Welcome to the Power Rankings. Kadarius Toney was most certainly offsides. And while I don’t think that mistake is an indictment of Toney the human (so please leave the guy alone) I do think it’s kind of ridiculous that we fight about something so innocuous. A good fan base should be able to accept the fact that, if your player is so offsides that he is physically blocking the back side official from seeing the placement of the ball, he’s going to get flagged for it.
I think that an official should help a guy if the receiver is straddling a centimeter in the wrong direction, provided that the official has concluded all of their other pre-snap responsibilities, including ensuring that there are only 11 players on the field (you try counting that quickly on the ground at Arrowhead during a close-game situation). An official seeing Toney lined up the way that he was? It was probably more distracting than anything else. Like, surely this person is going to back up at some point, no? It’s like a clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles watching someone loiter ahead of the yellow “stand here” tape. Who does that?
Anyway, please don’t let that stop the Chiefs from trying more laterals.
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1. San Francisco 49ers (10–3)
Last week: win vs. Seattle, 28–16
Next week: at Arizona
One aspect of this 49ers run that I’ve enjoyed has been the not-so-subtle cockiness. An observation from Sunday: Nick Bosa quickly leaping up after bringing down the quarterback to see whether or not it would count as a sack (and then pestering his coaches on the sidelines to confirm it). And then, Kyle Shanahan clearly calling the end around touchdown for Deebo Samuel after a long Samuel gain set the 49ers up in the short-yardage situation. And … no one can stop it!
2. Baltimore Ravens (10–3)
Last week: win vs. Los Angeles Rams, 37–31
Next week: at Jacksonville
This was yet another instance of the Ravens being forced to pull every gadget out of the Swiss army knife. Through that process, I feel like we’re left with the conclusion that, outside of the Eagles and 49ers, this is the deepest team in the NFL. It’s not just that the reserve punt returner (Tylan Wallace) won the game in overtime, but the backup tight end (Isaiah Likely) was also a beast. This game gave us a bit of everything: vintage Lamar and current Lamar. And another monster game from a guy who I think is going to rake in the playoffs: Justin Madubuike.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (10–3)
Last week: loss at Dallas, 33–13
Next week: at Seattle
Yes, still, momentarily, I like the Eagles a little bit better than the Cowboys, even though Dallas’s victory on Sunday night was decisive. I can’t quite pinpoint why, and there is a clear sense that Jalen Hurts isn’t seeing the field as well as he did last year. But if this is Philadelphia at its worst, they are still an incredibly dangerous team. The Eagles went through a similar period of attrition a season ago, with almost everyone, to a person, at the Super Bowl crediting the two-game losing streak before and after Christmas to a long playoff run.
4. Dallas Cowboys (10–3)
Last week: win vs. Philadelphia, 33–13
Next week: at Buffalo
The NFL season is a series of runs. There are weeks when players feel great and weeks they don’t. There are weeks they feel motivated to slam their bodies into concrete and weeks they don’t. On Sunday, we saw the Cowboys at a peak. The question is—and always has been—whether we will get this in the playoffs against one of two teams (Philadelphia or San Francisco) with a slightly deeper set of personnel.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (8–5)
Last week: loss vs. Buffalo, 20–17
Next week: at New England
The Chiefs still had three plays to get 15 yards at the end of the day. What happened after Toney’s offsides penalty? Patrick Mahomes was nearly sacked as the pocket collapsed around him and somehow Madden-glitched the football out for an incompletion. Then Mahomes had a ball batted down (on a play that, in fairness to the Chiefs, featured Von Miller jumping offsides, though it would not have had an effect on Ed Oliver making a great play). Then, Mahomes barely got the ball away and lobbed a pass to nowhere. I think there is probably a situation where this could have been attacked with a little more composition, though the frustration with the officiating crew was obviously palpable.
6. Detroit Lions (9–4)
Last week: loss at Chicago, 28–13
Next week: vs. Denver
You could make the argument that the Lions’ margin of victory has been tight of late and that they have been taxed significantly since their Week 9 bye. Detroit narrowly beat the lowly Chargers and came back against the Bears before losing to the Packers (and nearly collapsing against the Saints). Personally, I think this Bears loss is a leftover from a few weeks back. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus can call a good game and has the personnel to match up decently against what the Lions do well (even though both of Detroit’s lead backs were over six yards a carry in this one). This Broncos game comes at a fascinating time. If the Lions are still sleepwalking, they’ll get clobbered.
