Each week members of The Game Haus will collaborate to determine our NFL Power Rankings. We rate teams from 1-32 and add the points received to give us our final answer.
Our voters: Zac Stone, Joe DiTullio, Michael Packard, Savannah Dean, Jacob Gilbert
Another week in the books makes the league a bit more clear. The Saints have proven to be the favorite in the NFC, with the Rams about as close as possible on their tail. The Steelers made sure everyone knew the first four weeks were not indicative of how this team would play.
The league continues to add interest, while at the same time removing it. The NFC North and AFC West are more exciting by the week, while the NFC West is a runaway. The race for the wildcard will be a fun one. Stay tuned, but for now, here are the week 11 power rankings.
1. New Orleans Saints – 159 (High: 1. Low: 2. LW: 1)
Well, hanging 51 points on a team will likely get their defensive coordinator fired and it happened after the Saints destroyed the Bengals. The Saints finally got Mark Ingram going, which only makes them more dangerous down the stretch. This team could be playing in the Super Bowl.
– Joe DiTullio
2. Kansas City Chiefs – 154 (High: 1. Low: 3. LW: 3)
Kansas City thought they were getting a cake-walk of a game when they played the Cardinals, but only won by 12. It is always hard to get up for a game against a bad team. They need to keep giving the ball to Kareem Hunt down the stretch, something they failed to do last year.
– Joe DiTullio
3. Los Angeles Rams – 152 (High: 2. Low: 3. LW: 2)
The Rams survived in a shootout against their division rivals to essentially lock up the NFC West. They now have a 4.5 game lead with just six games to play. The trio of Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks are separating themselves as possibly the best trio in the league after 100-yard performances fro both Gurley and Cooks yet again.
– Zac Stone
4. Los Angeles Chargers – 142 (High: 4. Low: 7. LW 6)
Not many people are talking about the Chargers as contenders, mostly because the Chiefs are in their division. They also have numerous injuries that should be holding them back, but haven’t yet. The Chargers kept winning this week with a victory over an Oakland team that didn’t put up much of a fight.
– Joe DiTullio
5. Pittsburgh Steelers – 138 (High: 4. Low: 8. LW: 8)
With their win over the Panthers, the Steelers have now won five in a row. Only two teams have a longer streak (Texans and Saints). They looked unstoppable against the Panthers scoring 52 points and holding Carolina to 21 in the process. Big Ben, AB and James Connor are a trio to look out for. They head to Jacksonville next week looking to continue on with their streak.
– Savannah Dean
6. New England Patriots – 136 (High: 5. Low: 7. LW: 4)
This week the New England Patriots were absolutely dominated by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans came out of the gates with the perfect gameplan against Tom Brady’s Patriots. They secured the lead early and remained balanced on offense throughout the game. The defense was never really able to stop the Titans for the whole game. As for New England’s offense, Tom Brady had a rare off performance and was never able to get into a rhythm, the running game didn’t help either with both lead backs averaging only 2.8 yards per carry.
– Jacob Gilbert
7. Chicago Bears – 128 (High: 6. Low: 9. LW: 9)
In what may be the closest division race when the season ends, the Bears remained on top with a crucial win against the Lions. Mitchell Trubisky played a phenomenal game with a non-existent running back group. Trubisky’s 355 yards and three touchdowns was just another example of why the Bears are somewhat surprising competitors in a tough NFC North.
– Zac Stone
8. Minnesota Vikings – 122 (High: 6. Low: 11. LW: 7)
The Vikings have an extra week to prepare for the battle for the NFC North. Sunday night will determine who will be in first in the division. The Vikings have won four of their last five and are looking to stay hot when they head to Chicago.
– Zac Stone
9. Carolina Panthers – 118 (High: 8. Low: 13. LW: 5)
It was a long Thursday night game for the Panthers, who faced the Steelers on the wrong night. Winning a road game on Thursday against a good team isn’t easy. With the extra few days of rest, the Panthers will regroup and get ready for their playoff push.
– Joe DiTullio
10. Washington Redskins – 117 (High: 6. Low: 11. LW: 11)
The Redskins had no idea what to think when heading to Tampa Bay. Would they see FitzMagic or would they see whatever else is going on under center? Luckily their defense was ready and did not allow the Buccaneers to find the end zone. The Redskins are rolling, while their divisional opponents are not. They will try to capitalize on their momentum when a hot Texans team comes to the capital.
