Hi everyone, we have an undefeated team at the top and a defeated team at the bottom. Everything in the middle is a jumbled mess. Boy do we love the NFL. Let’s not waste any time and get to the rankings shall we.
32. Lions 0-7 (Drew Rating: -18.78 Projected Record 1-6) LW: 32
You have to give the Cats from Mo town some credit. They recovered an onside kick and successfully faked two punts which allowed them to hang with the mighty Rams of Los Angeles in a weird reunion, vengeance or something like that game. What is the simple fact with the Lion cats is they just do not have enough talent to hang with the top teams in football. Jared Goff is not a bad quarterback, but he is not good enough to overcome a lack of talent on the roster. I believe the Lions are lining up you and I at wide receiver or if my amnesia serves me right they are having open tryouts next week, let’s practice our post patterns and get on down to the Lions practice field!
31. Texans 1-6 (Drew Rating: -22.14 (Projected Record 0-7) LW: 29
The Texans are almost certainly the worst team in football right now. They put up a measly 160 yards of offense and 3.3 yards per play in a 31-5 drubbing at the hand of the Cardinals in the giant toaster (scorigami!!). Davis Mills somehow has a higher rating and advance metric grades than Justin Fields and Zach Wilson but do not get his performance confused with the Greats of the Game. The Texans in the last 5 games (even including a 22 points first half against the Pats) have scored 39 points (or 17 points in 18 of the 20 quarters which is less than a point per quarter, ouchie!).
30. Jets 1-5 (Drew Rating: -20.70 Projected Record 0-6) LW: 28
Mike White sounds like someone who would do your taxes in February (or is the most generic American name ever made). But no this Mike White is not accessing your W-2 but is the new starting Quarterback of the New York football Jets after Zach Wilson left last weeks game in Foxboro with a knee injury (Wilson is going to miss 2-4 weeks). In response to having a tax accountant as the Jets Quarterback the Propellers traded a sixth round pick to the Eagles to have a reunion of old friend Joey Flacco. We have already seen that movie before but I guess GM Mike Douglas wanted to run it back!!
29. Jaguars 1-5 (Drew Rating: -19.94 Projected Record 1-5) LW: 30
The Jags move up a spot in the rankings even though they were on their bye week recovering from the London Jetlag and the afterparty of winning their first game in 13 months. As the Jags return from their bye week they are in an state of optimism with the continued growth of Trevor Lawrence. The bigger question that lies ahead moving forward is if Urban Meyer can continue to develop this roster and adjust to life in the NFL. Be an interesting final 11 games for the Cats from Northern Florida.
28. Dolphins 1-6 (Drew Rating: -19.75 Projected Record 1-6) LW: 31
I moved the Dolphins up three spots even in defeat because for the first time all season I saw some fight from the Phins. Tua Tagovailoa got some serious brownie points from his teammates for fighting back to from two 13 point deficits to give his team a chance to win. Tua threw four touchdowns on the day and showed some serious promise in his best game as a pro thus far. The Dolphins are already giving up on him for DeShaun Watson (who may never play football again!), but truth of the matter is did the Phins ever give Tua a fair shake? The former Bama QB must have looked really ordinary in practice to jump to that rapid conclusion.
27. WFT 2-5 (Drew Rating: -18.57 Projected Record 1-6) LW: 26
The WFT did not show much to sway our opinion of them in Green Bay this past Sunday. Taylor Heinicke at this point looks like he is going to get the keys to the car in the nations capital for the remainder of 2021 with Ryan FitzPatrick set to get another MRI on his hip and doesn’t appear to be returning anytime in the near future. Heinicke has begun to look like a pumpkin (Halloween jokes!!) over the past three weeks but he is still not the primary issue in the land of Congress. The football’s defense just cannot get off the field giving up almost an almost 57 percent conversion rate on third down. With that defensive line that is just unacceptable.
