Well that sucked. I never enjoy getting up to do this power rankings thing after a Denver Broncos loss, but at least they played their worst defensive game in quite some time and still only lost by three points. Peyton Manning actually looked good, despite two costly interceptions.
Around the NFL, the Oakland Raiders lost, which means the Broncos didn't lose anything but a little bit of pride on Sunday. With the Kansas City Chiefs coming to town, it will be important to remind those fans why their team hasn't beaten Denver since Kyle Orton was quarterbacking their team.
Anyway, let's get to these NFL Week 10 NFL power rankings before I lose my motivation to do them! These are your playoff contenders - the rest, just aren't worth my time today.
1. |
New England Patriots |
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Record 8-0. The freaking New England Patriots have outscored their opponents by 133 points through eight games. The next closest is the Arizona Cardinals with 110. Tom Brady is totally addicted to Julian Edleman and Rob Gronkowski seems to be disappearing lately. The Patriots are really not as good as people think, but that will become evident down the stretch. You heard it here first, folks! 
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2. |
Cincinnati Bengals |
| Record 8-0. I trust these Cincinnati Bengals about as much as I would trust a thief with my bank account information. They are undefeated and playing well, so they are second in these rankings. However, something in the back of my brain is telling me that the real Bengals will show up at some point. Probably in the playoffs. | |
3. |
Carolina Panthers |
| Record 8-0. Rounding out the undefeated teams, the Carolina Panthers darn near blew a lead against the Green Bay Packers at home. Cam Newton is playing extremely well and with their mostly competent defense, the Panthers are true contender in the weaker NFC. | |
4. |
Arizona Cardinals
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| Record 6-2. I must admit, I've been underrating the Arizona Cardinals this year. The fact that they are second in net points as mentioned above, has me wondering if they are a better team than I thought they were. They apparently have the best secondary in the NFL. | |
5. |
Denver Broncos |
| Record 7-1. We finally saw what this Denver Broncos team looks like when its defense has a bad game. They didn't just have a bad game, they played undisciplined and dirty. Aqib Talib is getting suspended, DeMarcus Ware is out 2-4 weeks with an injury and T.J. Ward is piping off on social media about the rules the NFL has in place. I'm so annoyed with the team that I wish I could drop them farther this week, but they did kick the shit out of the next team on my list just 9 days ago... | |
6. |
Green Bay Packers |
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Record 6-2. Aaron Rodgers finally woke up last week to lead a furious comeback attempt on the road against the undefeated Panthers. However, his Green Bay Packers fell short and that would be two straight losses for the Packers who are suddenly in a first place tie in the NFC North with the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers need a few more discount double checks next week. 
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7. |
Minnesota Vikings |
| Record 6-2. After losing a tight 23-20 game at Denver in Week 4, the Minnesota Vikings have ripped off four straight wins and put themselves in position to overtake the Packers in the NFC North. Teddy Bridgewater is becoming a quality NFL starter, which makes sense considering how many weapons he's got around him on the offense. | |
8. |
New York Jets |
| Record 5-3. The New York Jets jumped out to an early lead on the Jacksonville Jaguars and then held on for deal life. Not exactly an inspiring home performance, but who I am to talk, my team just crapped themselves. The Jets have a good, but not great defense. It should certainly get them into the playoffs. | |
9. |
New York Giants |
| Record 5-4. Eli Manning and the New York Giants made up for their 52-49 loss the week before by going into Tampa Bay and beating the Buccaneers 32-18. The Giants are clearly the best team in the NFC East right now, but they do not have very much cushion to play with. They need to finish the season strong. | |
10. |
Atlanta Falcons |
| Record 6-3. How can the Atlanta Falcons not score points with Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, and Julio Jones? You can try to blame the defense for letting Blaine Gabbert tear them up for a whooping seventeen points, but with those three the Falcons should have scored at least eighteen against the dumpster fire San Francisco 49ers. | |
11. |
Seattle Seahawks |
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Record 4-4. The vaunted Seattle Seahawks are on pace for a 8-8 season. Suddenly they can't seem to find ways to win in a fluky manner. The Broncos appear to have stolen their fluke mojo. We're not giving it back, either. 
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12. |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Record 5-4. Antonio Brown was not human against the Oakland Raiders. It didn't matter if Ben Roethlisberger or Laundry Jones were quarterback, Antonio Brown was open for the easy catch. Seventeen of them, in fact, for 284 yards. The real beast of the day was DeAngelo Williams, though. 170 yards rushing with two touchdowns and another 55 yards receiving. | |
13. |
Indianapolis Colts |
| Record 4-5. Andrew Luck was unreal on Sunday. His offensive line was allowed to hold anyone, anytime and his Indianapolis Colts defense was allow to interfere with every single Peyton Manning pass. The team appears to have come together for Chuck Pagano to tell the owner and general manager to go to hell. | |
14. |
Oakland Raiders |
| Record 4-4. The Oakland Raiders appear to be the best of the average team in the AFC. That's like being the best piece of junk in a junk pile. That sixth seed is theirs for the taking if they can keep the Bills and Chiefs from overtaking them. The Raiders defense will ensure they are one and done in any playoff scenario, though. | |
15. |
St. Louis Rams |
| Record 4-4. Todd Gurley had his worst start of the year, but still managed to put the St. Louis Rams on his back to help the team get into overtime on the road against a tough Vikings team. At some point, the Rams will need to push the Seahawks off their pedestal for that sixth and final playoff spot. I think they might just be built to do it. The new Beastmode has arrived. | |
16. |
Philadelphia Eagles |
| Record 4-4. I'd much rather put the New Orleans Saints here, but losing at home to the 2-6 Tennesse Titans ruined that for me. Instead, the unpredictable and unreliable Philadelphia Eagles get the final "relevant" spot in my rankings. Coming off a 33-27 exciting overtime finish to hand the Cowboys their worst losing streak in 26 years, the Eagles at least came together to finish strong. | |
17-32. |
The Garbage Heap |
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In relative order: Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions. 
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