Week 10 power rankings after the craziest set of games played this season
This could very well be the craziest slate of games we’ve seen so far in 2020. Through all of the chaos in Week 9, let’s take a look at the update power rankings.
What’s better than watching the Jets in a primetime slot on Monday Night Football in 2020? Literally anything else. The Patriots have been struggling as of late, but it doesn’t even compare to the issues the Jets have. The fact this game was as close as it was … is more telling of how poor the Patriots have been.
The Jags were set to face the Texans in Week 9 – and both teams were still looking for their second win of the season … and someone had to win, right? Well, it wasn’t the Jaguars. For the most part, it was a game of catchup and surprisingly, made things interesting in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. They fall to 1-7.
This is a lost season for the Cowboys, but it’s not due to anything they can control. With Andy Dalton on the COVID-19 list and Ben DiNucci having a less-than successful previous week against the Eagles, they turned to Garrett Gilbert because … what did they have to lose? Aside from this game, of course. The defense had a few bright moments across the four quarter, but they were up against a red-hot Steelers team.
The injuries just keep coming in the NFC East, as Washington’s quarterback Kyle Allen suffered a dislocated ankle. They were playing the Giants though, so there was still a possibility of pulling off a win. It could’ve been done if backup Alex Smith (who also collected his fist touchdown since 2018), didn’t throw two costly picks late in the game.
Yes, the third straight NFC East team this low on the list. Is anyone surprised, though? Sure, the Giants pulled off a win against Washington, but considering how bad they are – it wasn’t much of an accomplishment. They almost blew a decent lead that they created heading into the second half, but they pulled through.
Every week since the Texans have moved on from Bill O’Brien has proven for it to be the correct thing to do. While that doesn’t mean this season can be salvaged at all, things have taken a slightly better turn for them. And in Week 9, they did something they’ve only done one other time this season, which also happened to be against the Jaguars – win.
It’s been a bad year for many teams, but the Chargers could very well be one of the unluckiest. The Raiders basically had an answer for everything the Chargers threw their way and while there was a brief time the Chargers held a lead, it didn’t last too long. It might be time to start looking at how to build around Justin Herbert, who has had an incredible start to his career.
The Lions had a chance to balance out their season this week – and since they were up against the Vikings, who have been struggling just as much – it was a possibility. But sometimes logic in sports just isn’t there and Minnesota made this win look easy against Detroit. It’s been a tennis match from good to bad and there’s a good chance that’s the case for the remainder of the season.
The Bengals have had an interesting first half to this season – displaying such high points and then the complete opposite. They haven’t been too keen on consistency, but it’s thrilling to see what Joe Burrow can do with his surroundings, or lack thereof. Their bye came smack in the middle of the season, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do when coming out of it.
Eeeeek. For the Patriots to somehow make the Jets look less terrible is one of the many things you wouldn’t want to hear in 2020 if you’re a New England fan. Coping without Tim Brady has been difficult (though he also had a rather poor performance this week, himself), but they just shouldn’t be as bad as they currently are.
Listen, the Falcons have been bad this year, and no matter how big of a lead they have going into the fourth, there is an unbelievable amount of doubt that they’ll blow it. That was almost the case yet again when they faced the Broncos. They pinched a win out and improved to 3-6 on the season, but there’s still not a lot of good to go around.
Not many would’ve pegged the Panthers to put up a decent battle against the Chiefs, but that’s what they did – bringing it down to the wire. Every time Kansas City was able to pull ahead with the lead, Carolina was right there knocking down the door again. Granted, they didn’t pull off a win – but it looks like there’s a lot of promise for the future of this team, who are fighting hard week in and out.
Coming off one of the craziest wins across the league last week – beating the Packers in Green Bay – it was only logical to think the Vikings were going to enter their game against the Lions with a newly found confidence in 2020. Not often can you say Kirk Cousins had an impressive outing, but that was the case for this one.
The Broncos have been working toward finding stability in their season and had the chance to even out their record with a win over the Falcons. While they fell behind in this one very quickly – the Broncos were still able to make things interesting in the fourth. While that could be based off of the Falcons’ track record in blowing leads in the final quarter or the Broncos doing so on talent … we’ll let you decide.
A team is always in a good spot if their lead is somehow solidified further during a bye week – the Eagles can thank the catastrophe of the Giants-Washington game for that one. Carson Wentz, while not being nearly close to his best this season, has shown enough bright spots to help them maintain first in the NFC East.
The honeymoon phase with Nick Foles and the Bears is over and while he’s doing the best that he can … the offense as a whole is just beyond repair at this point in the season. The defense continues to be their strong point and while they can’t hold opposing teams scoreless, they at least give the offense the smallest chance to pull through.