-Zac Stone
11. Houston Texans – 116 (High: 9. Low: 11. LW: 10)
Houston probably wishes that they didn’t have to have a bye week, as they were one of the hottest teams in the league since week four. They reeled off six straight wins after starting 0-3, and most of that has to do with star players Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus shaking off the rust from injuries suffered last year. The Texans are humming, and take on a quietly dangerous 6-3 Washington Redskins team next week on the road.
– Michael Packard
12. Tennessee Titans – 101 (High: 12. Low: 15. LW: 18)
No one saw this coming. It’s not even the fact that the Titans were winners over the New England Patriots. It’s how dominant they were in their 34-10 win. The Titans rushing attack had 150 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Marcus Mariota had two touchdowns. The defense made play after play, holding Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to under 50% completion percentage, held the New England run game to 2.1 yards per carry and only let the Patriots into field goal range on three of their twelve drives. Tennessee gets and AFC South match-up next week against the 4-5 Indianapolis Colts.
– Michael Packard
13. Green Bay Packers – 101 (High: 10. Low: 16. LW: 15)
Sunday in Green Bay belonged to Aaron Jones and the Packers defense. Jones managed to rack up 172 total yards and two touchdowns while the defense collected two turnovers. If the Packers can continue to play this way, they will be able to make a push for the playoffs.
– Zac Stone
14. Cincinnati Bengals – 88 (High: 14. Low: 19. LW: 12)
The Bengals have been going backwards. They got blown out by one of the strongest in the NFL right now, but their defense was unable to stop them whatsoever. They have now got blown out in two of their last three games. The inner division matchup next week will be a big test against another struggling team. With the Steelers leading the division by a game and half, Cincinnati needs to pull out a win.
– Savannah Dean
15. Philadelphia Eagles – 87 (High: 12. Low: 18. LW: 13)
This one hurt. The Eagles dropped a crucial game allowing a late touchdown to let the Cowboys steal the game. Losing is never easy, losing at home to a division rival that also made them tied for second in the division? Rough. The Redskins are playing good football but their is still hope in Philadelphia.
– Zac Stone
16. Baltimore Ravens – 86 (High: 13. Low: 18. LW: 16)
After a bad loss and a possible minor Joe Flacco injury, the bye week comes at a good time. This gives the team more time to rest and time to get back in the grove. It will be an interesting game next week when they face an inner division opponent that has also been struggling recently.
– Savannah Dean
17. Seattle Seahawks – 80 (High: 14. Low: 19. LW: 17)
The record does not reflect the quality of this team. They are now 4-5 on the season but lost two one-score games to the Rams, then in Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles. Battling back will be tough, but the Seahawks are a legitimate team that has proved they can compete with the top teams in the league.
– Zac Stone
18. Dallas Cowboys – 71 (High: 16. Low: 23. LW: 20)
Traveling to your rivals stadium and stealing a win to tie them in the standings? I would say that is a rather good week for the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott continues to be a force in the backfield and the Cowboys could be making a push to catch the Redskins. New receiver Amari Cooper led the team in receiving yards with 70 on six receptions in 10 targets.
– Zac Stone
19. Atlanta Falcons – 71 (High: 14. Low: 21. LW: 14)
They were one of the hottest teams in the league, but the Falcons lost to the Browns this week. The defense proved to be the Achille’s heal of this team yet again, giving up big plays to Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb. The offense just needed to score 30 points to win the game and they couldn’t get the job done and now will have to deal with the fallout of losing to Cleveland.
– Joe DiTullio
20. Indianapolis Colts – 70 (High: 16. Low: 20. LW: 25)
Much like their AFC South counterpart, the Indianapolis Colts had an up-and-down afternoon in their 29-26 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Andrew Luck was efficient (21/29, 285 yards, three touchdowns and one interception) and the offense was humming in the first half, scoring on four of their five drives. However, in the second half, the Colts offense was misfiring on all facets and the defense constantly allowed Jacksonville to march the field and get into scoring position. The Colts were in trouble of losing the game, but Jaguars back-up receiver Rashad Greene fumbled the ball with 1:30 left in the game to secure the win. The Colts take on divisional foe 5-4 Tennessee Titans next week.
– Michael Packard
21. Miami Dolphins – 64 (High: 15. Low: 25. LW: 19)
Despite their defense’s best efforts, the Dolphins were just unable to keep the Packers from scoring. This meant that the offense would have to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, Miami was unable to score points either. They were terrible in the red zone and it really cost them in this game. You can’t go up against a team like the Green Bay Packers and settle for field goals. The Dolphins found that out this week.