26. Giants 2-5 (Drew Rating: -5.09 Projected Record 3-4) LW: 27
There we go Giants!! The metrics showed that the Giants were not as bad as their record has shown and they finally played a complete game in a quite unwatchable 25-3 victory over the Panthers on Sunday. Daniel Jones played a solid game throwing for 203 yards and a touchdown. In the very top heavy NFC the G Unit still has a fringe shot at playoff contention. However, in order to go on a run back into contention they would have to win at a more desperate than a dog for a treat Chiefs on this upcoming Monday night.
25. 49ers 2-4 (Drew Rating: -4.83 Projected Record 3-3) LW: 23
This is the most overrated team in order of Vegas lines this season. I have picked against them routinely and am 4-1-1 in picking against them thus far. The Niners are a big road favorite in Chicago again this Week and it may be tempting to wager against them again. I am not trying to pick on the Niners but what do they do really well. They have a great defensive line and a marginal offensive line. But the receivers outside of gadget mastro Deebo Samuel is average at best, the Quarterback situation is a disaster, the secondary is terrible. The 49ers are all but cooked at this point, but the sharps aren’t ready to take this puppy out of being big favorites against level competition, I do not get it!
24. Eagles 2-5 (Drew Rating: -2.25 Projected Record 3-4) LW: 22
Sometimes this is where the numbers can be deceiving a bit. The Eagles are giving up only 5.5 yards a play and averaging over 6 yards a play (which helps them significantly in the drew rating and Vegas looks at yards per play closely and is the main reason why they were only a three point dog at Vegas on Sunday). But if you go by the eye test the Eagles look like a poorly coached team that makes too many dumb mistakes on both sides of the football. Plus that defensive yards per play metric is deceiving. Against the 4 good offenses they have faced they are allowing 36 points a game, no bueno.
23. Seahawks 2-5 (Drew Rating: 1.67 Projected Record 4-3) LW: 21
Do I believe that with an healthy Russell Wilson the Seahawks would be 5-2 instead of 2-5? There is a legitimate argument to be made for that. Geno Smith hasn’t been an embarrassment since taking over but what the wizard from the university of Wisconsin does in close games is make plays with the game on the line. In the last two weeks in crunchtime Geno Smith has been sacked more than a subway sandwich meal in moments that Russell Wilson would either evade the rush to make a play or make up for getting sacked on the next play. The Hawks are on the verge of being finished for this year before their savior can return to save the day.
22. Bears 3-4 (Drew Rating: -16.92 Projected Record 1-6) LW: 19
Da Bears are da bad right now. They are lucky to have three wins and the offense even in those wins have been egregiously bad. We will give the Chi town Oso’s credit for beating what appears to be two good football teams from the AFC (Bengals, Raiders). Justin Fields though looks overmatched, and this offensive line is offensive to protection in any era of football history. That being said the Bears have a winnable game against the 49ers on Sunday and if they do pull what Vegas would dub as an upset the Bears would be in the hunt for the playoffs with a solid second half. What would the Bears fans do if Matt Nagy makes the playoffs for a third time in four years. Bears fans hate Matt Nagy more than children hate broccoli, it’s a relationship mired in pure comedy.
21. Falcons 3-3 (Drew Rating: -11.42 Projected Record 2-4) LW: 25
That is how you use Kyle Pitts Mr. Smith. Kyle Pitts had 7 receptions for 163 yards and two huge receptions in the game winning drive in a 30-28 win in Miami Gardens on Sunday. The Falcons looked absolutely pathetic in their first two games of the season in being outscored 80-31, but since that game the dirty birds have won 3 of 4 and have looked like a potential wildcard contender. Anybody who knows anything about the Falcons history knows this bird is a trickster that can only be taken seriously in the tricks that he plays, always buyer beware when it comes to the Atlanta Falcons.
