Devereaux’s Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

There is no need to sugarcoat what happened this past week. The New England Patriots lost their first game, and the Miami Dolphins won their first game. This caused a little stir-up for both the top half of the rankings and the bottom half of the rankings. As a loss for the Patriots means being dethroned from being No. 1. As for the Dolphins, they may have lost their footing at having the top pick in the upcoming 2020 draft. All that remains now is that San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals. As they both have a zero in a column that can mean a lot for them when January comes around.

San Francisco 49ers (8-0) (Last Week: 3): Although they are now on top of the pack for the first time all year, their second-half schedule will not be reminiscent of their first eight games. The 49ers run the ball on 56 percent of their plays, which is the highest in the league, but most of those games were against struggling defensive teams. Their game against Seattle will be a true testament of their offensive power.
The New England Patriots (8-1) (Last Week: 1): To everyone who is saying “I told you so” to the New England Patriots because they finally lost to a “real” football team on Sunday night, Bill Belichick is going to use this game as a means of support to bolster an already elite team. The score of the game does not represent how the Patriots played as key turnovers such as the Julian Edelman fumble was the turning point of the game. The Patriots will be getting back rookie N’Keal Harry after their bye week to bolster a damaged receiving core.
New Orleans Saints (7-1) (Last Week: 2): The New Orlean Saints will be coming off a bye week, which rested players who were dealing with injuries such as Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara. Having those two rested and recovery means trouble for future opponents.
Baltimore Ravens (6-2) (Last Week: 5): A statement win at home for the Baltimore Ravens was big as Lamar Jackson showed he can still be dominant against one of the better defenses in the league. However, I will give credit to the New England Patriots’ secondary as most of the damage was done not through the air but by Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram on the ground. The duo makes it hard to stop their run game behind a very well-disciplined offensive line.
Green Bay Packers (7-2) (Last Week: 4): The Green Bay Packers were downright outplayed by the Los Angeles Chargers. Aaron Rodgers was shut down until the fourth quarter. The Packers are 1-2 in games where they do not create a turnover. If the defense cannot produce turnovers or three-and-outs, the Packers’ offense flounders.
Seattle Seahawks (7-2) (Last Week: 6): Russell Wilson had 22 touchdowns and over 2,500 passing yards through nine games. Not only is he throwing for a lot of touchdowns and yards, but he’s doing it with great accuracy and protection. Wilson has only thrown one interception thus far against his 22 touchdowns. With the run game and offensive line providing enough blocking and running, Wilson should have his best year yet.
Houston Texans (6-3) (Last Week: 8): The Houston Texans are a great team. This is one of the few teams that I have a consistent view of. They are a very talented team. Even when key players go down, the next man up fills in. However, I still do not see them doing well once the playoffs come by. A one-win playoff run has been what I can see from this team all year, and nothing has changed my mind thus far.
Buffalo Bills (6-2) (Last Week: 9): Josh Allen may have a strong arm and is surprisingly mobile for his size but his throwing accuracy is severely ruining his team offensive potential. Even though Allen has room to improve, the Buffalo Bills would be a more-cohesive team if their offense could consistently find a rhythm through the air.
Minnesota Vikings (6-3) (Last Week: 7): Although the Vikings had a strong four games in October, it seems that the Kirk Cousins curse is still relevant to the team. Cousins has a terrible record against teams that pose a record over .500 to when they currently played. Going into the year, Cousins was 5-28, and after last Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, he is now 5-30. If the curse continues, they will be a quick exit out of the playoffs … if they make it.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-3) (Last Week: 11): Matt Moore filled in nicely during Patrick Mahomes’s absence. If the team wants to make sure that Mahomes is fully recovered so they do not risk reinjuring their star quarterback, they can be confident in Moore’s ability to fill in for another game or two.
Dallas Cowboys (5-3) (Last Week: 12): A lot of the Dallas Cowboys’ blame for being 5-3 has falsely landed on Dak Prescott. With an average passer rating of 102.5 through eight games and having over 2,300 yards along with 15 touchdowns, it seems a bit unreasonable to believe that Prescott is the cause for the Cowboys’ slumps. In fact, the blame should be shifted to the coaching. Questionable game calls and formations can not be blamed on the person who is receiving them, but rather the person who is calling them. Jason Garrett will be the downfall of this team come the end of the year.
Los Angeles Rams (5-3) (Last Week: 13): I hope the team took this bye week to think about how they could improve offensively, whether it means having the offense switch to a more Cooper Kupp- and Robert Woods-heavy play-style or trying to fix the run in which Todd Gurley can thrive in. Either would be beneficial for the team going forward.
Indianapolis Colts (5-3) (Last Week: 10): Kicking is the only flaw to this team. Adam Vinatieri is having one of his worst seasons as a kicker, as he is only kicking with 70 percent accuracy. The Colts could have one of the better records in the league if Vinatieri had a higher success rate.
