Rams, Chargers Take a Dive
1. New England Patriots (5-0): As the defending Super Bowl Champions, as long as the Pats are unbeaten, they deserve to be the top-rated team in the power rankings. It helps that the Pats have wins over the Dolphins, Jets, Steelers and Redskins, teams with a combined 1-17 record. Next: -16.5 vs New York Giants - Thu, Oct. 10
2. San Francisco 49ers (4-0): The 49ers have the #1 ranked rushing offense in the NFL, along with the #2 passing defense and #4 rushing defense. This is a very good football team but this week they will be tested on the road. Next: +3.5 at Los Angeles Rams - Sun, Oct. 13
3. New Orleans Saints (4-1): The investment in Michael Thomas of $61 million in guaranteed money is already paying off for the Saints. In their win over the Bucs, Thomas caught 11 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Next: -10 at Jacksonville Jaguars - Sun, Oct. 13
4. Green Bay Packers (4-1): Aaron Jones was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his four-touchdown performance in Sunday's 34-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Next: -4.5 vs Detroit Lions - Mon, Oct. 14
5. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1): The Chiefs were held to 13 points in their loss to the Colts. The Chiefs are giving up an average of 5.3 yards per carry on the ground, 2nd worst in the NFL. The Chiefs have also struggled to run the football. The only thing to really fear on the Chiefs roster is Patrick Mahomes. Next: -5 vs Houston Texans - Sun, Oct. 13
6. Seattle Seahawks (4-1): The leadership of the Seahawks is one of the primary reasons this organization is headed for an 8th straight winning season. The trio of General Manager John Schneider, Head Coach Pete Carroll and Quarterback Russell Wilson are the primary reasons for their success. Next: -1 at Cleveland Browns - Sun, Oct. 13
7. Buffalo Bills (4-1): Josh Allen has started 16 games in the NFL and has 15 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions. But the stats do not tell the whole story. Allen has led the Bills on six game winning drives in his short career and has rushed for 789 yards. He is doing whatever it takes to win. Next: N/A vs Miami Dolphins - Sun, Oct. 20
8. Los Angeles Rams (3-2): The Rams have fallen into third place in the NFC West after a very tough loss at Seattle. The Rams need to find more balance in their offense and somehow get Aaron Donald going. Donald has one sack in five games. The loss of Clay Matthews to a broken jaw will not help the struggling defense. Next: -3.5 vs San Francisco 49ers - Sun, Oct. 13
9. Oakland Raiders (3-2): It is difficult to emphasize how well the Raiders have played the past two weeks. Beating the Colts in Indianapolis was impressive enough but beating the Bears in London was shocking. Left guard Richie Incognito said the game plan was to be physical with former Raider star Khalil Mack: "We came out and we were physical with him, and they (the Bears) didn't like it." Next: N/A at Green Bay Packers - Sun, Oct. 20
10. Chicago Bears (3-2): The early results of the Khalil Mack trade are in and the score reads: Raiders 1, Bears 0. The Raiders used their 2019 first round pick acquired from the Bears in the Mack trade, for running back Josh Jacobs. Mack was held without a sack in the loss to the Raiders, while Jacobs rushed for 123 yards on 26 carries and had two touchdowns. He also caught 3 passes for 20 yards. Next: N/A vs New Orleans Saints - Sun, Oct. 20
11. Houston Texans (3-2): Before Sunday's game against Atlanta, wide receiver Will Fuller had 14 receptions for 183 yards and zero touchdowns in four games. Fuller exceeded those totals against the Falcons, catching 14 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Next: +5 at Kansas City Chiefs - Sun, Oct. 13
12. Indianapolis Colts (3-2): The Colts mantra of "just run the damn ball" paid off in Kansas City in their upset victory over the Chiefs. The Colts rushed for 180 yards against the Chiefs and controlled the time of possession, 37:15 to 22:45. Next: N/A vs Houston Texans - Sun, Oct. 20
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-2): The Packers had a 31-3 lead with three minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter in their 34-24 win over the Cowboys at Dallas. The final score does not indicate how much of a rout this game was. The Cowboys should be concerned about the play of quarterback Dak Prescott, who threw three interceptions in the game, their second consecutive loss. Next: -7 at New York Jets - Sun, Oct. 13
14. Minnesota Vikings (3-2): Adam Thielen caught two passes for six yards against the Bears in their week 4 loss. He complained about the lack of production in the passing game, a direct shot at quarterback Kirk Cousins. Against the Giants on Sunday, Thielen caught 7 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings victory. Obviously, Cousins got the message. Next: -3 vs Philadelphia Eagles - Sun, Oct. 13
15. Detroit Lions (2-1-1): The Lions are coming off a bye and should be well rested and healthy for their Monday Night clash with the Packers in Green Bay. The Lions have been competitive to this point, with some solid wins over the Eagles and Chargers and a close loss to the Chiefs. Next: +4.5 at Green Bay Packers - Mon, Oct. 14
16. Baltimore Ravens (3-2): The Ravens are in first place in the AFC North because someone has to be. The Ravens have three wins over teams with a combined record of 2-11-1 and they still have two games left with the Bengals. Next: -11.5 vs Cincinnati Bengals - Sun, Oct. 13
