J.T. Olson’s Week Ten NFL Power Rankings

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It was a crazy NFL week nine to say the least. Now we head into week ten and the playoff picture is taking shape. As the race starts to heat up at the top, things are also looking interesting at the bottom in the hunt for the first overall pick. Here is the good, the bad and the mediocre in the week ten NFL power rankings.

32) Detroit Lions 

I’d actually call the Lions the big winner of the bye week. Several one loss teams got a victory and they are that much closer to the first overall pick. Plus on the bye week they couldn’t actually lose a game, so a big week in Detroit.

31) Houston Texans 

It was a battle of one win teams and the Texans proved to be the worst. They fell to a Dolphins team that was led by their backup quarterback. Another embarrassing loss for Houston.

30) Miami Dolphins 

You don’t get many style points for a one possession win over the Texans. However, a win is a win and that counts for something. It doesn’t change anything about this disappointing season, but at least the defense did what you’d expect them to do.

29) Washington Football Team 

Washington has been sinking like a stone this season. They now sit at the bottom of the NFC east standings and are preparing to play the Bucs this weekend so that will likely be another loss for WFT.

28) New York Jets

 The Jets have done surprisingly well without their second overall pick at quarterback. If they can maintain this level of play when he gets back then they might have the start of something in the big apple. They still have everything to prove, but perhaps there’s reason for optimism. 

27) Jacksonville Jaguars 

The most improbable of wins, the Jags beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. It goes to show that any NFL team can win on any given week. Best of all, Jacksonville had some of their young talent shine in this game.

26) San Francisco 49ers 

There is no shame in losing to the Arizona Cardinals this year. However, when you lose to the Colt McCoy led Arizona Cardinals then you probably aren’t a very good team. This game was further proof that the 49ers are not good.

25) Chicago Bears 

It felt like the Bears were robbed of a Monday night victory. Despite that, I walk away feeling very positive about Chicago. The development of Justin Fields is everything for this franchise and he looked better than he has all season.

24) Carolina Panthers 

Even with their star running back returning to the lineup, the Panthers offense only managed six points against the Patriots. There is a question on how long this coaching staff will last and it’s only year two of this rebuild.

23) Seattle Seahawks 

The Seahawks didn’t play over the weekend. That means their one week closer to getting Russell Wilson back and they didn’t lose. That’s all you can hope at this point in Seattle. The dream of a wild card birth is still hanging on.

22) New York Giants 

The defense and special teams stepped up for the Giants this week to get a win over the Raiders. Daniel Jones managed the game well enough and the G-Men found success running the ball. A nice, and unexpected, win for New York.

21) Minnesota Vikings 

The Vikings felt like they were in control of this game, but eventually let it slip away to the Ravens. They play every game close, but at 3-5 they just can’t seem to get over the hunt and it looks like they won’t in 2021.

20) Philadelphia Eagles 

The Eagles have one of the more impressive rushing offenses in the NFL when they decide to use it. They may have lost, but they gave the Chargers all they could handle. Keep pounding the rock and good things will happen in Philly.

19) Atlanta Falcons 

Wins over division rivals feel good. And Atlanta may have no more hated rival in the NFC South than the Saints. Matt Ryan played outstanding and the Falcons moved back up to .500 with their win in New Orleans.

18) Cincinnati Bengals

It feels like the wheels are falling off in Cincinnati. The Bengals were absolutely crushed by the Browns and have now lost two in a row.  It feels like their season is slipping away despite still being 5-4.

17) Indianapolis Colts 

The Colts are quietly on a three game winning streak. After a rough start to the season it feels like this talented team has righted the ship. Don’t count them out of the playoff picture just yet.

16) New England Patriots 

The Patriots feel like the old slow and steady wins the race type of team. They play defense well. They run the ball fairly well. They don’t make a ton of mistakes. New England isn’t the most talented team, but they are doing all the little things to win.

15) Denver Broncos 

It was a convincing win over the Cowboys to bring the Broncos back over .500. The defense is strong and it feels like Javonte Williams is now up to NFL speed. Denver’s hot start wasn’t a fluke; this team is good.

14) Kansas City Chiefs 

The Chiefs defense carried them to victory over the weekend….yes, you read that right. Granted it was against a Packers team that didn’t have Aaron Rodgers, but it was still a nice change for Kansas City as the look to get things figured out this season.

13) New Orleans Saints 

After a statement win over the defending champions two weeks ago, the Saints fell flat on their face with a chance to take the division lead. It’s hard to trust an offense on its third string quarterback and now real pass catchers.

12) Pittsburgh Steelers 

The Steelers have won four games in a row after their Monday night win over the Bears. This is a defensive minded grind it out team if there ever was one. If they continue on this path and make the playoffs then they’ll be a tough out.

11) Las Vegas Raiders 

Yes, it was a disappointing loss to the Giants over the weekend. Regardless, the Raiders have been a good team this year when it seems like everything has gone wrong. I’m done underestimating this team.

10) Los Angeles Chargers

It feels like we know exactly what the Chargers are all about. They can throw the ball and stop the pass pretty well. As they say, it’s a passing league and this means the Chargers are generally set up for success.

9) Cleveland Browns 

The Browns are getting healthy and that’s bad news for the rest of the AFC. Their running attack and strong defense are some of the best in the NFL. Even with an average passing game, they are a legitimate contender.

8) Baltimore Ravens 

There’s something to be said about winning close games. The Ravens have now won four games this year by less than three points or in overtime. They are proving their metal every week, although they haven’t been able to consistently dominate lesser teams.

7) Buffalo Bills 

Yes, the Bills had probably the worst loss of any team this year on Sunday. Despite that, they may be the best team in the AFC. Their larger body of work has been outstanding, so I’ll overlook this game for now.

6) Tennessee Titans 

Even without Derrick Henry, the Titans got a huge win over what has been the best team in the NFL this season. The offense is still scary, even without Henry. If they defense can play like they did last weekend, then they are a threat to win it all.

5) Dallas Cowboys 

The Cowboys had their six game winning streak snapped against the Broncos as the offense and defense both struggled. Dallas still has a stranglehold on the NFC East, but this type of performance is why they aren’t a top team in the NFC.

4) Green Bay Packers 

It’s hard to put too much stock into a loss when the Packers didn’t have Aaron Rodgers. The bigger picture is that it hurts their seeding for the playoffs and the likelihood of having home field advantage. 

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

The Bucs had a bye week in week nine. The best part about that is the time it provides to get their team healthy. All that matters is gearing up for another Super Bowl run.

2) Los Angeles Rams 

Matthew Stafford looked like he was still playing for the Lions in the Rams loss to Tennessee. Every loss is critical for a team fighting to win their division. However, this is still a great team overall. 

1) Arizona Cardinals 

The Cardinals are for real. Even without Kyler Murray, Arizona got a comfortable division win. In a week where many teams lost games they shouldn’t have, they found a way to steal a win.

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