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 Oct. 11, 2022
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Carolina Panthers (1-4) – Previously: 29.
Baker Mayfield being out has dropped the Panthers to 32. Go here for my grade for the Panthers firing Matt Rhule.
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Houston Texans (1-3-1) – Previously: 32.
The Texans are 22 combined points away from being 5-0 right now! That said, they were getting smoked by the Chargers before scoring some garbage-time points. I don’t understand why they beat Jacksonville, but this team seems close to being blown out; they were outgained by the Jaguars, 422-248!
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Chicago Bears (2-3) – Previously: 31.
The Bears are now under .500, so I can’t call them overrated anymore. They were getting demolished in Minnesota before the Vikings fell asleep at the wheel.
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Washington Redskins (1-4) – Previously: 30.
The Redskins could easily be 0-5 right now if the Jaguars didn’t shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly in Week 1. I think the case can be made that they’re the worst team in the NFL. Losing by 15 points to Cooper Rush is ridiculous. They can’t block or cover anyone, and their play-calling is so predictable. However, I think they have more talent than Houston and Chicago overall. The Texans and Bears have better coaching, so it’s a close call for No. 32.
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Seattle Seahawks (2-3) – Previously: 28.
The Seahawks scoring 48 points on the Lions wasn’t a surprise, but I was shocked that they tallied 32 against the Saints, who have a much better defense. What’s insane is that there could have been many more points, but D.K. Metcalf dropped a touchdown and had another score taken away because of a penalty.
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Atlanta Falcons (2-3) – Previously: 26.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4) – Previously: 24.
Kenny Pickett has four interceptions thus far, but he hasn’t played poorly. He was in a tough spot in Buffalo, and he would have scored some points against the Bills defense had Diontae Johnson not been barely out of bounds twice in the opening half. Pickett endured five drops as well.
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Detroit Lions (1-4) – Previously: 19.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Lions are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New York Jets (3-2) – Previously: 27.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Jets are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Tennessee Titans (3-2) – Previously: 22.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Titans are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Indianapolis Colts (2-2-1) – Previously: 23.
The Colts won in Denver, but wow, their offensive line is a total disaster. On the bright side, Alec Pierce looks like a stud.
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Arizona Cardinals (2-3) – Previously: 21.
Since halftime of the Raiders game in Week 2, the Cardinals have allowed just 63 points. Their defense has been better than people make it out to be, while their offense also beat expectations against the Eagles because they were missing multiple offensive linemen.
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New York Giants (4-1) – Previously: 25.
I want to write that the Giants are overrated, but what if they’ve figured out their offensive line woes? Suddenly, their offense won’t look so bad, which was the case in London. Daniel Jones looked like a solid quarterback for once.
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Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) – Previously: 13.
My bet on Jacksonville to win the AFC South was looking great until recently. Losing to the Eagles made sense, but dropping a home game to Houston is just embarrassing. The Jaguars outplayed the Texans – they outgained Houston 422-248 and averaged 1.4 more yards per play – but there’s still no excuse for that defeat.
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New England Patriots (2-3) – Previously: 20.
The Patriots are 2-3, but they have some difficult losses. They battled the Dolphins tough in Week 1; they may have beaten the Ravens in Week 3 had Nelson Agholor not fumbled; and they took the Packers into overtime with Bailey Zappe at quarterback. Zappe performed well against the Lions, misfiring only four times. Sure, the matchup was easy, but it was his first NFL start.
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Los Angeles Rams (2-3) – Previously: 10.
The Rams haven’t been able to deal with elite pass rushes, as both the Bills, 49ers and Cowboys clobbered them. Luckily for the Rams, they take on the Panthers next.
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Dallas Cowboys (4-1) – Previously: 18.
I’d call the Cowboys overrated because they’ve beaten the exhausted Bengals, pedestrian Giants, miserable Redskins and overrated Rams, but they’ve gotten some reinforcements back lately, and Dak Prescott will return to the field soon.
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New Orleans Saints (2-3) – Previously: 17.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Saints are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Las Vegas Raiders (1-4) – Previously: 16.
The Raiders are definitely better than their 1-4 record indicates. They endured plenty of injuries earlier, and they were one point away from winning at Arrowhead on Monday night. I’d say they’re an above-average team that has endured some terrible luck thus far.
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Minnesota Vikings (4-1) – Previously: 15.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Cleveland Browns (2-3) – Previously: 14.
The Browns would be 5-0 right now 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.
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Denver Broncos (2-3) – Previously: 12.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Broncos are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Miami Dolphins (3-2) – Previously: 11.
I’ve had the Dolphins listed as overrated following their 3-0 start, but they’ve dropped two in a row with backup quarterbacks. Miami was missing a ton of players versus the Jets, yet they were a missed field goal away from taking a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter with Skylar Thompson at quarterback.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) – Previously: 9.
It would have been great had the Buccaneers not fallen asleep while up 21-0. They allowed the Falcons to score a couple of BS touchdowns, with the second being good enough for the back door. Tampa won by just six, but it dominated the game.
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Green Bay Packers (3-2) – Previously: 7.
The Packers must trade for a receiver, or they might as well wave the white flag because they won’t be winning in the playoffs. Their offense is pathetic. Also, why aren’t they running the ball 20 times against a Leonard Williams-less offensive line?
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Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) – Previously: 4.
Cincinnati’s offensive line still hasn’t been able to gel yet, which is a disappointment. Joe Burrow threw for nearly 1,000 yards in two matchups against the Ravens last year, and yet he couldn’t get to 220 on Sunday night.
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Baltimore Ravens (3-2) – Previously: 8.
There was no doubt that Justin Tucker was going to drill the winning kick, or that 58-yard attempt, for that matter. Lamar Jackson made plenty of mistakes against the Bengals, but redeemed himself with a brilliant final drive.
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San Angeles Chargers (3-2) – Previously: 5.
I don’t know what Brandon Staley was thinking when he went for it on fourth-and-1 on their own 46, up 30-28 with 1:10 remaining. All it took was a first down to put the Browns in position for the winning kick. Then again, maybe the Chargers scouted Cade York and knew that he’d miss it.
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San Francisco 49ers (3-2) – Previously: 6.
The 49ers finally had a strong offensive performance against a team not ranked near the bottom of defense. Nick Bosa got hurt, but it doesn’t seem like a long-term issue.
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Philadelphia Eagles (5-0) – Previously: 3.
The Eagles looked like their perfect 17-0 aspirations would be over when both Landon Dickerson and Jason Kelce were injured in Arizona. Both ended up returning, but not before Arizona was able to creep back into the game because the Eagles didn’t score with three offensive linemen sidelined.
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Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) – Previously: 2.
The Chiefs should be 5-0 right now. That loss to the Colts was bogus, as 10 different things had to happen for Indianapolis to prevail, and they all occurred. And I say this as someone who bet the Colts in that game. At any rate, the Chiefs were able to impressively overcome a 17-0 deficit against the Raiders when it was clear that they were looking ahead to battling Buffalo.
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Buffalo Bills (4-1) – Previously: 1.
The Bills demolished the Steelers, 38-3, and they averaged more than 10 yards per play. And yet, Josh Allen made some mistakes, missing out on two potential touchdowns.
2022 NFL MVP Race:
1. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
2. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
3. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
4. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
5. Micah Parsons, DE/LB, Cowboys
NFL Picks - Nov. 10
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 6
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 5
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 |
