Being undefeated, even with an easy schedule and unimpressive wins, is enough to keep the Kansas City Chiefs on top of the NFL power rankings, just ahead of one-loss teams like the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, who are looking a lot better on most days regardless of the opposition.
As for the bottom of the rankings, there’s really no change: The Jacksonville Jaguars continue their chase after the title of the worst team in the history of the NFL, while the Bucs, for some reason, still haven’t gotten rid of Greg Schiano.
1. Kansas City Chiefs, 8-0: The Chiefs did beat Cleveland by only six points, but they haven’t allowed more than 17 points in one game all season long, allowing an NFL best 12.3 points per game.
2. Denver Broncos, 7-1: Even with Peyton Manning turning the ball over four times, it’s extremely hard to stop their offense which just keeps coming at you. By beating Washington they posted their fifth game this season with over 40 points.
3. Seattle Seahawks, 7-1: Aren’t too impressive, but unlike the Broncos, aren’t really trying to force points on their rivals but just do enough to win. They’re still ranked in the top 10 when it comes to both scoring and limiting opponents to only 15.6 points per game.
4. New Orleans Saints, 6-1: Had no problem walking all over the Bills with a 35-17 win this week, as Drew Brees had an immense five-touchdown passing game to move further up the all-time rankings.
5. Indianapolis Colts, 5-2: The giants killers of the NFL didn’t play this weekend, but we should expect more of the same from a team ranked in the top 10 of the league both in total offense and defense.
6. Cincinnati Bengals, 6-2: Andy Dalton isn’t going to be an All-Pro quarterback ever, but there’s no need to with the blend of pass rush and ground game the Bengals have, currently on a four-game winning streak.
7. San Francisco 49ers, 6-2: Got a stroll of weekend in London, having no problem against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 42-10 win, which was a chance for Colin Kaepernick to put on some misleading numbers (117.7 passer rating).
8. Green Bay Packers, 5-2: Aaron Rodgers keeps losing wide receivers, but has no problem putting up big numbers without them, either through Jordy Nelson or lesser known names, ranking second in the NFL when it comes to total offense with 438.9 yards per game.
9. New England Patriots, 6-2: Tom Brady is still playing like just an average joe at quarterback, but the Patriots of this season are proving wins are about stepping up when it matters the most, and not putting up impressive numbers.
10. Detroit Lions, 5-3: Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson will go in the history books together one day, with Johnson picking up his sixth 200-yard receiving game out of his last 27 games.
11. Carolina Panthers, 4-3: Might not have the greatest secondary in the world, but Cam Newton is thriving this season, and their defense is allowing only 301.4 yards (3rd in the NFL) and 13.7 points per game.
12. San Diego Chargers, 4-3: Didn’t play this weekend, but lets not forget: This team played against the Eagles in the latter’s home opener, which means they still might end up winning the Super Bowl, although they’ll have to settle for third in their division.
13. Chicago Bears, 4-3: Got one more week to prepare for their first full game without Jay Cutler.
14. Dallas Cowboys, 4-4: Somehow the Cowboys keep finding ways to lose games even though Tony Romo isn’t making mistakes. Their defense can’t stop giving up the big plays, giving up 422.5 yards per game this season, more than anyone in the NFL.
15. Baltimore Ravens, 3-4: Had a week to rest and hopefully get out of their funk which is caused by some terrible play from their offensive line, losing three of their last four games.
16. Tennessee Titans, 3-4: The bye week came perfectly for a team losing three consecutive games, and getting a relatively soft rival in the St. Louis Rams to start their bid to finish second in the division with Jake Locker completely healthy.
17. Oakland Raiders, 3-4: Have one of the best rush-defenses in the NFL (allowing 89.9 yards per game), but the formula of wathching Terrelle Pryor scramble for his life on almost every blitz won’t get them very far.
18. New York Jets, 4-4: It’s pretty simple for the Jets – a good run defense, and hoping for Geno Smith to not make mistakes. When he throws two interceptions like he did against the Bengals, there’s no chance for them to even remain close in a game.
19. Arizona Cardinals, 4-4: Carson Palmer keeps throwing interceptions, making it to 14 this season. However, from time to time the Cards will meet a team so bad on defense, like the falling apart Falcons, their running game might spark into life, getting a shocking 201 yards from their ground game.
20. Miami Dolphins, 3-4: Continue their free fall (Four consecutive losses) despite holding a 17-3 lead over the New England Patriots. However, their struggling offense will continue to expose Ryan Tannehill to big mistakes if the offensive line doesn’t get it together.
21. Buffalo Bills, 3-5: The Bills can’t stop the run and can’t get anything special going on offense without C.J. Spiller and the revolving door at quarterback due to injuries.
22. Philadelphia Eagles, 3-5: Michael Vick might have played his final game for the Eagles in the 15-7 loss to the New York Giants, as the famous Chip Kelly offense showed it doesn’t need a running quarterback to succeed: Just one that doesn’t make too many mistakes.
23. Washington Redskins, 2-5: Managed to hang on with the Broncos for three quarters thanks to Manning turnovers, but even with Robert Griffin III, there’s no deep game going on while the defense is 29th in the NFL.
24. St. Louis Rams, 3-5: Without Sam Bradford, even a quite stout and disciplined defense isn’t going to help them the rest of the way, especially if Clemens keeps throwing interceptions at an alarming rate.
25. Cleveland Browns, 3-5: Jason Campbell is a better quarterback than Brandon Weeden, but the Browns will keep losing simply because their defense isn’t good enough and there doesn’t seem to be much of a running game to count on.
26. Atlanta Falcons, 2-5: The most disappointing team this season seem to have given up, giving Matt Ryan a chance to throw the ball 61 (!!!) times in their 27-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, while Steven Jackson ran for a total of 6 yards on 11 carries.
27. Houston Texans, 2-5: Five consecutive losses, playing with their third-string quarterback, and not a lot of hope for things getting better after the bye week.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-5: An impressive fourth quarter comeback attempt didn’t cut it, as Roethlisberger went back to his interception-ways, while the running game gained only 35 yards on 19 carries in the loss to the Raiders.
29. New York Giants, 2-6: The Giants have won twice in a row (although it was against the Vikings and Eagles), and their defense hasn’t allowed an offensive touchdown in two consecutive games.
30. Minnesota Vikings, 1-6: Back to Christian Ponder and picking up their third loss in three division games this season.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0-7: It’s quite remarkable Greg Schiano still has a job considering how much the team has went backwards under him over the last 14-15 games.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars, 0-8: I hope they enjoyed London.