NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks, Cowboys and Ravens Continue to Impress

One more NFL week down and the top teams start to distance themselves from the bottom teams in our Power Rankings.

Each week watching the Bills or Chiefs play makes it harder to pin down who belongs number 2 behind the Eagles. Arguments could be made for either, and if the Eagles weren’t so dominant in their 7-0 start there may be even more argument on who is number one in our Power Rankings. All this to say, I can’t wait for the playoffs, and hope to see a Bills-Chiefs rematch in January.

The Minnesota Vikings are pillaging under the radar at 6-1, with their only loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Many may not trust Kirk Cousins when the pressure is on, but credit where credit is due, they lead the NFC North, by some margin.

The NFC East went 3-1 this week and now have the best combined record of all divisions. The Commanders needed late game heroics to get a 17-16 win over the Colts while the Cowboys and Eagles dominated their opponents start to finish.

The Giants went on the road and lost a tough match against the surprising Seahawks led by Geno Smith. Seattle is the biggest mover on the Power Rankings,coming in 7 spots up to crack the top ten at number 8. It has been tough to determine if Seattle is a real contender, but Geno Smith has the fewest off-target throws of anyone in the league right now (9%).

𝟏𝟎𝟖.𝟖

Geno Smith’s passer rating in each of the @Seahawks‘ 5 wins this season averages 108.8. ⚡️

He’s recorded a passer rating over 99 in 6 out of 8 games this season for the #Seahawks. 👏#SEAvsNYG pic.twitter.com/joWkGuX3j2

— The Playbook (@genius_playbook) October 31, 2022

If he continues to play well and rookie running back Kenneth Walker III continues to average 5.4 yards per carry, Seattle will be a tough out at any point. We’ll know more after Seattle travels to Munich to take on Tom Brady and the struggling Buccaneers, but Pete Carroll’s team has stepped up to every challenge so far. 

The biggest drop of the week goes to the Cincinnati Bengals after their terrible 32-13 loss to the Browns on Monday Night Football. The Bengals looked awful on offense without star wide receiver Ja’marr Chase and Burrow was sacked 4 times for 31 yards.

🔸 Jacoby Brissett recorded a personal season-high passer rating of 133.7 vs the #Bengals on #MNF:

▪️ 278 Yards
▪️ 1 TD – 0 INT
▪️ 17/22
▪️ 77.3% completion rate
▪️ 59% xCompletion

His 18.2% completion rate over expected was the highest of any QB in Week 8.#Browns | #CINvsCLE https://t.co/7AlnDA5ruW

— The Playbook (@genius_playbook) November 1, 2022

Next worse were the New York Jets, who lost a two-score game to the mediocre Patriots. Worse than losing to a rival, the Jets’ QB Zach Wilson threw three interceptions and didn’t look like he made a step up as a star quarterback ready to lead his team to the playoffs.

Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders, meanwhile, were shut out for the first time since 2014. It’s not what anyone expected after hiring an offensive-minded Head Coach and bringing in the league’s number one receiver Davante Adams in the off-season. The Raiders don’t seem to have a good direction, and serious concerns are beginning to mount for Carr and Josh McDaniels in the off-season.