The NFL didn’t give us the same quality schedule in all four windows this week. However, the early slate gave us some huge games, and the afternoon slate was competitive in three of four contests. The Week 11 NFL power rankings have a ton of movement because of the amount of quality matchups on the schedule.
Ravens, Bengals, and Jaguars Tumble in NFL Power Rankings
32) New York Giants (32)
I mean, we all saw the same game, right? Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka are terrified at the proposition of letting Tommy DeVito throw the football. They can’t move the ball on offense. Teams are rightfully selling out to stop the run and reaping the reward whenever DeVito drops back.
31) Carolina Panthers (31)
The Carolina Panthers are a disaster. Their offense is led by a productive but over-the-hill wide receiver. Aside from Adam Thielen, there is nothing on the outside. Even if Jonathan Mingo was ready, Frank Reich and Co. aren’t using him correctly.
Bryce Young has been very bad. There remain flashes of the brilliance we saw from him at Alabama, but he is very clearly overwhelmed. His offensive line is bad, and his receivers are practically no help.
30) New England Patriots (29)
It’s sad to see the once mighty Bill Belichick coach a football team this bad. It’s even worse to think about how it’s very much his fault that the roster disintegrated into what it is now.
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Yes, injuries have been unsustainable for this roster in 2023. But Belichick has consistently whiffed on wide receivers in the NFL Draft and free agency. He’s ignored the entire league building a corps on speed. His team has none, and it’s clear every time the offense takes the field.
29) Chicago Bears (28)
A 16-13 Thursday Night Football win against the Carolina Panthers is the most TNF game we’ll ever see. Tyson Bagent and the Bears outlasted the Panthers, but they were far from dominant.
Their offense lacks juice with Bagent under center. Although he can intermittently be a danger on the ground as a runner, the passing attack hangs out around the line of scrimmage with him at the helm.
28) Arizona Cardinals (30)
After losing six consecutive games, the Arizona Cardinals might be back to contending the way they were early in the season, even if many of those games resulted in losses.
Kyler Murray returned against the Falcons. Although he is clearly working his way back into the feel of NFL speed, he also has insane speed, and that ability allowed him to get creative outside of structure.
27) Los Angeles Rams (26)
The Rams’ bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Brett Rypien clearly didn’t have the juice to play meaningful NFL snaps, and Matthew Stafford may not have been ready to return from his thumb injury.
It also allows their new quarterback, North Dakota State legend Carson Wentz, time to onboard for a possible start against the Seahawks next week.
26) Green Bay Packers (25)
The Packers tried to mount a slight comeback against Pittsburgh, but consecutive interceptions left them without a win on the day. Jordan Love continues to struggle with consistent ball placement. However, he also made some incredibly impressive throws in the game.
Zach Tom played well against T.J. Watt, and the young weapons in Green Bay made some impressive plays. Love threw two picks, but one was a bit unlucky on a slightly underthrown ball, and the other was a last-second heave into the end zone.
25) Washington Commanders (23)
Sam Howell and the Commanders’ offense fought all the way to the end. They drove down the field against Seattle’s defense and tied the game with only one minute remaining.
And in 59 seconds, the Commanders’ defense undid that good deed, allowing the Seahawks to go 50 yards and kick a 43-yard field goal to win the game 29-26. It turns out that having pass rushers might be somewhat important to defensive success in those obvious passing situations.
24) Tennessee Titans (21)
It feels like the Titans’ offense hasn’t had a consistent string of offensive performances since Arthur Smith was still in the building. Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears couldn’t get anything going on the ground, and Will Levis completed fewer than half of his attempts.
MORE: NFL Bye Weeks Schedule 2023
Since his maiden voyage, he has looked much more like the young quarterback who needed seasoning at the NFL level. Since Tennessee isn’t competing for a playoff spot this season, there is no issue with keeping him under center instead of Ryan Tannehill – unless his play becomes so poor that it’s negatively impacting his progress.
23) Atlanta Falcons (19)
It’s clear that the Atlanta Falcons are not serious about contending in the NFC South. In the end, they’re still the Falcons. The Cardinals played well early in the season but had lost six straight and aren’t necessarily yearning for wins because they aren’t competing for a playoff spot.
The Falcons don’t have the quarterback play necessary to consistently contend. It does not matter if it’s Taylor Heinicke or Desmond Ridder under center.
22) Los Angeles Chargers (17)
It might just be time to fire Brandon Staley into the sun, metaphorically speaking. The Chargers’ defense is tragic. Once again, they forced Justin Herbert to be absolutely perfect late to have a chance to win the game, and it still didn’t matter.
