Week 10 NFL Power rankings – Trade Deadline Special

By Evan Copeland

The chaos of the trade deadline is at an end, the dust has settled and we can get back into the action this weekend, starting with an NFC East matchup of the Giants and Commanders on Thursday night.

Who will be number one in this ranking? Which teams are rising and falling? Let’s get into week 10 of the NFL Power Rankings.

D Tier – Prepare for Big Changes

32. Los Angeles Chargers (=) – Another week, another loss for the LA Chargers, another interception for Justin Herbert and more pressure piled on Jim Harbaugh. On the bright side, LA ended a streak of 37 offensive drives without scoring a touchdown, putting two on the board against Houston. Bad news, it came alongside an 0-8 record.

31. Indianapolis Colts (=) – The decision not to trade Jonathan Taylor surprised me, but I suppose it will come later in the offseason. Without a first-round pick in next year’s draft, the Colts don’t have much to gain by ‘tanking’ and I expect are keeping the pieces needed to have a reasonable end to the year, specifically JT and Daniel Jones.

30. Philadelphia Eagles (=) – Another lifeless performance from the Eagles. You know it’s been a tough performance when one of the team’s main highlights came from punter Bradley Mann, recording the NFL’s longest punt since 2001 at 86-yards. Looking off the field, I’ve been really impressed with Howie Roseman. His savvy strategy around the trade deadline has seen the Eagles secure 10 picks in the first two rounds of the next three drafts. Starting a rebuild in the best way.

29. Miami Dolphins (-1) – Looking past the scoreline, this was dismal from the Miami offense. As soon as Malik Willis looks to be gathering some consistency, he was back at square one against the Lions with a 50-passer rating, a turnover and no touchdowns. He is now on IR with a groin injury, leaving former Syracuse QB Kyle McCord to lead this offense.

28. Tennessee Titans (+1) – The Titans took their bye in week nine ahead of hosting the Jaguars. Cam Ward will hope to build on an impressive performance against the Bengals last time out.

27. New York Jets (-1) – It was a strong start for the Jets, taking a six to nothing first quarter lead against the Chiefs. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. Zero offensive touchdowns sum up a pretty lifeless team in New York, and the front office will already be planning for next season, likely without Aaron Glenn. On the bright side, this team are projected multiple high draft picks in next year’s first round, fuel for another rebuild.

C Tier – Start Getting Ready for Next Season

26. Baltimore Ravens (-2) – Lamar Jackson has told his Ravens teammates to hold on until he returns from his latest spell on the sidelines. The bad news – it’s going to take a miracle for Baltimore to stay alive in this playoff race until their star quarterback is somewhere near healthy. I think the most concerning part of this season’s disaster for the Ravens is the defense. For all the hype around Jesse Minter and the talent on this roster, they’ve been nowhere near good enough.

25. Washington Commanders (+2) – The Commanders have a knack of staying in games when they shouldn’t be. How Washington had an opportunity to tie the game late on is beyond me, a late fumble killing any hopes of an unlikely comeback. Jayden Daniels was impressive against a brilliant Rams defense, looking the better quarterback against reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.

24. Atlanta Falcons (-2) – They never had a chance against this brilliant Bengals offense, no matter how well the Falcons offense played. Speaking of which, it wasn’t great, successive poor performances from Michael Penix, he is holding this offense back. The Facons traded away Jessie Bates to the Jags, accumulating some draft capital, with the star safety out of contract regardless.

23. Arizona Cardinals (-2) – After deciding to trade Jacoby Brissett and leave Gardner Minshew leading the offense, Arizona now fear Minshew could be out for the year after a knee injury against the Seahawks. It’s now down to Carson Beck to steady the ship for the Cardinals. One problem – next up is Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald as the Rams come to Arizona. The stuff of nightmares for a rookie on debut.

22. Las Vegas Raiders (-2) – I think the Raiders have played it perfectly it regards to their quarterback room. The team paid Kirk Cousins only $650,000 to start for nine games, notch four wins and nurture their superstar first round pick Fernando Mendoza. The deadline-day trade, sending Cousins to the Vikings for a third-round pick, worked perfectly for all parties. Some brilliant business for GM John Spytek.

B Tier – Playoff Contenders, for now

21. New Orleans Saints (+4) – They looked on the ropes after four defeats out of five, but it’s a case of down but not out for New Orleans. A tight victory over the Browns has catapulted them right back into the race to win the NFC South, holding the same record as the division-leading Panthers. Some turnaround, but a tough five-game stretch including two matchups against Carolina will be crucial to the Saints’ season.

20. Dallas Cowboys (+4) – A win, but an ugly one for the Cowboys against the Colts. They remain in contention to win the NFC East and take a playoff spot, but I wouldn’t have much hope of anything more. Despite missing George Pickens, the offense looked back to somewhere near its best in week nine, but there are too many flaws in the team as a whole for them to be anywhere near contention.

19. Cleveland Browns (-1) – Despite an impressive performance, the Shedeur Sanders experiment resulted in a narrow loss for Cleveland, a decision to go for two in overtime costing the Browns. Sanders looked excellent despite a lack of first team reps, no turnovers is a good start for any quarterback. Has he done enough to win the starting job, I don’t think so. But he has given Todd Monken something to think about, for sure.

18. Carolina Panthers (-1) – Three successive defeats now for Carolina who seem to have missed a golden opportunity to take control of the NFC South. Aside from the Bucs and Falcons, who are yet to have a bye, the division is completely tied up and it’s truly anyone’s game. Bryce Young looked much better against a tough Denver defense, three touchdowns and 70 percent completion rate, a nice return to form.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1) – A missed opportunity for Tampa to make a real statement in the NFC South and the conference as a whole. The Bucs defense has looked really impressive for a number of weeks; it takes something special to shut down this Chicago offense. One to watch, I think they will be the one to come out of the division.

