#32
New York Jets (0-5)
Previous Rank – 32
So the Jets drop another loss and now they have released their star running back Le’Veon Bell. I am really not sure how it can get any worse for them. Gase is literally such an awful coach and continues to ruin talent around him. Fire him. That is all. They face the Miami Dolphins this weekend.
#31
New York Giants (0-5)
Previous Rank – 31
This was supposed to be the Giants chance at a win. They were facing the worst defense in the NFL, and even Prescott went down with an injury, but the Giants lost again. It’s a shame, but honestly this team is trash. The Giants will have another shot when they take on the Washington Football Team.
#30
Atlanta Falcons (0-5)
Previous Rank – 28
Quinn…out. Dimitroff…out. Atlanta is cleaning house, and honestly I feel sorry for Matt Ryan. I really do. You have to wonder about his future in Atlanta, and I really hope this team gets it together. Julio is always hurt, so they’ll probably find a way to trade him too. Who knows? They face the Minnesota Vikings this week.
#29
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
Previous Rank – 30
They shouldn’t move up, but they do because they have a win this season, and despite everything Gardner played better than Matt Ryan last week. The Jaguars still suck though. That weird 4th down call still makes me sick, but they will look to rebound this week with a game against the Detroit Lions off of their bye.
#28
Denver Broncos (1-3)
Previous Rank – 29
Denver moves up a spot due to the inconvenience of the New England Patriots with COVID. So they will play New England this weekend, but I am not confident in Dever’s ability to get the job done against New England’s stout defense.
#27
Washington Football Team (1-4)
Previous Rank – 25
Alex Smith getting back on the field is an amazing sight to see after 17 surgeries. However, Washington looked gassed and just overwhelmed by the Rams. Whichever quarterback it is this upcoming week has a big opportunity to earn a win from their team agains the winless New York Giants.
#26
Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1)
Previous Rank – 23
Boy that was a hard one to watch. The Ravens defense conquered the Bengals offense all day as Burrow really couldn’t muster a single touchdown pass. A.J. Green apparently re-injured his hamstring, and the defense continues to be suspect. They have a matchup this week with the Indianapolis Colts.
#25
Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
Previous Rank – 21
The Vikings dropped another loss and it came off one play from Russell Wilson. Going down Dalvin Cook certainly didn’t help and now the Vikings have to start getting into to gear, or otherwise they’ll be incredibly behind in their division, This week they’ll get the winless Atlanta Falcons.
#24
Houston Texans (1-4)
Previous Rank – 27
The Texans finally get their first win, and it comes off the firing of coach Billy Boy. Good things seem to be on the horizon after this win against Jacksonville, but Watson still looked a little sloppy with two picks in this game. Houston will face the Tennessee Titans this week.
#23
Los Angeles Chargers (1-4)
Previous Rank – 24
The Chargers just are unlucky man. I told everyone that this Herbert kid was going to be the real deal. He put 264 passing yards and four touchdowns against this Saints defense. Keenan Allen took a hit in this game so it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out, but I have faith in these Chargers. They’ll look to reek more havoc coming off their bye week.
#22
Detroit Lions (1-3)
Previous Rank – 22
The Lions are coming off of their bye week, and they have a good matchup this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Patricia’s job is more than likely on the line this season, and he needs to start producing against good teams in his division like Chicago and Green Bay. Otherwise, he’ll be canned for sure.
#21
Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)
Previous Rank – 19
The Eagles took a massive beating against the Steelers last weekend. They were able to hang around for a little, but in the end their defense was no match for Big Ben and rookie Chase Claypool. The Eagles are in a rinky dink division, and they go up against another challenge this week in the Baltimore Ravens.
#20
Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
Previous Rank – 20
I fucking feel bad for Dak Prescott man. This is why Jones should have paid him because his future is up in the air after basically snapping his ankle on his franchise tag. I wish the kid nothing but the best. He always plays his heart out, and he’ll look to recover and be back soon. Andy Dalton was able to rally the troops for the win, but it remains to be seen if this team will be the same. Their next matchup is against the Cardinals.
#19
San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
Previous Rank – 17
Wow. The 49ers literally looked terrible last weekend against Miami. Jimmy G was benched after throwing two picks, their receiving core couldn’t do anything, they had to abandon the run, George Kittle was underused, and their defense was ass against Ryan Fitzpatrick. They get the Rams on Sunday night.
#18
Miami Dolphins (2-3)
Previous Rank – 26
Go ahead Miami. Man what a weird game. This was a Ryan Fitzpatrick moment as he was able to completely dominate the 49ers’ secondary. The defense also woke up for this game and dominated the go ahead on whichever quarterback San Francisco threw in. Up next is a date with the winless Jets.
#17
Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
Previous Rank – 11
Man that was ugly. Phillip Rivers has regressed every single week he has played for the Colts. The Browns have a decent defense, not a great one, and Rivers threw two picks and no touchdowns in this game. Gotta feel for the rest of the Colts when one certain player is ruining it for you. They’ll take on the Bengals this week.
#16
New England Patriots (2-2)
Previous Rank – 14
As I did with the Titans last time, the Patriots move down two spots because of COVID affecting their team which moved their game back and messed everyone else’s schedule up. It is certainly better than Tennessee, but it still happened. Newton and the Patriots look to the Denver Broncos this week.
