By popular demand–aka Harrison Sillings–I have brought my weekly rankings to the Student Union format. Where I give my best to determine where I think each team ranks currently in the NFL. As well as the tiers that more or less group certain teams together because the margin is so close that you can be described the same way.
Note: I am assuming this week that the Steelers will take care of business against a Ravens team that will be without Lamar Jackson.
With the 1st pick in the NFL Draft….
32. New York Jets
They’re the worst team in football. They have the worst coach in football. 0-16 is no longer a joke. It might be their reality.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
They put up a fight most weeks. However, they are still severely undermanned. With their GM out the door and their head coach being next in line things could get even worse.
30. Cincinnati Bengals
Without Joe Burrow the Bengals aren’t too far behind in regards to being the worst team in the league. Zac Taylor hasn’t shown much to be the long-term HC and their aging stars are no longer useful.
Slightly Above Terrible
29. Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz is regressing so much his 2017 performance seems like it came from a different person. Doug Pederson is still stuck in 2017 where he refuses to get rid of aging players from that year. He doesn’t want to change anything at all. Yikes.
28. Dallas Cowboys
What a disaster. Mike McCarthy proving more and more each game he was bringing down Aaron Rodgers rather than helping him. Dak gets hurt. The offensive line is banged up. Their defense is playing like they got no attention this past offseason. What a mess.
27. Detroit Lions
With Patricia gone you might see slight improvements, but still with Stafford not being 100%, Golladay not being 100%, and their defense being very disappointing, their improvement will be marginal.
26. Denver Broncos
The defense is hanging in their despite their injuries. Unfortunately the offense has been a huge let down. Hard to judge them this week as they were put in the most unfair situation imaginable.
Bad but Competitive
25. Washington Football Team
The defense has been very promising and at times dominant. Alex Smith might be the best option at QB to win the division this year. However, they need to look long and hard this off-season to see who should lead this team.
24. Los Angeles Chargers
Anthony Lynn’s days definitely seem numbered at this point. Justin Herbert seems to be glittering, but as they say, not everything that glitters is gold. They’ll be in every game but poor coaching and late-game errors by Herbert will inevitably lose them every game.
23. New York Giants
Joe Judge proving he was the right man for the job despite the large amounts of criticism the Giants got for hiring him. With Daniel Jones potentially missing some time, it will be up to Colt McCoy to keep the ship steady. Which in this division isn’t not as daunting as it seems.
22. Carolina Panthers
The defense has been very up and down, but overall shows some promise. Offense has been very limited with Bridgewater at QB and McCaffery on the sideline.
21. Chicago Bears
“The Bears are who we thought they were”. An elite defense wasted due to an equally terrible offense. If you forgot why Trubisky was benched, this weekend showed why.
20. San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh deserve so much credit for the work they have done this season. Despite injuries to their best players on both sides of the ball they are still managing to win some games and staying in the hunt.
19. Atlanta Falcons
The team seems to be responding well to Raheem Morris as their interim head coach. The defense has looked much more lively and the offense seems a little more consistent and explosive. They will not be an easy out.
18. Minnesota Vikings
Remember when people were thinking the Vikings were tanking because they traded Yannick Ngakoue to the Ravens? That was funny. But I digress. Dalvin Cook has simply been amazing and Kirk Cousins decided he was going to be average again rather than terrible. Don’t look now, but they’re one game back from the 7th seed.
17. New England Patriots
Bill Belichick finally learned how to win with a bad QB. Run the ball and control the clock. Or have terrible playing conditions which will hurt the other team more because they likely have the better passing QB. While it might be too late for the Patriots to make the playoffs they can still avoid a losing season if they can string together a few more wins.