20. Chiefs 3-4 (Drew Rating: -5.88 Projected Record 2-5) LW: 13
Can you believe that I have the Chiefs at number 20 in the Power Rankings and that ranking is extremely fair with their performance thus far. They just look sloppy and cannot stop anyone. It almost appeared that the Titans actually gave mercy to the Chiefs defense in the second half on Sunday by not scoring anymore points. But the issues with the Iron Chefs wasn’t even the defense on Sunday (which gave up points in their first five defensive possessions by the way). Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs only scored 3 points and didn’t get into Tennessee territory until the 3rd Quarter? I need someone to do a little Jon impersonation by screaming WHAT!!!!! Panic time in the land of fountains and barbeque.
19. Panthers 3-4 (Drew Rating: -4.80 Projected Record 3-4) LW: 15
If we are going by a confidence rankings instead of a Power Rankings we would have the Panthers lower than 19 on the poll. However, I do my rankings by a full body of work for the season and Panthers dominating start still matters in the grand scheme of things so this is the appropriate place to put the cats. Owner David Tepper is very impatient however and there is a legit shot that the Panthers will give the Texans a kings ransom for DeShaun Watson’s services. The only issue as we have stated before is how much do you give up for a player who we have no clue what his availability looks like over the coming months or even years. We will likely find out in the coming days.
18. Steelers 3-3 (Drew Rating: -4.59 Projected Record 3-3) LW: 18
The Steelers sit at number 18 after having a bye week. This is an appropriate spot for the Steelers who have looked every bit of the mediocre that a number 18 slot in the power rankings would justify. The most exciting news to happen in Pittsburgh was Mike Tomlin’s press conference earlier today when asked a question about the USC coaching vacancy. First off, Mike Tomlin at the podium is must watch television, and second off why do you have to go and start something Carson Palmer (laughing emoji).
17. Broncos 3-4 (Drew Rating: -4.50 Projected Record 3-4) LW: 17
The Broncos look like the epitome of an average team. They beat up on the dregs of the league early in the season and have lost to the better teams of the league once the schedule stiffed up. What was most pathetic about the Donkeys recent four game slide however happened on Thursday night in Cleveland. The Burros have cut the Browns lead to three with 5:23 to play. The Broncos defense had three timeouts and over 5 minutes left. They just needed to find a way to get a team with a backup Quarterback, a third string running back and a backup right tackle off the field. The Browns pounded it down their throat to eventually run the clock out, as Sebastian Maniscalco once famously said, “aren’t you embarrassed.”
16. Vikings 3-3 (Drew Rating: 5.85 Projected Record 3-3) LW: 14
Let’s review the Vikings early season results. Lost an OT game to the Bengals who actually are a good football team so not bad, lost on a missed 37 yard field goal to a Cards team that has demolished every other team they have played (Very impressive), beat up Seattle who still had Russell Wilson (very nice), lost a 14-7 clunker to the Browns (yuck), needed a 54 yard field goal to survive against the winless Lions (double yuck), and won a game in overtime in Carolina in a game that the Vikings dominated so thoroughly that everyone was confused how that game was even at that point to begin with. Congrats Vikes, you win the 2021 most unpredictable team in the league award so far through the first seven weeks.
15. Colts 3-4 (Drew Rating: 7.45 Projected Record 4-3) LW: 20
The Colts are soaring up these rankings as the metrics are showing that they are a slightly above average football team. The most impressive part of the 30-18 victory in a rain soaked Santa Clara was that Sunday’s game was the 4th road game in 5 weeks for a team that had traveled from Nashville to Miami, to Baltimore, to Indy and all the way to Santa Clara. Quentin Nelson returned on Sunday and outside of two holding penalties was as dominate as always opening up holes for Jonathan Taylor. Huge game on Sunday against the Titans. Win and they are back in the division race, lose and it’s fighting for a wildcard.
