#32
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-13)
Previous Rank – 31
We finally have a switch at the last place marker. The Jaguars didn’t have a chance to win this game, and even though Minshew was able to throw two touchdowns against the Ravens, they were so far behind that it didn’t even matter honestly. The Jaguars are also in prime position to take Trevor Lawrence in the draft as well. You gotta feel bad for Minshew in this case as the guy brought life and fun into that organization, but it looks like this is the end for Mustache Minshew Mania. They will play the Chicago Bears this weekend.
#31
New York Jets (1-13)
Previous Rank – 32
The Jets might have cost themselves Trevor Lawrence, but they get a huge upset win over the Rams this past weekend. Football is a funny thing man. Now they have to decide if they want to roll with Darnold, or take the next best quarterback in the draft; Justin Fields. I would honestly roll with Darnold at this point, and give him help. The kid is good, but he needs help to succeed. We will see what happens when they take on the Cleveland Browns this weekend.
#30
Cincinnati Bengals (3-10-1)
Previous Rank – 30
The Bengals got a huge upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last night as their defense came to play ball. They forced three turnovers (should have been five honestly), and their run game was good as well. They still don’t have much to show for, but getting a huge upset win over a division rival is good enough for them. They will face the Houston Texans this weekend.
#29
Atlanta Falcons (4-10)
Previous Rank – 29
Atlanta doesn’t want to win this year obviously. They had this game over the Buccaneers, and they blew it again. I’m not sure what to say at this point. This team needs scrambled around from head to toe, and honestly this would be the place to draft Justin Fields, but people won’t agree with me. I feel bad for Atlanta Falcons fans I really do. They will face the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
#28
Houston Texans (4-10)
Previous Rank – 26
Watson is in trouble man. This team just can’t catch a break with little offensive line help, and a beat up receiver core. Their defense also sucks. The Texans will look for more help as they continue to fall in their division with a loss to the Colts. If I were Watson at this point, I would get out of there, but it is unlikely. They will face the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend.
#27
Carolina Panthers (4-10)
Previous Rank – 25
The Panthers need Christian McCaffery back man. The team actually played a pretty good defensive game against the Packers, but the offense had a lot of trouble getting things going. Bridgewater yet again ran in for a score, but didn’t have a single passing touchdown on the night. They will have a tough matchup on paper next weekend when they take on a Washington Football Team that just dropped a loss to the Seahawks.
#26
Denver Broncos (5-9)
Previous Rank – 23
The Broncos took a heavy loss here to the Buffalo Bills last Saturday. Their defense got overpowered by the Bills, and man the offense couldn’t have played a worse game. Drew Lock struggled once again especially with ball security as he just couldn’t get the offense to where it needed to be. Gordon was the saving grace of this team though as he was able to run two in for scores. The Broncos will look to turn a leaf when they face the Chargers this weekend.
#25
San Francisco 49ers (5-9)
Previous Rank – 20
The 49ers continue to struggle as they drop a loss to the Dallas Cowboys last weekend. Nick Mullens continues to make poor decisions, and he was basically overwhelmed by the Cowboy defense. Both of their running backs, Mostert and Wilson once again exited with injuries, and they had to throw to try to save their skins. Ayuik was once again the main guy in this offense as he did gash the Cowboys on a number of plays. The 49ers will once again hope for a change when they face the Arizona Cardinals this weekend.
#24
Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1)
Previous Rank – 24
The Eagles came up short in this one against the Cardinals, but it was a hard fought battle as once again Jalen Hurts played a great game of football. Their defense got Murray at times with an interception and fumble recovery, but overall they couldn’t stop him in the end. Despite how this team has done in the past, they are looking to make a statement in the long run of things with Hurts under center. They will play the Cowboys this weekend.
#23
New York Giants (5-9)
Previous Rank – 22
The Giants drop a spot after getting beat out by the Cleveland Browns. They just let Baker Mayfield have too many chances here, and those chances cost them the game with the team letting most of the damage go through the air, and not on the ground. Hopefully Daniel Jones gets healthy so they get the most out of him. Their defense does need some work though. They will face the Baltimore Ravens this weekend.
