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 Texans aren’t my top teams.

Updated: Oct. 19

Houston Texans (1-5) – Previously: 32.
Remember when the Texans were 1-0? Good times. To be fair, Houston would have been way more competitive with Tyrod Taylor. I really wonder what the Texans’ record would be had Taylor not gotten hurt. I feel like they would’ve beaten the Patriots last week, and perhaps the Panthers in their Thursday night affair. If so, my Under 4.5 would be toast!

New York Jets (1-4) – Previously: 30.
The Jets are so bad that they nearly lost to their bye week, but they somehow survived. Maybe Zach Wilson will improve after the week off, but I’m not holding my breath.

Detroit Lions (0-6) – Previously: 27.
I don’t mind PC Head Coach criticizing Jared Goff, but at the same time, I can sympathize with Goff. On one hand, Goff has absolutely no one to throw to at the moment. His current best wide receiver is Amon-Ra St. Brown, which is just ridiculous. On the other hand, PC Head Coach can be frustrated with Goff just throwing the ball away on fourth down. Forgive me for this ugly stereotype, but Goff’s attitude on that play struck me as typical Californian indifference. “I saw a holding flag, so meh, I’m just gonna throw the ball away and go catch some waves after the game, dude.”

Miami Dolphins (1-5) – Previously: 29.
The Dolphins desperately need a new offensive coordinator. The play-calling is anemic and predictable. Why is Malcolm Brown even touching the ball, let alone on the most important play of the game? Why are there constant runs on second-and-long? Why do their two offensive coordinators not even have one combined brain cell? Chad O’Shea did a terrific job a couple of years ago. The Dolphins should bring him back.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) – Previously: 31.
Someone had to win that dreadful London game, I guess. Jaguar fans should’ve been hoping for a loss. Not only would a defeat have helped their draft positioning; it would’ve brought them closer to Urban Meyer’s firing.

New York Giants (1-5) – Previously: 28.
Call me crazy, but I think the Giants, who lost 38-11, may have had a chance against the Rams if Kadarius Toney didn’t get hurt. Toney somehow caught three passes in six snaps, but his absence ruined all hope for the Giants because they were already missing Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay.

Atlanta Falcons (2-3) – Previously: 25.
I’d criticize the Falcons for ruining their draft positioning with meaningless wins, but there’s no sure-fire top quarterback prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Still, they’d probably be better off trading Matt Ryan while he still has some value.

Washington Redskins (2-4) – Previously: 24.
The Redskins are two plays away from being 0-6 right now. Luckily, Ryan Fitzpatrick is coming back soon. He’ll surely save the day and help the defense improve.

Seattle Seahawks (2-4) – Previously: 26.
Poor Geno Smith nearly won his first start in five decades, but he lost a fumble in overtime when T.J. Watt strip-sacked him. Still, the Seahawks played better than most expected, so perhaps they’ll be able to steal a victory or two prior to Russell Wilson’s return to the field.

Denver Broncos (3-3) – Previously: 18.
I feel like a fool for calling the Broncos underrated all these weeks. I don’t know what happened to their defense, but they haven’t been able to stop Ben Roethlisberger and a Jon Gruden-less Derek Carr over the past couple of weeks. Teddy Bridgewater, meanwhile, has regressed to the quarterback who cost me a chance to win $20,000 in Week 17 of last year,

New Orleans Saints (3-2) – Previously: 21.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Saints are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Las Vegas Raiders (4-2) – Previously: 23.
Credit the Raider players for not quitting and playing hard for their former head coach, and definitely credit the Raider coaching staff for having a great game plan in the wake of Jon Gruden’s firing. Speaking of which, here’s Charlie Campbell’s great video about the Gruden firing exposing corruption in the league office:

Chicago Bears (3-3) – Previously: 22.
I wrote last week that I was disappointed that Justin Fields wasn’t running more. Perhaps Fields is a reader of WalterFootball.com because he scrambled more versus the Packers. This is the only explanation. It wasn’t enough to get the win, but Fields had the Bears competitive and within striking distance most of the afternoon. Chicago often doesn’t keep games close versus Aaron Rodgers.

Carolina Panthers (3-3) – Previously: 20.
The Panthers led or tied with their previous three opponents in the second half, and yet they lost all three games. Drops were the culprit this time, as Carolina’s receivers couldn’t catch a pass if their lives depended on it. They dropped nine passes! That said, you’d think their defense could get a stop, given how many talented cornerbacks they’ve traded for in recent weeks.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) – Previously: 19.
Jalen Hurts’ accuracy is horrendous; he scored just seven points in real action versus a Tampa Bay secondary missing a starting safety and three of its top four cornerbacks. There have been no signs of this improving at all.

