NFL Power Rankings: A new team at the top. Will the Packers fall without Rodgers?
Power. Rankings. Are. Back.
Okay, we’re done with the one-word sentences. Let’s go. That’s two words for those counting at home.
1. Dallas Cowboys 6-1 (last week: No. 2)
Beating the mediocre Vikings isn’t all that impressive. But doing it on the road, in prime time, with a backup quarterback, with the offense converting 7 of 14 third downs, with 419 yards of offense, and being ranked No. 2 in this space last week with the top team losing, puts Dallas in the top spot, for now. They feel like the most complete offensive team in the NFL if they can keep everyone healthy. They should also be favorites in all 10 of their remaining games on the schedule, which means we could be looking at the No. 1 seed when the smoke clears.
2. Green Bay Packers 7-1 (No. 6)
Their win Thursday night win against Arizona, without star receiver Davante Adams, vaults Green Bay up near the top spot. They’ve won seven straight games without playing anything close to their best brand just yet. They’re clearly the top team in another struggling division, which means they’ll cruise to a high seed in the playoffs, which means hosting a playoff game at frigid Lambeau. We’ll see how they do without Aaron Rodgers, who tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Sunday’s game with the Chiefs. The Jordan Love era begins now?
3. Buffalo Bills 5-2 (No. 8)
The NFL’s top team, according to DVOA, ranks first in points and opponents scoring, while they’ve given away the second fewest turnovers and lead the league with 18 takeaways. They’d be in the top spot if not for their two losses. Josh Allen in his last five games is completing 70% of his throws with 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also ran for three scores. Buffalo has the best point differential in the NFL (plus-120).
4. Arizona Cardinals 7-1 (No. 1)
We’ll have to see about Kyler Murray’s health this weekend when the Cardinals come to the Bay Area for a second game against the 49ers. He sprained his ankle during the loss to the Packers and hasn’t played nearly as well when nicked by injuries during his brief career. But we’re not going to penalize the Cardinals too much for losing to Green Bay last week. They still have the NFC’s top point differential, plus-108, while the Bucs and Rams are tied at plus-77 for second.
5. Los Angeles Rams 7-1 (No. 6)
Matthew Stafford is second in the NFL in passer rating, first in QBR, third in yards per game and second in touchdown passes. It appears the Rams made the right move in upgrading away from Jared Goff, but they haven’t been tested much recently. Their last three wins came over the Giants, Lions and Texans, who have combined to win three games this season. They’ll break out their new toy, Von Miller, Sunday night against the Titans.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-2 (No. 3)
They drop three spots after losing to the Saints and third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian. But keep in mind Tompa lost both its games to the Saints last year before winning the Super Bowl, so we’re not going to read into it too much. Tom Brady had a “bad game” and still threw for 475 yards and four touchdowns, though he did have a pair of interceptions. If the Bucs can clean up their penalty issues — they lead the league in penalty yards — they’ll be just fine.
7. Baltimore Ravens 5-2 (No. 5)
The Ravens moved down a spot during their bye following their home loss to the Bengals and have three games to re-establish themselves as an AFC power with games against Minnesota, Miami and Chicago over the next three weeks. They still have impressive wins over the Chiefs and Chargers on their resumes, but will have to prove their dispiriting effort against the Bengals was a blip on the radar and not a sign of long-term weakness.
8. Cincinnati Bengals 5-3 (No. 4)
Remember how high this team was flying two weeks ago after announcing themselves as real contenders, and the top seed in the AFC, with their road triumph in Baltimore? Well, they followed that up with an inexplicable loss to the New York Jets and a backup quarterback named Mike White. The NFL is weird.
9. Tennessee Titans 6-2 (No. 9)
Can you name the top seed in the AFC if the playoffs started tomorrow? Okay, we gave it away. It’s Tennessee. Which speaks to how difficult the conference is to figure out at the moment. It’s hard to imagine the Titans sticking here after losing Derek Henry to foot surgery. His season is most likely over, but we’re not going to rule him out for the playoffs just yet. We need to familiarize ourselves with the medical technology from whatever planet he’s from first.
10. Los Angeles Chargers 4-3 (No. 10)
No movement for L.A. here despite a home loss to the Patriots on Sunday. The Chargers are a confounding team. They have a lot of talent and one of the best young quarterbacks and coaches in the NFL with Justin Herbert and Brandon Staley. But they’ve lost two straight games, which isn’t a great sign. They need to get right this week in Philadelphia or else they might risk falling down these power rankings (gasp).
11. New Orleans Saints 5-2 (No. 13)
It’s pretty remarkable what head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen have accomplished this season. They’ve managed to stay afloat without Drew Brees and the most perilous cap situation in the NFL to remain in the hunt for a division title. However, that becomes much more difficult with quarterback Jameis Winston done for the year with a torn ACL (yes, I’m surprised I just wrote that).
12. Las Vegas Raiders 5-2 (No. 11)
The Raiders were dealt another adverse situation this week with receiver Henry Ruggs III charged with DUI resulting in death early Tuesday morning. He was involved in a car accident that cost another person their life while he was impaired, according to Las Vegas police. It’s a truly awful story.
