NFL Power Rankings: Cleveland Browns Join Contenders After Statement Win Over…

Last week: win vs. Philadelphia, 33-13
Next week: at Buffalo

The NFL season is a series of runs. There are weeks when players feel great and weeks they don’t. There are weeks they feel motivated to slam their bodies into concrete, and weeks they don’t. On Sunday, we saw the Cowboys at their peak. The question is—and always has been—whether we will get this in the playoffs against one of two teams (Philadelphia or San Francisco) with a slightly deeper set of personnel.

Last week: loss vs. Buffalo, 20–17
Next week: at New England

The Chiefs still had three plays to get 15 yards at the end of the day. What happened after Toney’s offside penalty? Patrick Mahomes was nearly sacked as the pocket collapsed around him, and somehow Madden glitched the football out for an incompletion. Then Mahomes had a ball batted down (on a play that, in fairness to the Chiefs, featured Von Miller jumping offsides, though it would not have had an effect on Ed Oliver making a great play). Then, Mahomes barely got the ball away and lobbed a pass to nowhere. I think there is probably a situation where this could have been attacked with a little more composition, though the frustration with the officiating crew was obviously palpable.

Last week: loss at Chicago, 28–13
Next week: vs. Denver

You could make the argument that the Lions’ margin of victory has been tight of late and that they have been taxed significantly since their Week 9 bye. Detroit narrowly beat the lowly Chargers and came back against the Bears before losing to the Packers (and nearly collapsing against the Saints). Personally, I think this Bears loss is a leftover from a few weeks ago. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus can call a good game and has the personnel to match up decently against what the Lions do well (even though both of Detroit’s lead backs were over six yards a carry in this one). This Broncos game comes at a fascinating time. If the Lions are still sleepwalking, they’ll get clobbered.

Last week: loss vs. Tennessee, 28–27
Next week: vs. New York Jets

It was a tough loss for so many reasons. The Dolphins lost on Monday as two-touchdown favorites. Tyreek Hill was not healthy enough to be on the field for the final drive. The Dolphins spotted three turnovers and still lost. Obviously, the long-term health of Hill is the big takeaway here. I’m not alone in thinking that—the further away he is from being 100%, the further away Miami’s offense is from being the ball of knives that ran through the NFL over the first half of the season. A brutal road lies ahead for the Dolphins regardless.

Last week: win vs. Jacksonville, 31–27
Next week: vs. Chicago

On the podcast this week, I offered Browns management a chance to get me back in the fold as a fan: trade or release Deshaun Watson and sign Joe Flacco to Watson’s contract. And I’m back. Also on the podcast, we discussed what would happen, seriously, if Flacco played lights-out ball for another six weeks and took this team into the playoffs. Of course, you still play Watson when he’s healthy, but we all saw how strangely complicated the post-Nick Foles/Carson Wentz dynamic in Philadelphia was.

Last week: loss at Cleveland, 31–27
Next week: vs. Baltimore

Not only did the Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence on a bum wheel, but they were also turning the ball over and dealing with attrition on the offensive line. Jacksonville hung tough with Cleveland, but it’s clear the Jags are not yet the conference upstarts we’d projected them to be, especially in their current, less-than-optimal state.

Last week: loss vs. New England, 21–18
Next week: at Indianapolis

Mike Tomlin was terse in suggesting after the Patriots game that he did not consider moving on from Mitch Trubisky. He doubled down on that assertion this week. I respect how the Steelers do business on most fronts, but their lack of all-out supermarket sweep desperation in finding a steadier presence behind Kenny Pickett is frustrating. This team is good enough, with a quarterback playing just above replacement level, to knock off most of the field in the conference.

Last week: loss at Cincinnati, 34–14
Next week: vs. Pittsburgh

It was a disappointing loss for the Colts, who still hold on to the No. 7 spot in the AFC. But I do not see an obvious loss remaining on the team’s schedule. I could also easily be convinced that the Colts win the division ahead of the Jaguars. Many good times are ahead in Indianapolis. In fact, after we see what happens between the Jaguars and Ravens this coming weekend, I think you’ll easily be convinced too.