#22
Detroit Lions (5-9)
Previous Rank – 21
The Lions also drop a spot despite them doing decent on the offense. Their defense just gave up way too many scores in this on as Ryan Tannehill had five total touchdowns against this team and Derrick Henry ran one more in. The Lions’s three touchdowns didn’t matter just based on how badly their defense played. They’ll look to next week when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
#21
Dallas Cowboys (5-9)
Previous Rank – 28
Didn’t want to put them this high honestly, but that could change depending on what goes forward, but the Cowboys secured another victory, and they did it without Ezekiel Elliot. Their defense looked better as well forcing two picks off of Nick Mullens. They have been playing a lot better than they have been in recent weeks, and they have big task at hand when they face the Eagles and Jalen Hurts this weekend.
#20
Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
Previous Rank – 27
The Chargers aside from defensive issues played a great game against the Las Vegas Raiders this past Thursday. Herbert played a great game, and he basically did it without a lot of help from Keenan Allen or Mike Williams. The game came down to overtime, but Herbert sealed the deal when he scored a QB sneak in for the victory. They have a chance to pull themselves out of a miserable hole when they face the Broncos this weekend.
#19
New England Patriots (6-8)
Previous Rank – 19
The Patriots have been eliminated from playoff contention. A sentence honestly never sounded so sweet as they were cut out with their loss to the Miami Dolphins. Newton again struggled under center against a good Miami defense, and they just lost Stephon Gilmore with a partially torn quad. Things don’t get any easier as they face a red hot Bills team on Monday night.
#18
Washington Football Team (6-8)
Previous Rank – 17
The Washington Football Team did what they could, but their defense buckled under pressure particularly in the run game. Their offense also had some struggles as Alex Smith was ruled out, and they had to role with Dwayne Haskins who threw a touchdown to two interceptions. The defense had some issues in this one, but look for them to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers this weekend.
#17
Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
Previous Rank – 16
The Vikings lost their second place in the division with a loss to the Chicago Bears this past weekend. Their defense got caught slipping when they let David Montgomery have a game scoring twice on the run, and having over 100 yards. This team looks to be in trouble now as they face the New Orleans Saints on Friday.
#16
Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
Previous Rank – 15
Derek Carr went down early in this one, but Marcus Mariota deserves some credit coming off the bench and playing how he did. The Raiders couldn’t find an answer to the newbie receivers on the Chargers as they got gashed in big ways in this one. Depending on how Carr is with his groin injury, Mariota could be under center once again in a tight matchup against the wild card Miami Dolphins.
#15
Chicago Bears (7-7)
Previous Rank – 18
The Bears seem to have finally found their identity in the form of running back David Montgomery. The kid is playing great football, and contrary to belief, Mitch Trubisky is playing better than Nick Foles. Allen Robinson is also proving to be the number one receiver he should be for this team. The offense and defense have seemed to have found their rhythm, and they will look to keep it going as they face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend.
#14
Arizona Cardinals (8-6)
Previous Rank – 14
Arizona almost blew this one, but they were able to find a win against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite his turnovers, Murray seems to have found his chemistry again as he put up over 400 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing score. The defense fell to Hurts’s ability, but they were able to contain him when it counted. They have a divisional matchup on schedule as they face the San Francisco 49ers this weekend.
#13
Los Angeles Rams (9-5)
Previous Rank – 8
When you lose to the worst team in the NFL, you are going to drop, and that is exactly what happened to the Rams as they dropped a dumpster fire loss to the New York Jets. This was terrible man. Their defense just didn’t show up to play, and Goff somewhat struggled against a Jets defense. Not much else to say here man. This was ugly. They’ll look to erase this loss as they face the Seattle Seahawks.
#12
Miami Dolphins (9-5)
Previous Rank – 13
The Dolphins knocked off the Patriots, and Tua did it without throwing a touchdown pass. He did run two scores in, but threw an interception. Overall, their team is getting better, and their defense is turning some heads here going forward. They are a much better team compared to last year so all things are good for Flores. Their team will look for another victory when they face the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend.
#11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)
Previous Rank – 12
Give Tom the chance, and he will deliver. The Bucs fell early in this game to the Falcons, and once again Tom Brady was able to muster a comeback victory over Matt Ryan. He finally found some chemistry with Antonio Brown and his other receivers on the day. Also, even though the defense fell early, they were able to hit and disrupt the Falcons where it counted. They’ll face another pass efficient defense this weekend when they take on the Detroit Lions.
