It may have looked funny to see the Kansas City Chiefs atop our power rankings last week despite a 3-3 record, but it should make sense now after they held the Las Vegas Raiders to under 100 yards and just three first downs in a 31-0 domination.
That’s not to say we got it all right.
Maybe, just maybe, we wrote off the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants (even in defeat) too soon.
But there is a lot less shakeup in the power rankings this week …
True Super Bowl Contenders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3, no change): This was the most dominant win by any team in the NFL this season as the Chiefs held the Raiders to 95 yards and held a 30-3 advantage in first downs even with QB Patrick Mahomes sitting out the fourth quarter of the blowout. Kansas City has won four of its last five games and is the standalone Super Bowl favorite at +500 odds, per BetMGM.
2. Detroit Lions (5-2, up 2 spots): There’s never been any disputing the Lions as a legit Super Bowl contender. They dipped a couple spots last week after getting beat convincingly in Kansas City, but a 24-9 win over the Buccaneers on Monday night warrants a return to the 2 spot. Oh, and RB Jahmyr Gibbs (218 combined rushing/receiving yards and 2 TDs) may be the most exciting player in the league.
3. Buffalo Bills (4-2, up 2 spots): The Bills were on a bye and will look to snap a two-game losing skid at Carolina this week. But Josh Allen is still Josh Allen, and the Bills are going to be where they need to be entering the playoffs.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2, up 2 spots): So the Eagles CAN throw the ball! Jalen Hurts completed 19-of-23 passes for 326 yards and 3 TDs with DeVonta Smith (9 catches for 183 yards and a TD) and A.J. Brown (4-121-2) feasting in a 28-22 win at Minnesota. But can the Eagles run the ball? That still remains unclear as Saquon Barkley was stifled yet again (18 carries for 44 yards).
5. Indianapolis Colts (6-1, up 2 spots): The Colts just keep rolling with a 38-24 road win over the Chargers. Indianapolis has the best offense in the NFL, ranking first in scoring (33.1 points per game) and second in yards (380.3 per game). Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in rushing with 697 yards and 10 TDs.
6. Los Angeles Rams (5-2, up 2 spots): It’s always hard to know how to evaluate the London games, but the Rams scored a 35-7 win over Jacksonville even while missing star receiver Puka Nacua. Matthew Stafford passed for 5 TDs and now has 12 TDs and 0 INTs over the last four games, and the Rams are off to their best start since their 2021 Super Bowl season.
7. Green Bay Packers (4-1-1, down 4 spots): The Packers have all the potential to go all the way this year, but they haven’t really looked the part since the first couple weeks. Since then? The 13-10 loss at Cleveland, the 40-40 tie with Dallas, a 27-18 win over Cincinnati that was a one-score game in the final minutes and then this weekend a 27-23 win over Arizona (missing QB Kyler Murray) after trailing much of the game.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2, down 6 spots): Deep down, we knew the Buccaneers’ ranking last week was probably a little inflated, but results deserve respect and they had kept finding a way to win on the back of QB Baker Mayfield. Tampa Bay got humbled a bit in that 30-17 loss at Detroit on Monday night. Seeing the Bucs get shut down offensively in what really was a one-sided game, and now with WR Mike Evans likely done for the season with a broken collarbone, it dings the outlook a little bit. But not enough to knock the Bucs from this top tier altogether.
9. Seattle Seahawks (5-2, no change): The Seahawks don’t move up numerically on the power rankings, but they are promoted to the top tier. The defense is really impressive. Seattle’s 27-19 win over Houston on Monday night really wasn’t even that close, as the Seahawks coughed up four turnovers to keep giving the Texans chances. But Seattle’s defensive front was just too tough. QB Sam Darnold, who didn’t have his best game (213 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 lost fumble), still has to prove he can deliver on the big stage in the playoffs after a rough showing with the Vikings last year. But there’s a lot to like here, including WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (8 catches for 123 yards and a TD) continuing his ascent into one of the best at the position.
Primed To Make Playoffs
10. San Francisco 49ers (5-2, up 3 spots): The 49ers continue to play without injured QB Brock Purdy, they keep losing elite defensive players and Kyle Shanahan and company keep finding ways to win. San Francisco posted a compelling 20-10 victory over Atlanta as Christian McCaffrey went for 201 combined rushing/receiving yards and 2 TDs.