16. Houston Texans (+3) – Back on track for this Houston team with a dominant win over the Chargers. They still have a real shot at the last playoff spot in the AFC, despite the poor start to the year. Currently occupying the seventh seed, the New England Patriots, who defeated Houston in the divisional round on their way to the Super Bowl. New England look wildly inconsistent; the Texans are still in this.

15. New York Giants (=) – It wasn’t the full JJ McCarthy experience this week; a mid-game injury killed any hope of another lights out game from ‘9’. However, without Cam Skattbeo and with the inconsistency at the quarterback position, this was another impressive win by the Giants. John Harbaugh is doing a brilliant job so far in New York, this defense looks superb, the future is bright for the Giants.

A Tier – In with a Chance

14. New England Patriots (-2) – A disaster all around for New England, who embarrassed themselves on the return of multiple franchise legends. With Tom Brady looking on from the commentary booth, Drake Maye returned to his poor form from the start of the year, three awful interceptions to start the game. This team’s inconsistency could cost them down the stretch.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (=) – Took their bye in week nine ahead of crucial matchup against the Bengals. Pittsburgh will need their defense on top form to stop Joe Burrow and company.

12. Los Angeles Rams (-2) – This team continues to grind out wins, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the poor performances translate into results. To say the Rams are banged up is a bit of an understatement. The receiver room is decimated after an injury to Puka Nacua and with no additions at the deadline, it’s sink or swim over the next few weeks until reinforcements arrive. The stretch post-bye, Packers, Chiefs and 49ers, are crucial if they want any chance at being in the playoff picture.

11. Seattle Seahawks (=) – The AJ Barner show for Seattle, one touchdown through the air and one on the ground to secure a division win against Arizona. That says a lot about the direction this offense is heading, the quarterback situation is a mess, and they haven’t figured out the run game. A tough upcoming stretch will decide their playoff chances.

10. Minnesota Vikings (-2) – Monday’s loss to the Bills confirmed the need for a quarterback, which the Vikings promptly addressed at the trade deadline by adding Kirk Cousins. The trade is the main reason they haven’t fallen further this week as the offense was terrible against Buffalo. However, Kirk knows the offense, he’s played here before and it’ll be seamless transition. He gives Minnesota a fighting chance.

9. Detroit Lions (-2) – Playing their first game without Jack Campbell, the Lions were everything that their star linebacker displays on the field. A gritty, hard-fought win against the Dolphins keeps up the momentum for Detroit despite a lacklustre offensive performance. They head to Munich this weekend to face the New England Patriots.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (+1) – Aside from a pretty significant injury scare involving Patrick Mahomes, it was a comfortable afternoon for Kansas City. Kenneth Walker has been a phenomenal signing, chipping in with three touchdowns and nearly 150 scrimmage yards, this Chiefs offense runs through the Super Bowl LX MVP. Mahomes remains a doubt for this week’s matchup against the Falcons.

7. Green Bay Packers (+7) – Is Jordan Love the MVP favourite? It certainly looks that way as he delivered deep ball after deep ball to Matthew Golden and Christian Waston against the Patriots. Making Christian Gonzalez look average is no mean feat. Love and this offense have found another gear after a poor start to the year and the defense is matching them every step of the way, even without Micah Parsons. Could this finally be the year?

6. Denver Broncos (=) – Another one score game, another win for the Denver Broncos. A fairly even game against a struggling Panthers side, which may be a concern for Sean Payton. The offense still isn’t quite clicking but this excellent defense always seems to be there to bail them out. Denver will still be a threat come January; they have time to figure out some of the issues plaguing this offense.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (=) – Joe Burrow strengthened his case for MVP with another exceptional performance, this time without the turnovers we saw against the Titans. Combined with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals offense is loaded and I’m struggling to see how they can be stopped. They face the Steelers in a battle for the AFC North this week.

S Tier – Lombardi Favourites

4. Chicago Bears (-2) – I know they eventually saw off the Buccaneers, but I feel that Chicago has to move down this week. This was an ugly performance. Caleb Williams had probably his worst game as a Chicago Bear so far, certainly under Ben Johnosn with four interceptions. Fortunately for Chicago, the defense bailed them out with two takeaways of their own. A lot to clean up, but a win is a win.

3. Buffalo Bills – This wasn’t the Bills at their brilliant best, but like we have seen throughout the league multiple times this week, a great defense can always bail out the offense on an off day. It was certainly an off day for Josh Allen who looked nowhere near his excellent standards against Brian Flores and his Minnesota defense. However, they got the job done and continue to stack wins.

2. San Francisco 49ers (+2) – The 49ers continue to shut out any noise pf injuries and they keep winning games. Brock Purdy remains one of the favourites for MVP and boosted his case against the Raiders, three total touchdowns and a 107-passer rating, a return to form after a poor showing against the Falcons before the bye. Adding Keenan Allen gives this offense another weapon, his IQ will fit Shanahan’s system perfectly.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (+3) – The Jags are all in. In my opinion this is the most complete team in the league, especially based on how they’re playing. You might argue for teams that are better ‘on paper’ or more talented. If I was to pick my Super Bowl favourite right now though, I would go with Jacksonville. All three phases of the team are playing brilliant football right now and Trevor Lawrence is well in the race for MVP. What a turnaround in only two seasons under Liam Coen.

EVAN COPELAND

NFL ANALYST

Evan is a Los Angeles Rams fan and sports journalism student at Lincoln University, with a keen interest in NFL writing, alongside golf and football. You can keep up with all of his content on X at @EvanCopeland26.

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