We are near the midway point of the 2022-23 NFL season, and the contenders and pretenders list of teams is getting more and more complex.
Sure the true top teams in the AFC have been simply dominant to start the season, but with most of the NFC’s best on bye weeks, it’s hard to determine how good or bad some teams looked this past week.
That doesn’t mean we don’t have the latest NFL power rankings though! Let’s get to it.
32. Denver Broncos (2-5)
It doesn’t matter if it’s Russell Wilson or Brett Rypien, the Broncos’ offense is the worst in the NFL. Just ugly football once again on Sunday.
31. Detroit Lions (1-5)
It looked like Detroit might have been turning a corner early in the year and on Sunday when they were driving for the lead in Dallas. Of course, then Williams fumbled and their valiant effort went to complete waste. Tough to consider these guys good when this always happens throughout NFL history.
30. Carolina Panthers (2-5)
What. In the World. Was that?! After trading their top offensive player at the beginning of another rebuild, Carolina shut down and blew out Tom Brady and the Bucs. Impressive from Steve Wilks and his team.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5)
Pittsburgh played well in Miami but ultimately was done in by rookie mistakes and poor playcalling. The Steelers need a new offensive coordinator.
28. New Orleans Saints (2-5)
Just incredible work by the Saints to have the second-worst record in the NFL right now. They don’t have a quarterback, are decimated with injuries…and did I mention they don’t own their first-round pick?
27. Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1)
Tank mode has begun in Indy! Instead of propping up Frank Reich, let me just say that Matt Ryan is a severely underrated QB in history and does not get enough credit for changing the Falcons franchise. He’s the best quarterback in Falcon’s history and it isn’t close.
26. Houston Texans (1-4-1)
The Texans got blown out for what was really the first time all year. Lovie Smith has done an impressive job with this group: they just need better players.
25. Washington Commanders (3-4)
Taylor Heinicke man. What a job he did to get Washington a home win against the Packers on Sunday. The Commanders may be severely behind in the NFC East, but this is still one of the more dangerous teams in the NFL.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
I am very close to taking the loss in my AFC South prediction. Doug Pederson has this team playing better than last season, but it’s just not enough to make up for serious mistakes being made on both sides of the ball.
23. Cleveland Browns (2-5)
Four straight losses have Cleveland on the doorstep of mediocrity when they don’t even own a first-round pick in the next few years. We’re about a month away from Deshaun Watson returning though.
22. Chicago Bears (3-4)
If you want to get technical, the Bears now average the same amount of points per game as the Packers. Their dismantling of New England was highly impressive.
21. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)
Atlanta’s been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this year but ran into a buzzsaw on Sunday. No shame there. They just need more talent. Injuries hurt them too.
20. New England Patriots (3-4)
Ah, the Patriots are at the bottom of the AFC East cellar. What are we in, the 70s, 80s, and 90s? Tom Brady isn’t walking through that door either at quarterback.
19. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
It was a good win on Thursday night but you see the cracks in the relationship between Murray and Kingsbury. Arizona desperately needed Hopkins back.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)
The Raiders are just a game out of a playoff spot right now. Injuries to Carr would damage their respective chances, but they’ve been the unluckiest team in the NFL through six games.
17. Green Bay Packers (3-4)
I gave Green Bay plenty of chances to show they were competent, but they keep proving they are one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL this year. Really bad loss on Sunday.
16. LA Chargers (4-3)
Speaking of disappointing teams, the Chargers were blown out by Seattle on Sunday even though they spent close to half a billion dollars this year on their defense. Brandon Staley: bad coach.
15. LA Rams (3-3)
The Rams were on the bye week so they take a little tumble while some teams just looked better than them. They need to fix their offensive line issues immediately.
14. Tennessee Titans (4-2)
Mike Vrabel is a really good coach guys. Arguably the most underrated in the NFL. Tennessee keeps finding ways to win.
13. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
I won’t dock San Fran too poorly for losing to the Chiefs, especially with McCaffrey just getting to the team. We’ll see how he looks next week against the Rams, but they did themselves no favors on Sunday.
12. Miami Dolphins (4-3)
When Tua plays, the Dolphins are 4-0. Pretty simple. Miami is a dangerous team in the NFL, but you have to wonder if they have the offensive line to protect their QB.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
You should never give up on a Tom Brady-led team but these guys look awful through seven games. If Brady works his magic, that’s one thing. It just looks much different this year.
10. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
A hard-fought win still maintains their lead in the AFC North. Baltimore keeps finding ways to win like they always do, but there’s certainly some concern about their ability to maintain their success later in the year.
9. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
Is this the coolest team to watch in the NFL right now? The rookie class is spectacular, the coaching staff took a win on Geno Smith/Russell Wilson, and they have a top 5 pick this year. A win against the Chargers is also impressive.
8. New York Jets (5-2)
Is this the ugliest 5-2 team in NFL history? Probably. The Jets keep finding ways to win in ugly fashion and are a win at MetLife Sunday away from getting their fans to truly think of playoff aspirations.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
I hold more stock in Cincinnati’s offense than I do in Baltimore’s. The team looked dominant on Sunday and appeared to be back as the most lethal offense in the NFL.
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
Dak Prescott is back and…he didn’t look much better than Cooper Rush. Sure, rust certainly played a part, but the Cowboys aren’t exactly deep at key skill positions. Their defense is the best in the NFL though.
5. New York Giants (6-1)
Every Giants win has come within one score. While that usually evens out throughout the season, Brian Daboll is the coach of the year and it really isn’t that close this year.
4. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
Speaking of teams who convert in one-score games, the Vikings will need to show they can actually beat good teams coming off their bye week.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
The Chiefs looked dominant on Sunday. They are arguably the best complete offense in football and will be the team to beat in the AFC if Buffalo ends up slipping up at all.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)
Philly needs to fix their tackling and efficiency in the second half, but this is the best team in the NFC until they are beaten.
1. Buffalo Bills (5-1)
The top team was on the bye and they don’t deserve to lose their top spot yet. Buffalo’s overall roster is arguably the best in the NFL.
