While most power rankings will fluctuate wildly, these should stay reasonably similar on a week-to-week basis.
Number 32: Cincinnati Bengals (ELO: 1218, +0)
The Bengals actually won a game on Sunday. Despite the resounding win over the Jets, the Bengals stay glued to the bottom of the power rankings, and they stay glued to the top draft boards everywhere.
Number 31: New York Giants (ELO: 1221, +0)
The Giants have lost eight consecutive games after getting back to .500 through four games. While they were not terrible against the Packers, they were thoroughly outclassed at home.
Number 30: Arizona Cardinals (ELO: 1283, -4)
The Cardinals had a dismal showing against the Rams on Sunday. The Cardinals were beaten senselessly by Jared Goff and Robert Woods. The Cardinals might have an offense at the moment, but their defense lags significantly.
Number 29: Detroit Lions (ELO: 1303, -1)
Starting a new quarterback, David Blough, the Lions turned Thanksgiving into a great game against the Bears. Sadly, the Lions lost and fell out of the NFC playoff race.
Number 28: Atlanta Falcons (ELO: 1315, -1)
In a similar story to the Lions, the Falcons made Thanksgiving entertaining for a couple of hours. The Falcons were getting drubbed at home by the Saints, but a series of scoring drives and a pair of successful onside kicks launched the Falcons back into the game. Despite the loss, the team showed immense bravery.
Number 27: Washington Redskins (ELO: 1324, +3)
The Redskins have done what the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants have failed to do the last two weeks: win football games. After dispatching the Lions last week, the Redskins went to Charlotte and defeated the Panthers. Both Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson exploded for huge days on the ground, and the Redskins are not yet eliminated from the NFC East race.
Number 26: Jacksonville Jaguars (ELO: 1331, -3)
The Jaguars have been a train wreck for the last few games. Against the Buccaneers, they fell into an early hole and had to bench Nick Foles. The Nick Foles experiment appears to be an absolute mess, so it seems likely that Gardner Minshew will start for the remainder of the season.
Number 25: New York Jets (ELO: 1339, -3)
What was that? As soon as I began to trust the Jets with winning games, they laid an egg against the worst team in the NFL.
Number 24: Miami Dolphins (ELO: 1345, +5)
The Dolphins had a terrific win at home over the Eagles on Sunday. The team showed a tremendous amount of fight, coming back from down to possessions. The highlight of the day went to the punter and kicker combination which produced a passing touchdown. The Dolphins aren’t good, but they have pieces moving forward.
Number 23: Cleveland Browns (ELO: 1375, -2)
The Browns had a sliver of hope entering Pittsburgh on Sunday. They proceeded to stomp on it with the fury of 60 minutes of poorly played football.
Number 22: Oakland Raiders (ELO: 1386, -2)
The Raiders were clobbered by the Chiefs on Sunday. Despite Patrick Mahomes not being spectacular, the Raiders had mistake after mistake and blew the games themselves. Josh Jacobs had a strong start to the game, but the rookie could not carry the Raiders to more than nine points.
Number 21: Los Angeles Chargers (ELO: 1398, -2)
The Chargers lost their eighth game of the season in which the game was decided by one possession. While many believe that the Chargers were hosed on a late defense of pass interference call, they did not play particularly well at any point in the game.
Number 20: Denver Broncos (ELO: 1402, +4)
The beneficiaries of a questionable defensive pass interference call, Drew Lock and Cortland Sutton appeared to have a strong connection as the rookie found Sutton for two touchdowns. If Lock were to develop into a solid quarterback, the Broncos could find a way to the 2020 playoffs.
Number 19: Carolina Panthers (ELO: 1406, -1)
The Panthers are trash. Kyle Allen is not a good quarterback. As good as Christian McCaffrey is at football, he cannot carry an entire offense for an entire season.
Number 18: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ELO: 1417, +7)
The Buccaneers had an impressive win over a terrible team in Jacksonville. The defense came to play as Devin White had his best game of the season. The Buccaneers have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, but they have to be able to play consistent football if they want to make the playoffs in the future.
Number 17: Chicago Bears (ELO: 1472, +0)
The Bears won on Thanksgiving. In the win, Mitch Trubisky looked like a real quarterback for once. While it was against the porous Lions defense, Trubisky inspired enough Bears fans for him not to be booed next week.
Number 16: Philadelphia Eagles (ELO: 1477, -1)
The Eagles had a terrible performance late in the game against the Dolphins. Despite jumping out to a big lead fueled by Carson Wentz playing like his 2017 self, the Eagles returned to earth and proceeded to allow DeVante Parker to destroy their secondary. The Eagles still have playoff hopes, but they are slowly dwindling.
Number 15: Indianapolis Colts (ELO: 1516,-5)
The Colts had the lead for most of the game on Sunday, but a series of huge plays by the Titans swung the game for a 10-point Colts lead to a 14-point Titans lead. Adam Vinatieri had two kicks blocked on the day, one being returned for the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts are not a bad team, but they have been poor of late.
