NFL Power Rankings – Week 10, John Crowe

NFL Power Rankings – Week 10, John Crowe

As the coronavirus pandemic’s second surge grips the United States, with cases increasing in almost every metric in most every state, the NFL too is preparing for the worst. This week, the league voted to add a potential 8th playoff team in each conference should “meaningful games” get postponed or canceled due to COVID-19.

So, what does that mean? Well, I think we all can be certain that there will be more games moved due to the virus, so it’s almost a certainty that there will be two more teams added to the postseason mix.

That should be good news here in New England as even the now 3-5 Patriots, fresh off a final-second victory over the winless Jets, are still in the playoff mix. Sure, there’s lots to be done before that becomes reality, but in 2020, we all need a little hope, right?!

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Cam Newton said it best when it comes to the Patriots 2020 season so far after the win over the Jets.

"I’m getting tired of sucking. Simple," said Newton according to the team's website. "This is a game we can build off of."

It also means that there’s very real hope for teams like Miami, Cleveland, Arizona and others who haven’t sniffed the playoffs in recent season. Plus, someone has to win the NFC East as all four teams still have a shot to win the division despite not one team having more than three wins nor a winning record as we enter week 10.

So, let’s start the second half of most teams’ seasons. It’s moving time. Time to find out who’s leading the way in this week’s NFL Power Rankings.

Best of rest: Cardinals (5-3, Last week: ranked 9th)

The Cardinals can score. That much we know. They're averaging 29.2 points a game to go with their league-best 422 yards a game . But against the Dolphins, they couldn't hold a late lead, failing to tie the game on a 49-yard miss by Zane Gonzalez. Up next, the Bills at home before heading to Seattle and New England.

10. Miami Dolphins (5-3, Last week: not ranked) 

Suddenly, the Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in the league. Winners of four in a row and five of six, Miami is loving feasting on the NFC West, arguably one of the best divisions in the NFL. The Dolphins have beaten the Cardinals, Rams and 49ers during the winning streak. Plus, Tua Tagovailoa can only get better with more time on the field. Against the Cardinals, he brought the Fins back from a late 7-point deficit for the victory, tossing two touchdowns and 248 yards.

9. Indianapolis Colts (6-3*, Last week: ranked 10th - already won in week 10)

Complete transparency: I had Tennessee slotted for this spot until Thursday night’s 34-17 thumping of the Titans by the Colts. Coming off a home Sunday loss to the Ravens, being down early didn’t look good for Indy. But they gambled their way through a couple of successful fourth down conversions and got a special teams touchdown on a blocked punt to power their way to a victory. Old Man Philip Rivers isn’t done just yet. Give credit to the Colts top-ranked defense too. They held Derrick Henry to 103 yards and no touchdowns with the Colts big lead rendering Henry useless and on the bench in the fourth quarter. The Titans and Colts meet again in week 12 too.

8. Seattle Seahawks (6-2, Last week: ranked 4th)

Wow, was Russell Wilson bad against the Bills. We warned you about the Seahawks being all about Wilson and nothing else. The Bills lit up the worst defense in football to the tune of 41 points, helped out by Wilson's four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles). Seattle, like Arizona, needs help on defense to stay relevant in the NFC.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3, Last week: ranked 3rd)

That's not exactly what Tom Brady had in mind when he brought his new Bucs teammate back to Sunday night football. Three interceptions later and the Saints walked all over Tampa to the tune of 38-3, sweeping the season series over the Buccaneers and stealing first place in the NFC South. Clearly, Antonio Brown was not the answer for the first week in Tampa.

6. Buffalo Bills (7-2, Last week: ranked 8th)

Have a day Josh Allen! 4 touchdowns, 415 yards passing and an impressive 44-34 victory over Seattle, a game that wasn't as close as the final score. The Bills now have to look towards holding off Miami, not New England, to win the AFC East. That road continues Sunday in Arizona against the Cardinals.

5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2, Last week: ranked 6th)

It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. The Ravens rallied from an early 10-7 first half deficit to shut out the Colts in the second half en route to a 24-10 road win. Lamar Jackson leads his team in to Foxboro Sunday night against the Patriots in a game where Jackson has to be licking his chops.

4. Green Bay Packers (6-2, Last week: ranked 7th)

The up-and-down month of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers continues. Rodgers and Davante Adams put on a show last Thursday night in San Francisco. They can ill-afford to let the guard down this Sunday at home against Jacksonville.

3. New Orleans Saints (6-2, Last week: ranked 5th)

To the victors go the spoils. The match-up between Drew Brees and Tom Brady disappointed on a macro-level, but for the Saints, the 38-3 rout delivered on every level. Brees threw for four touchdowns while Brady didn’t sniff the end zone once. New Orleans reclaims the top spot in the NFC South and the tiebreaker against Tampa Bay.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1, Last week: ranked 2nd) 

It was kind of fun to see the Chiefs have to face a bit of adversity against Carolina. The Panthers challenged them right from the very first drive and the Chiefs held them off, 33-31. The regular season is all about staying somewhat sharp and injury-free en route to trying to gain the first-round bye for the AFC playoffs, something Kansas City currently does not possess.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-0, Last week: ranked 1st)

When Ben Roethlisberger got hit, injuring his knee Sunday in Dallas, Steelers Nation collectively held their breathe. But, all Big Ben did was come back and throw three touchdown passes to keep the Steelers undefeated with the come-from-behind victory over the Cowboys. Roethlisberger found himself, along with three teammates, on the COVID-19 reserve list thanks to a close contact with someone who tested positive. He'll be eligible to play Sunday as long as he doesn't test positive by Saturday or he gets two negative tests.

Last week:
Best of rest: Titans
10. Colts
9. Cardinals
8. Bills
7. Packers
6. Ravens
5. Saints
4. Seahawks
3. Buccaneers
2. Chiefs
1. Steelers