While most power rankings will fluctuate wildly, these should stay reasonably similar on a week-to-week basis.
Number 32: New York Giants (ELO: 1326, -1)
If it wasn’t for an epic comeback by Kyler Murray to force a tie, the Giants would still be in the 31st position.
Number 31: Arizona Cardinals (ELO: 1339, +1)
The Cardinals gained points from a tie because they snatched the tie from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Number 30: Denver Broncos (ELO: 1346, +0)
Denver looked really bad on Monday Night. They could not contain Josh Jacobs and could not generate pressure on a bad Oakland offensive line.
Number 29: Miami Dolphins (ELO: 1365, -2)
The Dolphins are stumbling down the Splash-ELO ratings. If the rankings were not based on a number, the Dolphins would already be at the bottom. You get a painful descent, Miami.
Number 28: Cincinnati Bengals (ELO: 1371, +1)
Cincinnati was quite unfortunate to take a loss against the Seahawks. The Bengals played well, and they are poised to move up in the power rankings.
Number 27: Oakland Raiders (ELO: 1397, +1)
Between the last power rankings and Monday Night Football, the Raiders were in free-fall due to the loss of Antonio Brown. However, they quickly recovered those points by beating the Broncos.
Number 26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ELO: 1401, -1)
Jameis Winston looked like a catastrophe. The Buccaneers are in an unsteady position over two teams who should move past them next week.
Number 25: Washington Redskins (ELO: 1403, -2)
The Redskins looked like a real team until they took a 17-point lead over the Eagles. After that, they capitulated in record time, getting shellacked by the Eagles in the second half. Derrius Guice’s injury drops the Redskins below the Jaguars.
Number 24: Jacksonville Jaguars (ELO: 1406, -2)
The Jaguars would likely be in a better position, but the loss of Nick Foles docked the Jags a handful of extra points. Gardner Minshew could earn those points back, but it will be tough.
Number 23: San Francisco 49ers (ELO: 1422, +3)
In an alternate universe, the 49ers scored three extra touchdowns. In reality, they had multiple touchdowns wiped off the board, and they pulled away late against a terrible Bucs team.
Number 22: New York Jets (ELO: 1423, -1)
The first half Jets were pretty good. The defense was electric, and Le’Veon Bell was moving the ball for the offense. In the second half, a C.J. Mosley injury stunted the entire Jets team. It does not help that Kaare Vedvik missed an extra point and a field goal in a one-point loss.
Number 21: Buffalo Bills (ELO: 1427, +3)
Josh Allen was not great in the first half (leading to four turnovers), but he picked up his play significantly in the second half, engineering three scoring drives in the last few minutes to snatch a victory from the Jets.
Number 20: Carolina Panthers (ELO: 1429, +0)
The Panthers got the short end of the stick in playing a superior team. They should crush the Buccaneers and start to move up the power rankings.
Number 19: Detroit Lions (ELO: 1439, +0)
The Lions lost points in their tie with the Cardinals because they blew an 18-point lead to a rookie quarterback in his first start. The Lions were a clown show in the fourth quarter.
Number 18: Indianapolis Colts (ELO: 1448, +0)
The Colts did not get a possession in the overtime frame, but they also failed to stop Austin Ekeler at any point in the game. They only slip by three Splash-ELO points.
Number 17: Atlanta Falcons (ELO: 1469, -2)
The Falcons had a pathetic performance at U.S. Bank Stadium. In the loss, Chris Lindstrom (their No. 14 pick) was lost to injury. It is a double-whammy for the Falcons.
Number 16: Pittsburgh Steelers (ELO: 1487, -2)
The Steelers were obliterated by the Patriots. This is likely a case of the Patriots just being that good, but it was a colossal loss for the Yinzers.
Number 15: Green Bay Packers (ELO: 1491, +2)
The Packers’ offense looked particularly inept, but the defense had a performance for the ages … against an equally inept Chicago offense.
Number 14: Cleveland Browns (ELO: 1542, -4)
The Browns were curb-stomped at home by (at the time) and inferior team. While other teams were blown out (Pittsburgh and Miami) and even the Dolphins got drubbed at home, the Browns racked up 18 penalties and a horror show on offense in the second half.
Number 13: Tennessee Titans (ELO: 1546, +3)
Tennessee’s defense is 100% legit. The offense was not fantastic, but they were able to move the ball enough to clobber the Browns. The Derrick Henry formula works, and that could propel the Titans into the top 10.
Number 12: Houston Texans (ELO: 1571, +0)
The Texans were a miraculous drive by Drew Brees away from being in the top 10 of the power rankings. The Texans only lose a handful of Splash-ELO rating points.
Number 11: Minnesota Vikings (ELO: 1575, +2)
They only won by 16, but the Vikings thoroughly dominated the Falcons. Dalvin Cook looked incredibly explosive, and the defense was as good as any unit in the NFL.
Number 10: Chicago Bears (ELO: 1596, -5)
What was that Chicago? It is 2019, not 1920. Matt Nagy’s playcalling resembled that of a four-year-old playing Madden. The Bears only lost by seven, but they were not competitive on offense for any period of the game.
Number 9: Los Angeles Chargers (ELO: 1600, +0)
During the writing of this article, the Chargers announced injuries to Hunter Henry and Mike Williams. Despite an overtime win over the Colts, the Chargers lose points due to the injuries.
Number 8: Seattle Seahawks (ELO: 1616, +0)
The Seahawks defeated a vastly inferior team at home by one point. The offense and defense had their shaky moments, but D.K. Metcalf showed why many thought he could be a first-round pick.
Number 7: Baltimore Ravens (ELO: 1631, +4)
Wow. Yes, it is the Dolphins. Yes, the Dolphins would probably lose to your local high school. However, 59 points is a lot of points. A 49-point win happens twice a decade. We need to appreciate how good Lamar Jackson and company were because demolitions like this happen incredibly rarely.
Number 6: Philadelphia Eagles (ELO: 1632, +0)
It took a half, but the Eagles returned to being a good football team. DeSean Jackson looked like a spry gazelle, and Miles Sanders looked explosive.
Number 5: Kansas City Chiefs (ELO: 1633, -2)
Yes, the Chiefs won. Yes, the Chiefs dominated on the road. However, Tyreek Hill will be gone for four to six weeks, leaving the Chiefs with a net gain of zero points this week.
Number 4: Los Angeles Rams (ELO: 1640, +0)
The Rams had a good, not great, performance in Charlotte last week. The offense made enough plays to win, and the defense made enough plays to win. It was simple.
Number 3: Dallas Cowboys (ELO: 1646, +4)
Similar to the Ravens, yes, the Cowboys obliterated a bad Giants team. However, the Cowboys looked lethal on offense as Dak Prescott dissected the Giants, and Ezekiel Elliott did not skip a beat.
Number 2: New Orleans Saints (ELO: 1647, +0)
The Saints barely beat the Texans. However, a win is a win. In the second half, the Saints controlled much of the game. The Saints are still one of the best teams in the NFL.
Number 1: New England Patriots (ELO: 1736, +0)
The Patriots took a gigantic leap in Splash-ELO points due to their massacre of the Steelers and the acquisition of Antonio Brown. Brown is in legal trouble at the time of writing, so those extra points could be stripped if Brown does not play a down in Foxboro, but as of now, the Patriots are by far the best team in the NFL.