7. Miami Dolphins (9–4)
Last week: loss vs. Tennessee, 28–27
Next week: vs. New York Jets
A tough loss for so many reasons. The Dolphins lost on Monday as two-touchdown favorites. Tyreek Hill was not healthy enough to be on the field for the final drive. The Dolphins were spotted three turnovers and still lost. Obviously, the long-term health of Hill is the big takeaway here. I’m not alone in thinking that—the further away he is from being 100%, the further away Miami’s offense is from being the ball of knives that ran through the NFL over the first half of the season. A brutal road lies ahead for the Dolphins regardless.
8. Cleveland Browns (8–5)
Last week: win vs. Jacksonville, 31–27
Next week: vs. Chicago
On the podcast this week, I offered Browns management a chance to get me back in the fold as a fan: trade or release Deshaun Watson and sign Joe Flacco to Watson’s contract. And I’m back. Also on the podcast, we discussed what would happen, seriously, if Flacco plays lights-out ball for another six weeks and takes this team into the playoffs. Of course, you still play Watson when he’s healthy, but we all saw how strangely complicated the post-Nick Foles/Carson Wentz dynamic in Philadelphia was.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (8–5)
Last week: loss at Cleveland, 31–27
Next week: vs. Baltimore
Not only did the Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence on a bum wheel, but they were also turning the ball over and dealing with attrition on the offensive line. Jacksonville hung tough with Cleveland, but it’s clear the Jags are not yet the conference upstarts we’d projected them to be, especially in their current, less-than-optimal state.
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10. Buffalo Bills (7–6)
Last week: at Kansas City, 20–17
Next week: vs. Dallas
Lost in the Toney offsides mess was the fact that Buffalo played a solid game against one of the better opponents they’ll face all year. They did so at a time when Sean McDermott desperately needed a victory, especially against a coach, Andy Reid, who has seemed to vex him in critical moments. I don’t know what an end-of-season run would signify to me—I still think a lot of Buffalo’s whole setup needs to be reimagined if they want to get the most out of Josh Allen—but I do think it shows that McDermott still has something of a grasp on the locker room. That’s not nothing.
11. Denver Broncos (7–6)
Last week: win at Los Angeles Chargers, 24–7
Next week: at Detroit
What else can we say at this point? I was absolutely thrilled with what I believed to be the fulfilling of my preseason prophecy that the Broncos were going to be terrible and Sean Payton was going to have egg on his face after slamming the previous regime. Well, they’ve won six of their last seven and, outside of the Lions this week, don’t have another winning team coming down the pike (including another game against the bottoming-out Chargers).
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7–6)
Last week: win vs. Indianapolis, 34–14
Next week: vs. Minnesota
In both of Jake Browning’s first two starts, he has been one of the week’s seven highest passers in terms of total yards and one of the quickest releases in the NFL. With this complimentary roster, I think we can again start to envision some kind of playoff berth by virtue of the fact that Browning isn’t a clumsy player. He’s decisive and plays fast. He has also logged a positive completion percentage over expectation in each of the Bengals’ last two games.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (7–6)
Last week: loss vs. New England, 21–18
Next week: at Indianapolis
Mike Tomlin was terse in suggesting after the Patriots game that he did not consider moving on from Mitch Trubisky. He doubled down on that assertion this week. I respect how the Steelers do business on most fronts, but their lack of all-out supermarket sweep desperation in finding a steadier presence behind Kenny Pickett is frustrating. This team is good enough, with a quarterback playing just above replacement level, to knock off most of the field in the conference.
14. Indianapolis Colts (7–6)
Last week: loss at Cincinnati, 34–14
Next week: vs. Pittsburgh
A disappointing loss for the Colts, who still hold on to the No. 7 spot in the AFC. But I do not see an obvious loss remaining on the team’s schedule. I also could easily be convinced that the Colts win the division ahead of the Jaguars. Many good times are ahead in Indianapolis. In fact, after we see what happens between the Jaguars and Ravens this coming weekend, I think you’ll easily be convinced too.
15. Houston Texans (7–6)
Last week: loss at New York Jets, 30–6
Next week: at Tennessee
I think the Texans just ran into one here. No grand conclusions other than it’s disappointing to see C.J. Stroud in concussion protocol. That backward fall angle is tough to protect against. I would assume Davis Mills can get the job done this week, but we are seeing a Titans defense hanging surprisingly tough at the end of a lost season. DeMeco Ryans isn’t going to just walk into the playoffs in year one.
16. Green Bay Packers (6–7)
Last week: loss at New York Giants, 24–22
Next week: vs. Tampa Bay
I’m choosing to be optimistic here. Jordan Love got the go-ahead score late against a Wink Martindale defense that is unlike many others he’ll see in the NFL. That’s my takeaway. He managed to keep swinging despite some bad breaks. The fact that the Packers couldn’t keep Tommy DeVito out of field goal range was simply an act of the cosmos. Who can stop Tommy Cutlets these days?