16. Houston Texans
Much like the Falcons, the Texans have really came alive after they fired their head coach. As they are 4-3 since Bill O’Brien has been fired. While it has mostly been a carry job by Deshaun Watson the defense has been a bit better and as whole have shown they have something to play for. Which is ruining their draft position to hurt the Dolphins…
Playoff Hopefuls
15. Las Vegas Raiders
I have never been much of a believer that the Raiders would make the playoffs. Defensively they have been lackluster for most of the year and their offense has been up and down all year. I love Jon Gruden but it doesn’t seem meant to be this year
14. Baltimore Ravens
The defense has been kind of shaky recently. Giving up 28 points or more in three of their last five games. Lamar Jackson still hasn’t shown much progress passing the ball. A less reliable offensive line due to retirement and injuries. I would be concerned about missing the playoffs if I were Ravens fans.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I can’t really tell which Bucs you are going to get on a week to week basis. Some weeks Tom Brady is playing like it’s 2007 and other weeks it’s like he’s washed. Some weeks you get the 2002 Bucs defense. Other weeks you get the Bucs defense of recent years. This team is too up and down to confidently put them in the Top 10.
12. Arizona Cardinals
Going into the bye week the Cardinals were sitting pretty after a big win against the Seahawks. Now they are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely. With that being said, this will be a good test to see if Kyler Murray has what it takes to be a franchise QB.
11. Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff was right. The 49ers have their number. With that being said, much like the Cardinals, Rams definitely have a chance to miss the playoffs. They have both their matchups with the Cardinals left and one more matchup with the Seahawks. We are going to learn a lot about this team between now and then.
10. Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has fallen back to what he was last year which is inconsistent. Some weeks he looks really good. Others he looks really bad. They might be in the playoffs this year, but with a less reliable defense, it is hard to imagine they make a serious run.
9. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts defense maybe is not as good as advertised, but are still pretty solid and a group you can win with. The offense is more of the problem as we see more polarizing play by Philip Rivers.
8. Miami Dolphins
Miami’s offense hasn’t been great, but when there has been a lot of people in and out of the lineup on the offensive line and at running back mixed with several changes at quarterback it will be hard gain any continuity. However, thanks to a very good defense and an elite special teams they still find a way to win and win comfortably. And if they finally find their footing on offense…look out.
7. Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield has not been given credit he is due for the improvement he has made. Has been playing at an elite level? Not really, but he has done a much better job taking care of the football and when he’s been asked to throw more he’s done well. Obviously credit goes to Stefanski for finding a scheme to ease the load off Baker. If the defense can find their footing, the Browns–yes the Browns of Cleveland–can make some noise in January.
6. Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill. Derrick Henry. AJ Brown. All it cost was one 1st, one 2nd, one 7th and a future 4th to get arguably the best QB1-RB1-WR1 in football. While the defense has had their issues this season, this offense has shown they are more than capable of overcoming that.
5. Green Bay Packers
People doubted Aaron Rodgers. That’s rich. If Aaron Rodgers keeps pace with his production and the defense stays middle-of-the-road then the Packers playing for the Super Bowl isn’t so crazy.
4. Seattle Seahawks
Letting Russ cook seems to be fading. After a four game stretch where Russell Wilson committed 10 turnovers alone and the defense was giving up nearly 33 points a game the Seahawks have decided to go back to their old methods of ball control and pounding the rock. It is good that they are capable of winning in other ways, despite some criticism they are getting from this change is style.
Super Bowl Contenders
3. New Orleans Saints
The Saints don’t even need a QB to win games. Their defense over the last month has been absolutely insane. Allowing 7 points a game over that span forcing 12 turnovers and allowing 209 yards a game. Mixed with a strong offensive line and great pieces at the skilled positions, it really doesn’t matter who is the QB, the Saints are the best team in the NFC.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Yes, the only undefeated team in the NFL is not the best team. This defense is back to the old Steelers we used to watch with Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. The offense hasn’t been lighting the world on fire, but they definitely are doing their part in making sure they aren’t wasting such a special defense.
1.Kansas City Chiefs
They have the best QB and the best offense in the league so there is never a game where these guys are out of it or that they can’t take over a game at a moments notice. They are the defending champs and have shown no signs of slowing down. So, unless someone shows a weak spot in this offense or the defense regresses to one of the worst in the league they aren’t going anywhere.