11. Denver Broncos (5-2, down 1 spot): Let’s all acknowledge the Broncos should have lost that game to the Giants — the wildest fourth quarter comeback maybe ever? Down 18 with less than 6 minutes to play, with Denver scoring 33 points overall in the fourth quarter to win 33-32 on a last-second field goal thanks to a brutal Giants interception and missed extra point? Improbable doesn’t begin to describe it. But could it be a springboard for second-year QB Bo Nix, who was excellent in that final quarter with 2 passing and 2 rushing TDs?
12. New England Patriots (5-2, up 5 spots): The Patriots make a big surge not because they beat the lowly Titans, 31-13, but because QB Drake Maye’s emergence into a budding star paired with the track record of coach Mike Vrabel getting the most of his teams just makes New England look for real. They’re now alone atop the AFC East and have a head-to-head win over second-place Buffalo. Maye passed for 222 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 62 yards this week. He’s taken the leap in his second season.
Hard To Evaluate
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2, up 1 spot): The Steelers aren’t moving up by merit but rather other teams dropping. They lost 33-31 to the Bengals on the road last Thursday. Pittsburgh has always had a limited ceiling of potential, but with the rest of the AFC North collapsing around it, the Steelers at least seemed assured of a playoff spot. Now, with Joe Flacco reviving the Bengals, who knows?
14. Atlanta Falcons (3-3, down 3 spots): The NFL is ripe for overreaction week to week, and we certainly overreacted in bumping the Falcons up 11 spots last week after that 10-point win over the Bills. They didn’t look nearly as impressive on either side of the ball in this 20-10 loss at San Francisco, and it can’t be ignored that Atlanta lost 30-0 to Carolina earlier this season. Any team with Bijan Robinson and Drake London has considerable upside, but will the Falcons deliver on it?
15. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3, up 1 spot): It’s hard not to see the potential of a team with Justin Herbert at QB and a receiver corps of Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston, but the running game is suffering without Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, the offensive line hasn’t been elite and the defense has given up at least 27 points in three straight games, including the 38-24 home loss to the Colts on Sunday.
16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1, up 6 spots): With a 44-22 win over Washington, Dallas has now put up at least 37 points in four of its games. That’s hard to ignore. Dak Prescott is second in the NFL with 1,881 passing yards with 16 TDs and just 3 INTs, and star receiver CeeDee Lamb returned from his ankle injury this week to post 5 catches for 110 yards and a TD. The Cowboys lead the NFL in total offense at 390.6 YPG and rank second in scoring at 31.7. But they’ve yet to win consecutive games all season while losing to the likes of Chicago and Carolina. So …
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3, down 5 spots): The Jaguars were the toast of the NFL when they started 4-1 with wins over the 49ers and Chiefs. But they’ve mustered just 19 combined points the last two games in losses to Seattle and the Rams, including that 35-7 blowout in London on Sunday. Oddly, Jacksonville outgained Los Angeles 358-271 and committed no turnovers but still got run off the scoreboard. Going 5 for 21 on third and fourth down with four turnovers on downs didn’t help. Like the title of the tier says, this is a hard team to evaluate so far.
Impossible To Differentiate Between
18. Washington Commanders (3-4, down 3 spots): Maybe we need to view this team without consideration to what it did last year in reaching the NFC championship game. That was a season where everything came together in the most ideal way. This has not been. QB Jayden Daniels exited the 44-22 loss at Dallas with a hamstring injury Sunday and his status is up in the air this week after he already missed two games with a knee injury.
19. Minnesota Vikings (3-3, down 1 spot): The Vikings sure seem to be stretching out QB J.J. McCarthy’s recovery from that Week 2 ankle injury, as it’s been announced that backup Carson Wentz will make another start this week. The reality is McCarthy was so bad in his last start that as long as the Vikings are in contention and Wentz is looking capable, they should stick with him. Wentz wasn’t great in the 28-22 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, tossing 2 interceptions and 0 touchdowns, but he did throw for 313 yards — which would be hard to imagine McCarthy doing.
