1.Cleveland Browns (11-1): Another dominant performance by the Browns who have made it clear that they’re going to coast through their division this cycle after beating the Steelers by 39 points this week.
2. Green Bay Packers (11-1): The streak extends to 10 wins after the Packers defeated the Seahawks by a narrow margin this week. Green Bay has a 2 game lead over a bye in the playoffs with the Rams and Vikings upcoming, in fact, Green Bay could be the reason Minnesota doesn’t make it to the postseason if they are able to sweep them over the next few weeks.
3 .Kansas City Chiefs (10-2): Kansas City is one of the only teams in the league that is statistically balanced at throwing and running the ball, and they ranked as the best offense in the league when putting up yards every game. If you’re entering a shootout with the Chiefs, be advised Patrick Mahomes is unbelievable.
4. New England Patriots (10-2): New England averages just over 144 rushing yards per game, but tallied over 230 this week in the win over the Dolphins. Will Shipley has been a workhorse for New England this season averaging just over 7 yards per carry.
5. New Orleans Saints (9-3): New Orleans used the bye week this week to work on their defensive strategy moving forward because in the last two games (resulting in back to back losses) they have allowed 40.5 points per game, unusual for the team considering they are ranked as the 4th best defensive unit in that category allowing just 23 points per game.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-3): Bring in the Superstar. That’s right, after rushing for 275 yards last week, Raheim Sanders rushed for 278 yards against the 49ers and he is now the newest superstar halfback in Los Angeles. Sitting at 248 pounds, his ability of “goal line back” is truly fitting for him.
7. Detroit Lions (8-4): Javian Hawkins has been a sight for sore eyes in Detroit. There were concerns that Detroit’s already awful rushing attack would get worse without Jahmyr Gibbs, but it’s been the opposite, and Detroit has rushed for over 100 yards in each of their last three games balancing out their pass heavy offense and putting them on a three game winning streak.
8. Atlanta Falcons (7-6): Devin Leary is 4-2 in his career as a Falcon and despite throwing an interception in his last three games, Atlanta is on a two game winning streak. Leary had his best game this week against the Raiders averaging over 14 yards per passing attempt and completing 75% of his passes.
9. Los Angeles Rams (8-4): Suffering a loss before the bye week is tough, all that stewing and anticipation to get back onto the field has players amped up, but the Rams are without Aaron Donald for the foreseeable future, it could severely impact their ability to stop the run, which is currently 10th best in the league. Without Donald’s presence on the line, it’ll be up to the younger generation to pick up the slack.
10. Minnesota Vikings (7-5): There is something about 5th round picks producing in the NFL and Bucky Irving is no different. He is the next young superstar to develop in Minnesota and he has rushed for over 100 yards in his last three games. Minnesota’s offense is more efficient when Irving takes the pressure off of Joe Milton, and Milton will have no easy task being asked to lead the Vikings to a playoff berth where he will need to defeat the Lions and the Packers to close out the season.
11. Arizona Cardinals (8-4): There’s little question that Arizona’s offense goes through Emari Demercado, but where has the all star back been the past few games? Arizona struggled to move the ball this week and Demercado was held to just 50 yards on the ground. Emari surpassed 100 yards rushing in the first 6 games of the season, but since week 7, he has struggled to reach that milestone.
12. Denver Broncos (6-7): The Broncos head into their bye week with hope, despite suffering a loss to the Chiefs this week. Denver is in the playoff mix and their next four games are against teams that are likely to make the playoffs in their respective conferences, it’s time to step up for Trey Lance and the offense of the Broncos.
13. Seattle Seahawks (7-5): Are they stressing in Seattle? The Seahawks have dropped three straight games after losing a close game to the Packers this week. Seattle is moving the ball down the field, but this latest game tried their ability to get points in the red zone. They only converted on 2 of their 5 chances in the red zone, which could have led them to victory. Seattle has to get it together or risk falling out of playoff contention in a conference that gets murkier every week.
14. Houston Texans (6-6): Houston, the drought is over? The Houston Texans picked up an 8 point victory over the Colts this week and it was needed to keep their heads above water. Houston has some players coming back over the next couple weeks and it should help them propel forward to clinching the AFC South.
