Here’s a serious question- is there a chance that both Super Bowl teams from last year, teams that have met in two of the last three Super Bowls, miss the playoffs? The answer is yes. With that said, the answer is that is still unlikely. Kansas City is dead in the water at this point, sure. Philadelphia looks cooked, but they play Las Vegas and Washington for three of their last four games. With even a 2-2 finish, the Eagles are 10-7. Dallas would have to win out to beat that. Even so, it’s possible.

As soon as everyone got high on Chicago being good, they go and get manhandled in Green Bay, a team who has their flaws too. Go figure. Increasingly to me, it looks like the Rams are the team to beat in the NFC, just by being consistent. The West and North are very good divisions, and their finishes should be exciting. The East is really just a matter of if Philadelphia can beat a couple of teams playing out the string the next two weeks, and the South is a dumpster fire where the Carolina Panthers feel like the hot hand. Remember back in September when the Buccaneers looked great and Baker was leading the MVP chase. That was fun.

Denver now has all two way tiebreakers over New England, which is insane to me, but whatever. Those two look great. Jacksonville has shocked everyone and taken over the South, but Houston is charging hard and has the best defense in the league right now. The Chargers and Bills are very alive, and I wouldn’t want them in that Wild Card round if I were one of these young upstart teams. Someone has to win the North. Increasingly that looks like Pittsburgh. Is this good for that franchise? Probably not. Nobody else seems to want this division title though. While I still wouldn’t be shocked if the Ravens win if it comes down to the head-to-head in the final game, right now Pittsburgh has the edge.

Now, this week’s rankings.

12/3 rankings. 11/26 rankings. 11/18 rankings. 11/11 rankings. 11/4 rankings. 10/28 rankings. 10/21 rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
8. San Francisco 49’ers
9. Chicago Bears
10. Los Angeles Chargers
11. Houston Texans
12. Detroit Lions
13. Philadelphia Eagles
14. Indianapolis Colts
15. Carolina Panthers
16. Dallas Cowboys
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Pittsburgh Steelers
20. Baltimore Ravens
21. Kansas City Chiefs
22. Minnesota Vikings
23. Cincinnati Bengals
24. Atlanta Falcons
25. Cleveland Browns
26. New York Jets
27. Arizona Cardinals
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Washington Commanders
30. New York Giants
31. Tennessee Titans
32. Las Vegas Raiders

Serious question here- could you be watching a Bears-Patriots football game on Sunday, February 8th at 6:30pm Eastern. I’m going to still tell you probably not. The fact that it’s December and we can still discuss it means we’re well past the point of calling it ridiculous. By the way, you could substitute in the Seahawks, the Broncos, the Jaguars, and even far more remotely, the Panthers here. There are some teams that are not supposed to be this good that are now. Does this mean write off the Rams, Eagles, Bills, or any other early favorites? No, but as I told you last week, I was pumping the brakes on all the Rams talk. I’m kind of at the point I’m pumping the brakes on everyone though. Is anyone that great? If you had to bet your life on any of these teams, would you? I wouldn’t.

The Bears looked really good against the Eagles. Yes, the Eagles looked really bad too, and these last two games have shades of 2023, but don’t knock the Bears. They committed to the run and made the game much more simple for their second year QB in a hostile environment. Their coach, and more importantly their defense, did the job. The Patriots and Broncos had more trouble than they should have against weak NFC East teams this past week, but neither has lost in a couple months now. We’re going to rank them as if they’re legit this week. Even if I’m not convinced they’re going all the way.

11/26 Rankings. 11/18 Rankings. 11/11 Rankings. 11/4 Rankings. 10/28 Rankings. 10/21 Rankings. 10/15 Rankings. 10/8 Rankings. 9/30 Rankings. 9/24 Rankings. 9/16 Rankings. 9/9 Rankings.

