32. Jacksonville Jaguars, 0-5 ( - )
At this point, I’m not sure what Urban Meyer thinks his job actually entails. It’s sad, because this team has some good, young skill position talent.
31. Houston Texans, 1-4 ( - )
With upcoming games against the Colts, Cardinals and Rams, things are not going to get any better any time soon.
30. Detroit Lions, 0-5 (-)
At the beginning of the season, it was clear that everything needed to go right for this talent-light team to compete. Instead, everything has gone wrong. There’s maybe two-to-three winnable games on the rest of the schedule.
29. New York Jets, 1-4 (-)
The Jets showed some signs of life in London, but they may have wanted to stay there as an early-season rematch with the New England Patriots will prove more difficult.
28. Miami Dolphins, 1-4 (-5)
Things have been rough for the Dolphins—especially on defense, which was supposed to be a strong suit—but there’s time to turn it around with upcoming matchups with the Jaguars and Falcons.
27. Atlanta Falcons, 2-3 (+1)
The Falcons have quietly started to put things together offensively and, if that trend continues, this team could be remarkably average by the end of the season.
26. New York Giants, 1-4 (+1)
The Giants have a tough upcoming schedule and do not have the talent or the coaching to match.
25. Philadelphia Eagles, 2-3 (+1)
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is doing a strong Jekyl and Hyde impersonation, which makes it impossible to know exactly where the Eagles are at. Against the Panthers, he was really bad...except for when he wasn’t.
24. Chicago Bears, 3-2 (+1)
The Bears have caught some bad teams getting worse over the last couple of weeks and are starting to feel themselves a little bit at 3-2. The defense is about to get tested against the Packers and Buccaneers, and almost certainly be found wanting.
23. Minnesota Vikings, 2-3 (+1)
The Vikings can easily go toe-to-toe with the Panthers this week, but things look awfully tough after that. This team has a lot more talent on paper than what they’ve shown and hopefully have gotten the close game monkey off their back.
22. Indianapolis Colts, 1-4 (-)
Moral victories aren’t a thing in the NFL, but the Colts have to feel good about how well QB Carson Wentz and the defense performed against the Baltimore Ravens. If only they’d played that well all season...
21. Washington Football Team, 2-3 (-3)
I was high on WFT, now I am not...the fact that the defense doesn’t scare anybody anymore is a fireable offense for everyone in the building.
20. Las Vegas Raiders, 3-2 (-5)
Things are about to get a lot worse for this formerly 3-0 team.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-3 (+2)
I truly believe the Steelers victory over the Broncos is an aberration but there are a lot of bad teams in football right now, and the Steelers made a (small) case that they’re not that bad.
18. New England Patriots, 2-3 (+1)
This isn’t the same team that we all thought we were going to see this season. The question is: Can QB Mac Jones progress enough to make this team competitive by year’s end?
17. Cincinnati Bengals, 3-2 (+3)
The Bengals are good enough to hang around with the Packers and have a relatively easy schedule coming up with games against the Lions and Jets in their near future. This should be a steep climb up the rankings.
16. Denver Broncos, 3-2 (-2)
Would not be surprised if the Broncos win their next three games. Wouldn’t be surprised if they lost them either! Teams will be watching that Steelers tape hard to see how to exploit a previously worrisome Broncos defense.
15. Tennessee Titans, 3-2 (+2)
It’s a murderers row for the Titans in upcoming weeks. If they can go .500, they’ll almost certainly secure their spot atop the AFC South.
14. New Orleans Saints, 3-2 (-1)
Another Sunday, another enigmatic Saints performance. They’ve got the Seahawks on Monday Night football coming up and should easily win, giving the national audience a chance to see QB Jameis Winston’s best...hopefully.
13. Carolina Panthers, 3-2 (-1)
This team is good enough to carry QB Sam Darnold when he is slightly below average. If he starts to tank it up, though, that’s going to be a tougher load.
12. Cleveland Browns, 3-2 (-2)
QB Baker Mayfield wasn’t the reason the Browns lost to the Chargers, but he needs to start playing to his full potential. He’s currently the 17th ranked passer according to passer rating.
11. San Francisco 49ers, 2-3 (-3)
...and QB Jimmy Garoppolo is 18th with Trey Lance even lower.
10. Seattle Seahawks, 2-3 (-3)
We’re about to talk about the Chiefs, so I don’t want to belabor the point about how bad the Seahawks defense has been, but let’s just say it’s hard to tell which side of the ball has been more disappointing for the Seahawks this season.
9. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-3 (-5)
The Chiefs defense is as bad as it’s been in recent memory...like, historically bad. Without QB Patrick Mahomes, this might be a 0-5 team at the moment. Wholesale change is needed.
8. Dallas Cowboys, 4-1 (+1)
Meanwhile, I love what the Cowboys are doing on defense. They’re overplaying their talent and doing enough to take pressure off the offense. I could legitimately see this team only lose another one or two games.
7. Los Angeles Chargers, 4-1 (+5)
The Chargers are doing work on both sides of the ball with a legitimate MVP candidate in second-year QB Justin Herbert. The coaching, too, has been spectacular.
6. Baltimore Ravens, 4-1 (+5)
Should the Ravens be No. 1? Yeah, maybe...but we’re only a week or two removed from all of us wondering what the heck was wrong with them, so forgive me.
5. Arizona Cardinals, 5-0 (+1)
Should the Cardinals be No. 1? Yeah, maybe...but we’ll know for sure as they take on the Browns and the Packers in upcoming weeks.
4. Green Bay Packers, 4-1 (+1)
The Packers are benefiting from a weak NFC North and that’s just fine by them. It’s like having a tuneup game every few weeks.
3. Buffalo Bills, 4-1 (-)
Suddenly the scariest team in football.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-1 (-)
It wasn’t that long ago that people were shouting that QB Tom Brady needed to hang up his cleats. Now, he’s your leading passer in the Year of our Lord, 2021.
1. Los Angeles Rams, 4-1 (-) QB Matthew Stafford has the offense humming...even when he has an off game as he did this past week. The defense, though, needs to start showing form, because they have taken a step back since last year’s dominance.