Number 14: Pittsburgh Steelers (ELO: 1529, +2)
The Steelers had a terrific defensive gameplan to counteract the Browns. While Devlin Hodges was nothing spectacular, he manufactured enough scoring drives for the Steelers to walk away with their seventh one of the season. Surprisingly, the Steelers still hold onto the final playoff spot in the AFC.
Number 13: Dallas Cowboys (ELO: 1543, -4)
The Cowboys were not terrible against the Bills, but they were unable to execute when they needed to. They were unable to stop Devin Singletary and Josh Allen as the Bills went up and down the field on the Cowboys for most of the game. The Cowboys are still in a playoff spot, but they must play better next week.
Number 12: Tennessee Titans (ELO: 1561, +1)
The Titans have rattled off five wins in six games under the guidance of Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill has injected the Titans with the fervor that the franchise has not had since the days of Steve McNair and Eddie George. While the Titans are still out of the playoffs on a tiebreaker with the Steelers, they control their destiny in the division as they play the Texans twice over the next four weeks.
Number 11: Los Angeles Rams (ELO: 1566, +3)
After being curb-stomped by the Ravens in front of the entire country, the Rams curb-stomped the Cardinals in front of about 12 people. The Rams were the vastly superior team, and they find themselves just one game out of the NFC playoffs after Minnesota lost to Seattle. The Rams still have a shot at making the playoffs, but they have to translate their performance against the Cardinals in twins over teams that are actually good at football.
Number 10: Green Bay Packers (ELO: 1583, +2)
In the snow of East Rutherford, N.J., the Packers played well. Aaron Rodgers looked like the Aaron Rodgers of old as he torched the Giants secondary repeatedly. Davante Adams had his breakout game of the season.
Number 9: Buffalo Bills (ELO: 1591, +2)
The Bills had a great win in Dallas on Thursday. Josh Allen had yet another solid performance, and Devin Singletary looked explosive. The defense has been playing extraordinarily well. Next week, the Bills get to face the No. 2 offense in terms of total yardage and the No. 1 scoring offense in the Baltimore Ravens.
Number 8: Minnesota Vikings (ELO: 1600, -1)
The Vikings did not look bad against the Seahawks, but one team had to lose, and it happened to be the Vikings. Kirk Cousins seem to exorcise some of his Monday Night Football demons, but it was not enough to overcome Seattle. Cousins has now lost all eight of his Monday Night Football starts. The Vikings have great personnel on both sides of the ball, but they are only one game up on the Rams for the final playoff spot.
Number 7: Houston Texans (ELO: 1700, +1)
Despite the misleading scoreboard, the Texans had the win of the weekend as they thoroughly defeated the Patriots. If it wasn’t for a 13-point spurt by the Patriots in the fourth quarter, the Texans would’ve walked out with a 19-point win over the NFL’s best team at the time. Deshaun Watson looked poised and effective against the NFL’s best secondary, and Houston is one step closer to having a first-round bye.
Number 6: Kansas City Chiefs (ELO: 1717, +0)
The Kansas City defense has begun to play at a high-level. If Patrick Mahomes could match his defense, the Chiefs would be borderline unbeatable. A trip to Foxborough awaits, so Mahomes and the defense need to be on there a game to walk out with a win.
Number 5: Seattle Seahawks (ELO: 1752, +0)
The Seahawks played a gritty game against the Vikings, resulting in a win. Russell Wilson put himself back in the MVP consideration, and Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny had good performances. The Seahawks have jumped into the number two spot in the NFC playoff picture, and they control their destiny in the NFC West.
Number 4: New England Patriots (ELO: 1770, -2)
The Patriots hit a stumbling block in the Texans. While some say that the dynasty is over, I think they still are the most likely team to win the Super Bowl, but they need the Ravens to lose for the Patriots to recover the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The defense was not as good as in prior games, but they still have great personnel.
Number 3: New Orleans Saints (ELO: 1843, +1)
The Saints had a narrow win over the Falcons on Thursday Night Football, but the narrowness of the score can be accounted for by a successful onside kick and a late rally by Atlanta. The Saints are one of the most complete teams in the NFL as they have elite players on offense and defense and have the ability to both put up points and play a tight defense of battle.
Number 2: San Francisco 49ers (ELO: 1844, +1)
The Niners moved up one spot despite the loss because they showed the world that they can compete with anyone in the NFL. Raheem Mostert was fantastic, repeatedly gashing the Ravens for chunks of yards. While a late-game fourth-down failure cost the 49ers the game, if they were to play again, the 49ers would have a very strong chance of beating the Ravens.
Number 1: Baltimore Ravens (ELO: 1873, +0)
The Ravens have vanquished some of the best competition in the NFL as they have knocked off the Patriots, 49ers, Seahawks, and Texans in the last few weeks. The Ravens did not have a great offensive performance against the 49ers’ stout defense, but they put themselves in a position to win the game, and perennial team MVP Justin Tucker came through in the clutch and nailed a 49-yard field goal to beat the 49ers.