#10
Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
Previous Rank – 11
The Ravens move up another spot after a win against the Jaguars. Their offense kept up pace despite an early interception as Lamar Jackson struck gold again with passing and rushing touchdowns. Their defense did give up some touchdowns to the Jaguars, but overall the team played goof football. They are very much in the wild card hunt so they will be coming full guns blazing against the New York Giants.
#9
Indianapolis Colts (10-4)
Previous Rank – 9
The Colts secured another victory over the Houston Texans and they however stay where they are. Nothing against them honestly, just another team played better football. Philip Rivers finally looks comfortable with the game plan being used to his advantage. Taylor did well on the run, and overall the defense did great as well. They will look to next weekend when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
#8
Tennessee Titans (10-4)
Previous Rank – 10
Man, the Titans showed off offensively in this one against the Detroit Lions. Ryan Tannehill had five total touchdowns in this game, and Derrick Henry added one more on the ground. The defense gave up some points, but honestly they were way too ahead for it to even matter. The Titans will keep fighting as they maintain a wild card spot. They’ll need it as they face the Green Bay Packers this Sunday night.
#7
Cleveland Browns (10-4)
Previous Rank – 7
Cleveland found another victory as they kept the Giants in check last Sunday night. Overall, Baker Mayfield had another great showing tossing nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns. Chubb also found success despite being bottled up with another rushing score. Their defense also held the Giants to two field goals all game. Things look good for them as they look to try to take the division lead from Pittsburgh. They’ll look to this weekend as they try to crush the Jets after their first win of the season.
#6
Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
Previous Rank – 6
Seattle had a tough test against a Washington defense, but they prevailed with a five point lead over the Washington Football Team. The team went with a run heavy offense as Wilson, Carson, and Hyde all had over 50 yards rushing with Hyde getting the touchdown on a 50-yard run. Their defense held in check as well they intercepted Haskins twice on the day. The Seahawks will be tested again as they face off against the embarrassed Los Angeles Rams.
#5
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)
Previous Rank – 2
I’m so disgusted it is unreal. We came out and started doing the same shit that got us in the hole the last two games. Granted we came back in the second half, but this was against the goddamn Bengals man. You have any idea how embarrassing this was. We didn’t run the ball until the second half, and Big Ben looked so awful that fans were calling for Rudolph to start the second half. This makes me sick talking about it as now they are in jeopardy of losing the division to the Browns who are one game behind. They’ll face the Colts this weekend and Randy Fichtner better have a better answer to the start of this game.
#4
New Orleans Saints (10-4)
Previous Rank – 5
Despite the loss, the Saints move up after a pitiful Steelers loss to Cincinnati. Drew Brees at the beginning of this game looked like shit, but the team mustered its way to at least make the game close in the second half. They found weak points of the Chiefs and exploited them to the best of their ability, but in the end, the Chiefs won the game. The Saints have a short week as they face the Minnesota Vikings this Friday night.
#3
Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Previous Rank – 3
The Packers secured another win, but stay put because Aaron Rodgers and the receiving core did not play well here. The Panthers brought the house, and honestly Rodgers struggled quite a bit in this one. Still a win is a win, and they currently hold the NFC bye week with one game ahead. Aaron Jones did well here in this one as he gashed the Carolina defense on the ground. Now they have a tough task at hand as they face the Tennessee Titans this Sunday night.
#2
Buffalo Bills (11-3)
Previous Rank – 4
The Bills have won the AFC East. That sentence hasn’t been uttered since I was a year old. That year was 1995. 25 years man. The Bills deserve it honestly as they have played a great season, and dominated the Denver Broncos in this 48-19 victory. Josh Allen played out of his mind in this one man scoring two touchdowns in the air, and he scored two on the ground. A very impressive showing by the Bills indeed. They will now take on the New England Patriots Monday night.
#1
Kansas City Chiefs (13-1)
Previous Rank – 1
The Chiefs had some miscues in this game, as their defense allowed the Saints to come back in the end, and both their running backs appeared to have suffered some injuries. Still a win is a win, and the Chiefs remain at the top of the AFC with one loss to their name against the Raiders. The Chiefs will look to stay that way when they take on the depressing Atlanta Falcons this weekend.
thoughtsfromthebench.com 