NFL Power Rankings

My current NFL Power Rankings.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2022 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: Sept. 28

Houston Texans (1-2) – Previously: 32.
Davis Mills sucks, but the Texans’ coaches never gave him a chance by constantly running on first down. This put him in unfavorable down-and-distance situations. When the Texans had to throw – i.e. on the drive prior to halftime – they actually had some success.

By the way, I had an amusing conversation with my friend Injured Reserve during the game:

Injured Reserve: I will call this matchup: Game of Punts.

Me: It’ll probably have a s**ty ending, too.

Injured Reserve: Davis Mills will be revealed to be Sam Darnold’s aunt in the third quarter. But it won’t impact the game in any way and won’t be brought up again.

Me: yes, and the showrunners will hype up something cool, and that will just end up being a zombified Bill O’Brien.

Injured Reserve: The fourth quarter will be played in pitch black. Then the NFL will say that people just had to turn up brightness on their TVs.

Me: The NFL will want six quarters of this game, but the directors will stop it after three.

New York Jets (0-3) – Previously: 31.
Zach Wilson’s had some tough opponents thus far, battling the highly ranked Panthers’ defense, Bill Belichick and then Vic Fangio. The good news is that Wilson finally has an easier matchup coming up, as he’ll be hosting the defensively challenged Titans this Sunday.

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) – Previously: 30.
The Falcons beat the Giants, but did they really win? All they did was cost themselves some draft positioning versus a fierce competitor in that regard. At this rate, the Falcons would be better off trading Matt Ryan to a good team hungry for a quarterback like the Dolphins or Redskins.

Detroit Lions (0-3) – Previously: 29.
How do you recover from what the Lions just endured? Not only did they lose on a 66-yard field goal; they saw the officials completely miss a delay-of-game penalty right beforehand. The look on Dan Campbell’s face when Justin Tucker’s kick connected was that of a man who just got kicked in the nuts. It’s going to hurt for a while, PC Head Coach.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) – Previously: 28.
Another ugly game for Trevor Lawrence, but less ugly, as the Jaguars had a nine-point lead in the second half. The Jaguars will probably end up winning one of these weeks, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that happens this Thursday night.

New York Giants (0-3) – Previously: 27.
How in the world did the Giants lose to the Falcons? It seemed like they dominated most of the game. They led late in the fourth quarter and then had possession at midfield for the potential win with two minutes remaining. They had extra time to prepare for the Falcons, so this made me wonder what Jason Garrett did with those three extra days besides perfecting his clapping technique.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) – Previously: 23.
It goes without saying that the Eagles sorely miss Brandon Graham and Brandon Brooks, both of whom were hurt in the opening half of the San Francisco game. The Eagles, who looked like they would beat the 49ers prior to intermission, have been miserable without their two key players in the six quarters since. Second-round rookie Landon Dickerson has not been a viable replacement for Brooks, and the Eagles have to wonder if they should’ve drafted Asante Samuel Jr. instead.

Chicago Bears (1-2) – Previously: 24.
So much for it being “Justin Fields’ time to shine,” as I put it last week. Fields had no chance behind his turnstile of an offensive line, which surrendered nine sacks. Somehow, Fields had more sacks taken than completions (6), which is absurd.

Washington Redskins (1-2) – Previously: 22.
If I had a Disappointing NFL Team list, the Redskins would top it. Not that I expected much from Taylor Heinicke, but what in the world happened to this defense? Chase Young is not dominant, while William Jackson and Landon Collins are both terrible. The abysmal linebacker play isn’t helping matters.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) – Previously: 21.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (0-3) – Previously: 19.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) – Previously: 26.
It’s crazy to think about it, but if Dalvin Cook doesn’t fumble in overtime of the opening game, and if Greg Joseph hits a fairly easy field goal at the end of regulation last week, the Vikings would be 3-0 right now. Kirk Cousins is playing out of his mind, and if the Vikings were 2-1 or better, there would be some MVP talk.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) – Previously: 25.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Bengals are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Miami Dolphins (1-2) – Previously: 20.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Dolphins are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

New Orleans Saints (2-1) – Previously: 18.
The Saints are practically 2-0 right now because the game in which they were missing eight coaches to minor illnesses needs to be completely discarded. That said, I can’t exactly trust Jameis Winston, especially when he’s lucking out by throwing touchdowns while falling down.

