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 Panthers and Texans aren’t my top teams.
NFL Power Rankings updated Dec. 20, 2022
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Houston Texans (1-12-1) – Previously: 32.
Good job by the Texans! They looked great, entertained their fans, and didn’t cost their team any sort of draft positioning. I suspect they’re done trying hard for the next couple of weeks after getting their heart broken twice, however.
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Los Angeles Rams (4-10) – Previously: 31.
No surprise that Baker Mayfield fell back down to Earth after that ridiculous comeback against the Raiders. To be fair, he had no chance against the Packers once he lost his starting center in the first quarter.
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Arizona Cardinals (4-10) – Previously: 30.
The Cardinals had a chance to beat the Broncos when Colt McCoy was playing, but his injury gave Arizona no chance. Trace McSorley was horrible, and I’m saying this as a fellow Penn State alumnus.
Still, I have to wonder if the loss was intentional. I am a conspiracy theorist, so take this with a grain of salt, but the Cardinals stood to benefit from a loss to the Broncos. Not only did they improve their draft positioning, but they worsened rival Seattle’s because the Seahawks have the Broncos’ pick!
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Chicago Bears (3-11) – Previously: 29.
Justin Fields is special, so the Bears really need to make sure they don’t screw this up. They have their work cut out for them this offseason. Speaking of which, I can’t wait to dig into their team needs on my NFL offseason pages.
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Atlanta Falcons (5-9) – Previously: 28.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Indianapolis Colts (4-9-1) – Previously: 20.
I had the Colts listed as underrated, but I can’t see them having a functional offense with Zack Moss as the lead back in place of the injured Jonathan Taylor. Meanwhile, the defense has gotten worse because of injuries.
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Seattle Seahawks (7-7) – Previously: 19.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Seahawks are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New York Giants (8-5-1) – Previously: 25.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Giants are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New Orleans Saints (5-9) – Previously: 24.
The Saints could easily have a better record than they currently do because they’ve suffered some bad luck this year. However, I don’t think I can call them underrated because they’re so poorly coached, and they have a miserable defense as a result of their extremely disappointing pass rush.
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Denver Broncos (4-10) – Previously: 26.
Brett Rypien didn’t look terrible against the Cardinals. All it took was battling a team missing one of its top pass rushers and nearly all of its primary cornerbacks!
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8) – Previously: 22.
The media gushed about the Buccaneers’ comeback victory over the Saints, but they were dominated for three-and-a-half quarters by a bad team. Perhaps this was a sign that they would not be competitive against the far-superior 49ers. Tampa Bay played so much better in the second half versus the Bengals, but they self-destructed with turnovers on five straight drives. If the Stanford Band fail didn’t happen in the Patriots-Raiders game, that would be the most memorable collapse from the Week 15 Sunday games.
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Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) – Previously: 23.
The Jaguars had some bad luck after starting 2-1, but things are finally going their way. I didn’t think they had a chance when they were down 27-10. In fact, I texted our friend Quacky Takes, “The Jaguars need to stop s**ting down their leg” because we had them on our Supercontest card. Well, they stopped s**ting down their leg!
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Cleveland Browns (6-8) – Previously: 27.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Browns are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Green Bay Packers (6-8) – Previously: 21.
The Packers have won consecutive games for the first time since Week 4. Before anyone gets too excited, however, those victories came against the Bears and Rams, and that Chicago win was nearly a defeat.
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Carolina Panthers (5-9) – Previously: 18.
The Panthers are just one win out of the divisional lead, and they’ve already beaten the Buccaneers. They have a legitimate chance to claim the division with their stellar defense. The offense, meanwhile, looks functional with Sam Darnold, despite the most recent loss to Pittsburgh.
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San Angeles Chargers (8-6) – Previously: 17.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Chargers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New England Patriots (7-7) – Previously: 15.