With a winning record through their Week 9 bye, it may be safe to assume the Browns have already exceeded expectations for this season. While there was a sour taste left in their mouths after a poor loss against the Raiders, there’s still a lot to be hopeful for in the second half of the season.
This week against the Ravens, the Colts had the potential to make a statement win and prove that things haven’t been so easy going through the first half of the season. Early in the third quarter, it seemed like there was a chance they could pull away with a tight victory, but momentum quickly shifted in the Ravens’ favor when a terrible penalty was called in their favor. From that point on, the Ravens took control of the game and ran away with the win.
The Raiders have been one of the more surprising teams through the halfway point of the season and that’s a good thing on their part. While things looked like they were slipping a bit when the Chargers were making a comeback late in the game, they were able to hold on and advance to 5-3 on the season. Not too bad.
The final score of this one doesn’t make this loss nearly as bad as it was against the Packers. The Thursday Night Football game of the week was just a mockery of what the 49ers used to be. Aaron Rodgers made this game look easy and now with a losing record of 4-5, there’s not much hope left to finish out this season.
You couldn’t have scripted a better performance from Kyler Murray if you tried. His outing was nothing short of spectacular, but Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins were just a little bit better. The Cardinals have had a very sturdy season to the halfway point, so a single loss like this doesn’t put them too far into a hole.
In their bye week, the Rams had a lot to evaluate through their season so far. While they are having an okay season, there was certainly a drop off of talent and competitive edge that was with the team just one season ago. While they’re still mostly winning games that they should, the dominance and fear that was instilled leading up to playing them has to be long gone.
The Dolphins have turned what could’ve been an iffy season into one that could excite any Miami fan. While they are far from perfect, defeating the Cardinals on Sunday made this the fourth win in a row. This was also the first time Dolphins’ history that a quarterback won their first two career starts. There are lots of things to like in Miami.
This loss almost seemed like a glitch in the system it was that bad – Tom Brady being a focal point among all of it. He gave up three interceptions, couldn’t throw a single touchdown pass and on top of it, the running game was invisible, as well. The ball was stagnant whenever Tampa Bay had possession of it and the Saints took full advantage of it.
The Titans struggled offensively in this one, but that’s just because the Bears’ defense was doing everything in its power to slow them down. Still, they were able to pull away offensively in the slightest margin to win this one. They’re now 6-2 on the season with a rather steady second-half schedule minus two bumps in the road with the Ravens and Packers.
High scoring games always make for an enjoyable few hours – despite the poor defensive efforts, but this one didn’t go in the Seahawks’ favor. They were playing catchup from the jump of this one and found themselves down 14 points through the first. They were never able to quiet the Bills for nearly enough time to have the chance to take a lead. It just wasn’t their day, but even with a loss, they have one of the better records (6-2) in the league.
While this is a solid win from the Ravens and a great way to bounce back from a disappointing loss against the Steelers … this is going to go down as one of the more questionable games of the 2020 season. The turning point, where the Ravens took full control against the Colts, came from a controversial call working in their favor that many disagree with (rightfully so, it’s pretty bad).
You can’t really say one bad thing about the Saints’ performance against the Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football … unless you’re talking about Tampa Bay. Drew Brees put Brady to shame all night, throwing four touchdown passes. That, in combination with the defense doing what they do best, solidified their win and then some.
Left and right you see the Bills pulling through and winning the games they need to. Their only loses so far have come against the Titans and Chiefs, two of the better teams in the league. Facing the Seahawks this past Sunday, the Bills continued to build off their strong season and put on an offensive clinic. They now sit at 7-2 on the year.
The Packers put the 49ers to shame on Thursday Night Football and Aaron Rodgers made it all look far too easy. After a few iffy weeks of being unsure if they were going to find their ground again, it sure looked like they got their groove back in this one. Though they’re headed into a bye week, the time off surely won’t slow them down.
This was an interesting win for the Chiefs because it should have been an easy one and it was far from that. Patrick Mahomes didn’t look like himself, but the Chiefs’ offense was just a little stronger than the Panthers’, which ultimately won them this game. They’re at the point in the season where if they even sneak a win in by the skin of their teeth, they can’t complain – now having an 8-1 record.
Nine weeks in and there is still an undefeated team … it’s pure chaos and so much fun watching the Steelers from week to week because of this. Granted, this wasn’t the prettiest of wins, facing the struggling Cowboys, but they enter each week facing every opponent like they’re the top in the league – and it shows.