17. Los Angeles Rams (6–7)
Last week: loss at Baltimore, 37–31
Next week: vs. Washington
A big performance by the Rams this weekend, who showed just how tough they are going to be if they can slip into the postseason. On display was the total suite of run plays the Rams have at their disposal, even without a full complement of backs. Consequently, Matthew Stafford also looks nearly flawless.
18. Seattle Seahawks (6–7)
Last week: loss at San Francisco, 28–16
Next week: vs. Philadelphia
This skid has been disappointing, but outside of a narrow loss to the Rams, who seem to have Seattle’s number (and basically created the offense that Seattle runs, thus giving them a bead on everything), the Seahawks have lost to the best team in football twice, and just missed beating to the second- or third-best team, during which time their starting quarterback also missed snaps or entire games. That is going to happen. I don’t think the Seahawks are dead yet.
19. Minnesota Vikings (7–6)
Last week: win at Las Vegas, 3–0
Next week: at Cincinnati
I didn’t necessarily forget how hard Justin Jefferson goes on a down-to-down basis, but I was pretty amazed at the degree of hits he was set up for and willing to take upon his return (before exiting again with a chest injury). I said before the season that, if I were Jefferson, I wouldn’t play another down without a contract, and I wonder if Sunday’s game changed his perspective at all. Also, man, it was great to see Nick Mullens sling it again.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6–7)
Last week: win at Atlanta, 29–25
Next week: at Green Bay
I thought Baker Mayfield’s best throw, a kind of multiple-pump, scramble, evasion and dart to Mike Evans toward the side of the end zone, was actually an incompletion. I think this team is situationally dangerous, and the one unit out of the abhorrent NFC South that could do some damage in the playoffs under the right circumstances. I liked how Mayfield, on the game-winning touchdown, had at least one other open option; an easier throw underneath to Evans and he let it rip.
21. New Orleans Saints (6–7)
Last week: win vs. Carolina, 28–6
Next week: vs. New York Giants
I don’t know how much stock we should put into a fight between a quarterback and his offensive lineman given that some of the greatest players in NFL history have battled with their coaches and teammates over the course of a heated moment. However, we have talked about this specifically with Derek Carr a few times. This week on the MMQB podcast, Albert Breer shared the genesis of some of the anti-Carr teammate takes out there and it dates back to an abandoned quarterback sneak in Las Vegas. It’s worth your time.
22. Atlanta Falcons (6–7)
Last week: loss vs. Tampa Bay, 29–25
Next week: at Carolina
A pretty alright game from Desmond Ridder all things considered, aided by this great catch by Drake London late in the fourth quarter where he kind of just snaps the ball out of the sky with sheer force of will, and Ridder hanging tough on a busted up zone read run that led to Atlanta’s last touchdown. London is going to be so good. I don’t know what Ridder will be, but I do think this Falcons season wasn’t a waste entirely, regardless of whether it ends in a playoff bid. On Sunday, we saw the distance between where the Falcons are now, and where they’ll need to be before they’re taken seriously on a regular basis.
23. Chicago Bears (5–8)
Last week: win vs. Detroit, 28–13
Next week: at Cleveland
A few weeks ago, I wrote that Matt Eberflus shouldn’t be back for the 2024 Bears. I still think he’d be a tough sell for me, especially if, say, Ben Johnson wanted the job. But minus the Bears scoring the hottest candidate on the market, I do think there is merit in allowing Eberflus one more crack at this. Yes, he’s made some in-game errors. Critical ones. But despite an absolute whirlwind of a season, the team is playing pretty well right now. Also, Luke Getsy is fun again. We go through spurts with Bears offensive playcallers. At one point, Matt Nagy was mind-blowing. Then … he wasn’t. Getsy had to slog through a few weeks without Fields and some other complicated circumstances. Now, he can run those DJ Moore fake throwback sweep plays all the time! Getsy forever.
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24. New York Giants (5–8)
Last week: win vs. Green Bay, 24–22
Next week: at New Orleans
What a fun night in New Jersey, huh? What a throw by DeVito to Wan’Dale Robinson to set up the game-winning field goal. DeVito is now just the third undrafted rookie quarterback ever to win at least three of his first four starts. Despite a dagger of a fumble from Saquon Barkley, the Giants—and that Martindale defense—never wavered. How about the way they were slapping footballs out of receivers’ hands in the end zone late in the game? This is a team that doesn’t let up.
