My Week 10 2023 NFL Power Rankings

[Voltaire 4,573]

32) Arizona Cardinals (28)
31) Carolina Panthers (31)
30) New York Giants (27)
29) New England Patriots (29)
28) Chicago Bears (30) They picked up a pass rusher, and don't look awful anymore
27) Green Bay Packers (32) I was too hard on them last week, the bottom of the league is pretty bad and they have both more talent and more Ws than the 2-win teams.
26) Las Vegas Raiders (24) 
25) Tennessee Titans (25)
24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)
23) Denver Broncos (22)
22) Atlanta Falcons (19)
21) Indianapolis Colts (26)

20) Washington REDSKINS (16) I had them at 17 but edited them to 20 because I forgot to take into account how they had a trade deadline yard sale
19) Houston Texans (23) not comfortable ranking this team and haven't seen them play all year, moved them up 4, still sense I might have them too low, CJ's 2023 Texans are not the 2022 Dumpster fire Texans.
18) Los Angeles Rams (17) They played w/o Stafford not going to zonk them too hard
17) New Orleans Saints (18)
16) New York Jets (13)
15) Minnesota Vikings (21) Beat a halfway decent Atlanta team in first game w/o Cousins, maybe there remains hope they can maintain their grip on that final playoff spot in the NFC. I put them back where they deserve to be based on record but they keep shedding more key talent

14) Los Angeles Chargers (15)

13) Pittsburgh Steelers (14) Finding ways to win
12) Buffalo Bills (11) You're only 5-4 this year, and have lost to the Pats. The team behind you in these rankings has beaten you too. Get your act together.
11) Cleveland Browns (12) Said 'fock it" and moved them past the Bills.
10) Seattle Seahawks (6) I got heat for having them at six last week and maybe you guys are right considering they promptly got spanked by the best team in the league. I suspect I still like them better than most of you.
9) Dallas Cowboys (10) They lost and moved up one? Yeah, they came up just short on the road against an incredible team and looked better in defeat than Seattle while Buffalo blew their chance to leapfrog them.
(8) Miami Dolphins (5) really amazing O against the bottom but can't beat the top tier
7) San Francisco 49ers (9) I felt bad having them at 9 last week ... moving them up to 7 over the bye feels right
6) Cincinatti Bengals  (8) Joined Chiefs, Eagles, and Ravens in knocking off a solid opponent this week.
5) Detroit Lions (7) pass Miami and Seattle on a bye
4) Kansas City Chiefs (4) 3 and 4 is a coinflip between the Chiefs and Jags
3) Jacksonville Jaguars  (3) 
2) Philadelphia Eagles - (2) you can hang with them, you just can't beat them
1) Baltimore Ravens - (1) another dominant win against a solid team. They have given up the fewest points in the NFL despite not having a bye, best +/- in the league, and Jackson is as good as ever. The AFC North is amazing this year.

---
I'm happy with both my bottom 12 and top 12 but my eight team middle tier, the 13-20 range, gave me fits. Minnesota particularly remains the worst team to rank; they picked up some tough losses early to opponents they outplayed and now, shedding talent to injuries, are refusing to lose.  IMO, the Rams, Chargers, and Redskins are better than their records and so maybe I'm artificially keeping them afloat. Then, are the Jets and Steelers too high? Are they too low? Props to them, they keep winning when I'm not expecting them to. MNF should add some clarity to two of these teams.

[WhiteWonder 2,199]

I thought you had Seattle at 5. Not important though. 
 

if the jets win tonight do you adjust and place them ahead of Buffalo and possibly Cleveland? I’m not advocating for it just curious. At 5-3 with wins over Buffalo, Philly and LA. Also team feels very similar to Cleveland in terms of style. 

[Voltaire 4,573]

1 minute ago, WhiteWonder said:

I thought you had Seattle at 5. Not important though. 
 

if the jets win tonight do you adjust and place them ahead of Buffalo and possibly Cleveland? I’m not advocating for it just curious. At 5-3 with wins over Buffalo, Philly and LA. Also team feels very similar to Cleveland in terms of style. 

I think I should. They did beat the Bills after all.

I'm going to edit down the Redskins too, I'd forgotten to take into account they they traded away two key players on defense.

[MDC 5,933]

Eagles are too low.  

[Voltaire 4,573]

 

2 minutes ago, Voltaire said:

 

I'm going to edit down the Redskins too, I'd forgotten to take into account they they traded away two key players on defense.

I moved Washington from 17 to 20, which is the last of that middle tier.

[Patented Phil 836]

Well done.  This is actually one of the best power rankings I’ve seen and I follow a lot of them.

[MDC 5,933]

I still think you have the Jags too high. I don’t think JVille has a real chance of winning a SB so I couldn’t put them ahead of the teams the Chiefs, Bengals or Niners, among a few others.

