NFL Power Rankings

My current NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2021 NFL Mock Draft during the 2020 season. Follow @walterfootball.

I’ve gone from WORST to FIRST, so if you don’t see reverse numbering (via Javascript), don’t worry; the Jets and Giants aren’t my top teams.

Updated: Nov. 7

New York Jets (0-9) – Previously: 32.
The Jets were 15 minutes away from losing out on Trevor Lawrence. I wonder if a phone call came down from the ownership during the commercial break. It was awfully suspicious that Joe Flacco went from mercilessly torchiing the Patriots to lobbing up terrible passes in the final quarter…

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7) – Previously: 30.
Jake Luton played much better than expected. After all these years, we finally know why Garland stole Luton…

…I’ve been wondering this since my childhood, so I’m glad to finally have an answer.

New York Giants (2-7) – Previously: 29.
All the Giants know how to do is beat the Redskins, apparently, and one has to wonder if their owner has something on Daniel Snyder because the Redskins give away their games against the Giants with dumb mistakes. Even though the Redskins are better than the Giants, I feel like the Giants would win 100 out of 100 times against the Redskins because of something shady.

Dallas Cowboys (2-7) – Previously: 31.
“Believe it or not, the Cowboys are teetering on the brink of underrated. I kid you not. Everyone is so down on them, but Dallas will be much better when Zack Martin and Joe Looney return from injury. The Cowboys are pure garbage right now because they can’t block at all, but the return of Martin and Looney would change everything.”

I wrote that two weeks ago, only to see the Cowboys nearly beat the Steelers. If this Gilbert Gottfriend character the Cowboys have at quarterback is any good, perhaps Dallas can still win the division.

Washington Redskins (2-6) – Previously: 28.
What is it with the Redskins and their habit of giving the Giants free wins? In a span of six quarters, they gave the Giants 24 points off turnovers. If the Redskins didn’t constantly shoot themselves in the foot against the Giants in two meetings, they’d be 4-4 right now!

Detroit Lions (3-5) – Previously: 21.
It’s so frustrating how dumb this team is. They always suck in the red zone; they waste too many downs running Adrian Peterson for 2-yard gains; Matt Prater misses easy field goals even though he can hit 58-yarders in his sleep; the defense can’t tackle whatsoever; and the head coach is watching cartoons on his Surface instead of trying to figure out what the opposing team is doing. How have they even won three games?

Houston Texans (2-6) – Previously: 27.
The Texans need to stop allowing terrible quarterbacks to get back-door covers against them. One of these days, a crappy Jaguar quarterback will convert a two-point try against them to finally pull the upset.

Denver Broncos (3-5) – Previously: 18.
I thought the Broncos had a good chance to upset the Falcons until looking at Friday’s injury report. They were going to miss their entire defensive line and both starting cornerbacks. Still, this doesn’t excuse Drew Lock’s poor play. Lock had a great matchup, but couldn’t capitalize off last week’s great finish.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4-1) – Previously: 25.
The Eagles just can’t catch a break. They finally got Jason Peters, Jalen Reagor and Dallas Goedert back from injury, only to watch Lane Johnson and Darius Slay miss action against the Cowboys. Luckily for them, they play in the worst division in NFL history, where a team has a legitimate chance to go to the playoffs with a 4-11-1* record.

I wrote this last week, and I based it on an NBC graphic shown on the Sunday night telecast. An e-mailer told me that this is not true, so I’ll take his word for it.

New England Patriots (3-5) – Previously: 19.
The good news is that the Patriots remained alive in the playoff race by beating the Jets. The bad news is that their defense looked horribly inept in an attempt to stop Joe Flacco. If they couldn’t contain Flacco, how will they deal with the man who replaced him this upcoming Sunday night?

Minnesota Vikings (3-5) – Previously: 24.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Carolina Panthers (3-6) – Previously: 23.
The poor Panthers put together two terrific game plans in tight battles against the Saints and Chiefs on the road, yet were just about 10 yards away from viable field goals to win each contest. They’re so close. A positive offseason could flip this record at this point next year.

Atlanta Falcons (3-6) – Previously: 22.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-5-1) – Previously: 20.
Can Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins be enshrined in the Hall of Fame now? They deserve it after winning a game over a good opponent while missing all five of their starting offensive linemen, especially after watching the Bears lose to that same team. That’s absolutely incredible. I can’t wait to see how good this team will be in 2021 and beyond once the front office improves the blocking and the defense. I currently have Cincinnati taking Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood in my 2021 NFL Mock Draft.

