Does the Chiefs’ fall continue? Are the Patriots on fraud watch? What’s up with the Seahawks offense? Let’s find out.

F Tier: Is The Season Over Yet?

32. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)

31. Tennessee Titans (2-12)

30. Cleveland Browns (3-11)

29. New York Jets (3-11)

28. New York Giants (2-12) -3

27. Washington Commanders (4-10) +1

26. Arizona Cardinals (3-11)

25. New Orleans Saints (4-10) +2

D Tier: Next Year’s Our Year

24. Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

23. Miami Dolphins (6-8) -1

22. Cincinnati Bengals (4-10) -1

21. Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) -1

20. Minnesota Vikings (6-8) +3

19. Kansas City Chiefs (6-8) -1

C Tier: Wild Card Watch

18. Baltimore Ravens (7-7) -3

17. Carolina Panthers (7-7)

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6) +3

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) -1

14. Indianapolis Colts (8-6) +2

B Tier: Dark Horse Contenders

13. Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)

11. Houston Texans (9-5)

A Tier: The Real Deal

10. San Francisco 49ers (10-4) -1

The 49ers move to 10-4 after facing off against the two-win Titans. Although this win doesn’t mean much in deciding whether they are a top team, the 49ers did show just how talented they are, especially when considering all the injuries the roster has dealt with this season.

Quarterback Brock Purdy had one of his best games so far this season after being injury riddled in the first half. Purdy tore up Tennessee’s secondary, going 23 for 30 while throwing for 295 passing yards and three touchdowns. The receiving game was on fire as receiver Jauan Jennings also had a great game with two receiving touchdowns on three receptions for 37 yards. Tight end George Kittle was Purdy’s biggest target on the day with eight catches for 88 yards and a score, yet surprisingly enough it was Purdy’s usual target that was limited on the day. All season Christian McCaffrey was one of if not the most elite and essential part of any offense in football. Yet today the Titans limited McCaffrey more than most teams have been able to this season. McCaffrey did have a rushing touchdown, but only 73 rushing yards on 22 carries, an average of 3.3 yards per carry. The running back was also limited in the air with only one catch for 14 yards, a surprisingly underwhelming performance from the swiss army knife. Although due to the Titans focusing so much on stopping McCaffrey, they couldn’t limit the rest of the offense, a testament to just how elite this team is even without McCaffrey

This defense struggled more than you would like to see, yet with key pieces like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and others out or on injury reserve, there’s no surprise this defense struggled. The unit wasn’t able to force a turnover, yet still did enough to squeak out the win while also only allowing 170 passing yards for Tennessee. Although credit is due to the Tennessee offense as Cam Ward has continued to prove he was worthy of the number one pick and Tony Pollard breaks out as the running back one. This team has progressively gotten better this season and has become harder to stop. Yet due to the 49ers all around elite team and coaching, they were able to get the win and improve to 10-4.

Even with the injuries coach of the year candidate Kyle Shanahan and coordinator of the year candidate Robert Saleh have coached this team to 10-4. Now that they continue to slowly return to being healthier than at the beginning of the season, it’s hard to see this team as not a top ten contender. Even though I don’t believe they can consistently beat the juggernauts in the league this year, I think they stand a good chance, which is why they remain in the top ten this week.

9. Chicago Bears (10-4) -1

The Bears moved to double digit wins after rolling my Cleveland Browns 31-3. Although the Browns have been far from great this season, the Bears truly proved themselves by putting a wrap on the Browns’ current momentum they’ve been building on both sides of the ball.

Even without his favorite target Rome Odunze, Caleb Williams was still automatic, throwing for 242 passing yards and two touchdowns while going 17 for 28. Williams was also able to spread the love as rookie Luther Burden came up big with six receptions for 84 yards, as well as DJ Moore who had four receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns. The running game also continued to thrive under Ben Johnson’s excellent coaching as D’Andre Swift had a big game with 18 rushes for 98 yards and two rushing touchdowns. The Bears were near flawless on offense even when facing the Browns’ elite defense, another game showing just how much this offense has improved under Ben Johnson. 

The defense also had an amazing game as well. Although they haven’t been a top tier defense this season, they continued to excel in the one thing they have been good at all season, turnovers. Shedeur Sanders had easily his worst start so far this season, throwing for 177 passing yards and a whopping three interceptions as they faced the best turnover team this season. The Bears front seven was also elite this past Sunday as they held breakout rookie rusher Quinson Judkins to only 21 yards on 12 rushes. Although Cleveland’s offense hasn’t been able to excel offensively against a good team all season, this was more than Cleveland’s inability to succeed, it was Chicago’s talent and ability on defense that held the Dawg Pound to only three points. 