They scored touchdowns on their final five possessions. During that time, Herbert tied the game up three separate times. They had drives of 10, 10, 10, 16, and seven plays. But their defense couldn’t get a stop.
21) New York Jets (18)
It’s impossible not to feel frustration for the Jets’ defensive personnel. That unit continues to fly around the field and keep the team in close proximity to its opponents. However, the offense continuously comes up short, and much of that comes down to the play of Zach Wilson.
20) Denver Broncos (24)
The Broncos and Bills played in a drunk Monday Night Football matchup featuring good play from Russell Wilson and far too many mistakes from both teams. Every decision made in the final minutes will be and should be heavily critiqued.
Wilson took a sack against Cover 0 to make it third-and-long with less than a minute left, but didn’t make the same mistake twice. Why Buffalo did it again on third-and-10 is probably something every reporter has geared to ask Sean McDermott during the press conference.
Then, they knelt three times and tried rushing the kicking team on the field. Considering the night Will Lutz was having, that wasn’t an ideal plan. He missed the game-winning kick right, but the Bills, competing to see who could make more mistakes, gave Lutz a second chance because they didn’t count how many players they had on the field.
But this team is much different than last season and much different from what they were to start 2023.
19) Las Vegas Raiders (27)
Don’t look now, but the Raiders are somehow 5-5 and not too far away from playoff contention. It’s certainly not a likely outcome for this roster, but it’s interesting how quickly things have changed for them since firing Josh McDaniels.
The offense looks better than it ever did in his tenure, and the defense had another good day, albeit against a Wilson-led attack
18) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)
Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans got back on track against the Titans’ defense on Sunday. They had a big day through the air together, and by halftime, it was pretty clear what direction this game was going.
The Buccaneers defense allowed only 14 total first downs to Tennessee. Levis threw one interception to Tampa’s defense, but there were others saved by DeAndre Hopkins playing defense against Buccaneers defensive backs.
Getting the defense rolling again was massive for the Buccaneers, who are competing for an NFC South title.
17) Indianapolis Colts (22)
Gardner Minshew is not playing well at all. Luckily for him and the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots’ quarterbacking was worse.
The Colts are fascinating because they’re 5-5 and realistically right in the thick of a playoff run. However, their offense feels static with Minshew under center. But the rest of their schedule is relatively manageable, so seeing how things shape up will be fascinating.
16) New Orleans Saints (12)
The Saints’ defense looked completely flustered in the first half against the Vikings, and the offense didn’t help their cause. They had five first downs in their first two offensive drives but couldn’t get anything going again until after Derek Carr’s injury.
That’s not a call for Jameis Winston to start if Carr is healthy. It doesn’t help that Michael Thomas left the game early with an injury or that they got down early and were forced to drop back early and often, essentially forgetting about the run game.
15) Buffalo Bills (9)
The Bills are in trouble. Buffalo’s defense actually played a decent game against Denver for the most part, relative to what we’ve seen from that unit recently. But the Bills looked like an undisciplined team on Monday night, and they don’t have an offense to properly complement the current iteration of their defense.
Josh Allen is an infinitely talented passer, but he is also a gunslinger. He’s going to turn the ball over, whether it be by fumble or interception. But his talent more than makes up for the mistakes, because this unit hovers around the top five analytically all of the time. But for this football team he needs to play cleanly for them to compete.
And with games against the Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, Chargers, and Dolphins remaining over their last seven games, the playoffs are starting to feel like an afterthought.
14) Cincinnati Bengals (8)
The Cincinnati Bengals had a few missed opportunities late. But while usually losing to the Texans would be seen as a black eye on the calendar, this Houston team is different. Lou Anarumo is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, and even his defense struggled to consistently slow down Stroud and Devin Singletary.
13) Seattle Seahawks (13)
The Seahawks’ win against the Commanders was incredibly ugly. In fact, it feels like it’s been a while since we saw this team look legitimately impressive. However, considering Cleveland beat Baltimore this week, maybe that game should feel more impressive, even if they played P.J. Walker.
Washington clearly wanted to get the ball into the hands of their two running backs in the passing game. And they saw a ton of success in doing that. Seattle has two weeks to get their act together before their schedule turns into madness with the 49ers, Cowboys, 49ers, and Eagles on the schedule in a four-game stretch.
12) Houston Texans (16)
C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans made a statement against the Bengals. They stood toe-to-toe with one of the hottest teams in the NFL and beat them. Stroud completed just 23 of 39 passing attempts, but he threw for 356 yards and one touchdown and rushed for two. As electric as his performance was, he still made mistakes as well. His interception was not pretty, and he fumbled twice.
