This past week, seven of the top 10 teams won, while two teams lost, and Kansas City was at home during their bye week. This is why there wasn’t much movement at the top. I predicted that if the Patriots went into Tampa Bay and left with a victory, they’d likely crack the top five…they only moved up one spot to seventh. Seattle has finally cracked the top 10, with a 7-2 record, and tied with the No. 3 Rams atop the NFC West. Denver may not be flashy, and doing it with smoke and mirrors, but they are one of three 8-2 teams…and they have won seven games in a row. Baltimore is back on the cusp of the top 10, while the Bills have slipped out of it. And, we have a new team at the bottom of this list. The New York Giants lost another double-digit lead, as well as their head coach, when Brian Daboll was fired.
With all that in mind, here is this week’s list:
Worst of the worst:
32. New York Giants: The Giants lost another double-digit lead, and this week, they also lost their HC. Brian Daboll was shown the door. He had a career mark of only 20-40, which is just not good enough. Does anyone have the number for the North Carolina athletic department?
31. Tennessee Titans: Tennessee only has one win, but with how dreadful the Giants have been, they have a reprieve. They are still sitting at no.31 coming off their bye.
30. New Orleans Saints: The Saints won on Sunday, defeating the Panthers 17-7. The win took them out of the basement, jumping two spots.
29. Cleveland Browns: The Browns basically flip-flopped with the Jets on Sunday in their head-to-head matchup. They were sitting at no.27 and the Jets were at no.29. The Jets prevailed 27-20 and moved up two spots, while the Browns moved down two spots.
28. Las Vegas Raiders: The Broncos defeated the Raiders 10-7 in an absolutely ugly game. This season has been a bust for Geno Smith, Pete Carroll, and Tom Brady.
27. New York Jets: Don’t look now, but the Jets have won two in a row, after their owner called out Justin Fields and they traded away their top defensive player. Who knows…could there be an upset in New England this Thursday night against the Patriots?
Bad but can surprise some people:
26. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons took the Colts to OT in Germany, but it still counts as a loss. They are now 3-6 and pretty much out of the playoffs.
25. Miami Dolphins: Just when you think you understand the NFL, a game like this pops up. This Bills team should beat this Dolphins team nine times out of 10…unfortunately for the Bills, this past Sunday was that one time.
24. Cincinnati Bengals: It has been reported that Joe Burrow is practicing. He should be back within three weeks. It remains to be seen if his return will even be necessary. If the Bengals are completely out of the playoff chase by then, they should just sit him out for those last few games.
23. Arizona Cardinals: If it weren’t for those two fumbles that were returned for TDs, the Cardinals would have only lost 30-22, instead of 44-22.
22. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings are still sniffing around their division, at 4-5, two losses behind the Lions, Bears, and Packers. Having to leapfrog all three teams is too big a mountain to climb.
21. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys are coming off a well-needed bye. Let’s face it, this is yet another wasted season for Jerry and The Boys.
20. Washington Commanders: The Commanders are sitting at 3-7, and this is shaping up as a disastrous sophomore campaign for Jayden Daniels, who is now out with a dislocated left elbow.
Playoff hopefuls:
19. Carolina Panthers: The Panthers dispatched the Packers in Green Bay the week before, and then proceeded to lay an egg at home against the New Orleans Saints…losing 17-7. They are still.500, but a team with playoff aspirations cannot lose that game.
18. Houston Texans: With their remarkable comeback on Sunday against the Jaguars, the Texans are closing back in on .500, sitting at 4-5. They are still three losses behind the Colts for the division, but still within reach of a playoff spot. And considering their defense has given up the fewest pts this season, they still have a chance.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are still in first place in the NFC North, but their hold on it is tenuous at best. They are their usual 5-4, near the .500 mark. In a normal season, they’d be looking up at the Ravens, a couple of games behind them. But this isn’t a normal season, with the Ravens starting so dreadfully. By season’s end, I’ll be shocked if the Steelers can hold on.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars: A game like this, against the Houston Texans, can be a season wrecker. They carried a 19-point lead late into the game, only to lose going away, 36-29. And now on top of it, they’ve lost their two-way rookie Travis Hunter for the year.
Possible contenders:
15. Green Bay Packers: The Packers have only scored 20 points in their last two games…each at home, which produced two losses. It’s tough to point fingers at one person, but more and more blame has to be put at the feet of Jordan Love.
14. San Francisco 49ers: Mac Jones played well on Sunday, but he ran into a buzzsaw, facing off against Matt Stafford and the first-place Rams. They are now two games behind the Rams and Seahawks in the loss column.
13. Chicago Bears: The Bears are tied with the Lions at 6-3, and while I don’t think they are quite ready for primetime, they are a far more enjoyable product, and Caleb Williams is beginning to show why he was the No. 1 pick in the draft.
12. Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens just keep coming. They began the season 1-5, but have now won three in a row, and are right behind the Steelers. And, they are the favorites to overtake them to secure the AFC North division title.
11. Buffalo Bills: How could the Bills lose their matchup with the Dolphins? It is inexplicable. It surely cost you your survivor pool, if you were fortunate enough to have still been in one, and you hadn’t taken the Bills yet. They now face a must-win game against the Patriots in New England, in about a month, if they want to win the AFC East.
10. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs are coming off a bye and heading to Denver, in an important game that will have a big effect on their playoff chances.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs beat the Patriots in almost every metric on Sunday…except the final score, losing 28-23. This is a tough loss, and it doesn’t get easier this week, as they head to Buffalo to face off against a motivated Bills team.
8. Seattle Seahawks: I finally have the Seahawks in the top 10…they have definitely earned it. The proof will be in the pudding this week, as they head to Los Angeles to face off against the Rams.
7. New England Patriots: The Pats may be the surprise team of the year. They have already doubled their win total of 2024 and matched their combined win total of the last two seasons. They started the year 1-2 without CB Christian Gonzalez…they are 7-0 with him in the secondary.
The Top Tier:
6. Detroit Lions: With Green Bay losing at home to the Eagles on Monday Night, the Lions have reclaimed a share of first place in the NFC North, tied at 6-3 with the upstart Bears.
5. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts bounced back from their loss to the Steelers. They had to travel to Germany to get the win, and they had to go to OT against the Falcons to get it done.
4. Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers are right on the tail of the Broncos in the AFC West, and they have the Chiefs on their’s. This may be the most compelling division in the league.
3. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams are sitting at 7-2, tied with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. One of them has to be ahead of the other…and I love the makeup of Matt Stafford.
2. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have had their blip and have shown true mettle as of late. Beating the Packers in Green Bay isn’t an easy task.
1. Denver Broncos: They may not all be pretty, but they are only one of three teams with eight wins…and they’ve won seven in a row.
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