The Bears have continued to prove week in and week out that they are truly a great team. Even though they’ve struggled against teams above them on the rankings, the Bears have improved massively with less than a season under Ben Johnson, so don’t be surprised if they become a juggernaut in coming seasons. 

8. Detroit Lions (8-6) -3

The Lions have fallen to a disappointing 8-6 for the once juggernaut after a 41-34 loss to the Rams on the road. Although the Rams are easily a top three team in the league and they only lost by six, with how the NFC playoff picture is looking it’s possible Detroit could miss the playoffs entirely.

One thing stayed consistent, the passing game was elite as always. Jared Goff outplayed MVP candidate Matthew Stafford, going 25 for 41 while throwing for 338 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. Receiving duo Amon Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams had possibly their best game of the season as a duo. St. Brown caught 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns (which had to be the week I played him in the fantasy playoffs), while Williams also put up great numbers with seven receptions for 134 yards and a receiving touchdown as well. The missing piece for this Detroit offense was the run game. Jahmyr Gibbs has been on fire the past few weeks, yet he couldn’t get it together today. Gibbs rushed for only 38 yards on 13 carries and no touchdowns. Montgomery was also a non-factor with only 32 yards on seven rushes. 

Detroit’s defense was also a big piece that didn’t show up this past Sunday. Outside of a rare edge rusher interception from star Aidan Hutchinson, the defense had no gameplan for Stafford and this offense. The Rams’ offense was able to get in the endzone at least once in every quarter, while Detroit was held scoreless in the third, another big factor that played in the slim loss. On top of the elite pass game for Los Angeles between Stafford and Puca Nacua, the Rams’ run game was unable to be stopped as well. Overall Detroit was unable to stop the Rams’ elite offense, although no one has really been able to, this was a must win game for a team and the defense couldn’t come up big.

I still think the Lions are a top ten team no doubt, this was a must win game and they came up short when it mattered. Now that Detroit falls to 8-6 and the playoffs are looking more and more out of reach, I can’t help but place them at eight despite still being an elite team. Although I do believe this isn’t the end for the Lions even if they miss the postseason, it’s a rough showing for such a talented team. 

7. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) 

The reigning champs beat the worst team in the league, nothing to be surprised at right? Even though this was quite possibly the least surprising result of the season, this was much needed for the Eagles, who were on a three-game losing streak prior to the Sunday showdown.

Jalen Hurts had a much needed bounceback after a four interception game, going 12 for 15 while throwing for 175 yards and three passing touchdowns. Despite a limited passing attack with only 15 passing attempts, the receiving game still balled out. Tight end Dallas Goedert made the biggest impact with six receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Although Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown put up small numbers, Brown was still able to get into the endzone. Saquon Barkely also had a quiet game. Despite getting 22 carries, he was only able to manage 78 yards and a touchdown. The 2024 offensive player of the year and this run game has simply not been what it was last season, yet going against the Raiders is a recipe for success against anyone, and the run game was able to squeak by in a 31-0 blowout. 

Yet as it has been all season, the defense was the saving grace. The Raiders were rendered defenseless against the Eagles unit on every level. The Raiders were held to 110 yards of total offense and zero points. Zach Baun was able to pick off Kenny Pickett and even though that was it for turnovers, that was the storyline of the whole game. Las Vegas couldn’t do anything against the Eagles defense. 

Although there truly isn’t much to say about this game, it was a great game for the Eagles to bounce back on. Although they might not be their 2024 selves, this team can beat anyone when they get their confidence back, and it starts with beating up on bad teams, what good teams do. 

6. Denver Broncos (12-2) +4

Well that’s the dagger. After the countless fraud allegations the Broncos did something no one thought they could do, beat an elite team. Although I can’t act like I wasn’t calling out Denver for being fraudulent, I can say that this team is a lot better than people often give them credit for, and the tell is in the talent for why the Broncos are 12-2.

We’ve known this roster is talented, but one thing has consistently been holding them down, Bo Nix. Yet even with these struggles and set backs, Nix proved himself on the biggest stage today and easily silenced the doubters. Nix went 23 for 34 while throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with a 88.0 QBR, by far his best of the season. With Nix success the talented roster just had to play how they have all season, and boy did they show up. Cortland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Micheal Bandy all caught passing touchdowns, while Sutton was the biggest contributor, with seven receptions for 113 yards on top of his receiving touchdown. RJ Harvey also continued his success as the lead back without J.K. Dobbins. Harvey had 65 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, not his best game but still played a major role in the victory. 

