In one of the wildest NFL Trade Deadlines to date, the NFL landscape has completely changed. The Baltimore Ravens picked up the NFL’s leading tackler in Roquan Smith while the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles picked up last year’s NFC sack leader in Robert Quinn. With so many players changing teams and another week of games behind us, here are your updated NFL Power Rankings for Week 10.
NFL Power Rankings for Week 10
1) Philadelphia Eagles (8-0) (Last Week: 1)
In Week 9 the Philadelphia Eagles remained undefeated after beating the Houston Texans on Thursday night, 29-17. Although the game was tied at the half and within four points going into the fourth quarter, this game never felt like one the Eagles would lose. The Eagles don’t play another team with a winning record for their next three games. It looks as if the undefeated season should be able to continue into December.
2) Buffalo Bills (6-2) (2)
The Buffalo Bills lost a hard-fought contest against the New York Jets this past week. The Jets’ defense did a great job limiting the damage of Josh Allen. They forced two interceptions and held Buffalo to three points over the last two-plus quarters. All eyes will be on the injury status of Allen, who was clearly bothered by an elbow injury late in the contest.
3) Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) (3)
Kansas City found themselves in danger of dropping a home game to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night before some late Patrick Mahomes magic secured them a 20-17 overtime victory. Although Mahomes was fantastic, many questions have to be asked of the Chiefs’ defense. Malik Willis completed just 5-16 passes. Yet, the Titans put up 17 points. The Chiefs knew they simply needed to stop the run and still couldn’t do it for the entire first half. We’ll see if they can make a statement against a feisty Jacksonville Jaguars team next week.
4) Baltimore Ravens (6-3) (4)
The Saints have been far from good offensively this season, but Baltimore deserves credit for how their defense played on Monday night in a 27-13 win. The Ravens limited New Orleans to 243 total yards while sacking Andy Dalton four times and forcing an interception as well. The offense had their fair share of miscues, but they have plenty of time to clean that up as they only face one team with a winning record the rest of the season. With a game lead on the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North and the tiebreaker in their favor, the AFC North is theirs for the taking.
5) Minnesota Vikings (7-1) (5)
It wasn’t pretty, but once again the Minnesota Vikings got the job done. Outside of Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, every win has been by one possession. It’s certainly progress to see them win close games that they historically would lose, but they will need to be able to pull away against their opponents come playoff time. They’ll be tested next week against the Bills if Josh Allen is healthy enough to play. For now, they hang onto a top-five spot in the NFL Power Rankings.
6) Dallas Cowboys (6-2) (6)
The Dallas Cowboys had a bye this past week and have a great matchup ahead against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has lost five straight and also lost linebacker Rashan Gary to a torn ACL this past week. It’ll be an emotional week for Mike McCarthy, but it will be a great opportunity for Dallas to improve to 7-2 and possibly rise in the NFL Power Rankings.
7) Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) (7)
In a game that appeared to be a “trap” game to some, the Cincinnati Bengals quickly dispelled the Carolina Panthers, 42-21. Joe Mixon was a monster, recording over 210 scrimmage yards along with five touchdowns. It was nice to see a statement win from the Bengals, as they have struggled with consistency all year. Cincinnati will have another great matchup next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers and can’t afford to get tripped up if they want to stay on Baltimore’s heels.
8) New York Giants (6-2) (8)
The New York Giants had their bye week come at the right time after their 27-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8. Although the Eagles are still undefeated, the Giants’ next two opponents have a combined record of 3-12-1, as the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions come to town. As long as they can take care of business, they should be able to all but solidify themselves near the top of the NFC playoff hunt.
9) Seattle Seahawks (6-3) (10)
Since losing to the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, the Seattle Seahawks have been a wagon. Seattle has won four games in a row with their most recent victory coming on the road against the Arizona Cardinals to complete their sweep this season. Geno Smith continues to look and play like one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFC. If that can continue against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle may find themselves with a divisional lead over two games after next week, and they will likely continue trending upwards in the NFL Power Rankings.
10) San Francisco 49ers (4-4) (9)
San Francisco had their bye week this past week and losses by the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals solidified their position in second place in the NFC West. With Seattle showing no signs of slowing down, it looks like the 49ers may need to rely on the Wild Card to get into the playoffs. With a tough challenge against the Chargers coming up, the 49ers need a win to keep pace in a very competitive NFC.