NFL Power Rankings - Week 10
Darian Stewart #26 of the Denver Broncos returns an interception during the first half of a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 13, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(Nov. 13, 2016 - Source: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images North America)
1. (1.) New England Patriots (7-2)
For now I’ll leave the Patriots in the top spot. After all, it was only their first loss with QB Tom Brady behind center. TE Rob Gronkowski will probably miss the game at San Francisco but this doesn’t make it less likely for the Patriots to win.
2. (2.) Dallas Cowboys (8-1)
The Cowboys have an explosive offense. At Pittsburgh, QB Dak Prescott passed for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 114 yards and two late touchdowns as well as catching an 83-yard touchdown. WR Dez Bryant had 6 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
3. (3.) Seattle Seahawks (6-2-1)
The goal line defense stood strong and tall and denied the Patriots a comeback. The game at New England had playoff flair. WR Doug Baldwin caught 6 passes for 59 yards and 3 red zone touchdowns.
4. (6.) Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)
It didn’t look good for the Chiefs when they were 17-0 down at Carolina but still managed to score 20 unanswered points to celebrate their fifth consecutive win. Kansas City’s only touchdown came on an interception return by S Eric Berry.
5. (9.) Denver Broncos (7-3)
S Darian Stewart had a great day for the Broncos as he intercepted New Orleans’ QB Drew Brees twice and recovered a fumble. It was the first time in NFL history that the winning points came on a PAT return.
6. (5.) Oakland Raiders (7-2)
After their bye, the Raiders have home games coming up against the Texans, Panthers and Buffalo, including Monday Night Football in Mexico City against Houston.
7. (4.) Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
Nothing really worked for the Falcons as they lose at Philadelphia 24-15. They managed only 11 first downs and ran for just 45 yards while giving up 208 yards on the ground and a total of 429 yards.
8. (7.) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5)
Despite their fourth straight loss the Steelers are still very much in the division and playoff race. If it’s any consolation, a trip to Cleveland could put an end to the losing streak.
9. (11.) Arizona Cardinals (4-4-1)
It took a huge effort to escape with a 23-20 win against the 49ers. WR Larry Fitzgerald caught 12 passes for 133 yards and now ranks 6th all-time with 1,086 receptions. By the end of the season, Larry Fitzgerald could find himself in third spot on the list.
10. (8.) Green Bay Packers (4-5)
The Packers cannot run the ball, the passing game isn’t as efficient as it used to be and the defense is inept, though Green Bay is still very much in the playoff picture. Nonetheless, it looks like the Mike McCarthy era comes to an end.
11. (12.) New York Giants (6-3)
Even though the Giants rushed for a whopping – by their standards – 122 yards, all three touchdowns came on passes from QB Eli Manning. With games against Chicago and at Cleveland coming up, fans can start dreaming of postseason football.
12. (19.) Baltimore Ravens (5-4)
The Ravens scored 25 straight points to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 28-7 win against the Browns. Next up is a trip to the hottest team in the league; the Dallas Cowboys.
13. (10.) Minnesota Vikings (5-4)
The Vikings released K Blair Walsh, who missed four field goals as well as four PATs this season. A replacement has yet to be announced.
14. (17.) Detroit Lions (5-4)
Home games against Jacksonville and Minnesota are on the schedule after the bye week. With Minnesota’s and Green Bay’s struggles, Detroit could become a surprise division winner this season.
15. (16.) Houston Texans (6-3)
It took the Texans four attempts and a trip to Jacksonville to win their first road game of the season. They did it with 92 passing yards as Houston’s average drops to 187.3 yards per game.
16. (14.) Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
The Colts had to sit by idly as the Texans and Titans won their respective games in week 10. Sunday’s game against Tennessee is going to be vital for their playoff hopes.
17. (22.) Washington Redskins (5-3-1)
LB Preston Smith sacked QB Sam Bradford twice and intercepted him once as the Redskins defeat the Vikings 26-20. QB Kirk Cousins had another good game, completing 66.7% of his passes for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns.
18. (18.) Cincinnati Bengals (3-5-1)
The Bengals managed 12 first downs, 78 rushing yards and 186 passing yards in the 21-20 loss at the New York Giants. The playoff hopes are slowly fading.
19. (20.) Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
It was a dominant performance against the Falcons as the Eagles win 24-15. They owned the line of scrimmage and outplayed Atlanta on offense as well as on defense. The Eagles possessed the ball for 38:10 minutes and are now 4-0 at home, having outscored their opponents 108-38.
20. (13.) Carolina Panthers (3-6)
HC Ron Rivera put it best after the 20-17 home loss to the Chiefs: “We have put our backs completely and utterly up against the wall now. There is no room for error.” The Panthers are trailing division leaders Atlanta by three games.
21. (24.) Miami Dolphins (5-4)
Almost unnoticed, the Dolphins are on a four-game winning streak after beating the Chargers 31-24 away from home. They are, however, two games behind in the wild card race.
22. (21.) New Orleans Saints (4-5)
The Saints were aggressive against the Broncos and outsacked the best pass rush in the league 6-1. New Orleans forced QB Trevor Siemian into making mistakes but a blocked PAT, which was returned for a score, cost them the win.
23. (25.) Tennessee Titans (5-5)
I know I sometimes criticize QB Marcus Mariota for his turnovers but here is his stat line from the 47-25 win over the Packers: He completed 19-of-26 passes for 295 yards, 4 touchdowns and a passer rating of 149.8. There were no interceptions or lost fumbles.
24. (23.) Buffalo Bills (4-5)
The road game at Cincinnati and the home game against Jacksonville are vital for Buffalo’s playoff hopes but the AFC West teams are setting a massive pace.
25. (15.) San Diego Chargers (4-6)
QB Philip Rivers’ fourth interception of the game handed the win to the Dolphins. He also threw his 301st touchdown, moving him to 8th on the all-time list.
26. (27.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
The Buccaneers clinched their first home win in style by thrashing the Bears 36-10. QB Jameis Winston is the youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach 40 passing touchdowns. It took him just 25 games. He’s also on pace for his second straight 4,000+ passing yards season.
27. (26.) Los Angeles Rams (4-5)
The Rams finally ended their four-game skid and all it took were three field goals by K Greg Zuerlein to beat the Jets 9-6.
28. (28.) New York Jets (3-7)
QB Bryce Petty didn’t have a very productive start as New York’s quarterback situation remains a major problem.
29. (30.) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
The Jaguars haven’t scored a touchdown on their opening drive since week 2 in 2015. That’s 23 games in a row.
30. (29.) Chicago Bears (2-7)
In his second game of the season, QB Jay Cutler threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. The miracle wore off quickly.
31. (31.) San Francisco 49ers (1-8)
The 49ers played extremely well and almost upset the Cardinals. They limited RB David Johnson to 55 rushing yards but became the second team to be officially eliminated from the playoff race.
32. (32.) Cleveland Browns (0-10)
This is Cleveland’s worst start since joining the NFL in 1950. I’m not sure why HC Hue Jackson changed quarterbacks in the second half but it didn’t work out very well as Josh McCown went 6-for-13 for 59 yards and 2 interceptions.