Although the Packers have had offensive struggles this season, they had been on a real hot streak these past few games, and the Denver defense shut that down. Denver proved why they might be the best defense in the league, shutting down one of the hottest quarterbacks at the moment to a 1:2 touchdown to interception ratio. Outside of a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown from Josh Jacobs, Green Bay’s running back, the Mile High secondary had Green Bay locked down in the air. Despite all the field goals and two touchdowns from Jacobs the Packers were defenseless a huge portion of the game, which was to be expected from such an elite defensive unit. 

Overall this game meant something, not just to the team but the fans. They might not be the best team in the league, but they can beat elite teams. The only reason the Broncos are outside of the top five is that I can’t quite trust their ability to win playoff games due to inexperience, but if they can prove me wrong, Denver may have a path to the big game.

S Tier: Super Bowl Contenders 

5. Green Bay Packers (10-4-1) -1

It may seem odd to have the Packers over the Broncos after an embarrassment of a game from the Packers. But, I need to make one thing clear: just because you have a bad game, that doesn’t make you a bad team, and worse than the team that beat you. 

The Packers struggled against the Broncos’ elite defense. Love went 24 for 40 while throwing for 276 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Yes he would like that game back but even with his rough performance the Packers team still did enough to stay in the game until the final seconds. The receivers were limited all game with Denver’s elite secondary as the best receiver was Jayden Reed with five catches for 55 yards. Who really came up big for the Cheese Heads was Jacobs. Jacobs finished with 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, as well as two receptions for 19 yards and a receiving touchdown. The offense struggled big time but the playmakers like Jacobs came up when it mattered and showed that even when you shut one part of an elite offense down, another piece is going to come up big. 

The defense also struggled, but this was an unfortunate game. Linebacker Edgerin Cooper had an outstanding game, with one fumble recovery, eight tackles, two tackles for loss and one pass defended. Players like safety Xavier Mckinney and linebacker Quay Walker also kept this defense upright, but it wasn’t enough to stop Denver, especially after tragedy struck. Star pass rusher Micha Parsons tore his ACL on a non-contact knee injury and is out for the remainder of the season. The biggest offseason move and a key piece in Green Bay’s winning recipe is now gone, resulting in a big hit on the Packers’ defense. Although even with this loss the Packers’ defense is still better than what they showed Sunday afternoon, and allowing a team consistently on fraud watch to put up more points on you than they did on the Raiders the week prior is quite embarrassing, and I bet the unit as a whole would love to have this game back. 

Yes this was an embarrassing loss for the Packers, but as I said before one bad game doesn’t write off a team, and I believe staying in a game where your whole team minus a few players put up really sloppy performances is a big tell to just how good your team is when you put all the pieces together. Although Denver’s defense is truly that good to stop them, I still believe the Packers are the better team and a sluggish performance isn’t the end all be all for their season.

4. Buffalo Bills (10-4) +2

After starting off down 21-0 the Bills settled the score on the road and played spoiler to the 11-3 New England Patriots 35-31. Although this was a far from perfect win for the team overall, the superstars on this team showed up and showed that Buffalo has some of the most premium talent in the league. 

Reigning MVP Josh Allen led the big comeback in Gillette Stadium as the quarterback went 19 for 28, while throwing for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Allen couldn’t have led the comeback without his tight end Dawson Knox, who caught three passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Star running back James Cook III also had a day, rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, along with a passing touchdown as well. After scoring only once late in the first half, this offense truly came back and rallied in a game where they were abnormally the underdogs.

The superstar offense couldn’t do it without the defensive side of the ball. After the unit has struggled all year, they were essentially written off by fans and others (myself included). Yet in this game they really did not let up and came up big when their offense needed it, keeping the Patriots scoreless in the third quarter when the offense came back and scored twice. The defense ultimately led the Patriots to one score late in the fourth on a big Treyveon Henderson touchdown, meanwhile the Bills put up 28 points and came back to snag the win. Although this unit has struggled and dealt with injuries all year, they came up when it mattered and helped keep the AFC East in play.

The Bills kept their division hopes alive and got the job done 35-31. The Patriots may have not played their best but man was this a great game from Allen and Buffalo. If the Bills can manage to play at the top of their game like this against other top teams, there’s no limit on how far they can go.

3. New England Patriots (11-3)

The Patriots did not bring their A-game against the Bills and suffered. After an excellent first half going up 24-7, they blew the lead scoring only seven in the second and losing by an inch. Yet as I mentioned before, that definitely wasn’t the best we’ve seen from the Pats this year, and they still only lost by a few.

Drake Maye had easily one of his worst games of the season, going 14 for 23 while throwing for 155 yards and an interception. Maye struggled and so did the Patriots’ receiver room as the leading receiver was Mack Hollins, with four receptions for 31 yards. What really kept the Patriots in this game for so long was the run game. Although Maye struggled in the air he got it done on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. Running back Treyveon Henderson also got it done with 148 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Henderson continued his insanity run and became the offensive rookie of the year favorite after another superstar performance.

