My 2016 NFL Power Rankings Week 10

Last week I waited because of the election to post my power rankings. This week? Feeling under the weather. No matter. Different day but same rankings that you should be used to by now. Or if you’re new here, hopefully you’ll keep coming back. I mean, there’s a new number one team this week! Who knows what will happen next time?

1. Dallas Cowboys (8-1) ~ As much as I may hate to do this I cannot hold it off any longer. The Cowboys top my rankings for probably the first time in the few years I’ve been doing this. If you want to prove me wrong have fun poring over the results from each week I did one of this. I’d advise against it though. seems like a big waste of time. Dallas, however, is wasting no time in establishing themselves as a serious Super Bowl contender. (Last Week’s Ranking 2)
2. New England Patriots (7-2) ~ Tom Brady proved himself to be mortal and the Patriots actually lost a game this year in which he started. A close game. It was kind of like the bizarro version of the Super Bowl from two years ago. New England was at the goal line near the end of the game and looked like they would surely score and win the game. Not only did they lose the game, but they may have lost stud tight end Rob Gronkowski for some time as the dude punctured a lung. That’s gotta hurt. (LWR 2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-2-1) ~ The running game may be a carousel with Christine Michael, C.J. Prosise and the return of Thomas Rawls but it looks like Russell Wilson is back to his old self. His five touchdown passes over the past two weeks equaled his total from the first seven games of the year. (LWR 4)
4. Oakland Raiders (7-2) ~ Derek Carr and the Raiders will have just a little extra rest coming off the bye as they do not play until Monday night against the Houston Texans. I won’t penalize them too much for not playing last week but with Denver and Kansas City both winning, they could have had a better week. (LWR 3)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) ~ Five straight wins have the Chiefs atop the impressive AFC West. Jeremy Maclin’s status, however, is up in the air. The star receiver missed Sunday’s game in Carolina with a groin injury and isn’t certain to play this coming weekend. (LWR 6)
6. Denver Broncos (7-3) ~ Well, there’s a new one. Denver blocked an extra point attempt and returned it for a two-point conversion late in the game against the Saints. It proved to be the decisive score as well. It’s still a fairly new rule in the NFL but wow what a turn of events. (LWR 7)
7. Atlanta Falcons (6-4) ~ Matt Ryan returned home to Philadelphia and the Falcons’ high-flying offense was held in check. For the first time all year the Falcons scored less than 23 points. They mustered just 15 in the road loss and now head into the bye where they will look to regroup. (LWR 5)
8. New York Giants (6-3) ~ Seventeen points. The Giants have won four straight games by a combined 17 points. It’s certainly nice to win the close games but they have to be concerned about their -2 point differential. Every game with them is a coin flip. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. One day their luck is going to run out. (LWR 11)
9. Washington Redskins (5-3-1) ~ Kirk Cousins is fourth in the NFL with 2,716 yards passing and must be licking his chops as he gets to face the porous Green Bay Packers defense that just gave up five passing touchdowns to Tennessee. Cousins has been playing under the franchise tag and seems to be setting himself up for a nice payday in the offseason whether that be with Washington or someone else. (LWR 12)
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-5) ~ In a wildly entertaining game the Steelers appeared to have pulled out a miracle with Ben Roethlisberger channeling his inner Dan Marino on a fake spike turned touchdown toss. Pittsburgh’s once stout defense couldn’t hold that late lead, however, and they ultimately lost a close one to the red-hot Cowboys. I still feel Pittsburgh is a dangerous team but at 4-5 they can ill afford another loss. (LWR 9)
11. Detroit Lions (5-4) ~ The Lions are atop the NFC North and this week host the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars. In what should be an easy win Detroit has a chance to pad their division lead. It’s almost too weird writing that. (LWR 13)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) ~ The win over Atlanta was nice, but now for an encore they get to travel cross country to face a red-hot Seattle team. Philly’s 1-4 record on the road does not bode well against the Seahawks who are 4-0 at home. (LWR 15)
13. Arizona Cardinals (4-4-1) ~ It took a two-minute drill to survive the god-awful 49ers but the Cards are back at the even mark. Well, sort of. The tie screws up the percentages.