– Jacob Gilbert
22. Jacksonville Jaguars – 51 (High: 21. Low: 26. LW: 21)
It was a tale of two halves for the Jacksonville Jaguars defense in their 29-26 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. In the first half, the defense allowed Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and the offense to consistently move up and down the field. They also couldn’t stop tight end Eric Ebron, who had three first-half touchdowns. However, the Jags stepped up after halftime and shut down the Colts. As for the offense, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had his best game in a month (26/38, 320 yards, two touchdowns) and had the offense in position to tied or take the lead late, but a Rashad Greene fumble ended the game for the Jaguars. The playoffs are looking further and further away for Jacksonville as they have now lost five out of their last six. Jacksonville takes on the red-hot 6-2-1 Pittsburg Steelers in Week 11.
– Michael Packard
23. Denver Broncos – 50 (High: 18. Low: 25. LW: 23)
It was a much-needed bye week for the 3-6 Broncos. They need Case Keenum to do a better job of moving the chains to keep the defense off the field. Their schedule won’t get much easier as they play the Chargers, Steelers and Bengals in the next three weeks.
– Joe DiTullio
24. Cleveland Browns – 48 (High: 22. Low: 25. LW: 27)
Where did the real Browns go? They completely ran over the Atlanta Falcons in a must-win game for them. Nick Chubb had the longest run in Browns’ franchise history and Baker Mayfield only threw three incompletions. They snapped a four-game losing streak and are feeling good going into their bye.
– Savannah Dean
25. Detroit Lions – 45 (High: 23. Low: 26. LW: 22)
A sluggish start in Chicago made it difficult for the Lions to put up a comeback. They recovered well, but dug themselves too big of a hole to overcome. Matthew Stafford needs to play better if the team wants to have any hope with the little weapons he has to work within a division as tough as theirs.
– Zac Stone
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 39 (High: 22. Low: 27. LW: 24)
Tampa Bay thought they had FitzMagic back, but were unable to produce a touchdown against Washington, losing 16-3. Surprisingly, their defense was able to hang in there, but this team has problems no matter which quarterback plays. It’s time to start thinking about a rebuild for the offseason.
– Joe DiTullio
27. San Francisco 49ers – 27 (High: 26. Low: 30. LW: 28)
Nick Mullens was unable to start his NFL career 2-0 as the 49ers lost a close one to the Giants. He had a solid game but unfortunately came up a couple yards short on their final drive. It appears Mullens will maintain his starting role, but this team should be looking toward the draft.
– Zac Stone
28. New York Jets – 23 (High: 27. Low: 30. LW: 26)
The New York Jets are officially one of the worst teams in the NFL again. Normally there are bright spots in a teams loss, but the New York Jets just lost 41-10 to a team that was considered by many to be the worst in the NFL. Darnold is going to need a lot more help next year if the Jets want to become even a wild-card contender.
– Jacob Gilbert
29. Buffalo Bills – 21 (High: 27. Low: 31. LW: 30)
Surprisingly enough, the Bills were the only team in the AFC East to win this week. As a result of their win over the New York Jets they have jumped out of last place in the division. Matt Barkley was a huge improvement over Nathan Peterman and led a revitalized Buffalo attack that amassed 247 passing yards and 212 yards on the ground. It should be noted that not too much can be learned from a win against a team as bad as the Jets.
– Jacob Gilbert
30. New York Giants – 15 (High: 29. Low: 31. LW: 31)
Eli and OBJ both showed up Monday night. Despite only passing for 188 yards, he made the most of those yards with three touchdowns, two to OBJ. With the Giants season basically over, is it smart for this team to win? They have one of the best receivers in the league and a rookie running back that is sure to take the league by storm. A top pick might be more valuable than a win to temporarily heal the pain.
– Zac Stone
31. Arizona Cardinals – 15 (High: 28. Low: 31. LW: 29)
26-14? Not a bad day for the Cardinals in Kansas City. Josh Rosen did not have a great day, again, but the Cardinals were able to hold their own against the Chiefs offense. David Johnson finally showed up, but this team still is very, very far away from competing.
– Zac Stone
32. Oakland Raiders – 5 (High: 32. Low: 32. LW: 32)
This team is giving up on the season. It is hard to blame them given the moves that the team has made to plan for the future. They are the worst team in the league until proven otherwise.
– Joe DiTullio
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