Thanatos' Not-Quite-As-Arbitrary Midseason Power Rankings

[Thanatos 2,847]

Now that every team has at least eight games under their belt, it's time for the midseason power rankings. We've got a bit better look at the teams for now, and one thing is for certain: The NFL is wide open this year. Philly is obviously on top, and they look good, but they're still beatable.

 

Biggest Risers:

Jaguars: +15

Saints: +12

Chargers: +11

 

Biggest Falls:
Packers: -19

Broncos: -15

Falcons: -14

 

Midseason Power Rankings

1. (8-1) (+3): The Eagles are the best team in the NFL right now. It doesn't mean they're unbeatable, as this season has showed more than any other, but they have the most complete club all around. Wentz is my midseason MVP and its not really that close. The defense is showing up all over the place, and they look primed to take the #1 seed in the NFC.

2. (6-2) (+12): New Orleans with a defense is trouble for anyone. Drew Brees is still slinging the rock with the best of them, and having a bonafide good defense and a bruising rushing attack makes the Saints a contender.

3. (6-2) (+4): Probably the surprise of the season, LA has been stringing together points in ways you'd have laughed at the idea of last year. Coaching can make a huge difference in a young QB- and RB- and McVay deserves plenty of consideration for coach of the year.

4. (6-2) (+8): New England's early season defensive struggles look to be a thing of the past, as Brady looks as timeless as ever leading the Pats to four straight wins.

5. (6-2) (+1): Pitt is an up and down team, but when they are on, man are they on. LeVeon Bell and Antonio Brown are tearing it up, but the defense stepping up as they have been is the bigger story.

6. (6-3) (-5): KC has lost three of their last four, but they have faced some stiff competition in those games. They are still right in the thick of the hunt for the 1 seed in the AFC and need to get back on track.

7. (6-3) (+3): The Panthers are another team that feels like they are on a rollercoaster for this year. It's hard to figure out this Panthers team, but that defense means they will be in almost any game. If they can take care of business against the Fins next week, they will be 7-3 going into their bye and hopefully getting Olsen back on the other side of it. In order to win the South, though, Carolina is going to have to go into the Superdome and take out the Saints, a rather tall order.

8. (5-3) (+15): Jacksonville has impressed me a lot this year. Having a QB that is below average is very hard to gameplan around, but the Jags have managed to get the most out of Bortles while also sporting the best defense in the NFL. Sacksonville is being overlooked in the AFC, but they have the potential to make some noise come January.

9. (5-3) (+8): Dallas has certainly turned things up a notch. The Zeke suspension looms large, but at this point he might play the rest of the season before something actually happens. And even if he does serve it, Dak Prescott looks ready to shoulder the load for a Cowboys team that hasn't yet given up designs on the NFC East.

10. (5-3) (+6): Seattle's loss to the Redskins masks a 4-1 stretch for a team that normally seems to get better as the season goes on. I bet Kirk Cousins doesn't make that final drive if ET is back there in the secondary, but the defense still has to hold on there. Meanwhile, Wilson has got to take care of the ball better and not try forcing things so much. This is a defense first team, which means turnovers are even more important than usual.

11. (6-2) (+8): Minnesota might be the quietest 6-2 team I've ever seen. No one is really talking about them as a serious threat, and so long as Case Keenum is QB, this is true. However, if Bradford can come back and stay healthy, or if Bridgewater can come back from injury and pick up where he left off, this team is a contender with that defense.

12. (5-3) (-1): It's all too easy to see Buffalo collapsing down the stretch again. I hope for their fans sake I am wrong, but that loss to the Jets was brutal. Now they have the high flying Saints coming into town next week and this just feels like the beginning of an all-too-familiar downward skid.

13. (4-4) (-5): Washington's victory over Seattle was absolutely necessary if they wanted any chance at the playoffs. The defense played tremendous, and the offense did just enough sans several starters to salvage a season-saving win.

14. (5-3) (+1): Tennessee doesn't really feel like a 5-3 club, what with close wins over Baltimore and Cleveland. But this is the NFL, where the thing that matters the most is the W, and they are tied for the division lead with Jacksonville, who looks to be their only competition given Luck and Watson's injuries.

15. (4-4) (-12): Detroit had lost 3 in a row prior to taking apart the Rodgers-less Packers on MNF. Stafford has been playing decent this year, but a huge reason for the Lions .500 record is their inability to convert in the redzone and in short yardage situations. In order to be a competitor come playoff time, they are going to need to be able to put the ball in the endzone.