Um, maybe you shouldn’t do the Stanford Band play when you’re tied… As it happened, I yelled aloud, “THAT WAS THE DUMBEST PLAY IN NFL HISTORY!” My wife then called up from downstairs and asked if I was OK. I can’t believe a Bill Belichick-coached team did that. Wow.
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Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) – Previously: 16.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Raiders are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Tennessee Titans (7-7) – Previously: 14.
The good news for the Titans is that their defense was much better this past week, limiting the Chargers to only 17 points. The bad news is that their dreadful offense produced just 14 points. Now 7-7, Tennessee is in danger of blowing a big lead in the division.
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Washington Redskins (7-6-1) – Previously: 13.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Redskins are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8) – Previously: 12.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New York Jets (7-7) – Previously: 11.
No Mike White, no Quinnen Williams, no victory. The Jets could be finished if they end up losing to the Jaguars on Thursday night. Having White and Williams available would make all the difference in the world.
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Minnesota Vikings (11-3) – Previously: 10.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Detroit Lions (7-7) – Previously: 9.
The Lions are now 7-7, yet they could be 9-5 or even better if they didn’t have terrible luck earlier in the season. It seems as though people are finally beginning to realize that they are a solid team. If they had better linebacker and cornerback play, they’d be elite on both sides of the ball.
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Baltimore Ravens (9-5) – Previously: 8.
The Ravens have a horrible habit of moving well into opposing territory, yet coming away with almost no points. They reached or exceeded the Cleveland 35-yard line five times on Saturday, but scored only three points. This sort of dynamic has been happening most weeks. Better receiver play would help, but the Ravens have completely neglected the position. On the bright side, Lamar Jackson is set to return this week.
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Miami Dolphins (8-6) – Previously: 7.
I’m willing to forgive the Dolphins for their loss to the Chargers because Tyreek Hill was on and off the field with an ankle injury, and the loss to Buffalo is obviously understandable, especially because it was a three-point game. However, where was the pass rush? Bradley Chubb was nowhere to be seen against a pair of offensive lines missing two starters.
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Dallas Cowboys (10-4) – Previously: 5.
I’m not downgrading the Cowboys for nearly losing to the Texans and then losing to the Jaguars. Every team goes through a mid-season swoon of sorts. The Eagles endured one with sloppy games versus the Texans, Redskins, and Colts. Dallas will snap out of its funk soon.
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San Francisco 49ers (10-4) – Previously: 6.
The 49ers haven’t skipped a beat with Brock Purdy replacing Jimmy Garoppolo. The inexperience may cost him in games against much tougher opponents, and he hasn’t played a tough defense yet. His previous two starts were against the Seahawks and Buccaneers, who rank 20th and 23rd in adjusted pass defense EPA, respectively.
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Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) – Previously: 4.
The Chiefs barely escaped against the Broncos and Texans, needing an injury to Russell Wilson and an overtime fumble by Davis Mills. I’d chalk this up to being a mid-season swoon of sorts, but the Chiefs haven’t been able to put together a complete game on more than just a couple of occasions this year. They had two such wins, and they were against the pedestrian Buccaneers and injury-ravaged 49ers.
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Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) – Previously: 3.
The Bengals won, but they really lucked out with the Buccaneers committing so many dumb turnovers in the second half. They missed Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard when trying to defend Tom Brady otherwise. Getting those guys back will be crucial.
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Buffalo Bills (11-3) – Previously: 2.
The Bills barely beat the Dolphins, but they made so many mistakes in the third quarter. They were up by eight at halftime, and at that point, I thought they would run away with an easy victory.
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Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) – Previously: 1.
The Eagles won, but where were the Miles Sanders runs? Sanders had one carry in the first 28 minutes! Perhaps Philadelphia was saving him for next week’s game. You can see which team I’m betting on my NFL Picks page as of Tuesday afternoon.
2022 NFL MVP Race:
1. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
2. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
4. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
5. Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
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 |
