Welcome to the post-Week 9 edition of triggering power rankings.
Check here for last week’s edition.
No. 32: New York Jets (+0)
The Jets were competitive deep into Monday Night Football. They were so competitive that they needed a 12 men on the field penalty and a horrendous sequence from Joe Flacco just to lose by three points. The tank is on!
No. 31: Washington Football Team (-2)
The Washington Terry McLaurin‘s lost despite yet another strong showing from McLaurin. Alex Smith is the new starter in Landover.
No. 30: New York Giants (-2)
Daniel Jones and the Giants are 4-0 against Washington. The other teams? Jones and the Giants are 1-16.
No. 29: Dallas Cowboys (+2)
The Cowboys were a play away from knocking off the undefeated Steelers. With Andy Dalton likely coming back after the bye week, the Cowboys might be a competitive team for the last seven games of the season.
No. 28: Jacksonville Jaguars (+2)
Jake Luton was energizing in his NFL debut. It will likely not lead to any victories, but the Jaguars are less depressing than the three incompetent members of the NFC (L)East.
No. 27: New England Patriots (+0)
Had the Patriots played any team besides the Jets, they would have been dismantled. Cam Newton has not been bad the last two weeks, but the defense has been porous. The offense can move the ball, but they resemble a tortoise in speed.
No. 26: Denver Broncos (-4)
Drew Lock is not the answer. Sell your stock.
No. 25: Detroit Lions (+0)
The Lions couldn’t stop Dalvin Cook with 11 players, so they attempted to use 10.
Wait.
No. 24: San Francisco 49ers (-5)
Having an NFL injured reserve that resembles a Pro Bowl team is not uncommon. However, the 2020 version of the All-Injured Pro Bowl team is the 2019 49ers.
No. 23: Carolina Panthers (-2)
If you know any Joey Slye fantasy owners, say a prayer for them. Slye has been asked to make a pair of 65-plus-yard field goals. Naturally, he missed both, and countless fantasy owners paid the price.
No. 22: Los Angeles Chargers (+2)
The Chargers technically were leading with zero seconds left against the Raiders. However, the referees overturned the Los Angeles touchdown. Heartbreaking.
No. 21: Atlanta Falcons (+5)
The Falcons are improving each week. They will not make the playoffs, but they could be a thorn in the side of New Orleans or Tampa Bay down the stretch.
No. 20: Minnesota Vikings (+3)
Cook has had a seven-game stretch that would make Hall of Famers jealous. He leads the NFL in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. Over the last two games, Cook has 478 yards and six total touchdowns. Cook is one of 10 players ever to have 200 scrimmage yards and multiple touchdowns in back-to-back.
No. 19: Chicago Bears (-2)
Chicago has not had a multi-possession win since September of 2019.
No. 18: Cincinnati Bengals (-2)
The Bengals were on their bye week.
No. 17: Houston Texans (+3)
The Texans have turned a dominant stretch from Deshaun Watson into four losses and two wins over the Jaguars.
No. 16: Philadelphia Eagles (+2)
The Eagles were on their bye week.
No. 15: Indianapolis Colts (-5)
A Jonathan Taylor fumble flipped the script of their Week 9 game, and the Colts never seriously recovered. They earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first team to blow a halftime lead to Lamar Jackson.
No. 14: Cleveland Browns (+0)
The Browns were on their bye week.
No. 13: Los Angeles Rams (+2)
The Rams were on their bye week.
No. 12: Las Vegas Raiders (+1)
The defense is still lacking, but offensively, the Raiders can compete with any team in the NFL.
No. 11: Arizona Cardinals (-5)
Despite the loss, the Cardinals are in a terrific spot to return to the playoffs. Kyler Murray has launched himself into the fringe MVP talk.
No. 10: Miami Dolphins (+2)
Is it fluky? Perhaps. However, Tua Tagovailoa has an edge about him. Brian Flores is unequivocally an elite head coach. Defensively, the Dolphins are among the best units in the NFL, and they are only getting better.
No. 9: Buffalo Bills (+2)
It took Seattle’s style of defense (nonexistent) for Josh Allen to churn out an elite performance. He was unflappable. The Bills are only 1.5 games up on the Dolphins, so they cannot afford a slip-up.
No. 8: Tennessee Titans (+1)
For the fifth time this season, the Titans were outgained by their opponent. The Titans are a flawed team, but at least they are slowly improving their defense. It is still the worst in NFL history, but it is a start.
No. 7: Green Bay Packers (+1)
The Packers are 6-0 when they do not turn the ball over. They are also 6-0 when they score at least 30 points. The Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams show has been stellar, but their defense has room to improve.
No. 6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)
What was that? There are many times that the scoreline does not reflect domination, but Tampa Bay getting drubbed 38-3 matches the massacre that took place. It is the largest loss of the season.
No. 5: Seattle Seahawks (-1)
For the seventh time in eight games, the Seahawks allowed 400 yards. They are currently allowing over 450 yards per game. Through eight games, it is the second-worst in NFL history (2012 history). On the other hand, only 15 teams have scored more points through 8 games than the Seahawks have.
No. 4: Baltimore Ravens (+3)
Currently the best scoring defense in the NFL, Baltimore has come back to Earth after an obscenely efficient offense in 2019. The top 10 offense is likely unsustainable as the Ravens benefit from the best average starting position in the NFL. They are in the bottom half of the league in yards and points per drive. With that said, the Ravens finally overcame a halftime deficit in the Jackson era.
No. 3: Pittsburgh Steelers (-1)
In this week’s episode of “Why are the undefeated Steelers not the top team in the power rankings,” you can see Garrett Gilbert nearly knock off the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s optimism is understandably limitless at the moment, but of the 21 teams to start 8-0 since 1990, Pittsburgh has the 18th-best point differential. Point differential is not everything, but it is hard to maintain a 5-0 record in one-score games. Pittsburgh should clobber the Bengals by double-digits.
No. 2: New Orleans Saints (+3)
Pittsburgh, take notes. The Saints played five straight games within one score. They managed to go 4-1. Realizing it is unsustainable to consistently beat teams in the last seconds, the Saints pillaged the Buccaneers to the tune of a 35-point win. Elite teams do not scrape by; they destroy teams. New Orleans had the most impressive win of the season. On the other hand, Pittsburgh had one of the least-inspiring wins of the season.
No. 1: Kansas City Chiefs (+0)
Wait, the Chiefs only beat the Panthers by two, why are they not falling?
The Chiefs have won six games by multiple scores. Kansas City is not scraping by; they are obliterating teams. They have an average margin of victory of 11.4 (despite an eight-point loss), and only the Ravens are within two whole points.
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