13. Kansas City Chiefs 4-4 (No. 12)
The Chiefs drop a spot despite beating the Giants on Monday night. That’s because it was an ugly win that hardly inspired any confidence. K.C. has turned the ball over 19 times in eight games and hosts the Packers, who will be without quarterback Aaron Rodgers this week. A win over one of the NFL’s best teams could go a long way toward the Chiefs getting back to their elite status. A loss puts them below .500 and keeps them outside the playoff picture.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers 4-3 (No. 19)
The Steelers made a nice jump after winning in Cleveland on Sunday despite losing their kicker on one of the most blatant roughing the passer penalties that went uncalled in some time. Head coach Mike Tomlin and his defense deserve our faith. But their ancient quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, does not. Fortunately they play the Bears and Lions the next two weeks.
15. New England Patriots 4-4 (No. 15)
Don’t look now, but the Patriots are half a game back of the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs. You can credit me, Patriots fans, for giving Mac Jones bulletin board material each week in these power rankings. He’s the best least-physically gifted rookie quarterback in league history. But hey, that was a nice win over the Chargers on Sunday.
16. Carolina Panthers 4-4 (No. 24)
Great news, Panthers fans. You currently hold the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs. Bad news: your quarterback is Sam Darnold.
17. San Francisco 49ers 3-4 (No. 22)
Kyle Shanahan’s team snapped its four-game losing streak with a get-right win over the Bears on Sunday. But it’s unclear how good this team actually is. It ranks 29th in turnover margin and middle of the pack in just about everything else. Jimmy Garoppolo had a rare good game and star tight end George Kittle is expected back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against first-place Arizona, who might not have their starting quarterback. If the 49ers can upset the Cardinals and sneak back to .500, they’ll have a chance to regain their footing and get hardened by their early-season adversity.
18. Cleveland Browns 4-4 (No. 14)
It’s never great when your $90 million receiver wants out, but that’s what’s happening in Cleveland right now. Apparently Odell Beckham Jr.’s father took to Instagram with an 11-minute video this week to show the world that Baker Mayfield is missing him when he’s open. It’s hard to imagine this ending well, while all the teams that didn’t trade for Beckham in 2019 might be quietly patting themselves on the pack.
19. Indianapolis Colts 3-5 (No. 17)
Will Carson Wentz ever stop throwing absurd interceptions? He had a bad one, taken for a touchdown, in a three-point loss Sunday to the Titans.
20. Denver Broncos 4-4 (No. 18)
Denver made a solid move in getting second- and third-round draft picks this spring in exchange for Von Miller, who didn’t have a future with the team beyond this season any way. Though they appear to be in a tough spot organizationally, with uncertainty surrounding head coach Vic Fangio’s status while the team has no long-term solution at quarterback. Perhaps Aaron Rodgers comes in the offseason, though he appears happy in Green Bay despite all the offseason turmoil.
21. Seattle Seahawks 3-5 (No. 23)
The Seahawks are No. 12 in DVOA, which is weird given the state of their roster and quarterback situation. But Geno Smith did complete 20 of 24 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was a much-needed win over the ... umm ... Jaguars? They’ll have a bye this week before playing the Packers, who are decidedly not the Jaguars.
22. Minnesota Vikings 3-4 (No. 16)
The Vikings seem to play up or down to their competition each week. One thing we know for certain: They cannot be trusted.
23. Atlanta Falcons 3-4 (No. 20)
The Falcons are one of three teams with this record sitting half a game out of the playoff race. You’d never know it by watching them play football this year. This is what the NFL gets by allowing seven teams to make the postseason in each conference.
24. Philadelphia Eagles 3-5 (No. 25)
They ran 46 times for 236 yards and four touchdowns Sunday against the Lions. They won 44-6, which is one of the funniest scores of the season.
25. Chicago Bears 3-5 (No. 21)
Justin Fields had the best game of his young career against the 49ers on Sunday. But Chicago needs more than 175 yards from him because he’s probably not running for 103 every week. It was another decent offensive performance with head coach Matt Nagy not calling the plays. He won’t be putting that on his resume when he’s looking at new jobs this winter.
26. Washington Football Team 2-6 (No. 27)
Mark these words: Washington will not extend its four-game losing streak this week (during its bye).
27. New York Jets 2-5 (No. 29)
Mike White was one of the stories of the weekend. But big picture, the fact the Jets are considering keeping him as starter even when first-round pick Zach Wilson is healthy says the Jets are still the Jets.
28. New York Giants 2-6 (No. 26)
The Giants had a chance to stop this slide down the power rankings but Joe Judge forgot to call timeout.
29. Miami Dolphins 1-7 (No. 28)
Owner Stephen Ross had private conversations about trading for Deshaun Watson ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline while coach Brian Flores publicly backed Tua Tagovailoa as the starter. That did not contribute to a bump up the rankings this week.
30. Houston Texans 1-7 (No. 30)
The fighting Jack Easterbys scored 22 straight points against the Rams on Sunday. It came after falling behind, 38-0.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-6 (No. 31)
Fun fact, the Jaguars are not in last place in the AFC South. That distinction goes to Easterby and Friends.
32. Detroit Lions 0-8 (No. 32)
Their 44-6 loss to Philly, at home, did not move them out of the cellar here. But take solace, Lions fans. Dan Campbell’s introductory n conference was awesome.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 8:07 AM.