Chicago Bears (5-4) – Previously: 16.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Bears are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

San Francisco 49ers (4-5) – Previously: 26.
The 49ers are done. I don’t know how they can beat any decent team with all of their injuries. If there’s a silver lining, the 49ers may end up with a top-10 prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft to help them next year when they get all of their players healthy again.

San Angeles Chargers (2-6) – Previously: 13.
HOW CAN A TEAM DROP TWO TOUCHDOWNS IN THE FINAL SIX SECONDS OF THE GAME!?!?!?!?

Sorry, I didn’t mean to capitalize all of that; my CAPS lock was simply broken. Still, I’m mad, in case you couldn’t tell, as that Charger loss really cost me in the SuperContest.

Cleveland Browns (5-3) – Previously: 15.
With the NFL expanding the playoffs to seven teams per conference, the Browns may finally reach the postseason for the first time since 2002. However, the loss to the Raiders could loom large, as it ay serve as the tie-breaker for the seventh spot.

Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) – Previously: 17.
The Raiders’ previous two opponents, the Browns and Chargers, have combined for six dropped touchdowns. I don’t know how the Raiders are getting so lucky, but things are bound to go against them sooner or later. Then again, if someone on the sidelines is greasing the opposing teams’ footballs, perhaps the Raiders’ luck won’t expire.

Los Angeles Rams (5-3) – Previously: 14.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Rams are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Tennessee Titans (6-2) – Previously: 9.
The Titans just beat the Bears, but let’s not forget that they lost to a Cincinnati team missing all five staring offensive linemen the prior week. Ryan Tannehill was terrible against the Bears, but he was bailed out by even worse play from Nick Foles.

Arizona Cardinals (5-3) – Previously: 12.
It’s a shame that the Cardinals wasted a great performance from Kyler Murray against a very underrated Miami defense. Murray was amazing, but the defense, missing numerous cornerbacks and pass rushers, couldn’t get off the field against Tua Tagovailoa.

Miami Dolphins (5-3) – Previously: 11.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Dolphins are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (5-3) – Previously: 6.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) – Previously: 4.
Has Antonio Brown made the Buccaneers worse? He may have served as a distraction against the Giants, and he was responsible for one interception against the Saints because of a miscommunication with Tom Brady. Perhaps Brown will pay off in the long run, but the Buccaneers were every bit as bad as their 38-3 result showed.

Baltimore Ravens (6-2) – Previously: 8.
The Ravens survived the Colts, but I still think they’ll ultimately be punished for losing Ronnie Stanley for the year. Lamar Jackson played just one good half at Indianapolis, and he would have lost had Darius Leonard not gotten hurt, or if Philip Rivers had been able to do anything. Like, really, anything.

Seattle Seahawks (6-2) – Previously: 2.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Seahawks are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Buffalo Bills (7-2) – Previously: 10.
Cnsidering that the Bills were missing one of their top defenders, Matt Milano, as well as their center, Mitch Morse, against the Seahawks, their Week 9 victory is even more impressive. Josh Allen struggled for a few weeks, but he looked every bit as good when he was shredding opposing defenses in the beginning of the year.

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-0) – Previously: 3.
The good news is that the Steelers are 7-0. The bad news is that Ben Roethlisberger is constantly feeling his elbow throughout some recent games. Has anyone noticed this? I would be worried if I were associated with the Steelers in any way.

I wrote this last week, and it was especially blatant against Dallas. Roethlisberger did not play well, and he would have lost outright to the pathetic Cowboys if he weren’t bailed out by some penalties in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans Saints (6-2) – Previously: 7.
The Saints had underachieved all year defensively, which puzzled me because they have some talented personnel. New Orleans’ stop unit finally came to life against the Buccaneers. The pass rush was awesome, while the defensive backs locked down all of Tom Brady’s talented weapons. Meanwhile, Drew Brees can finally improve with Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders both on the field for the first time since Week 1.

Green Bay Packers (6-2) – Previously: 5.
The Packers had a nice win Thursday night, albeit against a completely injury-ravaged 49er team. However, I was disappointed that they didn’t make a move for someone like Will Fuller. There were plenty of receiving options available – A.J. Green, Jamison Crowder being others – yet Green Bay failed to get Rodgers a viable No. 2 option.

Kansas City Chiefs (8-1) – Previously: 1.
Has Patrick Mahomes taken over the MVP lead? It’s possible, and it would be a shame for Russell Wilson, who somehow hasn’t gotten a single MVP vote in his career despite the fact that he should have won last year. Still, only Mahomes could have pulled out a victory over the Panthers in such a tough spot.