1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
This week, I don’t get to write about how the Patriots went out and dominated some team. This week, the Giants (AKA the Patriot Killers) exploited some weaknesses in this defense, and were almost able to stop Tom Brady. That being said, Stephen Gostkowski is one of the best kickers in the NFL and showed why on Sunday.
2. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 3)
The Panthers went into Nashville and took care of business. As we have seen the Broncos and Packers fade from their hot starts, Carolina continues with its winning formula. Run the ball, control time of possession, win the turnover battle, and play great defense.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 2)
The Bengals had an absolute dud last night against the Texans. Andy Dalton reverted back to his old ways; he is seemingly cursed on Monday Night Football. Tyler Eifert also cost his team a victory with 3-4 drops on the night. The defense played very well, but this was the Dalton some of us have been waiting for.
4. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 5)
First things first, thank goodness Mike Iupati is ok after that scary moment. The Cardinals looked frightened after going down four to the Sehawks in the fourth quarter after leading by as much as 18. But, Carson Palmer solidified his MVP candidate status with two clutch drives that led the Cardinals to victory and a commanding three-game lead in the division.
5. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 6)
Like the Panthers, the Vikings play a winning brand of football. This team wants to run it (AP had over 200 yards rushing this past week), play good defense, and win the turnover battle. While they will continue to beat teams they are better than, it will be interesting to see their two matchups with Green Bay still to come.
6. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)
Peyton Manning reportedly has been playing through a foot injury, and Brock Osweiler will start this week. He can’t be worse than how Peyton has been playing lately.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 8)
I was lucky enough to spend this weekend in Pittsburgh with my family watching this game in person. I can tell you that no one in that stadium wanted to see Ben Roethlisberger play that game, but what a performance he turned in. This defense continues their “bend-don’t-break” style of play, allowing 372 yards passing to Johnny Football, but only nine points allowed, and 15 yards rushing.
8. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 7)
What is wrong with the Packers? Some people think that they should drop further than one spot, but I can’t find a team ranked 9-32 that is better than Green Bay. The Packers need to start getting on track, and it will start with early game execution. Green Bay is built to play with a lead, but haven’t had a good start in either of their last three contests.
9. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 15)
Rex Ryan wanted to win that game so badly, and Buffalo pulled through. With the Bills fully healthy and playing great team football, it’s tough to see the Jets beating them out for a playoff spot. This is all assuming the Tyrod Taylor actually is the answer at quarterback, because who knows if he can keep up this level of play.
10. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 11)
The Falcons move up one spot, even though they were on a bye. Next week they welcome the Colts to the Georgia Dome.
11. New York Jets (Last week: 10)
The Jets really wanted a victory on Thursday night, but Rex Ryan was not going to be denied. Right after the game, Ryan Fitzpatrick underwent thumb surgery, but is expected to start next week. The Jets need to start winning games again, losing three of their last four games since their 4-1 start to the season. The first place they should look to improve is their run defense, which has allowed 100+ yards in two of their last three games.
12. New York Giants (Last week: 12)
You can’t blame the Giants for losing to the Pats, but you can think about why they lost that game. When settling for a field goal to go up by two late in the fourth, they used less than 20 seconds in the red zone. This gave Tom Brady JUST enough time to engineer a game winning drive off a 54-yard field goal with ONE second left.
13. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 13)
The Colts were on a bye this week and will face the struggling Falcons in Atlanta next week.
14. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 9)
What a gut-wrenching loss for the Seahawks. Here is something I noticed during the game: The Seahawks went for the 2-point conversion twice in the second half, and didn’t convert either time. Had they settled for extra points both times, they would have only been down by 8, instead of 10 on their final drive. This team now has losses to Green Bay, Cincinnati, Carolina, and Arizona, all teams in the top 8.
15. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 20)
Don’t look now, but here come the Chiefs making a playoff run. Everyone counted them out after Jamaal Charles went down, but three straight victories puts them at 4-5 and one game out of the 6th seed in the AFC. This team is looking to overcome a 1-5 start, and no one wants to play them right now.
16. Chicago Bears (Last week: 19)
DA BEARS! They sat 16 spots lower than this for a couple weeks this season. With Jay Cutler back in the lineup, this team has turned their season around completely. Jeremy Langford (on my fantasy team) is a monster and has filled in quite nicely for Matt Forte over the last two weeks. Next week they get the Brock Osweiler-led Denver Broncos.
17. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 14)
The Rams, unlike the Bears, do not have a lot to be proud of this week. While we all know that the Bears have been underrated this season, this team lost by 24 points at home this weekend. The biggest problem this team has is on offense, where it is clear that Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin are the only playmakers.
18. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 16)
The Raiders have given up over 400 yards on the ground over the last two weeks. While many saw this team as a sleeper a couple of weeks ago, they have regressed and showed signs of youth. This team has a lot of talent and will be a good team over time, but not all of the pieces are there yet for this team to compete with the big boys.
19. Houston Texans (Last week: 23)
What a performance by the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. Of all people, TJ Yates comes in to throw the game-winning touchdown pass in the second half on a beautiful catch by DeAndre Hopkins. Now sitting at 4-5 and tied with the Colts for the AFC South lead, the once dead Texans look poised for a playoff run after going 3-1 the last four weeks.
20. Washington Redskins (Last week: 22)
YOU LIKE THAT?! My fantasy team surely did! Thank you for those 28 points Kirk Cousins against the Swiss cheese known as Rob Ryan’s defense in NOLA. The Redskins absolutely man-handled the Saints at home, beating the Saints by 33 points. Don’t look now, but this team could enter a tie for the division lead next weekend.
21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)
The Dolphins looked dead in the water against Philadelphia this weekend. This team has been playing with much more heart since the firing of Joe Philbin, which shouldn’t really surprise anybody. Either way, this team looks like it is stuck in mediocrity until they can find some sort of run defense and offensive line.
22. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 17)
With Mark Sanchez slated to start for the Eagles this weekend, things are looking grim. With that being said, the division leading Giants sit at 5-5 which is well within striking-distance for this team. If they can string together a couple victories, they can take control of the division. But, you could also say that about Washington and the Giants as well.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 24)
What a well-executed game for the Jaguars, as they defeat the Ravens in Baltimore. This team has the young talent to stay competitive in nearly every game they play.
24. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 18)
It doesn’t matter how well Drew Brees plays if the defense is really this bad. Two weeks ago, the Saints were viewed as a sleeper to make the playoffs. Now? This team cannot stop anybody, and they are on pace to give up more passing touchdowns than any team in NFL history.
25. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 25)
The 49ers had a bye this week and will travel to Seattle next.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 28)
The Buccaneers certainly did not make it look pretty, but any win is a good win in the NFL. 10-6 is a brutal score, especially considering it was 6-3 very late in the fourth quarter. Regardless, any win this Bucs team can get their hands on is a valuable experience for Jameis Winston and the rest of this young squad.
27. Detroit Lions (Last week: 32)
The Lions, who were the last team in the NFL to get to one win, were also the last team to get to two wins. With that being said, NOBODY expected Detroit to waltz into Lambeau field and beat the Packers. The last time they did that, Barry Sanders was their starting running back, and Brett Favre was on the Falcons.
28. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 26)
This team is finding magical ways to lose games this season. What a heartbreaking season it has been sans Tony Romo for this team. Say what you would like about some of his gaffes, but when he is healthy he is a top-10 quarterback in this league, and the Cowboys are a 10-win team. Clearly that is not the case without him.
29. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)
The Titans kept it as close as they could, but the Panthers are just a significantly better team. It’s clear that this team will lose a lot of games this year, and probably next year as well. The focus for them should be on developing their young talent, making the most of their draft picks, and finding the right head coach.
30. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 29)
I will admit that I picked the Ravens to win the AFC North this year. Needless to say, that’s not going to happen. The combination of Flacco and Harbaugh, who have missed the playoffs only once in their Baltimore careers, have victories only over the injury-riddled, 31st-ranked Chargers, and a Michael Vick-led Steelers team on a short week.
31. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 31)
The Chargers had a bye this week and will host a red-hot Kansas City team.
32. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 30)
The Browns may not be the worst team in the NFL, but I cannot name a team that is definitively worse than them right now. This team was expected to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. But, they have given up 32 sacks this season (most in the NFL), and have one of the two or three worst run defenses in the NFL. Their supposed strengths have been their weaknesses this season.
Image: Watt and Dalton