I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2023 NFL Mock Draft during the early stages of the 2022 season. Follow @walterfootball.
I’ve gone from WORST to FIRST, so if you don’t see reverse numbering (via Javascript), don’t worry; the Panthers and Texans aren’t my top teams.
NFL Power Rankings updated Nov. 22, 2022
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Houston Texans (1-8-1) – Previously: 32.
This must be a conspiracy of some sort. I’ve always faded the Texans when they’ve been competitive with their opponent, and yet they were absolutely dreadful when I finally backed them. It has to be because I made fun of the Lovie Smith hire. Smith solely has this job to drain my bank account.
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Carolina Panthers (3-8) – Previously: 30.
Don’t be fooled by the Panthers’ “close” loss to the Ravens. Baltimore scored a total of six points in five drives that crossed over midfield. The Ravens constantly shot themselves in the foot with mistakes, while Carolina only threatened to score once, which was when there was a bad punt from deep in Baltimore territory.
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Los Angeles Rams (3-7) – Previously: 29.
The Rams are terrible, and they’ll be even worse with Matthew Stafford suffering a second concussion in two weeks. Meanwhile, the defense has been miserable since Jalen Ramsey called out the offense.
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Chicago Bears (3-8) – Previously: 26.
This is going to be obvious to 99.9 percent of you reading this, but it must be said to the 0.01 percent, who are Chicago Bears front office employees: Chicago needs to get better protection for Fields this offseason! Fields got knocked around versus the Falcons and barely ran in the second half, resulting in the loss.
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Atlanta Falcons (5-6) – Previously: 31.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7) – Previously: 24.
The Jaguars’ three wins this year have come against two injury-ravaged teams (Colts, Chargers) and the Raiders, who were completely lifeless in the second half. Oh, and what was up with Doug Pederson trying an onside kick to begin the game, then punting shortly later on a fourth-and-2 on Kansas City’s 44-yard line? Seriously, where’s the logic?
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Denver Broncos (3-7) – Previously: 22.
The announcers said that Russell Wilson had his best throwing day of the season, yet he still had just nine fantasy points. Pathetic. The offensive line was dreadful versus the Raiders, so it’s not all Wilson’s fault.
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Cleveland Browns (3-7) – Previously: 27.
The Browns blew yet another lead. They’ve been up against the Chargers, Ravens, and now the Bills, and they’ve blown all of those games. Deshaun Watson will be back in two weeks, but I don’t think it’ll matter because the defense is so miserable.
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Las Vegas Raiders (3-7) – Previously: 28.
I imagine Mark Davis is going back and forth on whether or not to continue to add to this roster, or to blow it up this offseason. Maybe the win over the Broncos will convince him to try one more season of Derek Carr and Davante Adams. There’s some great defensive talent coming out of college this spring, which the Raiders sorely need. You can see more in my 2023 NFL Mock Draft.
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Detroit Lions (4-6) – Previously: 25.
The Lions are 4-6, but check out their schedule. It’s been brutal, and they’ve been competitive in almost every game. This is why I’ve listed them as underrated for so long.
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New Orleans Saints (4-7) – Previously: 20.
Jarvis Landry being back was a nice boost for Andy Dalton, who threw just four incompletions against the Rams’ supposed great defense. However, the win was more about the Rams just being terrible.
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Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1) – Previously: 19.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Green Bay Packers (4-7) – Previously: 18.
The Packers were terrible against the Titans, but at least Christian Watson played well again. That’s a huge silver lining, as Watson could become a big-time player with more experience.
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Arizona Cardinals (4-7) – Previously: 17.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Cardinals are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New York Giants (7-3) – Previously: 16.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Giants are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7) – Previously: 14.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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New York Jets (6-4) – Previously: 13.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Jets are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5) – Previously: 15.
The Buccaneers crawled back to 5-5 from being 3-5 two weeks ago, but it’s difficult to be impressed. They trailed the Rams for nearly the entire game in Week 9, and then they took advantage of Roger Goodell’s incompetence when he decided that it would be a good idea for the Seahawks to play a 6:30 a.m. local time affair in Germany versus an East Coast opponent.
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San Angeles Chargers (5-5) – Previously: 21.