17. Carolina Panthers (3-2): Running back Christian McCaffrey has a total of 866 yards from scrimmage in five games, which puts him on a pace for 2,771 yards from scrimmage over a 16-game season. That would break the all-time record of 2,509 yards set by Chris Johnson in 2009. Next: -2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sun, Oct. 13
18. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2): The Eagles are going to be away from home until November 3rd, with road games at Minnesota, Dallas and Buffalo in October. With a record of 3-2, this is the part of the schedule that will make or break the Eagles. Next: +3 at Minnesota Vikings - Sun, Oct. 13
19. Los Angeles Chargers (2-3): The Chargers loss more than just a game on Sunday against the Broncos at home. They also lost their Pro Bowl starting center, Mike Pouncey, for at least the next eight weeks. Pouncey was put on the injured reserve with a neck injury. Next: -6.5 vs Minnesota Vikings - Sun, Oct. 13
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3): The Bucs have the #2 rushing defense in the NFL, giving up an average of about 70 yards per game. They are #1 average per carry at 3.1. Their issues are in their secondary, where they are last in passing yardage per game at 323 yards per game. They are tied for last with only five sacks for the season. Next: +2 vs Carolina Panthers - Sun, Oct. 13
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3): The Jaguars are averaging 5.5 yards per carry, 2nd best in the NFL. On the flip side, their defense is allowing 5.5 yards per carry, worst in the NFL. Being in the same division with the Colts, they need to get much better against the run. Next: +10 vs New Orleans Saints - Sun, Oct. 13
22. Tennessee Titans (2-3): The Jekyll and Hyde Titans were beaten at home by the Bills. Their quarterback, Marcus Mariota, also took a beating, getting sacked five times. Mariota is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and does not appear to be a candidate for a long-term contract. Next: +2.5 at Denver Broncos - Sun, Oct. 13
23. Cleveland Browns (2-3): The Browns were trounced on Monday Night football by the 49ers. Baker Mayfield, to put it kindly, was horrible. He completed 8 of 22 passes for 100 yards, with two interceptions and four sacks. This week he looked "overrated." Next: +1 vs Seattle Seahawks - Sun, Oct. 13
24. New York Giants (2-3): Quarterback Daniel Jones lost his first game as a starter and also lost another running back to injury. The Giants could use a bye, but they instead are forced to play on Thursday Night against the Super Bowl Champions. Next: +16.5 at New England Patriots - Thu, Oct. 10
25. Denver Broncos (1-4): The Broncos came into Los Angeles and literally ran all over the Chargers in their impressive win. The Broncos rushed for 191 yards, led by Phillip Lindsay with 114 yards on just 15 carries. The Broncos' defense, which did not force a turnover in their first four games, forced three turnovers in the game. Next: -2.5 vs Tennessee Titans - Sun, Oct. 13
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4): The news just keeps getting worse for the Steelers. Quarterback Mason Rudolph is in the concussion protocol and is a long shot to play this week. The Steelers may have to go with undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges this week at quarterback. Wide receiver James Washington is out with a shoulder injury and running back Jaylen Samuels is out with a knee injury. Next: +6.5 at Los Angeles Chargers - Sun, Oct. 13
27. Arizona Cardinals (1-3-1): Kyler Murray got his first NFL win over the weekend in Cincinnati. Murray got his first game winning drive victory as an NFL quarterback, moving the Cardinals into field goal position for the last second win. Murray threw for 253 yards and rushed for 93 yards and one touchdown. Next: +2 vs Atlanta Falcons - Sun, Oct. 13
28. Atlanta Falcons (1-4): The Falcons are 31st in scoring defense at 30.4 points per game and last in sacks with five. They have a -5-turnover ratio. The Falcons have never fully recovered mentally from blowing a 25-point lead in the 2017 Super Bowl loss to New England. Next: -2.5 at Arizona Cardinals - Sun, Oct. 13
29. Washington Redskins (0-5): The Redskins will participate in this week's Crummy Game of the Week when they visit Miami to play the Dolphins. The Redskins will be without Coach Jay Gruden, who was fired for not winning. The interim head coach will be Bill Callahan, who led the Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2003. Next: -3.5 at Miami Dolphins – Sun, Oct. 13
30. New York Jets (0-4): Quarterback Sam Darnold returns this week from his bout with mononucleosis. That is the good news. The bad news is that their next opponent is the Dallas Cowboys. Next: +7 vs Dallas Cowboys - Sun, Oct. 13
31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5): The Bengals may be the worst team in the NFL. They will not participate in the week's Crummy Game of the Week but are headed for a showdown in the Crummy Game of the Year on December 22nd at Miami. Next: +11.5 at Baltimore Ravens - Sun, Oct. 13
32. Miami Dolphins (0-4): Dolphin head coach Brian Flores has announced that Josh Rosen will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Hopefully, that is good news for Rosen. Unfortunately, the betting money is on Rosen ending up on the injured reserve. Next: N/A vs Washington Redskins - Sun, Oct. 13
Reader Comments(0)