While most power rankings will fluctuate wildly, these should stay reasonably similar on a week-to-week basis.
Number 32: Cincinnati Bengals (ELO: 1170, +0)
The quest is clear. If the Bengals lose out, they will have Joe Burrow in their grasp. May the losing continue in your favor, Cincinnati. The Bengals are the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention.
Number 31: Washington Redskins (ELO: 1224, +0)
The Deadskins were shellacked by the Jets. In 2019, that is a difficult task, but the Redskins find it difficult to play decent football. Chase Young is your likely prize.
Number 30: New York Giants (ELO: 1253, +0)
The idle Giants were hopefully able to teach Saquon Barkley how to gain yards again. His stat line next week should register as yards per carry as opposed to inches per carry.
Number 29: New York Jets (ELO: 1294, +0)
Sam Darnold looks like a real quarterback again. Yes, the Jets beat the Redskins. Yes, the Redskins have no defense. However, Jets fans can once again pretend Darnold is the second coming of Jesus.
Number 28: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ELO: 1302, -1)
The Buccaneers cannot stop a nosebleed. Defensively, they are a sieve. They would likely allow 450 yards and 35 points to your local pee-wee football team. Offensively, the Buccaneers are explosive in racking up points, yards, and Famous Jameis’s turnovers.
Number 27: Miami Dolphins (ELO: 1319, -2)
The Dolphins ended their surprise winning streak with a classic loss to the Bills. They made Josh Allen look elite (as evidenced by his AFC Player of the Week Award) and contributed to John Brown becoming the AFC’s leader in receiving yards. The Tank for Tua campaign hit a snag due to Tagovailoa’s hip injury, but the Dolphins will likely be able to snag the Alabama quarterback if they deem him healthy enough.
Number 26: Arizona Cardinals (ELO: 1328, +2)
After jumping out to a 16-0 lead, the Cardinals surrendered 36 of the next 46 points. In all fairness, the Cardinals were playing one of the NFL’s best teams, but it was a shoddy showing down the stretch. The game was closer than the final score as a fumble on the final play was miraculously returned for a touchdown.
Number 25: Detroit Lions (ELO: 1363, -5)
Jeff Driskel has performed admirably, but the loss of Matthew Stafford tanks the hopes of the Lions. The Lions suffered the standard 90-point penalty as a result of losing their signal-caller, so the Lions will likely stay under the 1400-point total for the remainder of the season.
Number 24: Cleveland Browns (ELO: 1371, -1)
Myles Garrett is not a quarterback, but he is the best player on the Browns, and he had a decent argument at being the best player in the NFL before he turned Mason Rudolph into a human version of Whack-A-Mole. With Garrett suspended for the year, the Browns are less of a threat to make the playoffs.
Number 23: Atlanta Falcons (ELO: 1375, +3)
For the second consecutive week, the Falcons pulled the upset on a divisional opponent, blowing out Carolina and sinking their playoff hopes. The Falcons have yet to be eliminated from playoff contention, but they would require the Seahawks, Saints, or Vikings to lose out, so they are just ruining their draft pick with their recent wins.
Number 22: Denver Broncos (ELO: 1387, +2)
The Fighting Brandon Allens jumped out to a 20-0 lead in Minneapolis before succumbing to 1:00 p.m. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. The Vikings stormed back before holding onto a 27-23 victory. The Broncos are not terrible, but they are not very good either.
Number 21: Jacksonville Jaguars (ELO: 1411, +0)
The return of the legendary Nick Foles brought little success, unless you started D.J. Chark or the Colts’ defense in fantasy. The Jaguars had little success with Leonard Fournette, and they likely ended their chance at the playoffs.
Number 20: Los Angeles Chargers (ELO: 1448, +2)
The Chargers were the better team for most of the game in Mexico City, but Philip Rivers decided to show the whole world what the value of an interception is. Rivers tossed four picks to hand the Chiefs the win.
Number 19: Chicago Bears (ELO: 1455, +0)
Mitch Trubisky sucks. Chase Daniel sucks. Congrats on being the 2019 version of the 2018 Jaguars. That is all.
Number 18: Carolina Panthers (ELO: 1466, -3)
The Panthers are beginning to fade as Kyle Allen has turned back into a pumpkin. The glass slipper broke just like the Panthers’ punt coverage broke down.