The defense also crumbled slowly similar to the offense. This unit has been on fire this season yet struggled when it mattered. After holding the superstar offense to only seven points in the first half, they were unable to stop the Bills as they scored on four consecutive drives in the second half. Although there were positives to this performance, mainly in the first half. Outside of Knox’s performance, the Patriots’ receiver room was held to the leading receiver only racking up 65 yards on five receptions. The run defense on the other hand, had an uncharacteristically bad game, letting James Cook III pop off with another 100-plus-yard game and two touchdowns. The Patriots’ rushing defense, who has been top ten in almost every major rush defense stat all season, struggled in abnormal fashion against James Cook III which played a big part in their second half fallout.

Although they narrowly lost in a game that could have clinched the division for them, this was definitely their first time facing true competition in a while. All this game proved was that they weren’t frauds, they were just a good team beating on bad teams, and are most definitely here to stay. 

2. Seattle Seahawks (11-3) -1

The Seahawks survive at home against the Grandpa Rivers lead Colts. This by far wasn’t the best outing for either side of the ball, and they definitely need to clean some things up before heading into their most important game of the season against the Rams Thursday night.

One thing the Hawks need to figure out is their offense. Seattle was unable to get into the endzone all day, scoring only field goals all day. Aside from being unable to score Sam Darnold wasn’t too inefficient, going 22 for 36 with 271 passing yards on the day. Star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was also still a huge threat despite not scoring with seven receptions for 113 yards. Free agency signing Rashid Shaheed also was a big contributor to the win, with five receptions for 74 yards and a few big catches to get in range for the game winning field goal. The run game was also at a low, with only 50 rush yards for the whole team. Although I couldn’t call out Seattle’s offense without mentioning offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who has been unable to get this offense going the past few weeks, outside of a second half rally against the five-win Falcons. 

The defense also had a surprisingly sad showing. Retired quarterback and grandfather Phillip Rivers came back for the Colts after it was announced Daniel Jones was out for the rest of the season. Despite expectations he actually balled out against an elite defense. Yet, the biggest problem is the defense’s struggle to stop him. Although they managed the game sealing interception as Cobe Bryant picked off the vet, they also allowed the only touchdown of the game with a Rivers to Josh Down connection. Although they managed to get the win and hold the team to only one touchdown, you would like to see a better performance from one of the best units in the league facing the dwindled down Colts. Although one quick shoutout to kicker Jason Myers who single handedly won this game for the Seahawks, scoring all 18 points for the Seahawks and scoring the game winning field goals in the 50 yard plus range.

A win is a win, yet as they head into a short week against the rival Los Angeles Rams in easily the most important game for them this season, you can’t help but be worried for this offense as they’ve struggled to put things together recently. One thing is for sure, if the Hawks want any chance at beating the Rams and taking the division, they need to get back on track.

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-3) +1

The Rams squeaked a close one out against the Lions in a 41-34 victory at home. Although it wasn’t their cleanest win this season they still got the job done against a good team and continued to dwindle down the NFC playoff picture.

Stafford continued to hurt his chances of beating Maye in the MVP race, although to be fair Maye didn’t have a great outing this week either. Stafford went 24 for 38 while throwing for 368 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Nacua continued his season as possibly the best receiver in the league with nine receptions for 181 yards, tight end Colby Parkinson also made a huge impact, with two touchdowns on five receptions and 75 yards. Yet this offense wasn’t one dimensional as the run game was on fire. The one-two combo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were running all over Detroit as Williams rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 15 rushes. Corum also managed to get into the endzone while rushing for 71 yards on 11 carries. 

This wasn’t the best performance from the defense on the other hand, although it’s been super hard to stop Detroit all season. Los Angeles defense did play one key factor, holding the Lions scoreless in the third. This big stop on Detroit’s elite offense allowed the Rams to jump ahead and score 17 in the third, a big tide turner in what ended up being a big shootout. One thing was definitely a major issue for this Rams defense, their ability to get to the passer. The Rams were only able to get to Goff once, an uncharacteristic game from the Rams’ star studded pass rush in Jared Verse and Byron Young. Even though this wasn’t a big deal as they got the win, if they want to limit Darnold and that offense this Thursday, they need to pressure the quarterback. 

Overall the Rams got the win in one of the most important games for them this season. As they have a quick turn around into what is actually the most important game of the season for them on the road against the Seahawks, there are a few things they want to clean up to have a solid shot at taking the lead on the Hawks. However with this win and Seattle’s recent offensive struggles, the Rams look like the best team in the league, which is why they overtake the Hawks as the best team in this week’s ranks.