Raul Vazquez | October 22nd, 2019
There was a ton of movement in the weekly rankings this week. The one constant in the NFL seems to be the Patriots while the 49ers are legit and the Ravens might be the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC.
1. New England Patriots (+0)
A week after the Jets looked good and had hope for the first time all season, the Patriots completely shut them down and destroyed them on Monday night football. The Patriots are now 7-0 and just keep on rolling.
2. San Francisco 49ers (+3)
This 49ers defense has given up ten points over the last three games. That is a recipe for success. Even though Jimmy Garoppolo has thrown eight touchdowns and eight interceptions but hey San Francisco is 6-0. Nobody could have possibly predicted this but the 49ers are in the driver seat in the NFC West.
3. New Orleans Saints (-1)
Drew Brees will be practicing this week and there is hope that he will be able to play Sunday. Teddy Bridgewater did all that New Orleans could have asked for, going 5-0 as the starter. None of their next three games come against teams that are .500 which could mean a 9-1 start for the Saints.
4. Green Bay Packers (-1)
The Packers dropped a spot but only because of the start the 49ers have had. Aaron Rodgers was clicking on all cylinders against the Raiders throwing for five touchdowns and adding one more score on the ground. They head to Arrowhead to play the Matt Moore led Chiefs as they look to improve to 7-1.
5. Buffalo Bills (+1)
The Bills just keep on winning. Whether or not you believe in Josh Allen and the Bills, it does not matter, they are now 5-1 with games against the Redskins, Dolphins, Broncos, and Steelers left. A nine-win season is absolutely in the fold and with that defense, double-digit wins and the playoffs are a real possibility.
6. Indianapolis Colts (+4)
A week after beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead, the Colts won an important divisional matchup with the Texans in Lucas Oil Stadium. Their next four are against the Broncos, Steelers, Dolphins, and Jaguars which is friendly, to say the least.
7. Minnesota Vikings (+5)
Hello, Kirk Cousins. In the weeks after weirdly apologizing to Adam Thielen, Cousins has thrown for 976 yards, ten touchdowns, and just one interception and the Vikings are predictably 3-0 in those games. A 6-2 start is likely with the Redskins up next.
8. Baltimore Ravens (+7)
Lamar Jackson is pretty good at football. The way the 2018 class of quarterbacks has performed he is easily separating himself as the best playmaker in the class, and it was once again on display, this time, in Seattle in a win over the Seahawks in hostile territory. Baltimore is running away with the NFC North and seems like the biggest threat to New England.
9. Seattle Seahawks (-5)
The Seahawks lost their second game of the season in a close one, but sitting at 5-2 they are certainly still one of the best teams in the NFC and the NFL. Russell Wilson threw his first interception of the season which ended up being a Marcus Peters but expect Wilson and the Seahawks to bounce back.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (-3)
The Chiefs kicked off week seven against the Broncos on Thursday night with the biggest news of the season. The NFL world was stunned when Patrick Mahomes was injured on a quarterback sneak on an already bad leg but the good news for Kansas City is that they still improved to 5-2, the bad news is that Matt Moore will be the starting quarterback for the next few weeks.
11. Houston Texans (-2)
Tough loss for the Texans on the road in a game with big divisional implications, and in the process lost their number two receiver in Will Fuller but we all know the potential they have with Deshaun Watson under center.
12. Dallas Cowboys (+2)
That was a huge win for the Cowboys. They now hold the top spot in the division and got back their confidence after dropping the past three. The win was big right before their bye week.
13. Los Angeles Rams (+3)
The Rams got back on track with a complete beatdown of the awful Falcons. The Rams got a loss from Seattle to help climb back in the NFC West but the 49ers just keep on winning. They host Cincinnati next week with a chance to keep things going.
14. Detroit Lions (-6)
Detroit has had a tough stretch. They’ve lost their last three games but each of those losses has been close. The Lions are a scrappy team and should be in wild-card hunt come December but they will need to start winning close games. With the news that Kerryon Johnson is going on injured reserve only makes things worse.
