NFL Power Rankings: Week 10 Edition

Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season is in the book and now it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: NFL Power Rankings! Let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up. Don’t forget to hear me talking about the league’s landscape on my national podcast: The ODDcast!

BLG’S NFL WEEK 10 POWER RANKINGS

1 - Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 1) - Shaky performance for the Steelers with them trailing a bad Dallas team for most of the game. Also not great to see Ben Roethlisberger get banged up. But I’ll give the Steelers some benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to being a trap game. With an 8-0 record, Pittsburgh has clinched their 17th consecutive non-losing season.

2 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 2) - Patrick Mahomes has scored 27 touchdowns and thrown just one interception this season. It’s not fair. KC has the NFL’s best point differential at +103.

3 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 5) - Don’t look now but the Saints are back in the No. 1 spot in the NFC playoff picture after winning five straight games. This was a statement win for them after barely beating opponents over the past four weeks. New Orleans notching their second win over Tampa is huge for the sake of having that head-to-head tiebreaker. Getting Michael Thomas back is also kind of significant.

4 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 6) - The Ravens’ offense still doesn’t look right but it doesn’t matter when their defense is so dominant. Baltimore is allowing the fewest points per game in the league at 17.8.

5 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 3) - Seattle’s defense isn’t giving them a chance to win when Russell Wilson is less than perfect. The Seahawks are allowing the third most points per game. Still think Wilson’s greatness will lead them to a top two seed but the defense could prevent a title run.

6 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 7) - Betting the Packers -6.5 on Thursday felt like free money given how depleted their opponent was. Green Bay opened up as 14-point favorites against Jacksonville in Week 10.

7 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 8) - The Titans snapped their two-game losing streak with a win over a Chicago team that isn’t as good as their record indicates. This matchup wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated.

8 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 10) - Josh Allen had a much-needed “get right” game against Seattle’s porous defense. He might need to stay hot to stave off Miami from taking over their division lead.

9 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 4) - Big drop for the Bucs after suffering an embarrassing 35-point loss. They also didn’t look great in Week 8, either. With two losses to New Orleans, Tampa might have blown their shot at winning the NFC South. Could have to settle for a wild card spot instead.

10 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 11) - Welcome to the top 10, Dolphins! This team is very exciting. They’re ninth in DVOA, they’re fourth in point differential, they have a good head coach, they have a promising rookie quarterback … oh, and they have a bunch of extra draft picks to get even better in the offseason. Miami is at least in the mix for a wild card spot and they might be able to make a run at the AFC East lead.

11 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 9) - The Cardinals need a better kicker but the head coach is the real one to blame for this loss. Kliff Kingsbury opting for a 49-yard field goal attempt from 4th-and-1 with 1:58 left to tie the game doesn’t make sense. Even if the try is successful, there’s still plenty of time for the opponent to drive for a game-winning field goal of their own. Kingsbury should’ve shown more faith in Kyler Murray.

12 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 12) - The Rams return from their bye to host Seattle. It’s an opportunity for their offense to get back on track after a rough showing in Week 8.

13 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 14) - If not for a Isaiah Johnson knocking the ball out of Donald Parham’s hands, the Raiders would be 4-4 right now. Instead, they’re currently set to be the No. 6 seed in the AFC.

14 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 13) - The Colts’ defense is legit but they need a better answer at quarterback to be a real championship contender. They’re merely on the cusp of being a playoff team with him under center.

15 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 15) - The Browns’ next three games following their Week 9 bye: vs. Houston, vs. Philly, at Jacksonville. This is their chance to stack some wins and push for a wild card spot in the AFC playoff picture.

16 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 19) - Dalvin Cook’s last two games: 56 offensive touches for 478 yards and six touchdowns. Not too shabby. Cook is good enough to help the Vikings beat some bad teams but Kirk Cousins’ limitations will ultimately prevent Minny from going on a run.

17 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 20) - You really have to admire how this team fights for Matt Rhule. The Panthers had a real chance to beat KC at their house. Still think Carolina can do better at quarterback but Teddy Bridgewater deserves credit for playing well on Sunday. Encouraging season for this squad despite their 3-6 record after four straight losses.

18 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 18) - The Bengals will return from their bye to play in Pittsburgh. Joe Burrow pulling off the upset would be a nice signature win early in his career.

19 - Chicago Bears (LW: 17) - Nick Foles struggled before inflating his numbers with garbage time stats on Sunday. Chicago has lost three in a row and there’s been talk about the Bears potentially going back to Mitchell Trubisky. No guarantee the Bears even make the playoffs despite a 5-1 start.

20 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 16) - The 49ers’ Thursday night loss was entirely predictable given how depleted they were due to injuries and COVID-19 absences. This team will likely continue to trend downwards as they’re just missing too many key players. They certainly won’t be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.

21 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 21) - It’s really something how the Bolts find the most heartbreaking ways to lose. This team is better than their 2-6 record shows but they just can’t finish. Probably time for a new head coach.

22 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 23) - The Eagles are getting healthier and they gained some ground in the NFC East while on their bye. It’ll be a disgrace if they don’t find a way to win their division.

23 - New England Patriots (LW: 25) - The Pats weren’t that far off from becoming the first team to lose to NYJ this season. They ultimately got the win but it’s clear this club isn’t going very far. Their defense ranks 31st overall in DVOA.

24 - Detroit Lions (LW: 22) - Will Matt Patricia be fired before the season is over? He certainly shouldn’t be back after 2020. The Lions are now 12-27-1 during his reign.

25 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 26) - After two straight wins, the Falcons have entered no man’s land where they won’t be good enough to make the playoffs but won’t be bad enough to get a super high pick. Maybe winning some games can help attract a better head coach candidate, though?

26 - Denver Broncos (LW: 24) - The Broncos still need an answer at quarterback but they seem to have found some at wide receiver. Rookie pass catchers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler logged 13 total receptions for 200 yards and one touchdown in Week 9.

27 - New York Giants (LW: 28) - The Giants’ two wins over Washington are their only two wins this season. Joe Judge has these guys playing hard. It’ll be big for the G-Men if they can get a win over Philly, a team that’s consistently dominated them for forever now.

28 - Houston Texans (LW: 29) - The Texans’ two wins over the Jags are their only two wins this season. Would be nice to see Deshaun Watson help Houston beat a team that’s at least decent.

29 - Washington Football Team (LW: 27) - Washington is moving forward with Alex Smith as their starting quarterback with Kyle Allen out for the season. If Smith can get back to being a game manager who doesn’t turn the ball over, Washington might still be alive in the NFC East. But Smith just might not be the same guy he used to be after such a devastating injury.

30 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 30) - The Cowboys held a lead over the NFL’s only undefeated team for most of the game and even had a chance to beat them on the final play. The Dallas defense has been less of a dumpster fire the past two weeks and Garrett Gilbert looked like an upgrade on Ben DiNucci. Moral victory.

31 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 31) - The Jags’ 2019 sixth-round quarterback from the PAC-12 was hurt so they had to turn to their 2020 sixth-round quarterback from the PAC-12 instead. And not unlike how Gardner Minshew pleasantly surprised as a rookie, Jake Luton did some nice things in his NFL debut. The Jags still need to take a passer high in the 2021 NFL Draft but they have some quality backup options for the future.

32 - New York Jets (LW: 32) - The Jets were the REAL winners of Monday Night Football. They kept it competitive against a division rival before ultimately losing to improve their shot at the No. 1 overall pick. Perfect tanking result. Damage New England’s draft positioning makes it even sweeter.