2017-18 NFL Week 6 Power Ranking (NFC)

Eagles (x)
It seems a little early to anoint Wentz as a top QB but he's getting it done out there, you can't front on that. The defense is really good, the special teams is top notch and the offensive weapons look good enough to grind through their up-and-down division. I'll stick with them.

Packers (wc)
(Yeah, picked a tough week to do the power ranking) Well, the Packers have been the best, most explosive, most reliable team in the NFC so far. But without Aaron Rodgers can they keep that up? Rodgers was covering up their offensive line woes, dropping that onto a never-used backup is gonna be grueling. That said, I was reasonably impressed with Hundley, I'm optimistic that he can use his feet and be a poor man's Rodgers well enough to keep them in playoffs. On the other hand, the Bears are looking a little better and the Lions are quite capable of winning a shootout, there's not much margin for error for this Packer squad.

Rams (x)
They feel a year (or two) ahead of schedule but they're getting wins on the road and that's no joke. The Cards have deteriorated badly, the Niners are still not good enough to win and the Seahawks seem within their reach, so I've got to put them up here. Nice young QB, good RB, solid d-line, they've built themselves up the right way and they're competing with them best of them right now. #3 in the NFC (with a Rodgers-less Packers ahead of them) seems high but they've earned it.

Panthers (x)
It may seem like a reach to put the Panthers here though they've had a few wonky games, but I still think this team has all the pieces needed to win their division and make a good run in the playoffs. Looks like Kuechly is out for a while but I think they can overcome that. They need top quality Cam to win games and I think he's ready to bust out.

Vikings (x)
I haven't been blown away by the Vikings but they're good not great at seemingly every position which isn't a bad way to go. With the return of Teddy Bridgewater they have a full-on controversy brewing at QB but so far Case Keenum has played well and gotten the job done, I reckon they'll stick with him. The defense is good enough to keep every game close, Keenum needs to merely not make mistakes and they'll go a long way to catching and passing the Pack. 

Seahawks (wc)
I dunno, they seem to be slipping. They've been there at the end year after year but that offensive line looks even worse than usual. Russell Wilson has had to do a lot so far and that's just to eke out the close wins. They're asking a lot of him and in a year when the pass rushes seem to be catching up, it's a tall order for Wilson to keep lugging this team around on his back. The defense is still good but not quite great, I'm not sure I have any faith in the running game, I want to like this team but I think they've got the potential to fall.

Saints
The offense is cooking, the defense is not bad. The Saints know who they are, there's no controversies there and that makes a big difference in the NFL. Right now, I'd say they're still looking up to the Packers but they can be caught (as can the Panthers). I think the Saints offense can get better and the defense will probably have to. They're definitely still in the hunt for the post-season.

Redskins
I thought the Eagles and Redskins would pass up the Cowboys and Giants this year and so far I think I'm right. The Cowboys can still get better but if the Redskins could just get to an even keel, I think they can get to the post-season--and surprise people! The pass defense is really impressive and the offense has moments. If they can hold off the Cowboys, I think they'll be hanging with Saints, Packers and Seahawks for the wild cards.

Cowboys
I've got to put the Cowboys ahead of the Falcons because I think the Cowboy deficiencies are overcome-able (whereas I don't think that about the Falcons). I still like Dak and that O-line, but I'm not particularly in love with anything else they got going right now. I thought they overachieved last year, I think they're slightly underachieving this year. If they can tread water til Elliott returns, maybe they can make a late season push.

Lions
The Lions have a nice offense and a nice defense, a nice home field advantage and they don't suck too bad on the road. Yeah, they're about the middle of the NFL right now which is not good enough for the playoffs. They're a couple pieces away from either the playoffs or a top five pick. Don't think they get to either this season.

Falcons
The Falcons early on looked like a team that would be so-so on the road and old-time dominant at home; but dropping their last two home games to non-conference opponents (with a bye week in between!) puts the lie to that. Looking pretty clear that the Falcons overachieved last year and this team is in a rebuild til they all get back on the same page. I don't think they get back into the wild card race this season.

Bears
Early on I was impressed with the running game and the pass rush, those are two good cornerstones to build on. They've added on a promising rookie QB and that's a good thing. I suspect by year's end they'll win more games than they ought to. But for now they're just plucky overachievers.

Cards
Man, they got old fast. They just look beat on both sides of the ball. Pretty common in soccer: some team you never thought twice about makes a nice run in the World Cup, then brings back the same team four years later...and looks terrible. Someone always holds on to the old stars a little too long and then gets punished severely for it. The Cards are getting punished severely this year. Rebuilding and yet there's no sense of future development here. (They could be monumentally awful next year, for now they're just not very good)

Bucs
Every year folks think the Bucs are ready to take the next step and every year they don't that step. This is just another year of that. Talent, plenty of talent, but no winners, you know? There's no one in that locker room that can guide this team forward.

