Week 10 Power Rankings

by Jon_48469 | 2 years ago | 1 Comments

We are officially over the halfway point in the season! As the games become even more important, and the playoff races start to take shape, we have our first updated power rankings. No, we are not breaking down all 16 teams this time around, so you all can relax. We will be highlighting the biggest movers within the top 16, who's on the outside looking in, and a surprising one or two that aren't featured. So without further delay, let's get into it:

The Highs & the Lows:

The top half of the power rankings nearly featured the same exact 8 teams as our initial rankings, but there was one team that has continued to excel and catapulted their way up into the top 5. The 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles have stayed scorching hot and check in this week at #4 in the rankings! Big division wins over Washington & Dallas, coupled with a game winning FG over AFC contender Pittsburgh on our League Stream (shamelessly plugging GroundZeroSportsNetwork on Twitch, follow us for updates whenever we go live with a stream!), have highlighted this middle stretch of games for Philly who have established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC this season.

Going the complete opposite way and falling out of the top 8, the Denver Broncos have hit a bit of a cold streak and plummeted from the top spot all the way down to #13. Before you hit the panic button or give up on the Broncos this season, take a look at the opponents they've had to play over this stretch. Among those games: Indianapolis (#15), LA Chargers (#3), Jacksonville (#12) & Tennessee (#1); they did pick up a sim win against the NY Jets (#5) along the way to help highlight the tough schedule. There's some prime opportunities for the Broncos to bounce back in the 2nd half of the season, which could lead to them becoming a red hot team going into the playoffs.

New Kids on the Block:

As was expected, we get to welcome some new faces to the list here in week 10. The Baltimore Ravens (6-3) slot in at #10, and lead the AFC North at the halfway point. After really struggling out of the gate, the New York Giants (5-4) have hit a groove and find themselves sitting at #11 as they look to keep pace with the Eagles in the NFC East. A strong showing from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4) has them at #14 in the rankings and just a game out of the top spot in the NFC South. Rounding out the newcomers to the list we have the Indianapolis Colts (6-4) who sit at #15 in the rankings and are currently the top Wild Card team in the AFC. You never want to cross paths with a team that has momentum on their side, and that's exactly what these teams have. We'll learn a lot in the latter half of the season, but don't be shocked if you see one of these names playing late into the post-season.

On the Outside Looking in:

As with every rankings, and as we eluded to with the above section, when new teams come in that means some current teams have got to go. Moment of silence for those who fell out of the rankings: Cincinnati Bengals (5-4), Dallas Cowboys (4-5), Arizona Cardinals (4-6) & San Francisco 49ers (3-6)...... alright, moments gone. Time to highlight those who just missed the cut this time around:

The Minnesota Vikings rattled off five wins in a row after starting the season 0-3. What's the catch? Those teams have a combined 8-42 record. They've definitely taken care of business where they needed to, but until we see some wins against teams above .500 they'll lose pretty much every tiebreaker against teams with similar records. 5 of their last 6 games are against such teams, so they'll get their chances to prove they belong.

The Cincinnati Bengals may have fallen out of the rankings, but it wasn't without a bit of a discussion. Just like the Pittsburgh Steelers (who were the last team into the rankings at #16), they are within striking distance of the Ravens in the AFC North and will have opportunities down the stretch to solidify a spot in the postseason. Why leave them out if they are still doing well? Compared to the newcomers this week, the Bengals just weren't able to get it done against above .500 opponents over their last five games. Seeing a trend with how we determine who goes where?

Missing in Action:

To wrap this whole thing up, we wanted to revisit who we assumed would be a lock for the rankings that have yet to make an appearance.

The Buffalo Bills came into the year, and the cycle, with lofty expectations. Building off a strong M22 (which is impressive considering how bumpy of a ride that was), many picked the Bills to bring home the Lombardi trophy at some point. They had a rough start right out the gate and slipped to an 0-2 record after taking on the LA Rams (#9) & Tennessee Titans (#1). They've managed to regain some balance over the past few weeks, but still only sit at 4-5 on the season. There's still a chance to get hot and rattle off a win streak to make the postseason, and there's plenty of seasons left in this cycle to achieve the Super Bowl dream, but at this point in year one I think it's safe to say we are a bit surprised to not see them featured in either power rankings. Means nothing for year two & beyond though (hopefully foreshadowing so my prediction of a Bills Super Bowl comes true).

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but I think it's surprising that the Houston Texans haven't found their way into at least the mid-to-high teens yet. They have a franchise QB, a handful of promising young players and a user who has basically been a lock for the playoffs every season in the past. However, there are certainly a LOT of holes to fill on that team and it just shows that sometimes roster talent can make all the difference in a win or a loss. Even with the losses piling up, I'm sure this season can be viewed as a win in the long-term goals down in the Lone Star State. Higher draft capital, a year of development under their belt and the cap space to start really building the squad how they want has me thinking (and expecting) the Texans to make an appearance in the rankings sooner rather than later.

Plenty of action still left in the season, plenty of time to make a playoff push & plenty of time for teams to throw their position away. Anything can happen with intriguing matchups every single week; don't waste the opportunities when they're presented to you. It's getting down to crunch time gentlemen!