15. Miami Dolphins (5-7): Jordan Travis has 4 wins under his belt and appears to be the successor in Miami. Travis has only thrown 1 touchdown in the last four games, but with two “upset” wins and almost a third this week, the Dolphins are making progress and are making opposing teams sweat each week.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7): Tampa Bay heads into the bye week on a three game winning streak and sitting at 6-7, they have the confidence and motivation for a playoff push, but they’d likely have to win out in order to make it. Baker Mayfield has thrown 41 touchdowns, but his 22 interceptions is a big reason why Tampa Bay wasn’t able to close out the games earlier in the season. Baker can sling the rock, but some risks aren’t worth taking, and he has to realize that notion in the moment.
17. Pittsburgh Seelers (6-7): The Steelers won their division with a 9-8 record last season and they are on pace to have a similar record this season but miss the playoffs. Despite putting up 31 points against the Browns in week 2, they could only muster 10 points this week. Are the Browns destined for second best the rest of the cycle?
18. New York Jets (6-6): In the AFC, there are 12 teams all within a game or two from the seventh wildcard spot. The Jets will need to sweep the Patriots next week if they want to stay ahead of the pack.
19. Dallas Cowboys (5-7): Are the Cowboys going to drop from the rafters and create a storyline that even Vince Mcmahon would be envious of? Drama and his Cowboys have teams that are .500 or worse left on the schedule, so it is very possible that the Cowboys can come back from the jaws of defeat to surprise us all.
20. Buffalo Bills (6-6): Josh Allen is under the gun, but he is here to let the league know that he is still going to come out and pass the ball full force. Allen threw for six touchdowns and zero interceptions, he hasn’t had a game where he didn’t throw an interception since week 3. Buffalo will need Allen’s pinpoint accuracy to get them to the playoffs.
21. Tennessee Titans (5-7): After allowing 44 points to the Lions last week, the Titans put up 44 points this week, talk about irony. Will Levis has the skill to be a successful quarterback, but his turnovers are a major concern. Tennessee has to protect the football or be plagued to be mediocre the rest of the cycle.
22. Indianapolis Colts (4-8): Three weeks ago, the Colts were riding high over their win against the Houston Texans, but travesty has struck since that day. Anthony Richardson is injured and the Colts are now two games behind the Texans and on a three game losing streak. Indy needs a miracle.
23. New York Giants (5-7): The NFC East is going to have a team making the playoffs with a losing record, isn’t it? The Giants were poised to take on a struggling Dallas team this week, but New York fell on its face and wrote the same story that we’ve seen all season, silly passes and turnovers in critical moments.
24. Las Vegas Raiders (4-8): The air has been sucked out of the stadium in Las Vegas and fans are wondering when the victories are going to pile up? Well, not next week as the Raiders have to take on the Cleveland Browns. Las Vegas is seemingly out of playoff contention barring a miracle, but evaluating Jayden Daniels is crucial for the long-term success of the Raiders. Having the 31st ranked passing offense will not cut it in the league.
25. San Francisco 49ers (3-9): Evaluating the 49ers as a whole this season and you’d assume that Brock Purdy is the issue, but the 49ers have the 3rd best passing offense and the 5th best offense in total yards. The concern is the defense for the 49ers, seeing as how the season is just about over, the 49ers need to address this side of the ball in the off-season.
26. Philadelphia Eagles (5-7): Philadelphia was the next guess to win the NFC East when the Cowboys started slipping, but the Eagles have taken a fall of their own and are on a three game skid. Luckily for them, the Giants and the Commanders are also in that pitfall. HD can make a statement if he’s able to defeat the Saints next week.
27. Washington Commanders (4-8): The Commanders are a lone game back from the division lead and have a chance to get the edge over the Giants next week. They lost 41-10 to New York earlier this season, so Washington should go back and rewatch that game to find out how to beat Burn and his Giants.
28. Carolina Panthers (4-8): Carolina’s tenacity to blitz their opponent has helped lead them to having one of the best passing defenses in the league, but their inability to put points on the board will hold them back if their defense can’t produce stops on a consistent basis.
29. Chicago Bears (3-9): Chicago has three wins on the season and two of them are against divisional opponents. It’s hard to predict if the Bears would made it back to the playoffs if they were able to play all their games, but now they have an opportunity to play spoiler.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9): It’s been a turmoil season for the Jaguars and T-bandit, but defeating the Bears and then putting up a fight against the Bills this week has Jaguars fans excited for the draft and for next season.
31. Baltimore Ravens (2-10): CPU Lamar Jackson threw for 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions, that was his first game not throwing an interception all season long. Are the CPU Ravens the real deal?
32. Cincinnati Bengals (1-11): Cincinnati is on the fast track to the number one overall pick and this week was fortunate for Joe Burrow, cause he benched for the sim, so no additional interceptions for him.