Giants
Nice win last week at Denver. It was a mirage, though, this team is not good at all, not good anywhere. This team needs to rebuild now, sell off every player, empty out the practice squad, open up the playbook, find a new direction.

Niners
I kinda hate to put the Niners at the bottom, they really do play hard. They cover spreads and keep games close and I respect that. But this team just doesn't have enough talent to pull out a win. They need a QB badly, otherwise they don't look that bad.

NFC (Week Nine)

Cowboys -- The 'Boys are still the class of the NFC, the running game is mighty, the rookie QB is still getting the job done and that defense is surprisingly effective. They are the most complete team in the NFC and if they can avoid QB squabbles (don't be surprised if Romo has a hero moment at some point), they can go to the Super Bowl.

Falcons -- The offense is still on fire and the defense is good enough. The Panthers and Saints are playing better but I think the Falcons still have a good grasp on the division. The defense is getting better and I think they can outscore conference opponents in the playoffs.

Seahawks -- Clearly a step slower then previous years but the D is still good, Russell Wilson is still quite capable and I think veteran smarts will play a role. They've been sloppy on the sidelines but I can't imagine that will keep the Seahawks from getting deep in the playoffs.

Packers -- I dunno, they still have Aaron Rodgers and the expectation of success. I think the D is kinda terrible and Rodgers' supporting cast has all fallen off the last few years. But I'm not seeing any real juggernauts in the NFC, so I reckon they'll have their shot in the post-season.

Vikings -- The D has taken a step back from its early season dominance and the offense has too. In September they looked solid from top to bottom, now they seem kinda rickety. I'm betting that there's still enough there to resurrect by season's end.

Saints -- I never would've thought I'd say this but the Saints look dangerous enough to win games. They remind me of the Steve Nash Suns: non-stop offense that leaves gaps in the defense that makes for entertaining games. Come playoff time, the Saints will be the 2nd best team on the field regardless of their opponent but, man, Brees can still sling it and hang numbers. Still dangerous.

Cards -- Like the Bengals, I think the Cards peaked last year and instead of hitting the ground running, they're making up lost ground. I think the Cards are still good enough to squeak into the playoffs but I don't see either side of the ball being good enough often enough to go deep.

Redskins -- I dunno, they're occasionally good. They have some talent but not enough, they're not good but they're not bad either. On a good day they could pull an upset and on a bad day they could get stomped badly.

Eagles -- I look the rookie QB, I like the attitude but I don't like their chances to win a lot of games. I feel like they've overachieved already and while the kid is good, I still feel like this year's success will only screw up next year's path to improvement.

Panthers -- They should've been better but after a horrible start it feels like they're starting to get it together. They crushed people last year, I knew they wouldn't be that good but I thought they'd matter in the NFC. There's still enough time that I guess to play spoiler but I don't see them making the playoffs.

Rams, Giants, Lions -- The mediocre pile. Every once in a while they look good (or like they might be good). But just as often they look terrible.

Bucs -- Yeah, even though they're not all that good, it still feels like they should be better. Maybe next year.

Bears -- They're feisty but they're not any good.

Niners -- The Niners, man, shit...it was just yesterday that they looked like they were gonna dominate for years to come. Now they suck so bad....uh, yeah...they just suck. Not sure what else to say.

NFL Week 8 (NFC)

Convinced they're in playoffs: Packers (flawed on both sides of the ball but Rodgers is still the man), Panthers (Cam is finally emerging as the badass he was always meant to be, solid D line, not sure about anything else on that team but they keep winning), Cardinals (keep Palmer upright and they can hang with anyone in the league), Rams (I'm in: the D line is ferocious, the running game is dominant, Foles isn't great but he can be good enough).

Top of the middle: Vikings (my favorite dark horse team in the NFC, if Bridgewater makes a leap then I think this time can be really good), Seahawks (still got talent on both sides of the ball but they need to pull it together), Falcons (great but uneven offense, sorry D, can't tell whether they over or underachieving), Giants (if they can outlast Romo's return, I think they'll be in the playoffs).

Bottom of the middle: Cowboys (I still think when Romo comes back, they're the best in the East, time might be running out though), Redskins (decent D, O is getting better but I still don't think they're good enough to get past the Cowboys or Giants), Saints (that offense can still get crazy every once in a while but the squad in general doesn't look very good at all), Eagles (I still don't get this team but they can still win the division), Bucs (they're playing loose and it feels like the team is kinda coming together, could be a serious spoiler down the stretch).

Convinced they're out of playoffs: Bears (I actually think they're not bad, they just don't win games), Niners (the rats are streaming off that ship), Lions (all going wrong, without a serious O line upgrade, Stafford will continue to struggle even though I still think he can be good).