25. New York Jets (5–8)
Last week: win vs. Houston, 30–6
Next week: at Miami
Full thoughts on Zach Wilson here. If anything else, the fact that the Jets still have eyes on the fringe chances of meaningful postseason football (almost assuredly without Aaron Rodgers if it actually happens) is a credit to how the team has weathered so many potential storms. This is a well-constructed roster. Do I think Wilson has a quarterback rating over 100 in each of the remaining four games? I do not. Do I think he can still be a good quarterback? I do. Sometimes potential does not materialize on your timeline. Would it be the absolute treat of the season to see it all click for a kid who has been through so much? No doubt.
26. Tennessee Titans (5–8)
Last week: win at Miami, 28–27
Next week: vs. Houston
How did the Titans come back in this game? Tennessee spotted the Dolphins a win by virtue of so many ill-advised plays. And yet, there they were, closing out a high-scoring offense (sans Tyreek Hill on the final drive). Will Levis stormed off the field after the Titans scored a go-ahead touchdown looking straight-up dangerous and threw one of the most physical chest bumps I’ve ever seen on a sideline. A definite Elite QB trait.
27. Las Vegas Raiders (5–8)
Last week: loss vs. Minnesota, 3–0
Next week: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
I feel a little sad for the Raiders. They were a semi-competitive team before the arrival of Jon Gruden, they were torn down, rebuilt to three-quarters strength, handed over to one of the least successful NFL head coaches of the 21st century, sloppily topped off with a handful of veterans and ex-Patriots, and now they will likely necessitate another year or two of roster tweaking before they’ll be competitive again. That will start with the departure of Davante Adams, which has never felt closer.
28. Los Angeles Chargers (5–8)
Last week: loss vs. Denver, 24–7
Next week: at Las Vegas
OK. After toeing the line of Charger fandom for the last month, I am officially, irrevocably, out. Ultimately, I think that the issues with the Brandon Staley tenure came down to a few different things. One, the Chargers are a tough team to coach regardless of who is on the roster. There is a reason that these issues of inconsistency and injury prone-ness pre-date Staley’s tenure. Two, Staley misfired on a pair of offensive coordinator picks. The second point is dicey because, sure, under Joe Lombardi, we saw Justin Herbert throw for more than 5,000 yards. But after Shane Steichen left, there hasn’t been a coordinator that has properly maximized the team’s franchise player.
29. Washington Commanders (4–9)
Last week: Bye
Next week: at Los Angeles Rams
The Commanders end the season with games against the hot Rams and somewhat-hot Jets, then the 49ers and Cowboys. How possible is it, especially if Bailey Zappe continues playing well in New England and Kyler Murray continues to fend off the No. 1 pick in Arizona, that the Commanders wind up with a generational talent at quarterback?
30. Arizona Cardinals (3–10)
Last week: Bye
Next week: vs. San Francisco
The Cardinals have four weeks left to determine whether they will be in or out of the quarterback conversation in 2024. The team’s opponents? The 49ers, at Chicago, at Philadelphia and a season finale at home against a Seahawks team that could be right on the demarcation line for the playoffs. Arizona is 2–2 with Kyler Murray under center this season.
I thought that this take on Murray was pretty solid if you remove the Aaron Rodgers comp. The people who dumped on Murray anonymously about his leadership and habits are probably not in the NFL anymore. And while we wouldn’t want to source guess (because I think that’s a silly practice), maybe Murray didn’t have the smoothest ride into the NFL because he was playing for one of the worst organizations in football.
31. New England Patriots (3–10)
Last week: win at Pittsburgh, 21–18
Next week: vs. Kansas City
We wrote about New England’s offensive opus of 2023 here. I don’t know why, but it oddly feels like we could play ourselves into making sense of another year of Bill Belichick. Of course, right now, folks you talk to are saying: he’s gone. But so much of this is tenuous, right? It’s a marriage. It’s delicate. What if the Patriots take three of their last four games somehow, which would necessitate victories over some really good teams? Does that cause Robert Kraft and Belichick to come together and agree on one last rodeo?
32. Carolina Panthers (1–12)
Last week: loss at New Orleans, 28–6
Next week: vs. Atlanta
Since there really isn’t much else to talk about with the Panthers, I’ll note this really cool blitz concept that featured Frankie Luvu in Carolina that seemed to really bother Derek Carr. Luvu starts at the line, threatens blitz, then drops into zone to muddle the middle of the field. But after that, Luvu darts back into the backfield. He can get away with it because of his speed and it seemed to blow up the play.