Last week: loss at New York Jets, 30-6
Next week: at Tennessee

I think the Texans just ran into one here. There are no grand conclusions other than that it’s disappointing to see C.J. Stroud in concussion protocol. That backward fall angle is tough to protect against. I would assume Davis Mills can get the job done this week, but we are seeing a Titans defence hanging surprisingly tough at the end of a lost season. DeMeco Ryans isn’t going to just walk into the playoffs in year one.

Last week: loss at New York Giants, 24–22
Next week: vs. Tampa Bay

I’m choosing to be optimistic here. Jordan Love got the go-ahead score late against a Wink Martindale defense that is unlike many others he’ll see in the NFL. That’s my takeaway. He managed to keep swinging despite some bad breaks. The fact that the Packers couldn’t keep Tommy DeVito out of field goal range was simply an act of the cosmos. Who can stop Tommy Cutlets these days?

Last week: loss at Baltimore, 37-31
Next week: vs. Washington

A big performance by the Rams this weekend, who showed just how tough they are going to be if they can slip into the postseason. On display was the total suite of run plays the Rams have at their disposal, even without a full complement of backs. Consequently, Matthew Stafford also looks nearly flawless.

Last week: loss at San Francisco, 28–16
Next week: vs. Philadelphia

This skid has been disappointing, but outside of a narrow loss to the Rams, who seem to have Seattle’s number (and basically created the offense that Seattle runs, thus giving them a bead on everything), the Seahawks have lost to the best team in football twice and just missed beating the second- or third-best team, during which time their starting quarterback also missed snaps or entire games. That is going to happen. I don’t think the Seahawks are dead yet.

Last week: win at Las Vegas, 3–0
Next week: at Cincinnati

I didn’t necessarily forget how hard Justin Jefferson goes on a down-to-down basis, but I was pretty amazed at the degree of hits he was set up for and willing to take upon his return (before exiting again with a chest injury). I said before the season that, if I were Jefferson, I wouldn’t play another down without a contract, and I wonder if Sunday’s game changed his perspective at all. Also, man, it was great to see Nick Mullens sling it again.

Last week: win at Atlanta, 29–25
Next week: at Green Bay

I thought Baker Mayfield’s best throw, a kind of multiple-pump, scramble, evasion, and dart to Mike Evans toward the side of the end zone, was actually an incompletion. I think this team is situationally dangerous, and it is the one unit out of the abhorrent NFC South that could do some damage in the playoffs under the right circumstances. I liked how Mayfield, on the game-winning touchdown, had at least one other open option: an easier throw underneath to Evans, and he let it rip.

Last week: win vs. Carolina, 28-6
Next week: vs. New York Giants

I don’t know how much stock we should put into a fight between a quarterback and his offensive lineman, given that some of the greatest players in NFL history have battled with their coaches and teammates over the course of a heated moment. However, we have talked about this specifically with Derek Carr a few times. This week on the MMQB podcast, Albert Breer shared the genesis of some of the anti-Carr teammate takes out there, and it dates back to an abandoned quarterback sneak in Las Vegas. It’s worth your time.

Last week: loss vs. Tampa Bay, 29–25
Next week: at Carolina

A pretty alright game from Desmond Ridder, all things considered, aided by this great catch by Drake London late in the fourth quarter, where he kind of just snaps the ball out of the sky with sheer force of will, and Ridder hanging tough on a busted-up zone read run that led to Atlanta’s last touchdown. London is going to be so good. I don’t know what Ridder will be, but I do think this Falcons season wasn’t a waste entirely, regardless of whether it ends in a playoff bid. On Sunday, we saw the distance between where the Falcons are now and where they’ll need to be before they’re taken seriously on a regular basis.

Last week: win vs. Detroit, 28–13
Next week: at Cleveland

A few weeks ago, I wrote that Matt Eberflus shouldn’t be back for the 2024 Bears. I still think he’d be a tough sell for me, especially if, say, Ben Johnson wanted the job. But minus the Bears scoring the hottest candidate on the market, I do think there is merit in allowing Eberflus one more crack at this. Yes, he’s made some in-game errors. Critical ones. But despite an absolute whirlwind of a season, the team is playing pretty well right now. Also, Luke Getsy is fun again. We go through spurts with the Bears offensive playcallers. At one point, Matt Nagy was mind-blowing. Then he wasn’t. Getsy had to slog through a few weeks without Fields and some other complicated circumstances. Now he can run those DJ Moore fake throwback sweep plays all the time! Getsy forever.