Number 17: Pittsburgh Steelers (ELO: 1502, -5)
The Pittsburgh Whack-A-Masons were so bad offensively that Myles Garrett was more accurate than Mason Rudolph. As good as T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick are for the defense, the defense cannot survive when the offense plays like a dead body.
Number 16: Tennessee Titans (ELO: 1507, +0)
The Titans are in the thick of the wild card race. If Derrick Henry can go on a 2018-style march through December, the Titans could return to the playoffs.
Number 15: Buffalo Bills (ELO: 1516,+3)
The Bills succeeded in every facet of the game that did not involve Jason Sanders or Jakeem Grant. Except for Grant’s two touchdowns and a successful onside kick, the Bills were fantastic on Sunday.
Number 14: Oakland Raiders (ELO: 1531, +3)
A win on Sunday versus the Jets will launch the Raiders into a tie with the Chiefs for the lead in the AFC West. Jon Gruden has worked his quarterback magic to turn the Raiders into a juggernaut and Derek Carr into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
Number 13: Indianapolis Colts (ELO: 1567, +1)
The Colts have a short week after dispatching the hapless Jaguars. A trip to Houston for the de facto AFC South crown awaits.
Number 12: Los Angeles Rams (ELO: 1581, +1)
Aaron Donald is awake. Sadly, it is likely too late for the Rams to make much of a dent into the NFC playoff picture. A win against Baltimore would keep the Rams within a game of the wild card race, but the offense has lost much of its luster.
Number 11: Philadelphia Eagles (ELO: 1582, -1)
The defense was great. Carson Wentz was pretty solid. The Eagles had a realistic shot of winning, but Nelson Agholor disease struck Nelson Agholor, and the Eagles dropped the ball on their way to a fifth loss.
Number 10: Houston Texans (ELO: 1584, -2)
The Texans were simply run out of the building by a superior Ravens team. The Colts await.
Number 9: Dallas Cowboys (ELO: 1609, +2)
Allowing 27 points to Jeff Driskel is not a good start, but Dak Prescott has been playing at the level of an MVP candidate in recent weeks. The Cowboys hold a slim lead in the NFC East, and Prescott must keep up his torrid pace.
Number 8: Minnesota Vikings (ELO: 1620, +1)
At least the Vikings bothered to show up in the second half. Despite the woes of Dalvin Cook and first-half Kirk Cousins, the second-half Vikings came alive with a flurry of big plays and defensive stops. They get to rest next week.
Number 7: Green Bay Packers (ELO: 1637, +0)
The Packers have a critical matchup against the 49ers on Sunday. A win could secure a first-round bye, but a loss would open the division back for Minnesota. Your move, Aaron.
Number 6: Kansas City Chiefs (ELO: 1672, +0)
Patrick Mahomes had his worst performance as a professional, and the Chiefs won. The defense remembered that it is paid to play football, and they forced four Philip Rivers interceptions. The Chiefs still have tough games against the Raiders and Patriots on their schedule.
Number 5: Seattle Seahawks (ELO: 1677, +0)
Russell Wilson lost ground in the MVP race to Lamar Jackson as Jackson posted another sublime performance. However, Wilson is still my frontrunner for MVP, and the Seahawks should come off the bye and defeat the Eagles on Sunday.
Number 4: San Francisco 49ers (ELO: 1745, +0)
The 49ers have had a string of tough division games, and now they descend into one of the most difficult stretches of games in NFL history. The next three weeks will prove if the 49ers are serious contenders as the Packers, Ravens, and Saints come up on the schedule.
Number 3: Baltimore Ravens (ELO: 1822, +0)
The Ravens are a popular choice for NFL’s best team after dispatching the Seahawks, Patriots, and Texans in five weeks, but I will keep them at three for the moment. Lamar Jackson had another stellar game, and the defense was phenomenal outside of a Carlos Hyde touchdown run. The Rams await.
Number 2: New Orleans Saints (ELO: 1828, +0)
The Saints got back on track with a drubbing of the Buccaneers. Michael Thomas is so good that he has walked into the fringes of the MVP race. The schedule heats up as the Saints look to secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Number 1: New England Patriots (ELO: 1854, +0)
The Patriots had another strong defensive performance, but their offense lacked a strong bite. Outside of a Julian Edelman touchdown pass, the Patriots did fairly little to move the ball up and down the field. It is alarming, but the Patriots should coast to yet another bye.