20. Chicago Bears (4-2, down 1 spot): The Bears have won four straight and are finding some momentum and confidence, but let’s keep it in perspective. Two of those wins were against the Raiders and Saints and another was a back-and-forth game to the final minute vs. the Commanders. First-year head coach Ben Johnson is making an impact, but this isn’t a one-year fix.
Refuse To Believe It
21. Carolina Panthers (4-3, up 2 spots): Sometimes, a team just needs a tier of its own. The Panthers are now in second place in the NFC South and just a game back of the Buccaneers, after three straight wins over the Dolphins, Cowboys and Jets. Two of those don’t mean a ton, but the win over Dallas and the earlier 30-0 win over Atlanta merit attention. It’s just so hard to think the Panthers are going to sustain this and make a playoff push.
Is It Simply Too Late?
22. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4, up 5 spots): This could very well be an overreaction, but Joe Flacco has given the Bengals’ offense life and has shown a tremendous connection with Ja’Marr Chase (which is usually not hard for competent QBs to do). Flacco passed for 342 yards and 3 TDs in a win over the Steelers while Chase hauled in 16 catches for 161 yards and a score. Maybe it proves to be an outlier, but maybe not.
23. Baltimore Ravens (1-5, down 2 spots): The Ravens are coming off a bye, but it remains uncertain if star QB Lamar Jackson will be ready to return from the hamstring injury that has derailed Baltimore’s season so far. If Jackson is active, anything is possible or this team. But the Ravens can’t afford to slide much further and still have any path to the playoffs.
24. New York Giants (2-5, no change): The Giants don’t actually move up numerically, but they get promoted from the “Better Luck Next Year” tier, even though it may be tough to rally from 2-5 and into the playoff hunt. That said, this team should be 3-4 — as noted previously regarding the epic collapse vs. Denver — and IF that had happened New York would have three wins in its last four games, including victories over the Chargers and Eagles. That’s notable. Rookie QB Jaxson Dart has provided a spark, no doubt.
25. Houston Texans (2-4 down 5 spots): Houston’s offensive line got mauled by Seattle on Monday night, and despite forcing four turnovers the Texans didn’t seem to ever truly be in the ballgame. Houston has a good defense, but it’s O-line and run game struggles are taking a toll on QB C.J. Stroud.
Better Luck Next Year
26. Arizona Cardinals (2-5, down 1 spot): Backup QB Jacoby Brissett has kept the Cardinals competitive, but they haven’t been able to close out games while losing 31-27 to the Colts and 27-23 to the Packers the last two weeks. Arizona led Green Bay much of the game, so that one stings, especially as the difference between 3-4 and 2-5 is massive. The Cardinals have lost five straight and are already firmly in last place in the NFC West, three games behind the other three teams. Regardless of when Kyler Murray returns to action, it’s over for Arizona already.
27. Cleveland Browns (2-5, up 2 spots): Hey now, look at the Browns with a 31-6 win … over the Miami Dolphins. It’s hard to read much into that one beyond what we already knew — the Browns have a solid defense (and the Dolphins are a total disaster).
So, So Bad
28. New Orleans Saints (1-6, up 2 spots): The Saints were somehow less disastrous than the other really bad teams in this bottom tier, so they move up two spots despite losing 26-14 to the Bears. That says a ton … about the next four teams.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5, down 3 spots): The Raiders may have two wins (over the Patriots in Week 1 and the lowly Titans), but dang they were bad this week. As noted, less than 100 yards of offense and only three total first downs while getting shutout by the Chiefs. Brutal.
30. Tennessee Titans (1-6, up 1 spot): Five losses by double-digits in their last six games, including 31-13 to the Patriots on Sunday.
31. Miami Dolphins (1-6, down 3 spots): Miami lost 31-6 to the Browns, benched QB Tua Tagovailoa and then promptly reinserted him as the starter for this week. Enough said.
32. New York Jets (0-7, no change): The only team to lose to Miami, the Jets benched QB Justin Fields (mercifully) in a 13-6 loss to the Panthers and will go to Tyrod Taylor as Aaron Glenn is the first coach in team history to start his tenure 0-7 … and counting.