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Chicago Bears
4. Los Angeles Rams
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Jacksonville Jaguars
9. San Francisco 49’ers
10. Philadelphia Eagles
11. Los Angeles Chargers
12. Indianapolis Colts
13. Houston Texans
14. Detroit Lions
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. Carolina Panthers
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Baltimore Ravens
19. Kansas City Chiefs
20. Miami Dolphins
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
22. Cincinnati Bengals
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Atlanta Falcons
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Washington Commanders
28. New York Jets
29. New Orleans Saints
30. New York Giants
31. Las Vegas Raiders
32. Tennessee Titans

Well, we got a bit of a shake up at the top, right? Philadelphia and Indianapolis lost kind of ugly games to annoying teams on the road. Sure. I’m not going to do what everyone is doing though and bump the Rams to the top, at least not yet. Do the Rams have a great record, winning coach, winning quarterback, and some decent wins lately? Sure. They even have a championship with this coach-QB combo. I’m just not totally shaking up the top over one week. The top two stay as the top two. Really the top 11 aren’t changing much.

The middle of the pack is way more interesting. You have 7-4 disappointments (Buffalo) and a ton of teams with 4 to 6 wins where how we talk about them is almost entirely lacking in any consideration of the fact that they all basically have the same record. Kansas City is “disappointing” at 6-5, but Carolina is on the up and up at 6-6. Really? We are just creating distinctions so we can interpret what “basically .500” means in this league. It’s silly and really belongs in a fiction aisle.

Anyway, here’s this week’s rankings.

11/18 rankings. 11/11 rankings. 11/4 rankings. 10/28 rankings. 10/21 rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Chicago Bears
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Green Bay Packers
9. Seattle Seahawks
10. San Francisco 49’ers
11. Detroit Lions
12. Jacksonville Jaguars
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Baltimore Ravens
15. Houston Texans
16. Kansas City Chiefs
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
19. Carolina Panthers
20. Dallas Cowboys
21. Miami Dolphins
22. Minnesota Vikings
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Washington Commanders
28. New Orleans Saints
29. New York Giants
30. New York Jets
31. Las Vegas Raiders
32. Tennessee Titans

It’s fun when your team is the defending champions. Even if your media is trying hard to create drama around them, let’s just be honest- we don’t care. We know it’s grasping at straws for a story, and we know the problems are of a first world nature. Everybody is happy when you win.

The NFC is the good child. It’s going according to plan. The Eagles and Rams are living up to expectations. The North is a very good division. The west has some good teams. The AFC is way off script. The Chiefs are on the brink of implosion, the Bills aren’t the best team in the conference, the Ravens are overrated when healthy, and the South is trash. In other words, the AFC is fun. It’s also making the rankings fun. I mean, do you really think these teams are the best teams, or are the results making you rank them this way? If you’re at this point too, don’t worry, we all are.

Off to the rankings.

11/11 rankings. 11/4 rankings. 10/28 rankings. 10/21 rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Chicago Bears
8. Green Bay Packers
9. San Francisco 49’ers
10. Seattle Seahawks
11. Detroit Lions
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
14. Carolina Panthers
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
16. Los Angeles Chargers
17. Baltimore Ravens
18. Houston Texans
19. Kansas City Chiefs
20. Dallas Cowboys
21. Minnesota Vikings
22. Miami Dolphins
23. Arizona Cardinals
24. Atlanta Falcons
25. Cincinnati Bengals
26. Washington Commanders
27. Cleveland Browns
28. New Orleans Saints
29. New York Giants
30. New York Jets
31. Las Vegas Raiders
32. Tennessee Titans

I would say I hope you enjoyed this weekend of football, but did you watch that thing last night? I’m not going to call it a game. It was hideous. Those are GOOD teams, and they gave you 10-7. That wasn’t super exciting. But hey, as an Eagles fan, it was a win at Lambeau.

