New No. 1 In This Week’s Power Rankings
Whether you’re a Buffalo Bills fan or an Oakland Raiders fan, need not look at this article as inside is nothing that will help ease the pain of a lost season.
That also goes for Arizona Cardinals fans as well, and don’t get me started on Eli Manning and those goddamn Giants.
As for the power rankings itself, there’s a new number one and enough movement to go round to one to take a look.
We will be looking at all 32 teams and their point differential this season. Point differential is calculated by adding the margin of victory and defeat together from each game played.
You’ll notice the good teams are ranked near the top in this category, with a few surprises sprinkled in. You’ll also see sometimes have been living by the moniker: Better to be lucky than good.
Let’s get started!
1. New Orleans Saints (7-1)
New Orleans is 5th in point differential with a +61 differential. They’ve won four games by 10 points or more this season.
2. Los Angeles Rams (8-1)
The Los Angeles Rams are 2nd in point differential at +99. Three of their wins have been by 20 or more points this season.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)
The Kansas City Chiefs are 1st in point differential at +101. They lead the NFL with five victories decided by 10 or more points.
4. New England Patriots (7-2)
The New England Patriots are 4th in the NFL in point differential at +68. During their current six-game win streak, four of their wins have come by 14 or more points.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (6-2)
The Los Angeles Chargers are tied for 7th in point differential at +40. The Chargers have played it close of late but still have three wins decided by 11 or more points.
6. Carolina Panthers (6-2)
The Carolina Panthers are tied for 7th in point differential at +40. A strange team on a week-to-week basis, Carolina has three wins decided by 10 or more points.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 8th in point differential at +39. Rolling after a rough month of September, Pittsburgh has two wins by 15 or more points.
8. Chicago Bears (5-3)
The Chicago Bears are 3rd in point differential at +82. A big reason why is because of two wins by 30+ points this season.
9. Houston Texans (6-3)
The Houston Texans are tied for 10th in point differential at +32. Competitive in losses (three losses by seven points or less), the Texans have also been close in victories as they have four wins by seven points or less.
10. Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1)
The Minnesota Vikings are 14th in point differential at +17. Minnesota is a team that may be far better than their point differential indicates as they have proven dominant in wins, with three coming by double-digit points.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)
The Philadelphia Eagles are 12th in point differential at +22. The Eagles have lost four games by six points or less, but in two of those losses (Minnesota and Tampa Bay) they trailed 17+ points in the second half.
12. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)
The Atlanta Falcons are 16th in point differential at +2. Take away a 41-17 shellacking at Heinz Field to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5 and Atlanta has been one of the NFL’s most competitive teams this season.
13. Washington Redskins (5-3)
The Washington Redskins are tied for 19th in point differential at -12. All three of Washington’s losses this season have been by double-digits, with their last being a 38-14 thrashing on their home field vs the Atlanta Falcons.
14. Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
The Seattle Seahawks are tied for 10th in point differential at +32. Outside of a 20-17 squeaker at Arizona, the Seahawks have won three games by 11 or more points this season.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)
The Cincinnati Bengals are 22nd in point differential at -16. The Bengals have had a roller coaster season, losing two blowouts on the road, a heartbreaker at home and barely eking out a win at home against Ryan Fitzpatrick. They’ve also won three games by 10 or more points.
16. Miami Dolphins (5-4)
The Miami Dolphins are 26th in point differential at -38. Winning close is Miami’s calling card. All five of their wins this season have been by eight points or less.
17. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
The Baltimore Ravens are 6th in point differential at +53. They dominated early in the season with four wins by a combined 89 points but have lost each of their last three games.
18. Green Bay Packers (3-4-1)
The Green Bay Packers are tied for 19th in point differential at -12. The Packers have struggled this season as they have lost two games by 14 or more points.
19.Tennessee Titans (4-4)
The Tennessee Titans are 17th in point differential at -7. Tennessee has won three games by three points exactly this season.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-5)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 25th in point differential at -36. It’s been ugly for Jacksonville during their current four-game slide as they’ve lost three games by 13 or more points, with one of those being a 40-7 thumping in Dallas.
20. Detroit Lions (3-5)
The Detroit Lions are 23rd in point differential at -30. The Lions have been bizarre this season, with a 48-17 loss at home to the New York Jets and a 26-10 home win over the New England Patriots weeks later. Who are they?
21. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)
The Dallas Cowboys are 15th in point differential at +3. Dallas has lost three games by eight points or less this season.
23. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)
The Indianapolis Colts are 13th in point differential at +18. The Colts have been competitive in losses and dominant in wins, winning all three of their games this season by double-digits.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 27th in point differential at -46. All three of their victories this season have been decided by eight points or less.
25. Cleveland Browns (2-6-1)
The Cleveland Browns are 29th in point differential at -57. The Browns aren’t scoring points, and because of it they’ve lost just their last two games by a combined 31 points.
26. New York Jets (3-6)
The New York Jets are 21st in point differential at -15. They’ve traded blowout wins with blowout losses this season. Three losses by 14+ points and two wins by 18+ points.
27. Denver Broncos (3-6)
The Denver Broncos are 18th in point differential at -8. This may be the most unlucky team in 2018 as they’ve lost four games by seven points or less. Three of those games were against the Rams and Chiefs.
28. Arizona Cardinals (2-6)
The Arizona Cardinals are 30th in point differential at -89. Arizona has lost by 30+ points twice this season.
29. San Francisco 49ers (2-7)
The San Francisco 49ers are 24th in point differential at -32. They’ve been unlucky, having lost three games on the road by a combined eight points this season.
30. New York Giants (1-7)
The New York Giants are 28th in point differential at -55. Deceiving to say the least, the Giants have scored garbage time touchdowns in each of their past two games with each well in hand for the opponent.
31. Buffalo Bills (2-7)
The Buffalo Bills are 32nd in point differential at -145. They’re the worst team in the NFL when anyone except Josh Allen is at quarterback. The Bills have lost by a combined 117 points when Nathan Peterman and Derek Anderson have started in his place.
32. Oakland Raiders (1-7)
The Oakland Raiders are 31st in point differential at -111. They’re a team that appears to have quit as they have lost by a combined 85 points over their past four games.
What are your thoughts on this week’s NFL power rankings? Leave your comments below!