Welcome back to the NFL Power Rankings. Just in case you have wondered about the state of NFL tanking, last year, we had the Giants ripping off victories with Tommy “Cutlets” amid a non-existent race to the bottom for Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. The Patriots won two of their last five games. The Raiders won three of their final four games. The Titans won their season finale, all while a potentially (and, boy does it look legit) generational quarterback class waited atop the board.
Now, we have a major swath of unwatchable football teams who are timing their awfulness, well, awfully. I suspect the Browns are up to something but Carolina, Tennessee, Las Vegas, the Giants and the Saints are all too banged up, too poorly constructed or too unlucky to find themselves in the win column—all at a time when this year’s prize could wind up being … Jalen Milroe? Cam Ward?
“It’s not quite Williams-Daniels-Maye-Penix-Nix-McCarthy, is all I’m saying. At least not yet. And it’s proof that trying to orchestrate something of this magnitude never goes how you think it’s going to.”
Onward!
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Last week’s result: beat Minnesota, 31–29
This week: vs. Tennessee
A new No. 1 in the Power Rankings this week, which I’m sure no fan base will have any problem with at all. I allowed the stats to break the tie in this one, and while the Chiefs are undefeated, the Lions have a far more efficient offense right now, they just beat one of two lone undefeated teams and are nearly identical to the Chiefs in terms of EPA per play allowed and opponent success rate. Plus, the Lions are racking up style points now and, just like the old NCAA bowl committee, I am attracted to shiny things (and I’m wildly corrupt).
