NFL Power Rankings: Eagles in command, but Patriots and Steelers on the rise

Kansas City has now lost three of their last four, New Orleans has won six in a row, and the Denver offense is stuck in neutral. Meanwhile quarterback injuries in Houston and Green Bay have changed the narrative around teams that appeared bound for the postseason. What does it all mean? Check out our latest edition of the NFL Power Rankings.


1. Eagles (8-1 — last week, No. 1): Philadelphia left no doubt with a really impressive win over the Broncos. The best team in the NFL over the first half of the season. This week: Bye.

2. Patriots (6-2 — last week, No. 2): Not a great team, but the best of a wildly flawed AFC, at least at this point. This week: at Broncos.

3. Steelers (6-2 — last week, No. 4): That Dec. 17 game in Pittsburgh between the Steelers and Patriots could very well end up deciding home field. This week: at Colts.

4. Chiefs (6-3 — last week, No. 2): Three losses in four games has taken some of the shine off Kansas City’s excellent start, but the Chiefs are still a team to be reckoned with, especially when you consider they have a relatively weak schedule the rest of the way. This week: Bye.

5. Rams (6-2 — last week, No. 5): Los Angeles leads the NFL with a plus-108 point differential. The 2017 team has already scored more points than the 2016 Rams in half the number of games. They’ve outscored their last two opponents by a combined 67 points. This team is for real. This week: vs. Texans.

6. Vikings (6-2, last week, No. 9): Normal rules say you don’t get to move up three spots if you’re on a bye, but so many of the other teams around Minnesota had such a wretched week, I’m not sure we have any other alternative here. This week: at Redskins.

7. Seahawks (5-3 — last week, No. 6): Feels like we’re nearing a crossroads with this Seahawks’ team. Rough loss at home to the Redskins, starting to feel some heat from the Rams. The defining moment of the season could be on the horizon. This week: at Cardinals.

8. Saints (6-2 — last week, No. 13): Fair to say the Saints are the best team in the NFC South, and the second-hottest team in football right now. This week: at Bills.

9. Falcons (4-4 — last week, No. 8): The difference in the 2016 and 2017 Falcons? Julio Jones makes that catch last year. This week: vs. Cowboys.

10. Cowboys (5-3 — last week, No. 12): Big-time win for Dallas last week, knocking off the Chiefs. Will be fascinating to see how the whole Zeke saga plays out and how that’ll impact the NFC playoff chase. This week: at Falcons.

11. Texans (3-5 — last week, No. 7): No Deshaun Watson? No playoffs. No division title. You get nothing, sir. Good day! This week: at Rams.

12. Panthers (6-3 — last week, No. 14): Good? Beating the defending NFC champs at home. Bad? Quarterback screaming at the coach and using a Titanic metaphor to describe his own team after the game. This week: vs. Dolphins.

13. Raiders (4-5 — last week, No. 15): Doing just enough to hang around the fringes of the AFC playoff picture. A few more quality wins like that Sunday night victory in Miami would help. This week: Bye.

14. Lions (4-4 — last week, No. 16): Even without Aaron Rodgers, that was a quality road win over the Packers in Green Bay. Broke a three-game losing streak. This week: vs. Browns.

15. Bills (5-3 — last week, No. 11): Big drop after a bad loss to the Jets in North Jersey. Key stretch looms, with the Saints, Chiefs and Patriots among their next three opponents. This week: vs. Saints.

16. Packers (4-4 — last week, No. 10): Without Rodgers, not much reason for optimism the rest of the way in Green Bay. This week: at Bears.

17. Jaguars (5-3 — last week, No. 19): With their easy-looking schedule down the stretch, if they stay healthy, the Jaguars should get to at least nine wins. That means they’d be playing significant football games in December. This week: vs. Chargers.

18. Titans (5-3 — last week, No. 19): That’s three in a row for Tennessee. If the Titans stay healthy, they’ll be in the AFC South chase until the end of the year. This week: vs. Bengals.

19. Redskins (4-4 — last week, No. 22): Winning in Seattle means something. Not sure if it’ll serve as a springboard to bigger and better things in the second half, but that was a statement victory for Washington. This week: vs. Vikings.

20. Broncos (3-5 — last week, No. 17): Terrific defense, putrid offense. Denver is skidding out of the playoff picture. This week: vs. Patriots.

21. Dolphins (4-4 — last week, No. 20): Jay Cutler deserves more credit than he getting for playing while hurt. Not sure if that’ll be enough to keep them in the playoff race, but it needs to be said. This week: at Panthers.

22. Ravens (4-5 — last week, No. 21): This is just going to end up with them at 8-8 and missing out on a playoff spot by a game because of a New Year’s Eve loss to the Bengals, isn’t it? This week: Bye.

23. Bears (3-5 — last week, No. 23): It doesn’t matter if Aaron Rodgers is playing or not. Chicago will end the season happy — regardless of the record — if the Bears can beat Green Bay this week. This week: vs. Packers.

24. Chargers (3-5 — last week, No. 24): Los Angeles probably can’t win the division, but its still capable of making things a little dicey for the likes of the Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs. This week: at Jaguars.

25. Jets (4-5 — last week, No. 28): Another nice win for the Jets, this one against the Bills at home. This week: at Bucs.

26. Cardinals (4-4 — last week, No. 26): 37 carries, 159 yards for Adrian Peterson against the Niners. Hell, the Bengals only have 578 rushing yards as a team all year. This week: vs. Seahawks.

27. Bucs (2-6 — last week, No. 25): An embarrassing afternoon for Tampa Bay against the Saints. After a respectable start, the Bucs have fizzled. This week: vs. Jets.

28. Bengals (3-5 — last week, No. 27): A.J. Green snapped on Jalen Ramsey, but won’t get suspended. This week: at Titans.

29. Colts (3-6 — last week, No. 29): This Luck-Irsay thing isn’t going to end well. This week: vs. Steelers.

30. Giants (1-7 — last week, No. 30): Looks like they’ve quit on Ben McAdoo. Is this the beginning of the end in New York for Eli? This week: at Niners.

31. Niners (0-9 — last week, No. 31): Lots of credit to John Lynch for even asking about Tom Brady’s availability at the trade deadline. Is this the week they get their first win? This week: vs. Giants.

32. Browns (0-8 — last week, No. 32): They didn’t lose this week. That’s something, right? This week: at Lions.