14. Patriots 3-4 (Drew Rating: 7.54 Projected Record 5-2) LW: 24
Huge jump for the Pats but well deserved. Their resume is very impressive and are just a couple of bounces away from being 5-2 or even 6-1. Bill Belichick is on the verge of being able to pump out his chest to the World and say they are back. However, the truth is that the lost by one to Miami when their running back fumbled at the Phins 9, lost to the Bucs on a doinked field goal, and lost to the Cowboys when they couldn’t capitalize on winning the overtime coin toss. So two blowout wins over the Jets gives them baby brownie points but truth is they have to start winning these close games. Oh look it’s the team who blows more close games than anyone next on the schedule (the Chargers), should be fun!
13. Chargers 4-2 (Drew Rating: 0.61 Projected Record 3-3) LW: 11
Some may say I’m rating the Chargers too low but outside of throwing the football what are the Bolts good at? They cannot stop the run, like literally they are absolutely abominable against the run. Their secondary is good but not great. Their offensive line is improved, but I would say improved to average (Rashawn Slater is a homerun at left tackle), and they can’t really run the ball. I think the Chargers will be in the top 10 by seasons end. But the overall body of work so far this year slates that they are a slightly above average team.
12. Browns 4-3 (Drew Rating: 3.60 Projected Record 4-3) LW: 16
Boy can the Brownies block. They have proven to the Football world that they push just about any defensive unit around. If one positive thing that happened from Baker Mayfield’s injury was is that the Brownies rediscovered their identity in a 17-14 win over the Broncos on Thursday night. With a huge game against the Steelers coming up on Sunday this is a huge moment for the Browns to prove that all of the hype is justified and that they will be one of the top teams in the AFC by seasons end.
11. Saints 4-2 (Drew Rating: 8.78 Projected Record 4-2) LW: 8
Even in a win the Saints had to drop because that was one of the most uninspiring wins any team has had this season. They need two big defensive blunders for penalties after the Hawks had stopped them to even get a go ahead field goal in a 13-10 dud of a game on Monday night in Seattle. This offense is just unexplosive (averaging only 5.2 yards per play). What is going to carry the Saints to a very possible wildcard berth is a defense that is at worst a top 5 unit. Geno Smith and the Hawks offense did not stand a chance in that game after the early big play touchdown to D.K Metcalf.
10. Titans 5-2 (Drew Rating: 2.10 Projected Record 4-3) LW: 12
I may be rating the Titans too low but I think the 9 teams above of them have still performed overall better than the Titans thus far. Remember that just three weeks ago they lost to the Jets. Now I know that injuries were a factor in that game but still I must repeat that they lost to the Jets. So even though Derrick Henry is a menace, Ryan Tannehill is vastly underrated, and the Titans defense is much improved (even with all the injuries), the Titans have to keep up this performance moving forward to get them above the bottom of the Top 10.
9. Ravens 5-2 (Drew Rating: 3.45 Projected Record 4-3) LW: 6
The Ravens are lucky to be 5-2. Many would say they got lucky in three games this season. They got a fumble from Clyde Edwards-Helaire which began the Chiefs sudden season from hell, got a 66 yard field goal from football god Justin Tucker to not lose to the sad sack Lions, and they got a blocked and missed kick from the injured Rodrigo Blankenship to have an opportunity to beat the Colts. I believe the performance of the defense over the six non Chargers games speaks more of the decimated to no return Ravens defense, what that means is buckle up Lamar you are going to have to carry the load.
8. Raiders 5-2 (Drew Rating: 9.71 Projected Record 5-2) LW: 9
Jon Who?? The Raiders have dominated more than the final score would indicate in their two victories since Jon Gruden resigned (forced out whatever you want to call it). Derek Carr has vaulted himself right back into the MVP Conversation with his stellar performance over the past two weeks. The Raiders 18 sacks shows they finally have a pass rush. We have been questioning all of GM Mike Mayock’s much maligned moves. But the Raiders have a winning record since the start of 2019, so maybe the darth vaders are not as much of a dumpster fire as the media assigns them to be.
