We’re learning a lot of things about the NFL in 2020. The New England Patriots are unlikely to make it 12 straight seasons in the playoffs, although their hopes remained technically alive after they upset the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. The Pittsburgh Steelers are showing the power of consistent, steady offense and a grinding defense, setting the stage for a potential clash between old-school football and the run-and-gun approach of the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. We’re also seeing a sharp increase in such soft-tissue injuries as ACL tears, Achilles tendon ruptures and the like in 2020. Some blame the fact that no team had its normal offseason preparations, including a preseason; others blame the use of aging turf in so many NFL stadiums.
Heading into Week 11, let’s look at the latest power rankings as you plan your NFL betting for these games.
NFL News: Power Rankings after Week 10
#1 Kansas City Chiefs
Sure, the Steelers have the top seed in the AFC and a perfect record, but the Chiefs have an offense that is superior to the Steelers’ in terms of both running and passing the ball. The only question is whether the Chiefs could do their damage against the Pittsburgh defense.
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers
Next up is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Steelers passed the ball well in a rout of Cincinnati, but they also gave up a ton of big plays. That won’t work against the Chiefs.
#3 Green Bay Packers
The Packers are getting their top players back, such as tailback Aaron Jones and left tackle David Bakhtiari. Wide receiver Allen Lazard and cornerbacks Kevin King and Jaire Alexander should return soon. But can they get up for the Colts this weekend?
#4 New Orleans Saints
We’ll see how Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill do leading the New Orleans offense. The Saints have won six in a row and play the Falcons twice, sandwiched around the Broncos, in their next three games, which may give Drew Brees enough time to return to the lineup.
#5 Baltimore Ravens
When the Ravens jump into the lead, they can grind teams into submission. When they fall behind, they lack the creativity to catch up. Defenses recognize plays before the snap, which comes right down to offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
#6 Indianapolis Colts
The ticking time known as the next back-breaking interception from Philip Rivers is now part of the Colts’ situation. Their defense has been good enough so far to take them to an AFC South lead.
#7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers bounced back from their loss to New Orleans by spanking the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. If the Saints falter without Drew Brees, the Buccaneers are right there to take advantage. However, the defense needs to reassert itself.
#8 Miami Dolphins
A five-game winning streak, with the last three games started by Tua Tagovailoa? The problem is that the offense lacks elite skill players. Thank goodness the defense is ironclad.
#9 Los Angeles Rams
The pass rush was terrific against Seattle, as Russell Wilson took six sacks, four hits on throws and the team turned the ball over three times.
#10 Arizona Cardinals
If the Cardinals didn’t already believe in themselves, that last-minute win over Buffalo gave them the NFC West lead, and all the confidence in the world. Next up: a visit to Seattle.
#11 Buffalo Bills
The Bills need to toughen up on defense, and Josh Allen still makes too many mistakes, with two picks against Arizona.
#12 Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas simply ran Denver into the ground last week. Their next test is a rematch against the Chiefs, whom the Raiders have already beaten on the road.
#13 Tennessee Titans
Tennessee started 5-0 and is now 6-3. However, they were 5-5 at Week 11 a year ago and won four of six, rolling all the way to the AFC Championship. But they need to start winning, and the next test comes from the Ravens.
#14 Cleveland Browns
Is it really a home field advantage if your stadium is cold and rainy, week in and week out? It didn’t help the Browns against Las Vegas, but it did help them beat Houston, with 230 rushing yards combined from Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
#15 Seattle Seahawks
The secondary is made of Swiss cheese, and Russell Wilson, who started the season with MVP numbers, has three or more turnovers in two straight games.
#16 Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were 1-5 — and now they are 4-5. Dalvin Cook has run for almost 600 yards in that three-game winning streak. Can Kirk Cousins keep driving this bus to the playoffs?
#17 Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta sits at 3-6, but there are just a couple of fourth-quarter plays that have kept them from a 5-4 record, if not 6-3. The team has shown some improvement since the firing of Dan Quinn. Can the Falcons take advantage of a Saints team without Drew Brees?
#18 San Francisco 49ers
The team has backups at quarterback, tailback and wide receiver, and they kept within striking distance of the Saints until the fourth quarter.
#19 New England Patriots
Cam Newton seems to be back to his pre-COVID self, and the defense came up big against Lamar Jackson.
#20 Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey is out again, and Teddy Bridgewater knee seems fragile. Oh, and the Panthers’ defense isn’t very good.
#21 Chicago Bears
Their defense is terrific, but neither Nick Foles nor Mitch Trubisky can do anything with this offense. A 5-1 start has turned into a 5-5 record.
#22 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had a chance to pick up their fourth win and create separation in the NFC East, but they couldn’t beat the hapless New York Giants out of their bye week. Carson Wentz continues to struggle. They play Seattle, Green Bay, New Orleans and Arizona next. Ouch.
#23 Detroit Lions
D’Andre Swift finally got the ball, and he turned his 21 touches into 149 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Matt Patricia is likely gone if the Lions can’t make the playoffs, so it’s time to pull all the stops.
#24 Los Angeles Chargers
I love Justin Herbert, but he can’t win without a stout O-line. The defense is still missing Derwin James, Chris Harris Jr and Joey Bosa.
#25 New York Giants
Joe Judge is building a solid culture in New York; the Giants started 0-5 but are now 3-7. In their last two losses, the combined margin of defeat has been just 3 points. The Giants could win their dreadful division.
#26 Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is the answer at quarterback for the Bengals, but they won’t win until the team gets him an offensive line, a tailback and a defense.
#27 Denver Broncos
Drew Lock had four interceptions against Las Vegas, and the Broncos are now 3-6. It’s hard to argue that Lock is the quarterback of the future at this point.
#28 Houston Texans
Houston is now 2-7 after losing, 10-7, in Cleveland. The worst news is that Houston is considering taking the “interim” off Romeo Crennel’s title. Ask Cleveland fans what will happen next.
#29 Washington Football Team
How about Alex Smith? He threw for 390 yards against Detroit and almost led a tremendous comeback. However, the defense did not stand tall against the Lions’ offense. Could Smith come back as the starter?
#30 Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson ran for 109 yards against Green Bay. Josh Allen did a terrific job rushing off the edge. But how did this team beat Indianapolis in Week 1?
#31 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys come out of the bye to face Minnesota. They have Ezekiel Elliott still looking slow and lethargic. The defense upped its effort against Pittsburgh, and Garrett Gilbert earned a second start. But will he get it?
#32 New York Jets
If you don’t win any games, you get to draft Trevor Lawrence next year.
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