NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

Another week is done as the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears wrapped up Week 10 in truly unspectacular fashion.

In truth, Week 10 wasn’t necessarily the most exciting week of football – save the Buffalo Bills’ and Arizona Cardinals’ wild matchup – but it did provide several significant results. Two teams lost their third game in the last four, having started the season 5-0, and division title races and wild card races inched closer as the season’s end draws near.

Now, as we approach Thanksgiving, this is how my Power Rankings stand through Week 10.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0) +1

Having fallen to the level of their opponent last week, the Steelers avoided such a scenario this week as they confidently handled the Cincinnati Bengals. Ben Roethlisberger sliced the Bengals’ defense apart with ease, while the defense was as stifling as ever. I think the Chiefs may be a better team, but the AFC runs through Pittsburgh, so until that isn’t the case they have to remain above their competitors.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)

The Chiefs had a bye week, and got to spend it watching their position in the AFC strengthen. They remain a game behind the Steelers for the top seed, but they’re two games ahead of the next closest teams and they have tie-breaks over two of them.

3. Green Bay Packers (7-2) +2 

Sunday’s win over the Jaguars wasn’t pretty or particularly convincing, but a win is a win and there are promising signs from this team. If not for some killer penalties this may have been more on sided, and the defense stiffened and came up with big plays when it needed them. That is a big step in the right direction, and with Drew Brees potentially out for a few weeks the Packers have a chance to extend their lead in the NFC.

4. New Orleans Saints (7-2)

The Saints feel like they are starting to click. The only issue now is that Drew Brees is likely going to miss at least one week and possibly more considering the nature of his injury. We don’t know yet if we’ll see more Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston in that time, but Sean Payton has to hope for similar results with either of them as he had with Teddy Bridgewater last year.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) +4

A three position jump to the number five spot may seem dramatic considering how bad the Buccaneers were against the Saints last week, but it is more of a comment on the fickle nature of the NFL, and the level of parity between many of the teams. The Buccaneers are one of the best teams in the league, who could beat anyone of their best day, but they could also lay an egg as we have seen. Fortunately for them that has been true of every team below them.

6. Arizona Cardinals (6-3) +4

Hail. Murray. Kyler Murray is going to be the titular star of the play which won the Cardinals their game over the Bills, but DeAndre Hopkins deserves all the praise in the world. He is the best receiver in football right now. For what it’s worth, that isn’t at all to diminish the play Murray made, the scramble and then throw were completely incredible. His arm talent is immense. Questions remain about their defense, but this team is proving they’re a true contender.

7. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Obviously this will be a painful loss. To go from seemingly winning the game with just more than half a minute left, to losing on a truly miraculous play, is tough. However, the Bills still hold the top spot in the AFC East, and just having Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs is reason to be immensely excited for the remainder of the season.

8. Baltimore Ravens (6-3) -5 

Speaking of laying an egg. The Ravens exceeded their loss total from 2019, accruing their third loss of the year on a miserable night in Foxboro against the New England Patriots. The team played poorly, again, misfiring across the board, letting a team they should have beaten have their way. The weather isn’t an excuse as the Patriots had to deal with it too, this team just has to start executing better or one of the most hopeful seasons in franchise history will be well and truly lost.

9. Miami Dolphins (6-3) +3

How about them Dolphins?! Tua Tagovailoa is undefeated as a starter, and while he isn’t exactly lighting it up, he looks very promising. He is moving very well, looks composed, and is just as pinpoint accurate as he was in college. Meanwhile, the rest of this team is playing such good football, and the schemes in place are working to a tee. Brian Flores should very much be in the Coach of the Year conversation. Can the Dolphins also switch to their throwback uniforms full time?

10. Las Vegas Raiders (6-3) +1

The Raiders are just a few wins away from being legitimate title contenders. A win over the Denver Broncos isn’t all that impressive, but it sets them up very nicely for next week’s matchup at home against the Chiefs. If they can win and sweep the Chiefs for the season that would send a very loud message to the rest of the league. The team is just playing really well and doing what they need to do to handle their business. 

11. Los Angeles Rams (6-3) +2

Despite being just a game behind the Seattle Seahawks ahead of this game, I was truly surprised by the result. The Rams have played the Seahawks tough for years, but I didn’t foresee them producing Russell Wilson’s worst game of the season. Ultimately, they’re a better all-around team and now they’re ahead of them in the division.

12. Tennessee Titans (6-3) -6

After starting the season 5-0, the Titans have lost three of their last four, and Thursday night was alarming. Until that game, the Titans should have been expected to deal with the Colts, but instead were bullied as the game wore on. In the second half the offense seriously struggled, and the defense couldn’t come up with plays when they needed it. They have several issues they need to correct, starting with their pass rush.

13. Seattle Seahawks (6-3) -5 

It’s incredible how quickly things can change. Just four weeks ago, thanks to Russell Wilson’s play, the Seahawks could be seen as the top team in the league with the MVP of the league leading them. Four games later, with three losses and 10 Wilson turnovers – having had three in the first five games – the Seahawks are third in the NFC West. The defense is such an issue at this point and the offense needs its running backs back and healthy.

14. Indianapolis Colts (6-3)

Thursday night’s win over the Titans was impressive. Especially in the second half, the Colts dominated the Titans in every phase and came away with an as-of-now significant win. However, I still think their issues are greater than the Titans’ and less easily fixable, so remain slightly below them in the Power Rankings.