7. Bengals 5-2 (Drew Rating: 11.55 Projected Record 5-2) LW: 10
It’s official, the Cincinnati Bengals are a damn good football team. Both of their losses were by three points in a game in Chicago in which Joe Burrow thought his team colors were Navy Blue for a short period of time and the game that is the early winner for the weirdest game of the year in an overtime defeat to the Packers. In other games the Ohio Tigers have impressive showings in road blowout wins over the Steelers, Lions and Ravens. Joe Burrow has thrown multiple touchdowns in every game thus far. The defense is really good (only 5.2 yards per play allowed and under 40 percent third down rate allowed) and Zach Taylor has been really good in coaching clutch situations throughout the season. Say it with me everyone, the Cincinnati Bengals are here to stay.
6. Bills 4-2 (Drew Rating: 32.56 Projected Record 4-2) LW: 5
The Bills on paper are a juggernaut. Outside of running back and the interior of the offensive line there isn’t a weakness with this team (even those weakness are not egregious). But the Bills are 4-2 and have a worse record then many of the teams above them in these rankings. I do believe the Bills are better than those 5-2 teams below them and you can argue they are every bit as good as the three teams above them. But at 4-2 even with four ass kicking’s to their name I have to put them at number six for now. With the upcoming schedule I do envision the Bills jumping up these rankings again very fast.
5. Packers 6-1 (Drew Rating: 6.09 Projected Record 4-3) LW: 7
With Allen Lazard and DeVante Adams out due to COVID on Thursday night what was hyped up as a great game in the desert is now become a tough ask for Aaron Rodgers and company. That being said the Packers as I said would happen six weeks ago have recovered from that embarrassing loss in Jacksonville to the Saints in Week 1 and are again at the top of the NFC. Aaron Rodgers has shown more emotion and fire than ever in his entire career and anyone who would doubt his ability to be great and put the Packers on his back Thursday night might want to be careful.
4. Rams 6-1 (Drew Rating: 15.25 Projected Record 6-1) LW: 4
The Rams survived an early scare from a very frisky Lions team on Sunday. The Rams are a juggernaut and are a force to be reckon with. Their big play ability cannot be understated. Cooper Kupp looks like a modern day Jerry Rice and is on pace to have one of the best receiving seasons in the history of football. The biggest issue for the Rams is they have so many high priced stars that the depth is not great at all. If they get hit with some key injuries this will not be the same team. That has not happened at this time and as long as health remains on their side this is one of the favorites to win it all.
3. Cowboys 5-1 (Drew Rating: 16.67 Projected Record 5-1) LW: 2
The Dallas Cowboys come out of their bye week in good shape as Michael Gallup is returning to a team that has not had many key injuries so far this season. Dak Prescott has looked better than ever with a 115 passer rating. It is crazy to point this out but Dak Prescott is an unspoken MVP Candidate so far this season. Usually because the Cowboys are the most public team in North American sports there isn’t any narrative that is unspoken of, yet somehow the Dak MVP conversation has mostly been quiet thus far in 2021. Travon Diggs is going for the NFL Record 7th straight game with a pick on Sunday night, watch out Kirk Cousins for number 7 in white.
2. Bucs 6-1 (Drew Rating: 19.70 Projected Record 6-1) LW: 3
Can you please stop making it look so damn easy Tommy boy. Tom Brady has thrown 21 touchdowns so far this season to only 3 interceptions. The Bucs have been laying all of the subpar teams they have played to waste even though they have more injured corners than me after working in a kitchen. The Bucs schedule also is maybe the easiest in all of football. One of their toughest games is this upcoming week in New Orleans. Should be a great matchup between two of the best offensive coaches in the game.
1.Cardinals 7-0 (Drew Rating: 26.86 Projected Record 7-0) LW: 1
I love Colin Cowherd but he is the only person in America who does not have the Cards at number 1. 5 double digit victories, number one scoring defense, number four scoring offense, best third down defense in football, Kyler Murray has a league leading 116.8 passer rating. In other words how can we not have the Cards rated as the number one team in football right now. Until they lose a game the redbirds will not be removed from this perch. Will that loss come on Thursday? We shall find out.