[edjr 5,619]

The Patriots aren't last? c'mon man

[IGotWorms 3,380]

19 minutes ago, edjr said:

The Patriots aren't last? c'mon man

I fockin hate Mac Jones

[edjr 5,619]

4 minutes ago, IGotWorms said:

I fockin hate Mac Jones

he is a very small piece of the blame pie.

[Voltaire 4,573]

30 minutes ago, edjr said:

The Patriots aren't last? c'mon man

Pats have their work cut out for them if they are going to sink any lower. Nice wins against the Bills and Jets and played Washington tough this week. Finding a way to lose to the DeVito Giants in two weeks would help a lot.

The Cards have only the one win and they just put up a goose egg this week. Before that, they have been able to hang for a bit through the first half before eventually losing. They bit the Cowboys on the ass, they can get somebody else too.

With the Giants, it was always that their schedule was brutal but when they did play the bottom teams, they won. They have two wins and the losses were all in expected places. So I thought maybe there might be some little bit of hope there, like a silver lining there. Then they played the Raiders this week and we got a look at this DeVito guy...

I like Carolina and probably could get away with bumping then past the Giants this week. I'd rather wait and do it on a week they don't lose by two touchdowns. i'll keep them at 31, but the Giants may pass them.

 

[WhiteWonder 2,199]

everyone has different criteria for power rankings, which is why I don't bother following industry ones. 

For example, as bad as Carolina has been on the field, the fact Bryce young is a rookie and Theilen has been a big help for him, Mingo has shown a few glimpses, even if Sanders was a waste Hubbard looks passable... It just feels like they have more to be excited about moving forward than a team like the Giants. Daboll looks in over his head after a fluky 2022, they are stuck with Jones contract for 1 more year, Waller can't stay healthy which isn't a shock and by far their best player is a running back in a league that doesn't value them. I'm sure they will be deciding which QB to draft in a nice draft class. With no one standing head and shoulders above, If I were a Giants fan i'd be hoping they win a few games rather than potentially having the first pick. 

None of those bottom ranked teams have a shot to win a super bowl, so I guess my thinking is there needs t be some consideration for how the future looks. 

[League Champion 1,593]

 

[cmh6476 767]

The Chiefs just stifled the No. 1 offense in the league.  I don't think you're giving their defense enough credit.  And the offense will be clicking down the stretch, when it matters.

Although a non-conference game, the Chiefs v Eagles game coming up two weeks from tonight should be a great one.

[MDC 5,933]

3 minutes ago, cmh6476 said:

The Chiefs just stifled the No. 1 offense in the league.  I don't think you're giving their defense enough credit.  And the offense will be clicking down the stretch, when it matters.

Although a non-conference game, the Chiefs v Eagles game coming up two weeks from tonight should be a great one.

The Eagles stifled them too. And Philly’s D really isn’t that great.

[bostonlager 2,482]

 

[edjr 5,619]

1 hour ago, cmh6476 said:

The Chiefs just stifled the No. 1 offense in the league.  I don't think you're giving their defense enough credit.  And the offense will be clicking down the stretch, when it matters.

Although a non-conference game, the Chiefs v Eagles game coming up two weeks from tonight should be a great one.

Your sickening takes make me puke

[posty 2,306]

2 minutes ago, edjr said:

Your sickening takes make me puke

Same here...  cmh must go through about 100 kneepads a year on Mahomes and the Chiefs...

[IGotWorms 3,380]

1 hour ago, edjr said:

he is a very small piece of the blame pie.

I don’t think so. Improve who you got at QB you improve the whole offense. Improve the offense and your top 10 D doesn’t scored on as much. Now you’re at least decent 

[iam90sbaby 2,139]

1 hour ago, IGotWorms said:

I don’t think so. Improve who you got at QB you improve the whole offense. Improve the offense and your top 10 D doesn’t scored on as much. Now you’re at least decent 

If only Bill had thought of that

[bostonlager 2,482]

2 hours ago, edjr said:

Your sickening takes make me puke

I had to buy him a Chiefs t-shirt and send it to Missouruh last year. Toofy is a good dude but I hope Mahomes falls down the stairs and Kelce gets the herpes. 

[cmh6476 767]

5 hours ago, edjr said:

Your sickening takes make me puke

I used to tell you guys how much we sucked.   Sorry now I get to tell you how good we are. 

[cmh6476 767]

2 hours ago, bostonlager said:

I had to buy him a Chiefs t-shirt and send it to Missouruh last year. Toofy is a good dude but I hope Mahomes falls down the stairs and Kelce gets the herpes. 

I'm sure a lot of players play through herpes outbreaks each and every week

[cmh6476 767]

The Chargers are playing well, and you may have them about 6-8 slots too low

[Voltaire 4,573]

6 minutes ago, cmh6476 said:

The Chargers are playing well, and you may have them about 6-8 slots too low

They aren't playing well. They got a fluke TD early and had one decent drive. The Jets pathetic offense occasionally gets within sniffing distance of FG range. When that happens, maybe they kick it, maybe they get a penalty and sack and get pushed back out.

