2017 NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

NFL Week 9 proved that teams at the top are going to stay at the top. One team appears to have finally come back down to earth, though. The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer in my Top 5. I couldn’t keep them in the Top 5 after they lost to Dallas. Other than that, the Eagles, Patriots, and Saints continued on their merry way to the postseason. Check out my 2017 NFL Week 10 Power Rankings!

2017 NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)

The 51 to 23 beat down of Denver was as good as it gets. The only thing the Eagles must worry about is that they face Dallas twice and are at Seattle and the L.A. Rams in 4 of their next 7 games.

2. New England Patriots (6-2)

The Patriots were on their bye. New England still ranks 32nd out of 32 teams in passing yards allowed per game. Eventually, that’s going to bite the Pats. It might not bite them until the postseason, though.

3. New Orleans Saints (6-2)

The Saints’ 30 to 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes it 6 in a row straight up and against the spread. It’s hard to leave New Orleans out of my Top 3. They’re one of the few teams that has a balanced offense, and a great defense.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

The Steelers were on a bye. Now that Pittsburgh has a solid WR2 in JuJu Schuster-Smith, there’s no excuses for Pitt to easily win the AFC North Division. Heck, Pitt should win homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

5. Los Angeles Rams (6-2)

That was flat out ridiculous how the Rams dominated the Giants 51 to 17. LAR did it in a road game. It’s a sign that any doubters had better stop doubting.

6. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

The Vikings were on a bye in NFL Week 9. Although Case Keenum is expected to start in Week 10, QB Teddy Bridgewater should come off the PUP list this week. That’s awesome news because Bridgewater suffered one of the worst injuries I’ve ever seen more than a year ago during the 2016 NFL Preseason.

7. Dallas Cowboys (5-3)

As long as Dallas has Dak Prescott playing quarterback, they have no worries. Dak was awesome in Week 9. He threw for 297 yards, 2 TD passes, and rushed for a TD. The Boys beat a great AFC team, the Kansas City Chiefs.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)

The Chiefs finally get a bye. KC had to wait until Week 10, but it’s finally here. It couldn’t have come at a better moment. KC looked like a tired team in the 17 to 28 loss to Dallas on Sunday.

9. Seattle Seahawks (5-3)

I’m frustrated with the Seahawks. I can’t imagine how frustrated their hardcore fans are. Seattle outplayed Washington in every phase of the game in Week 9. I mean, every phase. Seattle managed to lose 14 to 17.

10. Carolina Panthers (6-3)

Believe it or not, the Panthers actually impressed me by beating the Atlanta Falcons 20 to 17 this past Sunday. Carolina spotted the Falcons 10 points. To come back like that is a sign that Carolina has what it takes to make some waves in the playoffs.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)

The Jaguars only sacked Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton 2 times in Week 9. The Jags still managed to win the game 23 to 7. If Jacksonville’s rush defense continues to improve, it was great versus the Bengals, who knows how far this team can go.

12. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

I don’t have many words for Buffalo’s 21 to 34 loss to the New York Jets. The Jets aren’t supposed to beat the Bills by that many points. Buff’s got a tough one versus the Saints in Buffalo on Sunday.

13. Tennessee Titans (5-3)

Tennessee’s 23 to 20 win over the Baltimore Ravens didn’t impress me that much. The Titans are better than that, right? I don’t know. The defense isn’t all that good while the offense has trouble doing anything well.

14. Detroit Lions (4-4)

Detroit’s 30 to 17 win over the Green Bay Packers this past Monday night was legit. QB Matthew Stafford was unreal. Plus, the Packers didn’t lose the game because their defense was horrible, not because Brett Hundley lost it for them.

15. Washington Redskins (4-4)

Washington’s Kirk Cousins didn’t throw a TD and the team from DC still beat Seattle 17 to 14. Washington’s defense didn’t impress that much, either. It allowed Seattle to rush for 148 yards. But, Washington won. So, yep, they move into the Top 15.

16. Arizona Cardinals (4-4)

The Cardinals impressed me in their win over San Francisco. Granted, they played the 49’ers. Still, AZ switched it up on offense. To me, that’s big because Arizona coach Bruce Arians knows what he must do to keep the Cardinals winning football games. A key battle versus the Seahawks this Thursday should tell us more.

17. Green Bay Packers (4-4)

I can’t move Green Bay much further below where I ranked them after NFL Week 8. The reason is because QB Brett Hundley showed a ton of improvement. Hundley didn’t cost the Packers the “W” versus Detroit on Monday night. Green Bay’s defense cost the Packers the win.

18. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

I’ve written it before. I’ll write it again. There’s no reason RB Devonta Freeman isn’t getting at least 16 to 20 carries a game. He only got 10 versus Carolina this past Sunday. QB Matt Ryan and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian are not on the same page. Feed the beast, Atlanta. Feed the beast…

19. New York Jets (4-5)

The win over Buffalo is what makes Todd Bowles one of the better coaches in the NFL. Most NFL fans (I was one!) at the start of the season believed the Jets had one of the worst rosters in the league. Not only is the roster better than I thought, Bowles has, for the most part, put players from that roster into the right positions during games. The man knows what he’s doing.

20. Oakland Raiders (4-5)

Oakland got lucky in their 27 to 24 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Raiders must play much, much better if they hope to have any shot at overtaking KC in the AFC West.

21. Miami Dolphins (4-4)

Much props to Fins’ QB Jay Cutler. Cutler completed 34 of 41. He threw for 311 yards. He threw 3 TD passes. Jay didn’t throw an interception. Miami lost to Oakland. Cutler dazzled, though. I think he deserves some credit for playing hard after being injured the past few weeks. The old Jay Cutler probably wouldn’t have done that.

22. Houston Texans (3-5)

Losing DeShaun Watson is huge. It didn’t have to be as huge as Houston allowed it to be in their stunning 14 to 20 loss to Indianapolis. In no situation, zero, should backup QB Tom Savage throw the football 44 times while RB Lamar Miller only rushes it 10 times. That’s what happened on Sunday.

23. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)

The Ravens get a bye before their battle with Green Bay at Lambeau on Nov. 19. They need it. Don’t get too excited when the Ravens get back onto the football field, though. Baltimore just doesn’t have it this season.

24. Chicago Bears (3-5)

The Bears got Week 9 off. I believe when they come back they’re going to be a tough football team for anyone in the NFL to deal with. Chicago’s defense has gotten better week to week while QB Mitch Trubisky is showing signs that he’s becoming comfortable in the offensive system.

25. Los Angeles Chargers (3-5)

The Bolts definitely needed their week off. LAC had won 3 games in a row before losing 13 to 21 to the New England Patriots in Week 8. The Chargers face the tough Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday. If they hope to get back on the winning track, RB Melvin Gordon must carry the Bolts on Nov. 12.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)

Cincinnati’s 7 to 23 loss to Jacksonville was to be expected. The Jaguars rank first in the NFL against the pass. Cincinnati’s offensive line isn’t great. I won’t be too hard on the Bengals for losing to a team that’s just better than they are.

27. Denver Broncos (3-5)

I am going to be hard on the Denver Broncos. What gives? The Broncos pretty much threw in the towel versus the Philadelphia Eagles. I blame the defense. Sure, QB Brock Osweiler threw 2 picks. There’s something wrong with Denver. The defense was supposed to at least help keep it close versus the Eagles. Maybe, first year head coach Vance Joseph has lost the team’s confidence.

28. Indianapolis Colts (3-6)

The Colts play hard each and every week. That’s something that impresses me. The Colts’ defense led Indy to another win. That’s 3 on the season for Indianapolis. I truly believe QB Jacoby Brissett is on the right track. That’s excellent news because Indy should start considering moving QB Andrew Luck. That’s the best way to rebuild.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6)

Buccaneers’ QB Jameis Winston has a bad shoulder. I’m not sure when it went bad. I just know it’s bad. That could be good news for Tampa. A healthy Ryan Fitzpatrick is much better than a hurt Jameis Winston.

30. San Francisco 49’ers (0-9)

The 49’ers have a game plan for the future. That’s why they’re 0 and 9. If they really wanted to win a game, I’ve got the feeling they’d play QB Jimmy Garoppolo this season. They’d also lean on RB Carlos Hyde way more than they have this season.

31. Cleveland Browns (0-8)

The Browns took the week off. That’s not the big news regarding Cleveland. The big news regarding Cleveland is that the Browns’ front office managed to screw up a trade for Bengals’ backup QB A.J. McCarron. Wow.

32. New York Giants (1-7)

Yep. The Giants have a win. But, these are my rankings. So, when I write that the Giants are the worst team in the NFL, I truly believe they’re the worst team in the NFL. I saw no effort from the G-Men in their ridiculously bad 17 to 51 loss to the L.A. Rams in NFL Week 10. If I thought it was proper to write curse words in these blogs, I’d definitely write a bunch of them about the Giants right now. That’s how bad it was.