15. Cleveland Browns (6-3) 

After a weather delay the Browns got the job done against the Houston Texans, keeping themselves firmly in the playoff mix and behind the Ravens only due to their Week 1 loss. This team goes as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt go, and there aren’t many teams who can slow down that duo.

16. New England Patriots (4-5) +6

What a win. The Patriots have now won two straight, having lost four straight, and have what can be a signature win to power them through the rest of their schedule to challenge for a playoff spot. They’re currently two games back of the final playoff spot and seem to be finding some rhythm and identity on offense.

17. Minnesota Vikings (4-5) +2

The Vikings came away from Chicago with their third straight win. It wasn’t pretty, but so much can be expected against a strong defense and with poor special teams play. The defense did play very well, but a large contributor to that success may have been the complete offensive ineptitude of the Bears. The Vikings are getting hot but they may struggle to make the playoffs considering the teams who are still two games ahead in the wild card race.

18. San Francisco 49ers (4-6) +2

With the injuries they have it’s unreasonable to expect any more than what we saw on Sunday. They have some nice pieces remaining but they are without far too many key contributors to be any more than the fourth best team in their division. They may have jumped up two spots, but the difference between them and the LA Chargers is minimal.

19. Carolina Panthers (3-7) -2

The Panthers are heading in the right direction, but they were completely dominated by the Buccaneers and put emphatically in their place. Now they need to hope Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t miss too much time and they can continue to build the chemistry of the offense around him as they finish out the season without any more injuries to their stars.

20. Chicago Bears (5-5) -4

Grim. There isn’t much else to describe this team offensively. It is painful watching the offense play, and now it seems Tyler Bray may start a game in the NFL as Nick Foles was carted off the field in its dying moments. Luckily the Bears have a bye week in Week 11 to try and find some sort of solution to get a productive offense.

21. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5-1) -3

The Eagles are now just half a game ahead in the NFC East and very much trending downwards. Having said that, watch them come out in the next few weeks and look good, lulling everyone into thinking they’ve fixed their issues. Ultimately, this team just isn’t as good as we expected them to be, and Carson Wentz is playing like one of the worst QBs in the NFL.

22. New York Giants (3-7) +5

Watch out, the New York Football Giants are coming! Take that with a pinch of salt, but this team honestly seems most likely to win the NFC East. They are visibly improving each week and getting more out of depth players than anyone would have expected. They're now just half a game back in the division while the rest of the division is all trending downwards.

23. Atlanta Falcons (3-6) -2

The Falcons had a bye week as Raheem Morris will have looked to build on the momentum of winning three of the Falcons last four games. The playoffs are a pipedream, but this team is talented enough to provide a few upsets as the playoff push heats up.

24. Cincinnati Bengals (2-6-1) 

After several weeks of improvement and competitive football, the Bengals somewhat crashed back down to earth against a clearly, significantly, superior opponent. The future of this team looks bright at the QB position, but until the Bengals can challenge the Ravens and Steelers, it won’t matter much what Joe Burrow does.

25. Denver Broncos (3-6) -2

Drew Lock… yikes, man. After showing promise the last few weeks, Lock took a severe step back as he threw four interceptions and flat out played a horrible game. The Broncos were never really in the game against the Raiders and until Lock shows significant mental improvement they will be in the same position.

26. Detroit Lions (4-5) -1

The Lions may have won, and may have the same record as the Vikings, but if not for the Falcons lack of a clutch gene and a 59-yard field goal as time expires, this team would be 2-7. The gap between them at 26 and the Bears at 19 is fairly negligible, but the quality of the Bears defense and the threat of a kickoff return from Cordarrelle Patterson keeps the Bears ever so slightly ahead of the Lions.

27. Los Angeles Chargers (2-7) -1

Sunday produced the first bad game of Justin Herbert’s career. He was held to fewer than 200-yards passing and he was unsettled by the Dolphins defense, missing throws and making bad decisions. Anthony Lynn is fortunate he has Herbert, though, and that he has played as well as he has as it may be enough to have this year overlooked.

28. Houston Texans (2-7)

I will say it every week, Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt deserve so much better. Watson is playing even better than he was last year even though the team jettisoned the best receiver in football. Meanwhile J.J. Watt is the only real standout player on defense. This team is bad.

29. Washington Football Team (2-7) 

This team is also bad, but it was wonderful to see Alex Smith make his first start and play well. He completed 38/55 passes for 390 yards and no turnovers. He missed some throws, but he looked more than capable of being an NFL starting QB for the remainder of the season and maybe more.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8)

Jake Luton and the Jaguars gave the Packers a far more competitive game than anyone could have expected. Keelan Cole came up big with a punt return touchdown and a receiving touchdown, and the defense also came up with big plays of its own. They may be the second worst team in the league by record, but they’re clearly still playing for something and have some semblance of being a team. Which is more than can be said about the teams below them.

31. Dallas Cowboys (2-7)

The Cowboys had a bye week and should have Andy Dalton back when they next see the field. Will it make much of a difference? I can’t imagine it will. This team has a lot of soul searching to do. 

32. New York Jets (0-9)

The Jets also had a bye this week following their tough loss to the Patriots last Monday night. Adam Gase announced they would be starting Joe Flacco again in Week 11, so get excited, Jets fans!