16. (4-4) (-14): Atlanta's season has fallen apart. The common factor in their losses? Blown leads. 28-3 looms large and despite all the positive rhetoric coming out of Dan Quinn & Co., I am quite positive this team has not gotten over Super Bowl 51. With both Carolina and New Orleans having a two game lead on them, the Falcons season might be over. However, given that they have still to play 5 of their 6 division games, anything is possible. Atlanta needs to figure out who they are, and fast.

17. (4-5) (+5): New York getting to .500 this year would be a pleasant surprise and it looks entirely possible. McCown is playing decent football, and the defense is doing its part. The Jets may not make the postseason, but for a team that was supposed to be competing for the #1 pick, this year has been a very nice surprise.

18. (4-5) (+2): Oakland has been a surprising disappointment this year. A team expected to compete for the #1 seed in the AFC is looking at a huge uphill battle just to make the postseason. The defense has been a sieve, and Derek Carr has not continued his ways from last year to mask their problems. They're not out of it yet, though, but the schedule ahead is tough.

19. (4-4) (+2): Arizona is another team facing an uphill battle to make the postseason. Down their starting QB and their electrifying RB, the Cards are going to have a tough time putting together wins with Drew Stanton under center. If they can hang around .500 until David Johnson gets back, they might have an outside shot.

20. (3-5) (+11): Los Angeles could easily be 5-3 atm if they had a competent kicker in the first quarter of the season. The inability to close out games in that stretch probably dooms any shot at the postseason for the Chargers.

21. (4-5) (+3): Baltimore has a decent defense, but not enough to mask the deficiences on the other side of the ball. Joe Flacco has no weapons to throw to, and only the semblance of a ground attack. These two problems feed into each other, of course. It's difficult to see Baltimore stringing together enough Ws to be a factor in the playoff push.

22. (3-5) (+2): Cincy just let Blake Bortles beat them. That was their plan, to let Bortles throw and win with their defense, and Bortles beat them with his arm. The ground game sans Leonard Fournette worked just fine against Cincy's defense. AJ Green has got to control his emotions in what was really a must-win game for Cincy's fading playoff hopes.

23. (3-5) (-15): This Denver club has certainly fallen since our quarter mark. The defense just allowed a fifty burger and the QB situation isn't getting any better. Denver's season feels over at the halfway mark, especially with the Patriots coming up next.

24. (4-4) (-19): The Pack own our largest fall since the quarter pole, and its mainly due to the absence of Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay's season also feels over, despite the .500 record. I said in the midseason rankings this team will go as far as Arod can carry them. And without Rodgers, the Packers are simply a bad football team. I don't see them being able to make any sort of run in the NFC North with Brett Hundley at the helm.

25. (3-5) (+1): This Bears defense is for real, but the offense lacks any weapons at all. The W against the Panthers with Trubisky only throwing 7 passes shows just how suspect Chicago's offense is. The defense gave the Saints all they could handle, but they fell just short.

26. (3-5) (-13): Without Watson, Houston falls all the way down here. A week after their young rookie gave the Hawks defense everything it could handle and more, Tom Savage has the reigns again in an uninspiring 20-14 loss vs the Colts that all but ends their season. Life can be cruel sometimes. With Watson, the Texans are a contender for the AFC South title for sure.

27. (4-4) (+1): The Fins are definitely the worst 4-4 team I've seen in a long time. They have been outscored by 63 points this season, albeit 40 of those in a 40-0 stomp from the Ravens. Cutler is playing uninspired football and the lack of an O-line isn't helping him either.

28. (3-6) (+2): Absolutely the worst 3-6 team I've seen in awhile. If not for Watson's injury, this team is 2-7. With Luck being shut down for the rest of the year, Ws are almost something the Colts would rather not have. The higher the draft pick to get Luck some help, the better.

29. (2-6) (-11): Tampa has been the biggest disappointment of 2017 for a lot of people. I just feel like there is constantly offseason hype about them, and they're never able to put it together. Gotta put it on the coaching staff at some point.

30. (1-7) (-1): Barring their at-the-time major upset of Denver, New York just hasn't gotten it together in any game this season. Losing your top four wideouts can certainly sink an offense, but the defense has also played horribly.

31. (0-9) (-4): San Fran just doesn't have the talent to compete at the moment, but unlike the team below them, have quite a bit of promise. This team fights for their coach, and Jimmy Garrapolo brings hope for next year.

32. (0-8) (-): Cleveland still sits at the bottom, with an 0-8 record, and no real promise at QB. You have to wonder if Hue Jackson will survive another 1-15 season.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Thanatos