. Sad. Well, not really, because they were able to hold on to valuable draft positioning.
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Carolina Panthers (2-7) – Previously: 30.
Wow. The Panthers had been competitive in every game this year aside from their loss to the 49ers, so I did not see this coming. Perhaps they were exhausted from their overtime affair against the Falcons because they should not have been so bad defensively against Cincinnati. Their usually stout run defense couldn’t stop a struggling Joe Mixon? Seems like a lack of effort.
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Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6) – Previously: 31.
Mike Tomlin’s teams are often competitive as underdogs, but not when they’re battling elite opponents. Much like the loss in Buffalo, Pittsburgh had no chance in Philadelphia. I’ll move the Steelers up in these rankings when T.J. Watt is able to return from injury.
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Atlanta Falcons (4-5) – Previously: 25.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Detroit Lions (2-6) – Previously: 24.
I’ve been listing the Lions as underrated, but they are worse now without T.J. Hockenson. They’re lucky to have beaten the Packers, as Green Bay had two interceptions inside the Detroit 5-yard line.
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Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1) – Previously: 27.
The Colts continue to embarrass themselves in the wake of the quarterback change from Matt Ryan to Sam Ehlinger. The Colts barely got to 100 net yards of offense versus the Patriots, and they were 0-of-14 on third down. What a joke. That said, the team will play better with Frank Reich gone. See my NFL Coach Firing Grades for more.
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Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) – Previously: 18.
From the NFL Game Recaps, Charlie Campbell wrote, “It was clear in the second half of this game that Josh McDaniels is a bad head coach and his players do not play hard for him.” That’s exactly what it looked like, as the heartless Raiders failed to score a single point versus Jacksonville’s poor defense. I don’t understand how the Raiders fell apart after dominating so much in the first half.
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Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) – Previously: 28.
The Jaguars’ three wins this year have come against two injury-ravaged teams (Colts, Chargers) and the Raiders, who were completely lifeless in the second half. I can’t say I’m excited about Jacksonville following its latest victory, though Trevor Lawrence at least showed some improvement.
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Chicago Bears (3-6) – Previously: 29.
Congratulations to the Bears, who finally figured out that Justin Fields can do good things when scrambling. Fields was amazing as a runner, so it’ll be fun to see how well he can perform once the front office puts a legitimate offensive line in front of him.
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Washington Redskins (4-5) – Previously: 26.
The Redskins featured Taylor Heinicke as the only player in their advertising for 2023 season tickets. Perhaps they’ll re-think that position after Heinicke’s abysmal interception in the fourth quarter that gave the Vikings the win on a silver platter.
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Denver Broncos (3-5) – Previously: 19.
I previously had the Broncos listed as an underrated team because of their top-five defense, but their stop unit will be worse with Bradley Chubb gone.
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Los Angeles Rams (3-5) – Previously: 21.
The Rams had a chance to turn their season around, but blew it on the final Tampa Bay drive. Actually, never mind, the Rams would just keep on losing against competent teams. The dreadful offensive line is giving Matthew Stafford no chance, and the defense is no longer a top-10 unit because of the diminished pass rush.
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Green Bay Packers (3-6) – Previously: 22.
The Packers should have beaten the Lions. They had two interceptions inside the Detroit 5-yard line, while Jared Goff looked lost without T.J. Hockenson. That said, Green Bay suffered a number of key injuries against the Lions, so I can’t exactly defend them very much.
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Cleveland Browns (3-5) – Previously: 23.
The Browns would have been 5-0 heading into Week 6 if Nick Chubb had not scored his third touchdown against the Jets, and the entire team didn’t implode in Atlanta with countless mistakes, and Cade York hit a field goal in the final seconds. Those losses are painful now, as the Browns needed a better record to counter some of their tougher games versus the Patriots and Ravens. Crushing the Bengals was a nice start. Deshain Watson is due back right after Thanksgiving.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) – Previously: 20.
The Buccaneers continue to be extremely poorly coached. I’m not sure things would be completely fixed if Bruce Arians were coaching the team again, but this team would be functioning much better right now. Arians obviously did very well when coaching the Buccaneers, but he did a horrible job of picking his replacements.
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Arizona Cardinals (3-6) – Previously: 12.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Cardinals are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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San Angeles Chargers (5-3) – Previously: 15.
