Week 10 NFL Power Rankings
By Liam McKeone
Your weekly NFL Power Rankings for Week 10 of the NFL season.
32. Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)
The Bengals managed to lose their bye week by becoming the only winless team left in the NFL. Tough to see.
31. Washington Redskins (1-8)
This team has been unable to muster a touchdown in 13 quarters of play. Thirteen! They haven't had an easy slate of games, but man, are they bad.
30. New York Jets (1-7)
Anyone who says they knew the Jets would be this bad is a liar. Three weeks after tearing apart the Cowboys, the Jets handed the DOLPHINS, a team that by all accounts is actively trying to lose, their first win. It's rock-bottom.
29. Miami Dolphins (1-7)
The Dolphins now have a win, and the world rejoices. Well, not really, but they again resembled a competent football team for at least some stretch of time, even if it was going against one of their fellow basement-dwellers from New York.
28. Atlanta Falcons (1-7)
The bye week should allow Matt Ryan to return, but that didn't get the job done earlier in the year, so no reason to believe it will now. Atlanta should just be counting down the games until they clear house.
27. Cleveland Browns (2-6)
The season was already going poorly for Cleveland. Then they lost to the Broncos, who were starting a man named Brandon Allen. It has already fallen apart.
26. New York Giants (2-7)
The Giants came out swinging, but couldn't hang with a more talented Cowboys team. Turnovers didn't help matters, and represent an area dearly in need of improvement.
25. Denver Broncos (3-6)
The Broncos won! But it was against the Browns. Brandon Allen looked like an okay quarterback! But it was against the Browns.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6)
The Bucs had another solid offensive day in Seattle, but a porous defense was their downfall once more.
23. Detroit Lions (3-4-1)
One heart-breaking, back-breaking loss after another in typical Lions fashion. Matt Patricia's team has not come together the way it was supposed to, and this season is already lost.
22. Tennessee Titans (4-5)
I was actually a little surprised to learn the Titans were only 4-5, because the season feels like it's gone way worse for them. But here they sit, slightly under .500, with no clear way to win and no clear future.
21. Arizona Cardinals (3-5-1)
Arizona gave one of the best teams in the league a serious run for their money and scored more points than any other offense has managed against the Niners defense. They're trending towards average, a huge step in the right direction after we assumed they'd be in line for another top-five pick in 2020.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)
The defense was torn apart by Deshaun Watson and the offense can't consistently produce. I don't know if Nick Foles will provide that, but if they want to see playoff football this year, he may be their only chance.
19. Oakland Raiders (4-4)
They certainly got some help, but Derek Carr's touchdown toss with less than two minutes remaining was a big-time play. The Raiders may not be good, but they definitely aren't bad, a leap from last year.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)
The Steelers put forth a dominant defensive showing and (aided by a brutal Adam Vinateri shank) pulled out an important win at home. The offense remains a concern, but Pittsburgh isn't dead yet.
17. Chicago Bears (3-5)
The Bears have lost four straight, and it's hard to tell who's been worse-- Matt Nagy or Mitch Trubisky. Having an elite defense can only get you so far in today's league.
16. Los Angeles Chargers (4-5)
In a very Chargers move, Los Angeles has won two straight after being written off and somehow held the Packers to 11 points to win this week. I don't really understand what this team is, but Sunday seemed like the best possible version of it. Hard to put stock in it if they only show up once every three weeks, though.
15. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
Jacoby Brissett's injury and Vinateri's sudden decline made for a bad mix in Pittsburgh on Sunday. If the Colts are healthy, they're a playoff team, but with Brissett banged-up and T.Y. Hilton out for a month, it looks grim.
14. Carolina Panthers (5-3)
Christian McCaffrey led his team to another win on Sunday. The Panthers seem likely to be outclassed by the best of the best with Kyle Allen at QB, but they'll have a chance most weeks.
13. Dallas Cowboys (5-3)
Dallas came out slow but dominated the second half on Monday Night Football. Dak Prescott looked like he did early on in the season and the concern we all felt in the first quarter has essentially disappeared.
12. Minnesota Vikings (6-3)
Losing to Matt Moore is tough, even if it was in Kansas City and Andy Reid remains the best offensive mind in football. The offense needed to be better, but didn't get the job done.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
Philly scrapped out two consecutive wins against two of the five toughest defenses in the league. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be. Likely losing DeSean Jackson for the year hurts more than people will think.
10. Green Bay Packers (7-2)
Scoring 11 points in a loss to a spiraling Chargers team is borderline inexplicable. But given how everything has transpired this year, it seems far more likely to be the exception rather than the norm, so they aren't knocked down too far.
9. Los Angeles Rams (5-3)
Pretty uneventful bye week for the Rams, although I can't imagine they're pleased Seattle added Josh Gordon.
8. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
Picking on the Redskins isn't a big accomplishment, but protecting the home turf and continuing a strong defensive season counts for something.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)
Andy Reid masterminded his way to a big win over a very tough opponent in Minnesota. The defense was the big takeaway, doing just enough and keeping the Vikes to 23 points on the day. Patrick Mahomes should be back soon. Things are looking up.
6. Seattle Seahawks (7-2)
It was an exciting win, but allowing 34 points to the Bucs and managing no interceptions against Jameis Winston is cause for concern. They did add Josh Gordon, though, which should terrify everyone in the league.
5. Houston Texans (6-3)
An easy win over the Jags in the same week the Colts dropped a winnable game is the best Houston could've hoped for. Time to rest and heal during the bye and prep for the stretch run.
4. New Orleans Saints (7-1)
The bye week went by, and nothing really happened. It can do nothing but help Drew Brees, and they should come out firing against Falcons this week.
3. New England Patriots (8-1)
The Patriots were exposed on both offense and defense against the Ravens. Add in a shocking amount of mental errors and it was a tough week. Losing to a good team on the road isn't a huge black mark, but the problems presented are a big enough concern to get knocked down a few pegs.
2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
It's hard to overstate how impressive this win was. John Harbaugh was aggressive at the right times, the offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, and (most importantly) when the Patriots made Lamar Jackson throw, he made the throws. They got some help along the way, but great teams make sure those breaks don't go to waste, and the Ravens came away with the most important win of the year.
1. San Francisco 49ers
It wasn't the most impressive win of the week, but Jimmy Garoppolo had the game we've all been waiting for, which is huge in the grand scheme of things. The Niners remain unblemished and face their biggest test to date when they host Seattle on Monday Night Football this week.