The Arizona Cardinals remain on top of the NFL power rankings following week 10 but that might not last for long, pursued from behind by the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. At the bottom, there’s no change: The Oakland Raiders are providing an escape for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from being called the worst teams in football.
1. Arizona Cardinals, 8-1: They lost Carson Palmer for the season, which might mean we’ll see them falling down these rankings fast.
2. New England Patriots, 7-2: After dominating good teams at home, playing in Indianapolis is going to be a real test of whether or not the Patriots are actual contenders this season.
3. Denver Broncos, 7-2: Peyton Manning had no problem putting up more incredible numbers against the worst team in football.
4. Philadelphia Eagles, 7-2: Winning so easily with Mark Sanchez at quarterback might suggest how good the rest of the team is, or how bad the Panthers are.
5. Detroit Lions, 7-2: With every game that goes by it’s hard to ignore their defensive abilities and more importantly how they perform in the fourth quarter when coming from behind.
6. Dallas Cowboys, 7-3: Took a risk by not resting Tony Romo ahead of the game with the Jags but he didn’t get injured, and they had no problems.
7. Indianapolis Colts, 6-3: A bye week is a good chance to prepare for a mega game against the Patriots.
8. Seattle Seahawks, 6-3: Even if Russell Wilson’s aim is completely off, the running game looked unstoppable against the Giants.
9. Green Bay Packers, 6-3: Aaron Rodgers keeps wishing all of the team’s he’s facing this season are re-named the Chicago Bears.
10. Kansas City Chiefs, 6-3: Waited late to pick up their win over the Bills, and have a defense and running game that keeps them alive in games no matter what happens.
11. San Diego Chargers, 5-4: After three losses, the Chargers have a comfortable way to bounce back, facing the Raiders and Rams after a bye week.
12. Cleveland Browns, 6-3: The real deal with a dominant road win over the Bengals, and sole possession of the NFC North top spot.
13. San Francisco 49ers, 5-4: Their quarterback is playing badly, their offensive line is worse, but singular plays in the fourth quarter and overtime kept their season alive.
14. Cincinnati Bengals, 5-3-1: The record isn’t too bad, by Andy Dalton’s performances are getting worse each week.
15. Baltimore Ravens, 6-4: Joe Flacco is having a bad season, but defense and a running game are keeping this team on the right track.
16. Miami Dolphins, 5-4: Just like the Bills, seem to be losing their chances of catching up with the Patriots.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-4: All of a sudden, Roethlisberger isn’t magical every time he tosses the ball. Funny it happened against the Jets.
18. Buffalo Bills, 5-4: Somehow lost a game they had in their hands, putting them in a tough spot in the AFC East.
19. Houston Texans, 4-5: Playing on the road in Cleveland coming off the bye week will decide if they’ll have something to play for in the final six weeks of the season.
20. New Orleans Saints, 4-5: Luckily for them, they’re playing in the worst division in football.
21. New York Giants, 3-6: Eli Manning isn’t very good, but he’s not getting any help from a terrible defense and offensive line.
22. Minnesota Vikings, 4-5: Had a bye week to prepare for proving the Bears are really the worst in the division.
23. Chicago Bears, 3-6: This might be how rock bottom feels like.
24. Atlanta Falcons, 3-6: Sometimes, their offense is good enough to win games. They’re actually still with a chance to make the playoffs out of the NFC South.
25. St. Louis Rams, 3-6: A comedy of mistakes at the end cost them a game they could have won which would have really messed up the NFC West.
26. Carolina Panthers, 3-6-1: Cam Newton isn’t improving, his offensive line made it easy for the Eagles to sack him, and yet this season still has some hope in it left.
27. Washington Redskins, 3-6: At least they’re not alone anymore at the bottom of the division.
28. New York Jets, 2-7: Michael Vick didn’t turn back the clock all of a sudden, but didn’t destroy the game for the team like his backup quarterback has most of the time.
29. Tennessee Titans, 2-7: Changing quarterbacks can’t hide all the problems with this team.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1-8: Incredibly, Josh McCown was their leading rusher in the loss to the Falcons.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-8: The only good thing about this week has been the news that they might be spending some big money in the offseason.
32. Oakland Raiders, 0-9: Winless, hopeless as well.