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

Minnesota Vikings (3-3) – Previously: 16.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (2-4) – Previously: 15.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Colts are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

San Francisco 49ers (2-3) – Previously: 13.
I’ve been thinking about the Cardinals-49ers game a lot, and I still can’t believe San Francisco didn’t cover. It was such a bad spot for the Cardinals, and the 49ers had so many opportunities to beat the spread, but they just didn’t do it. It’s the Year of the Bad Beat.

New England Patriots (2-4) – Previously: 12.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Patriots are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) – Previously: 11.
The Bengals could be 5-1 right now if their rookie kicker connected on one of his two field goal tries in overtime in Week 5. Beating the Lions is never impressive, but I liked how the Bengals avoided looking ahead to battling the rival Ravens. They dominated the Lions, as Detroit never had a prayer.

Tennessee Titans (4-2) – Previously: 14.
Two weeks after the Titans lost to the one-win Jets, they beat the one-loss Bills. Makes sense.

Well, actually it does. A.J. Brown and Julio Jones were missing against the Jets, so Tennessee’s offense was very limited in that game. Then again, we didn’t exactly get the Bills’ “A” game versus Tennessee.

Green Bay Packers (5-1) – Previously: 10.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Packers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

By the way, major kudos to Aaron Rodgers for making a splash defensive play versus the Bears:

Cleveland Browns (3-3) – Previously: 6.
I was close to listing the Browns as an underrated team because their latest losses have been a byproduct of injuries, but A) They’re still banged up and have to play in four days, and B) There’s plenty of betting action on them in the impending Thursday night game.

San Angeles Chargers (4-2) – Previously: 8.
I had a feeling Justin Herbert would struggle against the blitz-happy Ravens because he didn’t play as well versus the Raiders in the second half of the Monday night Week 4 game when the Raiders began heavily blitzing. I wonder if teams will adapt to this, and if so, how soon Herbert will improve against the blitz.

Baltimore Ravens (5-1) – Previously: 9.
All I saw all week was people saying, “The Ravens could be 1-4 right now.” It’s true, as they got lucky in some of their wins. However, they were extremely banged up in the past, and they’ve slowly been getting healthier. There’s a chance Ronnie Stanley will return soon, and if that’s the case, Baltimore’s offense will be even more explosive.

Dallas Cowboys (5-1) – Previously: 7.
Good teams find ways to win when things aren’t going their way. The Cowboys trailed for most of the afternoon at New England, but thanks to the brilliance of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs, Dallas found a way to prevail. The opposite would have happened in prior years, as the Cowboy teams of old always found a way to lose big games. That’s not the case with this team.

Los Angeles Rams (5-1) – Previously: 5.
I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t bet the Rams versus the Giants. The spread was very high, but Sean McVay, like most elite coaches, is excellent coming off extra time to prepare. The Rams and Giants looked like they belonged in different leagues.

Arizona Cardinals (6-0) – Previously: 4.
I never imagined the Cardinals would improve to 6-0 earlier last week when it was announced that Chandler Jones and Rodney Hudson would be out, and Kyler Murray was banged up, and Kliff Kingsbury wouldn’t be coaching because of a minor illness. And yet, the Cardinals destroyed the Browns, who were in rough shape with their missing tackles.

Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) – Previously: 3.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Chiefs are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Buffalo Bills (4-2) – Previously: 2.
I wouldn’t penalize the Bills for the loss to Tennessee. They were coming off a huge victory and didn’t bring their “A” game against the Titans. Besides, they were an inch away from winning. I liked Sean McDermott’s decision, as Josh Allen likely converts on the sneak way more often than not.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) – Previously: 1.
I suppose Tom Brady’s thumb isn’t a problem. He misfired just eight times against the Eagles and held a 28-7 lead before the Buccaneers took their foot off the gas and allowed the Eagles to have a very tilting back-door cover. If I had bet on the game, I’d be losing my mind. Well, maybe not. This is the Year of the Bad Beat, after all, so perhaps this is to be expected.

MVP Race:

1. Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals
2. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
3. Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers
4. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
5. Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams

Scrubs of the Week:

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
2. Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints
3. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
4. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
5. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
6. Chase Claypool, WR, Steelers