The AFC is a mess. The Bills, Ravens, and Chiefs are supposed to be the best teams. They’re all alive now, but you get the Patriots, Colts, and Broncos on top of the conference. The NFC mostly makes sense, but even there we have surprises. You knew the Eagles, Rams, and Lions would all be good teams. Maybe even the Bucs too. Seahawks? Bears? Maybe a little early on the arrivals here. The next four weeks should sort a lot of things out. Bills-Bucs feels like a massive game now for both teams. Rams-Seahawks is probably the biggest NFC game of this year so far. Eagles-Lions is important, for the Lions, but the Eagles are probably going to clinch the NFC East before you’re allowed to open Christmas gifts. If that’s the case, they can take a game or two off and get their “bye” even if they don’t win the top seed. If you had the Panthers surging at this point in the season, pat yourself on the back. You picked the right brand of weird for 2025.

11/4 rankings. 10/28 rankings. 10/21 rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

Here’s this week’s rankings:

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. Buffalo Bills
9. Detroit Lions
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11. Chicago Bears
12. Green Bay Packers
13. San Francisco 49’ers
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
15. Carolina Panthers
16. Kansas City Chiefs
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Baltimore Ravens
20. Houston Texans
21. Arizona Cardinals
22. Cincinnati Bengals
23. Dallas Cowboys
24. Atlanta Falcons
25. Miami Dolphins
26. Washington Commanders
27. Cleveland Browns
28. New York Jets
29. Las Vegas Raiders
30. New Orleans Saints
31. New York Giants
32. Tennessee Titans

There are roughly 24 teams with some slim chance of somehow sneaking into the playoffs, but realistically the last four are basically done (barring a quick return by Joe Burrow that goes well). The first 20 teams are all between 4 and 8 wins, which is about as classic NFL as you can get at this point. The first 11 teams all have at least some realistic shot at home field in their conference, which really isn’t bad halfway through the season. It’s been a decently entertaining season.

Nine weeks in the books and we’re kind of, sort of back where we began. Sure, the Broncos are better than we thought. The Colts and Bills are way better than we thought. The Eagles, Bills, Bucs, and Rams are as good as we thought. It’s no shock Green Bay and San Francisco are here. The Seahawks aren’t shocking, but maybe a bit confusing.

Who has surprised us negatively? The Ravens, but they’re a health issue. Bengals too, but same. Washington and Dallas aren’t so good. I’d say Atlanta too. Those are my surprises so far. Here’s today’s rankings.

10/28 rankings. 10/21 rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

1. Denver Broncos
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. New England Patriots
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Indianapolis Colts
7. Los Angeles Rams
8. Seattle Seahawks
9. Green Bay Packers
10. San Francisco 49’ers
11. Los Angeles Chargers
12. Pittsburgh Steelers
13. Detroit Lions
14. Chicago Bears
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
16. Carolina Panthers
17. Kansas City Chiefs
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Baltimore Ravens
20. Arizona Cardinals
21. Houston Texans
22. Dallas Cowboys
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Washington Commanders
26. Las Vegas Raiders
27. New York Giants
28. Cleveland Browns
29. Miami Dolphins
30. New York Jets
31. New Orleans Saints
32. Tennessee Titans

Alright, we’re getting close to halfway. Some teams have seven games, some have eight. Do I believe in my own frankings yet? No. However, Indy and Green Bay have been the best so far, albeit I’m far from convinced. I think our eventual Super Bowl Champion is somewhere between three and twelve. With that said, no one believes in you until you do it.

How bad is the NFC East? Seriously, Dallas are frauds. Washington, well that’s just unfortunate. New York? Meh, their most exciting guy is done now. The Eagles can start building up some room on these teams now. They aren’t good.

10/21 Rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Denver Broncos
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. New England Patriots
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Los Angeles Rams
9. Detroit Lions
10. Seattle Seahawks
11. Kansas City Chiefs
12. San Francisco 49’ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
15. Chicago Bears
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
17. Carolina Panthers
18. Houston Texans
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. Atlanta Falcons
21. Minnesota Vikings
22. Cincinnati Bengals
23. Washington Commanders
24. Baltimore Ravens
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Las Vegas Raiders
27. New York Giants
28. Cleveland Browns
29. Miami Dolphins
30. Tennessee Titans
31. New York Jets
32. New Orleans Saints