Carolina Panthers (5-3) (Last Week: 14): Placing Cam Newton on IR gave Kyle Allen the keys to the franchise for the year. Allen has performed well for the Carolina Panthers, but has it been enough to consider the idea of trading Cam Newton this offseason? Can Allen play without Christian McCaffrey? McCaffrey is a heavy option for the Panthers’ offense, and if he were to miss games, could Allen play well enough to still win?
Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) (Last Week: 16): The past two weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles have faced elite defenses. However, those two teams have terrible offenses, meaning that the Eagles were able to tire out their opponents on offense with a successful run game. Two straight weeks of good running could mean that Doug Pederson finally found an offensive play-style for this year’s Eagles team.
Oakland Raiders (4-4) (Last Week: 20): The Raiders had not played a home game since Week 2. They played six straight weeks on the road before coming home and beating the Detroit Lions in fashion. Being 4-4 while having two-thirds of the games played on the road boasts good fortune for the Oakland Raiders.
Detroit Lions (3-4-1) (Last Week: 15): Matthew Stafford is having a wonderful year as he is just shy of 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. If only the defense could play consistently, the Lions would be in a better situation.
Los Angeles Chargers (4-5) (Last Week: 22): The Chargers are surging back. I mentioned earlier in the year that this team would not look better until Week 6. Well, now it’s Week 9 and they are looking like the team everyone thought they would be. The offense is still a bit slow, but it is improving, and the Chargers could make a late playoff run if they continue this play.
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4) (Last Week: 24): I have no faith in the Steelers making a playoff push. Their defense has been incredible the past three weeks, but the offensive play is still poor. Mason Rudolph is just alright at best, and Juju Smith-Schuster is having a down year. It seems that the emotion of these games are based off the fact that they do not want to have a terrible record since they traded away their first round pick to the Miami Dolphins.
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) (Last Week: 17): Gardner Minshew had a bad game in England on Sunday and the choice to bring back Nick Foles as the starting quarterback after their bye week emerged. Minshew, although having a bad week, was having a good year filling in for the injured Foles, as he threw for 13 touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans (4-5) (Last Week: 19): People forget Ryan Tannehill was a starting quarterback a few years ago. Tannehill has been playing pretty well with the Titans’ weird offense. Unlike Marcus Mariota, Tannehill has been able to move the chains more consistently. I believe that this quarterback change will result in Mariota finding a new team this offseason.
Chicago Bears (3-5) (Last Week: 18): Although the Bears have had one of the tougher schedules this year, there is no excuse for the terrible offense that they have been playing all year. Mitchell Trubisky has just five touchdowns in seven games. In five of those seven games, he has not thrown a touchdown. These are just not appropriate numbers for a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals (3-5-1) (Last Week: 21): I projected this team to win only three games the whole year. Halfway through the season, they already bested my projected. Even more, they have been competitive in most games. The rookie combination of quarterback Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been a surprising success in the NFL, although they both have lots to learn before the Cardinals can consider themselves a real threat.
Denver Broncos (3-6) (Last Week: 27): Joe Flacco may be another victim to the Denver Broncos’ quarterback situation. Flacco, who was having a down year, was injured in Week 8. To replace the injured Flacco, the Broncos decided to not place rookie Drew Lock into the horrors of the team’s terrible offense, but instead are playing rookie Brandon Allen. Flacco, who led the team to a dismal 2-6 record before getting hurt, has now been an afterthought as Allen won his first game as starter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6) (Last Week: 25): The Buccaneers should be 4-4 on the season but have had trouble with their offense, especially with Jameis Winston being a turnover machine.
Cleveland Browns (2-6) (Last Week: 23): Maybe another year at the bottom with a high draft pick would be best for the team.
The New York Giants (2-7) (Last Week: 26): The black cat may have been the highlight for Giants fans this year.
Atlanta Falcons (1-7) (Last Week: 29): What would Falcons fans want from the 2020 draft? Are fans done with Matt Ryan, or would they want to continue this team by adding a defensive stud.
Washington Redskins (1-8) (Last Week: 30): What do Josh Rosen and Dwayne Haskins have in common? They were both placed on terrible teams with little to no chance at succeeding.
Miami Dolphins (1-7) (Last Week: 32): After a grueling 0-7 start, the Dolphins got their first win. But, they are hurting their chance at the No. 1 pick.
The New York Jets (1-7) (Last Week: 28): Sam Darnold should take more blame for the terrible season that this team is having. Having nine interceptions to six touchdowns is not starting-caliber. There is no excuse for a quarterback who has talented offensive weapons.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-8) (Last Week: 31): With Miami winning a game, the Bengals are now in front of obtaining the No. 1 pick. Be happy, Cincinnati, you’re onto the 2020 draft.