NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

My current NFL Power Rankings for Week 10 of the 2021 NFL Season.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2022 NFL Mock Draft during the 2021 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: Nov. 9

Houston Texans (1-8) – Previously: 32.
“I have an under 4.5 wins bet on the Texans that will be threatened by Tyrod Taylor’s presence.”

So much for that. Taylor was anemic in his first game back, committing countless turnovers against the Dolphins. The Texans were 0-of-4 in the red zone, including a Taylor interception on the opening drive and a field goal from the Miami 1-yard line late in the game. Losing the Houston +6 bet was brutal.

Detroit Lions (0-8) – Previously: 31.
The Lions have been on-off-on-off-on-off with their effort the past six games. This means they’ll play hard in their next game. Hopefully, not too hard because they shouldn’t surrender the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Miami Dolphins (2-7) – Previously: 28.
The Texans handed the Dolphins the win on a silver platter. Both teams were guilty of so many turnovers, but the difference was that the Dolphins scored sevens in the red zone, while Houston settled for too many threes and zeroes. It’s safe to say, however, that the Dolphins would’ve done better with Tua Tagovailoa. Unfortunately, he’s unlikely to be available Thursday night.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) – Previously: 30.
I almost wrote that the Jaguars were 1-7. I can’t believe they beat the Bills. Then again, they weren’t impressive in any regard, outside of their Josh Allen-led pass rush (BTW, have you heard that Josh Allen sacked and intercepted Josh Allen? I just found out.) The Jaguars were outgained versus Buffalo, and they averaged just 3.8 yards per play.

New York Jets (2-6) – Previously: 29.
The Jets suffered some serious bad luck Thursday night. Not only did Mike White get hurt, but there were three fumbles in the opening half, all of which were recovered by the Colts. It’s a shame, as the Jets may have been competitive with White and better fumble luck. They nearly covered the spread anyway, but more misfortune, a tipped interception – ended all hope.

Atlanta Falcons (4-4) – Previously: 27.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Washington Redskins (2-6) – Previously: 26.
I listed the Redskins as overrated recently. I’ve removed them from that list because they suddenly have so many offensive line issues. They moved the chains well against the Broncos, but once again stalled inside the opposing 30 on many occasions without scoring points. Now, they have to move forward with Chase Roullier on injured reserve.

Chicago Bears (3-6) – Previously: 24.
Justin Fields is looking better and better each week. The Bears still need offensive line and defensive help. Another need is some officials to be on their side.

Carolina Panthers (4-5) – Previously: 23.
Sam Darnold is so spooked by the Bill Belichick ghosts, I wonder if he’d have a seizure if he were gifted a Pac-Man game for Christmas. He’s easily the worst regular starting quarterback in the NFL. He ruined what was a strong defensive effort versus the New England passing game. I would bench him in favor of Phillip Walker, because Walker can at least run around pretty well.

New York Giants (3-6) – Previously: 22.
The Giants beat the Raiders, but were outgained by a wide margin (403-245) and averaged 1.5 fewer yards per play. The difference was the sloppy Raider turnovers. It’s safe to say Las Vegas was distracted by both Henry Ruggs as well as the look-ahead to the Chiefs next week. In other words, the Giants secured a bogus victory. I’d make them an overrated team, but no one is paying attention to them at the moment.

Denver Broncos (5-4) – Previously: 25.
The Broncos, somehow, are a half game out of first place. They dominated the Cowboys on both sides of the ball on the road, but that was a misleading result because Dallas did not bring anything close to its A+ effort following a surprise upset victory over Minnesota. It’s hard to take this win seriously because if the two teams matched up on a neutral field next week, the Cowboys would likely obliterate the Broncos.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) – Previously: 20.
Yet another game in which the sharps were wrong on the Eagles. I have no idea why they keep betting them. They have decent talent in some spots, but they’re so poorly coached. Why did the Eagles barely blitz Justin Herbert when he struggles so much versus the blitz? Why did the Eagles not attack the Chargers’ injury-ravaged cornerbacks very often?

