The Carolina Panthers might be the only undefeated team left, but we need to see a bit more from them before they topple the New England Patriots from the top of the power rankings, while the Cleveland Browns remain the doormat of the AFC North and the NFL in general.
1. New England Patriots, 10-1: No, they are no longer undefeated, but considering what it took the beat them, it’s fair to say they deserve another week at the top.
2. Carolina Panthers, 11-0: The most impressive thing about the Panthers beating the Cowboys was holding Dallas to just 210 yards of offense.
3. Arizona Cardinals, 9-2: Almost not beating the San Francisco 49ers shouldn’t give teams a lot of credit, but learning that Carson Palmer can run for touchdowns is a nice little bonus from a forgettable game.
4. Cincinnati Bengals, 9-2: Andy Dalton is the best quarterback in the NFL when passing between the numbers with a 94.7 QBR on those throws.
5. Denver Broncos, 9-2: Brock Osweiler isn’t what Peyton Manning could have been had he not lost all of his ability almost at once, but he’s the quarterback the Broncos need right now.
6. Minnesota Vikings, 8-3: The formula is simple – let Adrian Peterson run and then run some more while hoping the defense does its job. Most of the time, it’s working.
7. Green Bay Packers, 7-4: The Packers haven’t lost to the Bears at Lambeau Field since 2007, and haven’t finished as anything but division leaders in five years.
8. Kansas City Chiefs, 6-5: Who knew that the injury to the team’s best player on offense would spark a five-game winning streak?
9. Seattle Seahawks, 6-5: Referees helping them or not, Russell Wilson is remarkable again, while Thomas Rawls makes people forget about the injured Marshawn Lynch.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-5: One of the remarkable things about their 30-39 loss to the Seahawks was the team throwing four interceptions and still losing just because of the officials.
11. Indianapolis Colts, 6-5: Matt Hasselbeck doing amazing things when he should be retired helps people forget how bad the running game is for the Colts.
12. Houston Texans, 6-5: The Texans have won four in a row thanks to their defense, allowing less points and yards than anyone else during the winning streak.
13. New York Jets, 6-5: Brandon Marshall is the first Jets player with 2 receiving touchdowns in a game since Stephen Hill in 2012 against the Bills.,
14. Chicago Bears, 5-6: Jay Cutler finally has a win in Green Bay, and considering how he’s been playing this season, it shouldn’t be that surprising.
15. Atlanta Falcons, 6-5: In the last two games, Matt Ryan has four touchdown passes to five interceptions with a 70.8 passer rating. Falcons can’t win with that.
16. New York Giants, 5-6: Manning started the season with three games without interceptions, but he’s thrown nine through the next eight, including five over the last three games.
17. Buffalo Bills, 5-6: Once again, another loss can be pinned on something weird going on among the coaching staff in Buffalo, which is typical of a Rex Ryan regime.
18. Washington Redskins, 5-6: The Redskins are 5-0 this season when Kirk Cousins doesn’t throw an interception.
19. Detroit Lions, 4-7: The Lions are 3-1 since they made their offensive coordinator switch.
20. Oakland Raiders, 5-6: Stopped the three game losing streak, but Derek Carr could really use some help from the running game.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 5-6: Until the Bucs stop getting called for so many penalties and they can protect Jameis Winston (sacked five times vs Colts), the playoffs are out of reach for them.
22. Baltimore Ravens, 4-7: The Ravens have won this season by three game-winning field goals and once by blocking a field goal and returning it for a touchdown as time expired.
23. New Orleans Saints, 4-7: Changing coordinators on defense might not be enough to make things even respectable against the undefeated Panthers.
24. Philadelphia Eagles, 4-7: The Eagles have allowed 90 points over the last two games, and are ranking in the bottom third of the league in both scoring and stopping points from leaking against them.
25. St. Louis Rams, 4-7: Nick Foles has thrown just one touchdown pass in the last five games, while Todd Gurley is averaging just 3.13 yards per carry over the last four games.
26. San Diego Chargers, 3-8: Stopped a six-game losing streak with an away win in Jacksonville, with the Rivers-Gates connection something to be optimistic about.
27. Miami Dolphins, 4-7: The Dolphins rushing for just 12 yards in their loss to the Jets is a new low for the franchise, losing four of their last five games.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4-7: Blake Bortles continues to make the kind of mistakes that shatters confidence in him ever becoming a successful, consistent quarterback for the Jaguars.
29. San Francisco 49ers, 3-8: Keeping it close with the Cardinals for most of the game is actually an achievement for the Niners these days.
30. Dallas Cowboys, 3-8: Their delusions about the playoffs were broken like Tony Romo’s collarbone. Now, no one has any expectations anymore.
31. Tennessee Titans, 2-9: The Titans might be happy with Marcus Mariota, but they’re 30th in the NFL when it comes to putting points on the scoreboard.
32. Cleveland Browns, 2-9: The best comedy/tragedy routine in the NFL for who knows how long, and no one knows when it’ll end.