The Chargers have suffered some tough losses this year, going down to the 49ers, Seahawks, and Chief twice. Their fifth loss was that defeat to the Jaguars where Justin Herbert wasn’t supposed to play. They have two easier games against the Cardinals and Raiders coming up, so they need to be 7-5 heading into their big clash against the Dolphins in Week 14.
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Washington Redskins (6-5) – Previously: 23.
Washington’s defense has suddenly become awesome, while the running game has improved. The Redskins also have some talented receivers. They would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender if they just had stronger quarterback play, but Taylor Heinicke continues to loft miserable floaters that are begging to be intercepted. Sadly, this is still better than what Washington was getting out of Carson Wentz.
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New England Patriots (6-4) – Previously: 11.
Don’t be fooled by the Patriots’ slim win over the Jets, which was decided by a punt return touchdown. New England was the better team throughout the afternoon, outgaining the Jets, 297-103. New England should have intercepted Zach Wilson on numerous occasions, while the offense constantly bogged down over midfield.
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Seattle Seahawks (6-4) – Previously: 10.
If the loss to the Buccaneers is impactful for Seattle’s playoff standing, everyone should blame Roger Goodell for making the team play a 6:30 a.m. local start time in Germany versus an East Coast team. Every time I think Goodell has sunk to a new low, he keeps surprising me.
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Minnesota Vikings (8-2) – Previously: 9.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.
By the way, anyone who put the Vikings at No. 1 in their power rankings should have their power ranking license revoked. It was so obvious that the Vikings were overrated, yet these dumb power rankings had them No. 1 just because of their record. Team records are the siren song of the uninformed ESPN viewer. Don’t be an uninformed ESPN viewer.
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Tennessee Titans (7-3) – Previously: 12.
At this point, I’m convinced Mike Vrabel could cover as an underdog with a roster comprised of people from an old folks’ home. The Titans continued to surprise with another victory as an underdog, beating the Packers by 10.
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Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) – Previously: 8.
Cincinnati’s offensive line looked so much better this past week. I guess they used their bye to gel together. If so, the Bengals will be incredibly tough to beat down the stretch once again.
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Baltimore Ravens (7-3) – Previously: 5.
The Ravens could be 10-0 right now. They lost fourth-quarter leads against the Dolphins and Bills, and they should have defeated the Giants. They outgained New York, 406-238, and averaged almost four more yards per play! Baltimore’s defense has gotten a huge boost with Roquan Smith. However, their offense is so sluggish with no receiving talent. Trading for Odell Beckham Jr. makes so much sense.
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Miami Dolphins (7-3) – Previously: 6.
I received some e-mails from people confused about why I moved Miami up so much for its win over the Bears. The shift was more so the reaction to the Bradley Chubb trade. We saw that impact against the Browns, as Miami’s usually pedestrian pass rush swarmed Jacoby Brissett on most plays.
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Dallas Cowboys (7-3) – Previously: 7.
With this sort of a performance against the Vikings, it’s so puzzling as to how the Cowboys lost to the Packers. It was just one of those flat spots for Dallas, which could be even better if it signs Odell Beckham Jr. after Thanksgiving.
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San Francisco 49ers (6-4) – Previously: 4.
The same people who yelled at me for the Vikings being too low criticized me for ranking the 49ers way too high. These were typical ESPN viewers, and you could tell because they weren’t capable of thinking critically. The 49ers are a scary team with all of their weapons and great defense.
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Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) – Previously: 3.
The Eagles tried very hard to lose to the Colts. They shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, so it was a miracle that they won. What’s encouraging is that the run defense seemed better with Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph joining the team.
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Kansas City Chiefs (8-2) – Previously: 2.
The Chiefs beat the Chargers by three. Not very impressive, right? Well, that win was more meaningful than most think, as the Chargers welcomed back their primary receivers to that game, although Mike Williams aggravated his injury. Conversely, the Chiefs were missing three of their top four receivers when Kadarius Toney got hurt.
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Buffalo Bills (7-3) – Previously: 1.
The Bills had a very unimpressive win over the Browns in a vacuum, but think about what they endured during the week. They had to deal with the snow, late travel, and also a flu outbreak in the locker room that caused them to miss a day of practice. They survived all of that, to their credit.
2022 NFL MVP Race:
1. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
2. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
3. Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
4. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
5. Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
2022 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Post-Free Agency Power Rankings | Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings | Post-Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
2021 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Playoffs |
2020 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Playoffs |