I previously listed the Chargers as overrated, but they’re touchdown underdogs in San Francisco this week, so people have caught on to them. That said, the Chargers will be getting back some key players soon, so they might be underrated in the near future.
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New Orleans Saints (3-6) – Previously: 10.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Saints are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New York Giants (6-2) – Previously: 16.
I’m not sure many people will be calling the Giants overrated anymore after losing by 14 to the Seahawks, a game that would’ve been much uglier had Tyler Lockett not dropped an easy touchdown. The Giants should have trade for a receiver because they have no explosive, downfield play-makers. They didn’t, but perhaps they’ll give Will Fuller a shot.
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New York Jets (6-3) – Previously: 17.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Jets are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Tennessee Titans (5-3) – Previously: 13.
If you remove the first two weeks of the season, the Titans were fifth in defensive EPA heading into Week 9. So, why were they two-touchdown underdogs on Sunday Night Football, again?
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Minnesota Vikings (7-1) – Previously: 11.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New England Patriots (5-4) – Previously: 9.
The Patriots beat the Colts 26-3, but don’t look at Mac Jones as a reason why this happened. The Patriots scored 14 points off turnovers, so Jones mustered only 12 points. I’m willing to bet that Bailey Zappe would have enjoyed more success, if only by default. Still, the Patriots have the best defense in the NFL, according to adjusted EPA, so they should be ranked highly.
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Seattle Seahawks (6-3) – Previously: 8.
As written last week, I couldn’t call the Seahawks a fraud because they were fifth in net EPA the previous six weeks heading into this past Sunday. They really are a top-12 team, as their rookie class has been tremendous.
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Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) – Previously: 4.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Bengals are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Miami Dolphins (6-3) – Previously: 14.
The case could be made for the Dolphins to be listed as overrated right now because of their poor season-long defensive marks, particularly when it comes to stopping the pass. However, Bradley Chubb’s injury changes everything. I think the Dolphins can definitely make a serious run to the Super Bowl if Chubb makes the sort of impact I believe he will.
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Baltimore Ravens (6-3) – Previously: 7.
The Ravens could be 9-0 right now. They lost fourth-quarter leads against the Dolphins and Bills, and they should have defeated the Giants. They outgained New York, 406-238, and averaged almost four more yards per play! Baltimore’s defense has gotten a huge boost with Roquan Smith.
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Dallas Cowboys (6-2) – Previously: 6.
The Cowboys were lucky to beat the Lions, but they bounced back with a dominating performance against the Bears. Who would’ve thought their offense would be so explosive if they just gave the ball to Tony Pollard and not the plodding Ezekiel Elliott? They better not go back to Elliott after their bye.
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San Francisco 49ers (4-4) – Previously: 5.
Christian McCaffrey was insane with Kyle Shanahan having a week to prepare a game plan for him. It makes me wonder what the hell Matt Rhule was doing all these years. How ridiculous is it how Rhule was able to waste McCaffrey’s best seasons?
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Philadelphia Eagles (8-0) – Previously: 3.
The Eagles escaped their Thursday night battle against Houston unscathed. That may sound ridiculous, but I think back to last year when Arizona, my Super Bowl sleeper in 2021, went into a Thursday night battle at 7-0. They lost DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt and Rodney Hudson during a four-day stretch, which capsized their season. The Eagles, my Super Bowl sleeper this year, is in great shape.
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Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) – Previously: 2.
The Chiefs survived the Titans, but don’t downgrade them. Tennessee has a top-five defense, so it’s not a surprise that Kansas City couldn’t score for the most part.
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Buffalo Bills (6-2) – Previously: 1.
The Bills lost to the Jets, but I still consider them to be the best team in the NFL. Only two teams have ever gone undefeated throughout the regular season, and even great teams suffer defeats they shouldn’t. Josh Allen will bounce back.
2022 NFL MVP Race:
1. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
2. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
4. Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
5. Micah Parsons, DE/LB, Cowboys
NFL Picks - Dec. 13
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Dec. 11
NFL Power Rankings - Dec. 9
2026 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 29
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
2022 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Post-Free Agency Power Rankings | Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings | Post-Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
2021 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Playoffs |
2020 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Playoffs |