I try to let the early results guide me when I do these rankings. We’re seven weeks in, can the top four teams be flukes? No, but if you put a gun to my head I’d say Philadelphia, Buffalo, Kansas City, the Rams, and Detroit are better. I’m not sure how San Francisco keeps winning games with their injured list, but they do. Now, does me saying I think the best teams aren’t the top teams yet mean that I don’t believe in my current top teams? No, there are good things happening with those teams. I’m just not ready to say that Bo Nix and Drake Maye are him yet. I’m sorry, I’m not sold that a Packers defense that gave up 40 to Dallas (basically double what Philly did without Carter) can win a title with Jordan Love having to outshoot that. I’m also not writing off Tampa just because they lost, but the injuries they suffered make me wonder. There’s a lot of things that don’t quite seem right yet here, but seven games is a decent sample size now. Frankly, some teams move up simply by not playing, because they don’t lose, and other teams get the benefit of the doubt because they made changes at QB or coach, and I at least believe some of what I’m seeing. We’re not yet at the point where some teams play out the string. In a few weeks we will be. I also think that as we see how the different division races are shaking out, we’ll see some teams who don’t have incredible records (think Cincinnati, if Flacco has a few more games like Thursday in him) rise up simply because they have a chance. For now though, this is where we are.

10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Denver Broncos
4. New England Patriots
5. Buffalo Bills
6. San Francisco 49’ers
7. Philadelphia Eagles
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Seattle Seahawks
10. Los Angeles Rams
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
12. Detroit Lions
13. Chicago Bears
14. Kansas City Chiefs
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
16. Los Angeles Chargers
17. Carolina Panthers
18. Dallas Cowboys
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Minnesota Vikings
21. Cincinnati Bengals
22. Washington Commanders
23. Houston Texans
24. Arizona Cardinals
25. New York Giants
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Las Vegas Raiders
28. Baltimore Ravens
29. New Orleans Saints
30. Tennessee Titans
31. Miami Dolphins
32. New York Jets

Philadelphia and Buffalo have been the top two teams in my power rankings all season. Neither is this week. In fact, both have lost twice in a row and are trending the wrong way. Do I think either is permanent? No. Kind of like I’m not buying the Packers at 3-1-1. Some things you know will shift by Thanksgiving. Even so, each week is a snapshot of *this year’s* body of work to this point, so no bonus points for the Eagles or the Chiefs. We rank based on this season.

10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

On to this week…

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Denver Broncos
6. New England Patriots
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Jacksonville Jaguars
9. San Francisco 49’ers
10. Philadelphia Eagles
11. Seattle Seahawks
12. Los Angeles Rams
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Detroit Lions
15. Atlanta Falcons
16. Minnesota Vikings
17. Chicago Bears
18. Kansas City Chiefs
19. Washington Commanders
20. Carolina Panthers
21. Houston Texans
22. Dallas Cowboys
23. Arizona Cardinals
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Las Vegas Raiders
26. New York Giants
27. Cleveland Browns
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Baltimore Ravens
30. Miami Dolphins
31. Tennessee Titans
32. New York Jets

And then, thanks to some interesting officiating, and a few collapses, there were none. No one is undefeated anymore in the NFL. Because of that, there won’t be as much movement as one might think after a crazy week. A lot of teams took an L. A good few of them didn’t see it coming.

Last week’s rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.

Here’s the updated rankings:

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Detroit Lions
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
7. San Francisco 49’ers
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Green Bay Packers
10. Los Angeles Rams
11. Seattle Seahawks
12. Los Angeles Chargers
13. Denver Broncos
14. Washington Commanders
15. New England Patriots
16. Minnesota Vikings
17. Atlanta Falcons
18. Chicago Bears
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. Houston Texans
21. Kansas City Chiefs
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Carolina Panthers
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Baltimore Ravens
26. Las Vegas Raiders
27. Cleveland Browns
28. Miami Dolphins
29. New Orleans Saints
30. Tennessee Titans
31. New York Giants
32. New York Jets