Last week: win vs. Green Bay, 24–22
Next week: at New Orleans

What a fun night in New Jersey, huh? What a throw by DeVito to Wan’Dale Robinson to set up the game-winning field goal. DeVito is now just the third undrafted rookie quarterback ever to win at least three of his first four starts. Despite a dagger of a fumble from Saquon Barkley, the Giants—and that Martindale defense—never wavered. How about the way they were slapping footballs out of receivers’ hands in the end zone late in the game? This is a team that doesn’t let up.

Last week: win vs. Houston, 30-6
Next week: at Miami

Full thoughts on Zach Wilson are here. If anything else, the fact that the Jets still have eyes on the fringe chances of meaningful postseason football (almost assuredly without Aaron Rodgers if it actually happens) is a credit to how the team has weathered so many potential storms. This is a well-constructed roster. Do I think Wilson has a quarterback rating over 100 in each of the remaining four games? I do not. Do I think he can still be a good quarterback? I do. Sometimes potential does not materialize on your timeline. Would it be the absolute treat of the season to see it all click for a kid who has been through so much? No doubt.

Last week: 28-27 victory at Miami
Houston next week: vs

How did the Titans win this game back? Due to numerous poor plays, Tennessee allowed the Dolphins to win. And yet, there they were, capping an explosive offensive performance (without Tyreek Hill on the last drive). After the Titans scored a go-ahead touchdown, Will Levis appeared extremely dangerous and gave one of the most forceful chest bumps I’ve ever seen on a sideline before storming off the pitch. Unquestionably an elite QB quality.

Loss to Denver last week, 26-7
Next week: in Las Vegas

Alright. I am formally and permanently out of the Charger fandom after toeing the line for the past month.In the end, I believe that there were several factors that contributed to the problems surrounding Brandon Staley’s stay. No matter who is on the roster, the Chargers are a difficult club to coach. These problems with consistency and susceptibility to injuries exist for a reason and predate Staley’s leadership. Staley selected two offensive coordinators poorly. The second issue is tricky since, yes, Justin Herbert did throw for over 5,000 yards during Joe Lombardi’s tenure. However, since Shane Steichen’s departure, the team’s franchise player hasn’t been effectively utilised by a coordinator.

Last week: Goodbye
At the Los Angeles Rams next week.

The Commanders play the somewhat-hot Jets and hot Rams to close out the season, followed by the 49ers and Cowboys. How could the Commanders end up having a quarterback that will last a generation, especially if Bailey Zappe plays well in New England and Kyler Murray keeps deterring Arizona’s first pick?

Next week: against San Francisco; last week: bye

The Cardinals have four weeks remaining to decide if they want to be mentioned in the 2024 quarterback conversation or not. Who are the opponents of the team? The 49ers play their final game of the season at home against a Seahawks club that might be right on the playoff cutoff line, as well as away to Chicago and Philadelphia. Kyler Murray has led Arizona to a 2–2 record this season.

If you take away the Aaron Rodgers comparison, I felt that this assessment of Murray was rather sound. The anonymous critics of Murray’s leadership style and personal habits are most likely no longer employed by the NFL.

And while we wouldn’t want to source guess (because I think that’s a silly practice), maybe Murray didn’t have the smoothest ride into the NFL because he was playing for one of the worst organizations in football.

Last week: 21–18 victory away to Pittsburgh
Upcoming: vs Kansas City

We discussed New England’s 2023 offensive masterwork here. It’s strange, but for some reason, I think we could manipulate ourselves into accepting another season under Bill Belichick. Naturally, anyone you speak with now tells you that he has passed away.But you do realise that a lot of this is shaky? It’s a union. It’s sensitive. What if the Patriots manage to win three of their next four games, which would require wins against some very strong teams? Does that make Belichick and Robert Kraft decide to have one last round of rodeos together?

Last week: 28-6 defeat at New Orleans
Upcoming: vs Atlanta

As there isn’t much more to discuss with the Panthers, let me just bring up this awesome blitz idea that included Frankie Luvu in Carolina and appeared to really irritate Derek Carr. Luvu begins from the line, makes a blitz threat, and then enters the zone to confuse the midfield. Luvu, though, quickly returns to the backfield following that. Because of his speed, he can get away with it, and the play seemed to be greatly enhanced by it.