15. Chicago Bears (-4)
Chicago has one hole on their roster, and it is the most important position in football. Mitchell Trubisky passed for 251 yards and two scores this past Sunday which isn’t bad numbers, but 132 of those yards and both scores came on the last two drives while already down 36-10. Trubisky will always be haunted by the fact that Mahomes and Watson were taken just a few picks later.
16. Carolina Panthers (+1)
Carolina had their bye week and will take their 4-2 record into San Francisco for a matchup with the undefeated 49ers.
17. Philadelphia Eagles (-4)
That was a huge loss for the Eagles. The winner took first place in the division, but more importantly, the Eagles are starting to lose excuses for these losses. As the losses pile up they may become even more important if the Eagles have to battle for a wild card spot.
18. Arizona Cardinals (+2)
Arizona won three games through all of 2018, and have now won three straight after their win over the Giants. The sad news is that six of their last nine games are against the Saints, Rams twice, Seahawks, and 49ers twice. There are still winnable games against the Buccaneers and Steelers but the optimism ends there.
19. Cleveland Browns (+0)
The Browns 2-4 start was put on pause during their bye week, but they are back in full swing with a matchup in Foxborough. After the way the Patriots looked in a beatdown of the Jets, Baker Mayfield might be in big trouble.
20. Oakland Raiders (-2)
The Raiders were absolutely torched by Rodgers and a passing attack that was without Davante Adams. They responded by trading away a promising young defensive back in Gareon Conley. After doing battle with the Packers, the Raiders head to Houston for a tough contest with another stud quarterback in Watson.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (+0)
Jacksonville got back in the win column after having lost after losing two straight games. The Jaguars pulled away in the fourth quarter but the game was close throughout. The way the Jets looked against the Patriots, Jacksonville might be able to string together back to back wins.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers (+0)
Pittsburgh had their bye week and have a chance to improve to 3-4 with a matchup against the Dolphins up next.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+0)
Tampa Bay also had their week during week seven and will be back in action next week against the Titans.
24. Tennessee Titans (+2)
The Titans squeaked out a win by the slimmest of margins. They will be looking for a new franchise quarterback when the offseason rolls around but for now, Ryan Tannehill looked competent running the offense and may provide some hope for Tennessee.
25. Denver Broncos (-1)
The Broncos were at home and were within four points when the Chiefs lost Mahomes for the game but still ended up losing 30-6. The Broncos now sit at 2-5 and have been as bad as it gets.
26. New York Jets (-6)
Well, how about that performance. A week after giving New York hope, they completely threw it all away and did not show up under the national spotlight against the Patriots. The Jets weren’t expected to win but the performance they put on the field was completely embarrassing.
27. New York Giants (-2)
This offensive line has done Daniel Jones no favors. Nate Solder and the line gave Jones zero time all game and made it hard on him. The Giants kept it close all game and had a one-score game on their hands but blew it with a messed up protection Jones fumbled it and gifted the Cardinals field goal range and the game.
28. Los Angeles Chargers (+0)
That’s it. The Chargers season is over, and with it goes the title aspirations that they’ve had, year in and year out, with Phillip Rivers under center. The ending of the game against the Titans was one of the weirdest you’ll ever see.
29. Atlanta Falcons (+0)
What is wrong with Atlanta. The Falcons were down 27-3 going into the fourth quarter and showed zero signs of life once again. The terrible start could continue with their next two games coming against the Seahawks and Saints.
30. Washington Redskins (+0)
Washington is right there with Cincinnati and Miami for the title of the worst team in the NFL. They hung in there with the undefeated 49ers in an ugly football weather game but did not get anything going on offense and were blanked. The Redskins fall to 1-6 without many positives to look towards.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (+0)
Cincinnati gave the impression that they would be a competitive team when they just barely lost to the Seahawks in week one, but have now rattled off six straight losses after week one. They will absolutely be in the market for a quarterback when April comes around.
32. Miami Dolphins (+0)
The Dolphins are still the worst team in the league. Old man Ryan Fitzpatrick gave Miami life and had them up 14-9 and in the redzone to start the third quarter, but in Fitzpatrick fashion threw a redzone interception. Miami is now 0-6, with a matchup against the Steelers coming up on Monday night.
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