At 7-1, the Indianapolis Colts stay at the top of the NFL in the rankings, as well as the record. Their biggest controversy is Jim Irsay’s daughter on the sideline with a headset on. The Lions stay at no.2 during their bye week, while the Buccaneers claw back to third. The team falling the most this week was the 49ers, plummeting all the way out of the top 10. And don’t look now, but the New England Patriots are back, sitting atop the AFC East at 6-2, and into the top 10. Speaking of being back, the Chiefs dispatched the Commanders on Monday night and are 5-3. And all appears to be well in Philadelphia, for the Eagles and Saquon Barkley. As the season is heading to the midway point, here is this week’s NFL power ranking:
Top Tier (1-9):
Indianapolis Colts: The team with the best record in the league tends to have a leading MVP candidate at QB…and the Colts have Diamond Daniel Jones smack dab in the middle of the MVP hype machine. But, he has some steep competition…on his own team. RB Jonathan Taylor leads the league with 850 rushing yards. He is also the only RB with double-digit rushing TDs, with 12. At +1400, it’s not a bad play to throw a few $$$ on him.
Detroit Lions: With their bye this past week, the Lions remained in the second slot. If Indy lost, they may have stayed here anyway, with the Bucs leapfrogging them. They are at home this week, against the struggling Vikings.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Interestingly, the Buccaneers are the no.3 seed, if the playoffs started today…but they are also no.3 on this list. They are tied at 6-2 with the Eagles, who are fifth on this list, who are both looking up at the Green Bay Packers…who are no.9 on this list.
Denver Broncos: The Broncos have scored 77 points in the last five quarters. Being no.4 on this list may seem high, but they are leading the AFC West division and sitting at 6-2.
Philadelphia Eagles: No AJ Brown, no problem for the Eagles. And no problem for Saquon Barkley, who looked like his 2024 self.
Los Angeles Rams: The Rams bye week saw them slip two spots on this list.
Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers and the Chiefs each have three losses, and each is in the top 10. The Chargers opening day win in Kansas City has them one spot ahead of the Chiefs on this list.
Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs are 5-3 and seemingly secure in the top 10. However, they are facing a three-week gauntlet of Buffalo and Denver, on the road, and then the Colts at home. If they can win two out of three of these games, they will be doing well. Winning all three seems inconceivable, regardless of how well they are playing…and only winning one is a very real possibility.
Green Bay Packers: An argument can be made for the Packers to sneak into the top five of this list, but there is something about a tie on your record that just looks off. 5-1-1 is better than 5-2, but it just looks weird, and I may be punishing them for it.
Close To The Top (10-13):
New England Patriots: If any team should have a beef with their ranking, it’s the Pats. They just keep winning, on a five-game heater, but I just can’t get past who their opponents have been.
Buffalo Bills: This week’s game against the Chiefs will go a long way to see if they will compete for the AFC East or just scramble for a Wildcard spot. They are currently 5-2, and 6-2 looks much better than 5-3.
Seattle Seahawks: At 5-2, the Seahawks are the lowest team on this list with one or two losses. They are simply a victim of the numbers; someone had to be the lowest team with two losses.
San Francisco 49ers: The clock may have hit midnight for Mac Jones. While Jones has kept the team afloat, it is clear, Brock Purdy can’t get back fast enough.
Still have a shot (14-23):
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars actually moved up two spots this week, on their bye, due to every team around them losing. The Bears, Steelers, Panthers, Commanders, Vikings, and Cowboys all lost. The Jags do better when they are home, watching everyone else playing.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers lost at home against Aaron Rodgers’ first team, the Packers. The Packers handled them fairly easily. Thankfully for them, the rest of the division is awful.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens got a well-needed win that may have saved their season. They are sitting at 2-6 with Lamar Jackson probably back on Thursday against the Dolphins.
Chicago Bears: It is beginning to look like Caleb Williams is just a JAG QB. Due to his status as the No. 1 QB in the draft, he will get the Trevor Lawrence treatment, getting every chance to remain the Bears starting QB.
Carolina Panthers: This was a perfect storm for the Panthers. They were without their starting QB, Bryce Young, forcing Andy Dalton into the starting role. And, they were facing a motivated Bills team coming off a bye week.
Washington Commanders: For the Commanders to have any shot at the playoffs, they will need Jayden Daniels to return as soon as possible. At 3-5, they are 13th in the NFC playoff race. They have a tough matchup this week, with the Seahawks heading to DC.
Houston Texans: The Texans are trying their best to claw back into the playoff mix in the AFC. They are two and a half games behind the Colts, so the division is most likely out of the question. But they are currently ninth in the playoff chase, and still have a decent shot at leapfrogging a couple of teams to squeeze in.
Minnesota Vikings: It’s not by accident when teams begin to lose. Actions and decisions have consequences. The Vikings fell into Sam Darnold and came away with a 15-2 record, but because they were committed to their decision to draft JJ McCarthy, they decided to move on. When you have a Ferrari at WR, in Justion Jefferson, you can’t give the keys to a driver with a learner’s permit.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys went to the Mile High City and came away with a convincing loss. The Broncos are proving to be an extremely tough out, and Jerry and the boys caught them at the worst time…in five quarters, Denver has scored 77 points.
Atlanta Falcons: For a team with such a fantastic RB, Bijan Robinson, as well as a ton of other skilled players, they should be better than this. Kirk Cousins is a shell of himself, and Michael Penix is an enigma.
The rest (24-32):
Cincinnati Bengals: As I wrote in the opening, the Bengals do this every year. They had a winnable game that saw them up by 15 points. It was truly inexcusable. The win would have gotten them back to .500 and within striking distance of the Steelers.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders got a much-needed bye this week, and remain in the 25th spot on this list. They have a winnable game at home against the Jaguars on Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals got a much-needed bye this week. They, like the Raiders, remain in their slot and have a tough matchup against the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday.
Miami Dolphins: The Falcons gave the ball to Kirk Cousins, and the results were abysmal. The Dolphins left Atlanta with an easy victory. This could be the spark they need, but before that, they’ll have to get by Baltimore on Thursday…most likely with Lamar Jackson at the helm.
Cleveland Browns: Another season of turnstile QBs in Cleveland is upon us. The season started with Joe Flacco, who’s now in Cincinnati. His replacement appears to be inept. Although the jury is still out on Oregon rookie Dillon Gabriel, he doesn’t seem to be the guy. Waiting in the wings with an achy back is Shaddeur Sanders. He may prove to be the guy when he ultimately gets his chance to start.
New York Giants: After the last two weeks, HC Brian Daboll’s job may be back in jeopardy.
New York Jets: Good for you, Justin Fields. What a terrible franchise and terrible owner. If I were a New Yorker and a Jets fan, I’d be furious.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans went to Indianapolis and came away with a 24-point loss.
New Orleans Saints: After a blip out of the basement, a win by the Jets and Dolphins, along with the Saints loss to Tampa Bay, and they are back.
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