Houston’s defense struggled at times to contain Joe Burrow in the pocket, and they struggled to keep their hands off of receivers downfield. But they were opportunistic when they needed it most, turning Burrow over twice to start the fourth quarter.
11) Pittsburgh Steelers (14)
Are the Pittsburgh Steelers the worst 6-3 team of all time? Probably not. Are they particularly good by any measure aside from wins and losses? No. But could they be good if they consistently executed the way they did early against the Packers? Yes.
Their offense looked sharp early on against Green Bay, but they stalled out after their third drive. But their early work gave them a buffer to work with. And late in games, just like the other team in Pennsylvania, they find ways to win, even if they win ugly.
But the Steelers aren’t a completely devoid roster. They’re just excruciatingly inconsistent in their execution on the field.
10) Jacksonville Jaguars (4)
Of course, the minute we (OK, I) start believing in the Jaguars, they get molly-whopped by the 49ers at home. Like the Cowboys earlier this season, the 49ers embarrassed the Jaguars on Sunday.
One game does not make or break a season. However, what looked like an easy stroll to the AFC South title looks a bit uncomfortable now with how Houston has played since their surprising loss to the Panthers.
9) Minnesota Vikings (15)
It’s impossible not to love Josh Dobbs. What he’s done in his two weeks as a Minnesota Viking has been nothing short of unbelievable. It’s the makings of a movie script, and if the Vikings somehow make the playoffs – or if they somehow win the NFC North – there’s no way this story misses Hollywood.
MORE: NFL Playoff Picture Week 10
The Vikings’ offense struggled in the second half, but the damage was already done during the first half of the game.
8) Cleveland Browns (11)
We’ve seen our fair share of Ravens’ meltdowns throughout the years, but the intra-divisional matchup on Sunday was not that. A football bounces in mysterious ways, and Cleveland got a few late bounces that Baltimore lost.
Cleveland’s defense allowed 6.1 yards per play, but they played relatively well outside of a few big plays. The Browns’ offense commanded the ball, outgained the Ravens, and moved the chains more often. And against an impressive Ravens defense, the Browns converted 8 of 16 third downs.
7) Baltimore Ravens (2)
Fans will always play the blame game after a loss. That’s especially true in games where a team was seen as the clear favorite even well into the fourth quarter. But sometimes, teams don’t implode. The game is random, and that’s what happened to Baltimore on Sunday.
A tipped interception from Lamar Jackson and a strip sack that bounced right back into the Browns’ hands were two huge plays late that completely changed the direction of this game. However, this does give the Ravens two losses inside the division, which is not good, considering how tight the AFC North race is at the moment.
6) San Francisco 49ers (10)
That is certainly one way to get back on track. The 49ers absolutely dominated the Jaguars Sunday. They looked like a completely different team with Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel back on the field with each other.
And their defensive front was unbelievable against an underwhelming Jaguars offensive line.
5) Dallas Cowboys (7)
Dak Prescott made a horrible decision late in the first quarter when he was fooled by the Giants showing blitz and dropping into coverage instead. Outside of that one decision, Prescott and his pass catchers were flawless. CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks went nuts against the Giants’ secondary.
And because they were facing Tommy DeVito behind that offensive line, the Giants never stood a chance.
4) Miami Dolphins (6)
The Miami Dolphins have arguably the most dangerous offense in the NFL, and their defense has looked completely different in the two games that Jalen Ramsey has played in. If they can get Jaelan Phillips back healthy for the home stretch, this team could really run away and hide with the AFC East.
3) Detroit Lions (5)
Congratulations are in order for the Lions. They decided that defense would be optional against the Chargers, but they got away with it. Jared Goff was great, and the Lions’ rushing attack had a field day against the Chargers, who also decided that defense was optional.
2) Kansas City Chiefs (3)
The Kansas City Chiefs don’t feel as dominant in 2023 as we’re used to seeing, but they’re incredibly well-rounded. They’re having a down year offensively. They rank fifth in EPA, and their per-play rate is much lower than usual.
But their defense also ranks fifth in EPA. Steve Spagnuolo has a unit that got going immediately in 2023, rather than their usual slow start before becoming a top-half defense. It’s let them remain among the best teams in the NFL as a result.
1) Philadelphia Eagles (1)
The Eagles are at the top of the NFL power rankings because they only have one loss and quality wins against the Dolphins and Cowboys. Analytically speaking, other teams are more well-rounded. But Philadelphia knows how to win when things are ugly.
And in a league filled with inconsistent human beings, overcoming adversity when you’re far from your best is as impressive as dominating every opponent they face.
The defense has weak points. Their offense does not. The offensive line is dominant. Jalen Hurts is playing incredibly well, and they possess an endless reserve of weapons.
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