On this week’s big board, our top five remains the same, but the Chargers, Texans and Lions are all on the move upward. (Does it mean anything for the Bill Belichick Coaching Tree if Bill O’Brien and Matt Patricia have won seven of their last eight games after rough starts?) A few big games looming this week that should go a long way toward setting things up for the second half of the season. Read on to find out where your team ended up.
1. Rams (7-0 — last week, No. 1): Are the Rams 16-0 material? If they’re going to lose, it’s likely to be in the next four games before their bye — home dates against Green Bay, Seattle and Kansas City, and a road game at New Orleans. Rough stretch. This week: vs. Packers.
2. Patriots (5-2 — last week, No. 2): Tempted to drop them down to No. 3 after that defensive performance, but a win is a win is a win. At the same time, there are things that have to be cleaned up on defense if this New England team wants to get to its ultimate destination. This week: at Bills.
3. Saints (5-1 — last week, No. 3): After coming all the way back against Baltimore after trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, they dodged a bullet in Baltimore when the usually reliable Justin Tucker blew an extra point. This week: at Vikings.
4. Chiefs (6-1 — last week, No. 4): Kansas City became the first team all season to win a game the week after they played the Patriots. This week: vs. Broncos.
5. Vikings (4-2-1 — last week, No. 5): Kirk Cousins was held under 250 passing yards for the second straight week, but Minnesota still found a way to win again. Sign of a good team. We’ll know more about them after Sunday night’s clash with New Orleans — if they can stretch that win streak to four at the expense of the Saints, I might be ready to buy in. This week: vs. Saints.
6. Chargers (5-2 — last week, No. 8): Got a gift from the Titans, but good teams find ways to win those sorts of games. I can envision a scenario where it’s Patriots-Chargers in the divisional round in a Saturday night game at Gillette. This week: Bye.
7. Jaguars (3-4 — last week, No. 6): Since they won the biggest regular-season game in franchise history (The September Super Bowl) over the Patriots, the Jaguars have lost four of five and been outscored 111-65. Maybe don’t put all your eggs into one basket so early in the season next time? This week: vs. Eagles.
8. Eagles (3-4 — last week, No. 7): You listen to people around the league, and it sounds like Philly is making calls all over the place trying to get some help before the trade deadline. Going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out. This week: at Jaguars.
9. Packers (3-2-1 — last week, No. 9): Green Bay gets back-to-back road games against the Rams and Patriots coming out of the bye. This week: at Rams.
10. Steelers (3-2-1 — last week, No. 10): Still no Le’Veon Bell. He has to report by Week 10 or else his contract tolls into next season. This week: vs. Browns.
11. Panthers (4-2 — last week, No. 12): Great road win over the Eagles on Sunday, and honestly, we probably have them a little low here. If they were in the AFC South, this group might dominate. But as it is, they’re only a game behind the Saints. This week: vs. Ravens.
12. Texans (4-3 — last week, No. 14): If I’m Deshaun Watson, I just start taking buses to every game each week. Make it part of a new thing. Houston has won four straight, and is right back in the AFC playoff picture. This week: vs. Dolphins.
13. Bears (3-3 — last week, No. 12): Tempted to keep them at 12 after their near comeback against the Patriots on Sunday, but I have a hard time getting past Mitchell Trubisky’s accuracy issues. He needs to get sharper in the passing game if the Bears are going to be able to take that next step. This week: vs. Jets.
14. Ravens (4-3 — last week, No. 13): Last two losses have been by a combined four points. Just gutting for a team that was playing so well at home against a good New Orleans roster. This week: at Panthers.
15. Falcons (3-4 — last week, No. 17): I’m reticent to reward them for a win at home over a team like the Giants, but that Atlanta offense deserves some acknowledgement. Like an extreme version of what the Patriots have right now. This week: Bye.
16. Titans (3-4 — last week, No. 16): Loved the idea of going for two late against the Chargers, Mike Vrabel, but the play-call and execution was absolutely horrible. Good to see old pal Dion Lewis get cranked up, though. This week: Bye.
17. Bengals (4-3 — last week, No. 16): Cincy is 1-9 in Sunday night games in the Marvin Lewis Era. This week: vs. Bucs.
18. Lions (3-3 — last week, No. 23): Three wins in their last four, with the only loss by two in Dallas. Matt Patricia deserves credit for turning things around. This week: vs. Seahawks.
19. Seahawks (3-3 — last week, No. 19): Still have a shot in the NFC West, but the margin for error is awfully slim. This week: at Lions.
20. Buccaneers (3-3 — last week, 20): Chandler Catanzaro’s 59-yard field goal to beat the Browns was the longest overtime FG in NFL history. This week: at Bengals.
21. Redskins (4-2 — last week, 21): Probably deserve better given the fact they pulled one out at home against Dallas, but there’s a bit of a logjam just ahead of them. This week: at Giants.
22. Dolphins (4-3 — last week, No. 18): Short week will be tough for Miami, as it’s not expected to have Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills for Thursday. That’s in addition to the fact that Brock Osweiler will be under center instead of Ryan Tannehill again. This week: at Texans.
23. Broncos (3-4 — last week, No. 26): Look, winning over the Cardinals isn’t any great shakes, but that sort of 45-10 de-pantsing of Arizona certainly got our attention. Granted, it had as much to do with Arizona’s ineptitude than anything, but that was certainly something else. This week: at Chiefs.
24. Jets (3-4 — last week, No. 22): We won’t crush them too badly because Minnesota is a pretty good team, but losing by 20 to anyone in your home stadium is a bad look. Big bounce back week looming for Sam Darnold. This week: at Bears.
25. Cowboys (3-4 — last week, No. 24): Amari Cooper is a really good receiver, but a first-rounder is too much to give up in return. This week: Bye.
26. Browns (2-4-1 — last week, No. 25): Fourth overtime game in seven contests this year for Cleveland. This week: at Steelers.
27. Colts (2-5 — last week, No. 27): The Colts are only two games out of first place in the AFC South. This week: at Raiders.
28. Bills (2-5 — last week, No. 28):
Congratulations Buffalo Bills, who at -53.4% now have the worst offensive DVOA ever tracked through 7 games, and by a good margin. 1992 Seahawks second at -45.5%, then 2013 Jags, 2010 Panthers, and 2004 Dolphins.
— Aaron Schatz ? (@FO_ASchatz) October 22, 2018