#15
Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
Previous Rank – 16
The Cardinals move up a spot after claiming victory over the New York Jets. The win against the Jets is a win, but it isn’t a great one because…well they are the Jets. Murray still threw an interception here which bugs me a bit, but he and the Cardinals get a win. They’ll look to make it two in a row when they face the Dallas Cowboys this week.
#14
Carolina Panthers (3-2)
Previous Rank – 15
Well the Panthers have as many wins as I’d thought they’d have all season, so that is a surprise. Getting a win over Atlanta forced the Falcons hand into firing both their coach and general manager so that also means something. Teddy Bridgewater was electric connecting with Moore and Anderson for big plays. The defense even got an INT off of Matty Ice. They’ll face the Chicago Bears this week.
#13
Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
Previous Rank – 18
The Raiders are for real people. They were able to knock off the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional matchup that saw all sides of the ball work. Derek Carr finally threw the deep ball and got Henry Ruggs involved, the defense crushed Mahomes, Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller were all good. Mayock and Gruden look like they got something cooking here. They’ll look to ponder more when they go on their bye week.
#12
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
Previous Rank – 7
Old man Brady doing old man things like forgetting what down it is. Man, what an interesting way to end the game. The offense wasn’t incredibly great though, and the defense was not much better letting Allen Robinson dominated their secondary. Injuries are happening, and honestly Tampa has to figure this out because they have a matchup with the Green Bay Packers this week.
#11
Chicago Bears (4-1)
Previous Rank – 13
Big Dick Nick does it again besting Tom Brady like he did in the Super Bowl when he played for the Eagles. The Bears offense wasn’t too coordinated, but they capitalized on constant penalties from the Bucs. The Bears looked to have made the right choice sticking with Foles. They’ll look to prove against the Panthers.
#10
New Orleans Saints (3-2)
Previous Rank – 10
So, the Saints don’t move here because of how close that game with the Chargers got. The Saints puzzle me with some of the decisions they keep making especially ones that involve Taysom Hill. However, they won and move to 3-2. They’ll look to strategize on how they can get better when they go on their bye week this week.
#9
Cleveland Browns (4-1)
Previous Rank – 12
I’m not sure how long ago it probably was since the Browns made the top ten, but here we are. They are 4-1 for the first time since 1994 after beating the Colts. It’s weird, but honestly it is all based around their running attack and some key plays on defense. Their receivers look great, but the guy throwing to them is a different story. We will see that this week when they take on a heated rival in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
#8
Los Angeles Rams (4-1)
Previous Rank – 9
The Rams cleaned house of the Washington Football Team this weekend with a dominating performance on both sides of the ball. The Rams look like they did two years ago on their Super Bowl run. I am sure that’s where they look to be heading to again. They’ll take on Jimmy G and the 49ers this weekend.
#7
Buffalo Bills (4-1)
Previous Rank – 4
The Bills losing is one thing. The Bills getting blown out is something else entirely. They got clobbered. Their defense couldn’t stop A.J. Brown or Derrick Henry, their offense was lackluster, and there were too many unnecessary penalties. It didn’t look good, but hopefully they can rebound against a very pissed off Chiefs team.
#6
Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
Previous Rank – 5
I keep hating to move them down, but the Ravens didn’t have much to prove beating the Bengals. Their defense mostly handled it while Lamar took advantage of situations, and he turned them into scores. Things just seem off this year with Jackson. I just can’t put my finger on it, but I know something is up. He and the Ravens will look to destroy Philadelphia this week.
#5
Tennessee Titans (4-0)
Previous Rank – 8
That was odd…Man I hate Tennessee so much. They ruin the schedule for everyone because of their uncontrolled COVID issues, and then they dominate one of the best teams in the NFL; the Buffalo Bills. Tannehill and the offense were spot on tonight, while the defense managed to make Josh Allen create mistakes. Barring no more COVID issues, the Titans will play the Texans this week.
#4
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)
Previous Rank – 6
Go ahead Claypool. Have a day. This rookie had four touchdowns on the day against the Eagles defense. The crazy thing about this is that the last time the Steelers started off 4-0 was 1979. An incredible start to a dominant team. They’ll look to prove themselves this week with a divisional game against the also hot Cleveland Browns.
#3
Seattle Seahawks (5-0)
Previous Rank – 3
This one got a little too close for my liking. The Vikings were dominating this game until Russell Wilson stepped in the kitchen and cooked a mean dish with the words “suck it” written on it. Wilson won this game on the last play of the 4th quarter. Absolutely incredible comeback. We will see what transpires as the Seahawks go on their bye week.
#2
Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
Previous Rank – 1
The Chiefs are undefeated no more. The Raiders were able to dethrone Kansas City by just simply being the better team. The Chiefs did everything they could, but the main two things that cost them were constant pressure on Mahomes to make plays, and the defense being subjected to pure torture by the Raiders. They’ll look for a revenge win when they play the Buffalo Bills this week.
#1
Green Bay Packers (4-0)
Previous Rank – 2
The Packers finally make it to number one on the ranking. While they were on a bye this week, the team I saw play last weekend could have beaten the Chiefs this week. Therefore, in my opinion, the Packers move up for now. We will see how long they keep this spot as they have a good matchup this weekend against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 