It's the football equivelent of watching an anaconda slowly digest a boar. They spend three quarters running out the clock.

[MDC 5,933]

12 hours ago, cmh6476 said:

The Chargers are playing well, and you may have them about 6-8 slots too low

15 seems perfect for that perennial tease team.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,831]

20 hours ago, League Champion said:

 

Lol. He pays no mind to the Giants. 

[GutterBoy 2,303]

13 hours ago, cmh6476 said:

The Chargers are playing well, and you may have them about 6-8 slots too low

We could make some noise in the playoffs this season.

[cmh6476 767]

41 minutes ago, GutterBoy said:

We could make some noise in the playoffs this season.

I think people are selling them short.   They'll probably disappoint per usual, but they are a good team. 

[cmh6476 767]

Browsing the mange bored and came across this gem:

 

That's why I think putting Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Baltimore or any other team over the Chiefs at this point is just a futile exercise.  You can't tell me (especially with how well the Chiefs defense is playing) that the offensive line, skill position players or defense of any of them three teams is that much better than the Chiefs that you should rank a team with Lawrence, Hurts or Jackson above the Chiefs.  The difference is Pat.  Just imagine what swapping him over any of those players would do for the other team.  Yet, I don't think you could really come up with a great scenario where exchanging one piece from any of those other teams to the Chiefs, is going to make them that much better.  If anything, it's A.J. Brown or a guy like Ridley, but even then you wouldn't give up Mahomes for improvement at any other position on the field.  That's basically my argument this early in the season.

[WhiteWonder 2,199]

Well thankfully the Jets did not make Voltaire consider adjusting their rank 

My notes from last nights game : 

• giving up an early special teams touchdown is back breaking for a team that is not built to score a lot or come from too far behind
• The defense played extremely well, as usual. I would say they were responsible for maybe 10 points given up? With the rest coming from the return TD, and turnovers giving the Chargers the ball at the 2 yard line, etc. In today's NFL, you can only do so much when constantly put in negative spots. 
• Wilson still holds on to the ball way too long and takes bad sacks. The offensive line is doing him no favors with all their injuries, and overall he has been much smarter with the football. Last year, or as a rookie, he would have chucked some of those up into triple coverage, etc. 
• 8 penalties vs 4 for LA... the team still continues to play undisciplined too often. 
• 4 fumbles 3 lost vs 3 with none lost for LA

No offense to LA but the Jets really couldn't have played much worse of a game last night. Next week will be a must win though with Buffalo and Miami on tap after. 

[cmh6476 767]

Great read posted earlier today.  The Chiefs have the YOUNGEST defense in the league, and they are playing at an extremely high level.  What a time to be a fan.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/11/8/23951815/steve-spagnuolo-kansas-city-chiefs-defense

 

 

Quote

 

That’s pretty much the whole defense, man. Every single starter in the secondary save for L’Jarius Sneed joined the team in 2022. First-round pick Trent McDuffie is one of the best young talents in the NFL, while second-round pick Bryan Cook, far less heralded, is enjoying a substantial sophomore leap after an up-and-down rookie season. Justin Reid, signed last offseason for just over $10 million per season, is playing the same caliber of ball that Budda Baker, Quandre Diggs, and Eddie Jackson are playing on much larger price tags. Mike Edwards, a veteran on a one-year deal who was available for anyone days into 2023 free agency, has made impact plays all season.

The secondary is the place to start for the Chiefs, because that’s the unit they’ve intentionally and aggressively retooled, and they haven’t missed on a single move. They let Tyrann Mathieu walk as his legs started to go; ditto for Daniel Sorensen, who had a target on his back in coverage during his final years in Kansas City. Juan Thornhill and Charvarius Ward were legit solid players on this defense, but still, the Chiefs let them walk, believing they could replace them with draft picks.

They were right.

The result of this change is that the Chiefs have the youngest defense leaguewide—yes, the youngest.

 

 

[cmh6476 767]

Jags can go down a bit. 

[cmh6476 767]

Ravens about to go down too 

[cmh6476 767]

On 11/6/2023 at 3:38 PM, edjr said:

Your sickening takes make me puke

care to revisit this?

[edjr 5,619]

53 minutes ago, cmh6476 said:

care to revisit this?

No

[BeenHereBefore 1,351]

On 11/8/2023 at 3:03 PM, cmh6476 said:

The Chiefs have the YOUNGEST defense in the league, and they are playing at an extremely high level.

Aren't they going to lose Sneed after this season ?

[cmh6476 767]

5 minutes ago, BeenHereBefore said:

Aren't they going to lose Sneed after this season ?

Sneed, Jones and Gay will be free agents.   They won't be able to keep them all.   My preference would be Sneed if they are able to keep just one.