Carolina Panthers (3-0) – Previously: 17.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Panthers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) – Previously: 7.
The 49ers had some injury issues at cornerback once K’Waun Williams and Josh Norman left the Packer game with injuries. That was nothing, however, compared to what they had to endure with Jerome Boger’s horrific officiating. All Aaron Rodgers had to do was launch deep passes, and the yellow flag was out, no matter what.

At any rate, I really want to like the 49ers, but their offensive line has not performed up to expectations, while their defense has been soft versus the run.

Seattle Seahawks (1-2) – Previously: 11.
What’s up with the Seahawks in the previous two second halves? They surrendered a 24-9 lead against the Titans after halftime in Week 2, and they didn’t score a single point at Minnesota following intermission this past Sunday. It was shocking to see Russell Wilson struggle off a loss, but the defense playing miserably was more predictable.

New England Patriots (2-1) – Previously: 13.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Patriots are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Tennessee Titans (2-1) – Previously: 14.
Ryan Tannehill tried his hardest to give the game away against the Colts, but Derrick Henry’s great running allowed the Titans to cruise to a victory. Tennessee now has a two-game lead on everyone in the division except for the Davis Mills-led Texans. At this rate, they could clinch the AFC South by Halloween.

Las Vegas Raiders (3-0) – Previously: 15.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Raiders are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Green Bay Packers (2-1) – Previously: 12.
Green Bay’s offensive line and run defense were both much better than expected at San Francisco. I was close to putting the Packers on the overrated list last week – they trailed the Lions at halftime, after all – but they’ve rebounded nicely following their extremely ugly first six quarters of action this season.

San Angeles Chargers (2-1) – Previously: 10.
This NFL season has been nutty. How do the Chargers go from losing to the Cowboys at home to beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead? Well, I guess it helps if the other team is constantly committing turnovers. As great as winning at Kansas City is, the Chiefs handed the Chargers the victory on a silver platter.

Dallas Cowboys (2-1) – Previously: 16.
It’s difficult to say if the Cowboys simply looked great against the Eagles, or if Philadelphia was just that bad because of its key injuries. It’s possible that both are the case, and that’s what I’m taking into account in this week’s NFL power rankings.

Baltimore Ravens (2-1) – Previously: 9.
The Ravens will celebrate their 66-yard field goal, but they should be 0-3 right now. They lucked out with Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s fumble and the non-call on the delay of game. That said, they’ll get some reinforcements back from injury soon, so they’ll play better when they do.

Denver Broncos (3-0) – Previously: 6.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Broncos are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Cleveland Browns (2-1) – Previously: 5.
The Browns had a convincing win against the Bears, but Baker Mayfield did not play well. He missed several open receivers, including two for touchdowns, and he took some bad sacks to move his team out of scoring range. It goes without saying that Mayfield cannot have one of these ugly games versus top-tier competition in the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals (3-0) – Previously: 4.
The Cardinals had some issues putting the Jaguars away, but DeAndre Hopkins was not 100 percent. Besides, they gave the Jaguars ~~seven~~ six free points on that idiotic 68-yard field goal attempt. It would’ve been OK at 66 yards, but 68? No way!

Buffalo Bills (2-1) – Previously: 8.
Josh Allen is back! Allen struggled in his first two games, but reverted to 2020 form versus the Redskins. If Allen continues to perform this way, it’ll be very difficult to beat the Bills, whose defense has been playing on another level this year.

Los Angeles Rams (3-0) – Previously: 3.
I couldn’t blame anyone for having the Rams atop their power rankings after beating the Buccaneers. I love them; I bet the Rams to win the Super Bowl at 15/1 odds. However, I would still take the Buccaneers and Chiefs to win on a neutral field.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) – Previously: 2.
I couldn’t find a 7/1 prop on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl last week, but I’m willing to bet one is available this week. The Chiefs are still the second-best team in the NFL, as they’re a couple of sloppy, unforced turnovers away from being 3-0 right now. They’ll get their act together soon enough.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – Previously: 1.
The Buccaneers were missing two of their top three cornerbacks against Matthew Stafford and all of his receivers. The absences of Jason Pierre-Paul and Antonio Brown also hurt. No wonder they lost. I would still pick the Buccaneers to beat the Rams on a neutral field, however, especially with Pierre-Paul, Brown and Jamel Dean back on the field.