The NFC is ruling the roost in this week's Power Rankings with the Philadelphia Eagles at number one, the San Francisco 49ers at number two and the Detroit Lions occupying the fifth spot. Over in the AFC, the Denver Broncos are among the big risers off the back of a four-game winning streak.
The Eagles have the best record in the NFL at 8-1 and have a chance to send a strong message in Week 11 as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Will revenge be a dish Philadelphia can serve up cold? Their pass rush led by Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick and Jalen Carter is heating up nicely. Look out, Patrick Mahomes.
The 49ers are back to their best and they’re going to be pushing the Eagles all the way at the top of the NFC. These two giants of the conference meet in Philadelphia in Week 13. Brock Purdy is also back to his very best at QB.
The Ravens are a powerhouse that continues to withstand significant injuries. The latest to be overcome is the season-ending leg injury suffered by tight end Mark Andrews. I think Baltimore will keep on rolling. They are serious contenders.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not scored a single point in the second half of their last two games. They are averaging a league-low 5.3 points per game in the second half this season. That is a shocking statistic for an Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes team.
The Lions get credit for digging deep to beat the Chicago Bears. Down by 12 with three minutes remaining, Detroit moved into top gear to take the win and move to 8-2. But they don’t move up in these ranking because, well, they almost lost to the Bears!!
The Dolphins are not hitting the kind of offensive heights we saw earlier in the season, but could it be that they are rounding into a more complete team? The defense is a growing force with Jaelan Phillips and Jalen Ramsey catching the eye.
The Cowboys are juggernauting teams they are supposed to beat, with the latest example being a 33-10 win over Carolina last weekend. But two of their three losses have been to San Francisco and Philadelphia. Tougher tests must be won in January.
The Jaguars got more aggressive in their passing game last weekend and the results were clear to see in a win over Tennessee. Trevor Lawrence had arguably his best game of the year and Calvin Ridley was over 100 receiving yards and scored twice.
The Texans rode out an ugly second half to secure a win over Arizona that improved their record to 6-4. C.J. Stroud threw three interceptions but showed no fear and ended the day with more than 300 passing yards. Houston are playoff believers.
Days after firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the Bills dominated the New York Jets in a must-have game. Josh Allen reminded us that he can take over games on his own, but mounting injuries on the defensive side are a real problem.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was in tears after securing his first win in the NFL. The rookie QB definitely needed a little help from his friends. The Browns may struggle to score points the rest of the way, but assistance will come from a Myles Garrett-led D.
The Seahawks blew a game they should have won against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, losing momentum when Geno Smith was sidelined for a couple of drives with an elbow injury. And now here come the 49ers to town on Thanksgiving.
The Bengals have dropped six spots in the space of a week and the slide won’t stop there. Despite being 5-5, I think this team is done for the year. That’s what happens when a superstar like QB Joe Burrow is gone for the season. All hope evaporates.
The Vikings can be a dangerous team with Josh Dobbs at quarterback and will get even more firepower when Justin Jefferson returns from his hamstring injury. But this team is also a danger to itself and lost in Denver due to three late turnovers.
The Broncos are now finding ways to win the close games that were evading them earlier in what was looking like an embarrassing season. Denver have won four in a row after their 1-5 start and credit has to go to head coach Sean Payton.
The Colts are coming off their bye week so there is no on-field news to report. But there was a major development off the field as Indianapolis cut three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard. He just wasn’t needed as much on their D.
Matt Canada is gone as the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh as the Steelers made an extremely rare in-season firing of a coach. Something had to be done. The passing attack would be lucky to find second gear, let alone get stuck in it.
The Saints are coming off their bye week hoping to make a run all the way to the NFC South title. They don’t have a particularly tough finish with games against Atlanta (twice), Carolina, New York Giants, LA Rams and Tampa.
The pressure on head coach Brandon Staley is beginning to show. He turned on the media after Sunday’s 23-20 loss to Green Bay – a game in which another defensive collapse cost a Chargers team that is now 0-5 in games decided by three points or fewer this year.
There is no shame in losing to the 49ers by 13 points in San Francisco. Many teams have suffered a much worse fate than that. I loved the way Baker Mayfield kept fighting to the end and I believe this team can still take the NFC South.
The Packers are likely not a playoff team this season, so the remainder of their year is about getting the best out of Jordan Love and a group of wide receivers entirely consisting of first- and second-year players. Love has played well of late.
Matthew Stafford took a bit of a beating at the hands of the Seahawks on Sunday but rallied the Rams late and stole the win. That’s what a good veteran quarterback can do for a team, even one that is talent-deficient in certain areas like L.A.
The Raiders came back down to earth a little bit in Miami last weekend as quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw three interceptions and the running game never got going. Patrick Graham’s defense is playing well but this team’s chances are on hold for now.
The Falcons are going back to Desmond Ridder to run the offense from the quarterback position. For how long? Who knows. He has hardly covered himself in glory. There is no long-term answer on the roster so, like the Raiders, Atlanta are in a holding pattern.
The end had to come for Zach Wilson because his continued involvement in the offense was only likely to create further divisions between either side of the ball. The reality is that the Jets are going to take their lumps now and wait for an Aaron Rodgers-inspired 2024.
Sam Howell played one of his worst games of the year for the Commanders last week, throwing three interceptions as Washington lost to the New York Giants for the second time in 2023; likely signalling the end of Ron Rivera as head coach by the season’s end.
There is something to Will Levis at quarterback and the Titans might as well persevere with him. But the rookie is really hard to evaluate because his offensive line is non-existent and the Derrick Henry-led rushing attack has gone into hiding.
The Bears are just a much better watch and a much more competitive team when Justin Fields is playing quarterback. But what will this team do in 2024 if he has another strong and promising finish? They’ve seen that movie before and could move on.
It has been a really miserable season for the Giants, but I have to credit head coach Brian Daboll for continuing to get a spirited effort out of his team. Saquon Barkley and Kayvon Thibodaux are fighting hard each week.
The Cardinals are still very deficient and among the worst teams in the league, but they’re better with Kyler Murray as their quarterback. He has proven himself to be dangerous in each of the past two weeks since returning from his knee injury.
The Bailey Zappe era kicks off in New England this weekend but don’t bet on it lasting beyond the remainder of this season. There is a big start-over coming for the Patriots and I think it extends past the quarterback all the way to the head coach.
Another losing season is guaranteed for the Panthers and that is going to test the patience of team owner David Tepper, who has shown a penchant for being very hands on. That’s bad news for Frank Reich. Could it be bad news for Bryce Young already?