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) – Previously: 17.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

New Orleans Saints (5-3) – Previously: 18.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Saints are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

San Francisco 49ers (3-5) – Previously: 16.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the 49ers are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Indianapolis Colts (4-5) – Previously: 15.
The Colts have been a lucky team with deep pass interferences and fumbles, and we saw the latter in the Thursday night affair when all three fumbles in the first half were recovered by Indianapolis. I can’t trust Carson Wentz in big moments because of his habit of throwing into triple coverage.

Seattle Seahawks (3-5) – Previously: 21.
Russell Wilson is cleared to play, hence the bump in these power rankings. However, it’s unclear if he’ll be 100 percent in his first game back.

Minnesota Vikings (3-5) – Previously: 19.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Vikings are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Tennessee Titans (7-2) – Previously: 14.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Titans are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) – Previously: 13.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Raiders are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

San Angeles Chargers (5-3) – Previously: 12.
The Chargers were unstoppable on third and fourth down against the Eagles, as they scored every single possession in the second half. It was a nice rebound for Justin Herbert off two losses, though it should be noted that he faced a dumb coaching staff that didn’t realize that he struggles so much versus the blitz. That will still be an issue going forward against smarter coaching staffs.

New England Patriots (5-4) – Previously: 11.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Patriots are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) – Previously: 8.
The Chiefs are the scariest team in the NFL. That may sound strange, given that they just averaged 3.8 yards per play versus Green Bay, but their defense has improved in recent weeks. If their offense can finally figure things out – I still have faith in an Andy Reid-led squad coaching up Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce – they can go on a tear to close out the year.

Baltimore Ravens (6-2) – Previously: 6.
The Ravens are trending into overrated territory, as they have problems on their offensive line. Their defense, meanwhile, misses way too many tackles. However, Lamar Jackson is playing out of his mind right now. He’s a serious contender for MVP.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) – Previously: 10.
The Bengals shot themselves in the foot so many times last week, so it’s hard to take the 41-16 result seriously. This is no disrespect to the Browns, who are an underrated team, but the game would’ve been much closer if Cincinnati didn’t make so many careless mistakes, like the pick-six at the goal line, or the Ja’Marr Chase dropped touchdown, or the Chase lost fumble.

Cleveland Browns (5-4) – Previously: 9.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Browns are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Green Bay Packers (7-2) – Previously: 7.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Packers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

By the way, we have a t-shirt to support Aaron Rodgers in our merch store! This is your chance to support Rodgers, who has been attacked unfairly by the scumbag media!

Arizona Cardinals (8-1) – Previously: 5.
The Cardinals generated 437 net yards despite being led by Colt McCoy, James Conner and Christian Kirk. I guess they don’t need Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins after all!

Obviously, that’s a joke. It did not look like the 49ers were trying their hardest, as they likely assumed they could beat McCoy, Conner and Kirk with their D- effort. Winning with all of these injuries will be a difficult task moving forward, despite what happened this week.

Dallas Cowboys (6-2) – Previously: 4.
I liked the Cowboys and the points early in the week, but I increasingly became concerned about Dak Prescott’s injury. I was also worried about Dallas’ motivation; the team brought nothing resembling its A+ effort versus the Broncos, given that they were coming off an upset victory on national TV the prior week.

Buffalo Bills (5-3) – Previously: 3.
Following the game, Jordan Poyer told the press that the team didn’t try very hard this week. Thus, I’m not going to penalize Buffalo at all. This is the longest regular season ever, so you can’t blame teams for taking games off once in a while. I only wish they’d sit their starters just so no one significant suffers an injury.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) – Previously: 2.
The Buccaneers are coming off an ugly loss to the Saints, so I expect them to come out of their bye highly motivated. New Orleans has seemingly Tampa Bay’s number, so I wouldn’t read much into that result.

Los Angeles Rams (7-2) – Previously: 1.
I’m not moving the Rams out of the top spot. I don’t think they gave their full effort – a trend for heavily favored teams in Week 9 – and Matthew Stafford missed practice time this week with a back issue of sorts. If that’s only a temporary issue, the Rams will rebound strongly in the second half of the season.

MVP Race:

1. Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals
2. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
3. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
4. Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
5. Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers

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
7. Aaron Jones, RB, Packers
8. Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
9. Josh Allen, QB, Bills