14. Green Bay Packers (4-5) ~ A week ago I mentioned that Aaron Rodgers needed to dust off that five-letter word he used a season ago: R-E-L-A-X. After being throttled in Nashville the new five-letter word in Green Bay is P-A-N-I-C. (LWR 10)
15. Houston Texans (6-3) ~ After alternating wins and losses since the second week of the season Houston has once again put together back-to-back wins, including their first on the road. They are on the road again this week even though they are the “home team” as the NFL travels to Mexico for the first time in a decade. (LWR 17)
16. Minnesota Vikings (5-4) ~ Blair Walsh has been released by the Vikings. Their kicker since 2012 carries a career accuracy of over 84% but he has hit on just 75% of his attempts this season and has also missed four of his 19 extra points. Something had to give in Minnesota and now we know what. Or more accurately, who. (LWR 8)
17. Baltimore Ravens (5-4) ~ A division leader in the bottom half of the rankings you ask? It isn’t all about who has the best record. That would be easy. It would also make for a boring read. I just don’t think the Ravens are for real and honestly, the whole division stinks on ice. (LWR 19)
18. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5-1) ~ Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the NFL, the Bengals aren’t out of it yet. Because the AFC North stinks on ice they are just one loss behind Baltimore for the top spot in the division. Someone has to win it whether they want to or not. Do the Bengals want it is the question. (LWR 14)
19. New Orleans Saints (4-5) ~ The other side of the coin in that Denver two-point conversion are the Saints who are back below .500. They were that close to knocking off the defending champions and pulling closer with Atlanta in the NFC South. A must-win game in Carolina looms on a Thursday night and we all know those games don’t typically yield the best football. (LWR 18)
20. Tennessee Titans (5-5) ~ Last year everyone compared Marcus Mariota to Jameis Winston and I get that. The two quarterbacks were drafted first and second overall. Last year it seemed Winston was the better of the two but Mariota is making strides in a big way this year. Over the past six games he has thrown for 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. That’s all kinds of impressive, especially for a 2^nd year signal caller. (LWR 24)
21. Miami Dolphins (5-4) ~ Don’t look now but the Dolphins are winning games. That’s four in a row for the fish and it seems that a steady running game is helping out beleaguered quarterback Ryan Tannehill. He has zero interceptions during the winning streak after throwing seven in the team’s first five games. (LWR 25)
22. San Diego Chargers (4-6) ~ Speaking of interceptions, Philip Rivers was in a giving mood as he threw four picks in the fourth quarter as Miami came back to win late. I’m no expert but it must be hard to win when you throw four interceptions in a game let alone in one quarter. Eesh. (LWR 20)
23. Buffalo Bills (4-5) ~ The Bills rank second in the NFL in rushing and whether it is LeSean McCoy, Tyrod Taylor or Mike Gillislee running the ball they are all finding success as they are all averaging more than five yards per carry. They could use a little more out of Taylor in the passing game though as the Bills are next to last in yards per game through the air. (LWR 21)
24. Indianapolis Colts (4-5) ~ Sunday’s tilt against the Titans has now become a must-win for the Colts who sit in third place in the AFC South. It would also give the Colts their first back-to-back wins since 2014. Hat tip to ESPN for that one. Too good not to use. (LWR 23)
25. Carolina Panthers (3-6) ~ It’s hard to believe this team ran roughshod through the NFL last year. A 15-1 regular season culminated in a Super Bowl berth. Cam Newton brought back the dab and then his team promptly blew a 17-point lead at home. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve blown a lead that large after halftime at home. (LWR 22)
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) ~ For the most part Tampa has looked good against the bad teams and bad against the good teams. Up next are the Chiefs and the Seahawks so I have a feeling the bad Bucs are going to show up and that will be the end of their slim playoff hopes. (LWR 26)
27. Los Angeles Rams (4-5) ~ For the second time this season the Rams have won a game without scoring a touchdown. Perhaps that is what prompted Jeff Fisher to end the Case Keenum charade and give Jared Goff a chance. The number one overall pick in this year’s draft will make his first NFL start Sunday at home against the Dolphins. (LWR 27)
28. New York Jets (3-7) ~ Bryce Petty was OK in his start against the Rams. At least his team scored a touchdown. He should see more time as the season plays out. It looks like Ryan Fitzpatrick’s days are done in New York. (LWR 28)
29. Chicago Bears (2-7) ~ Alshon Jeffery has been suspended for four games due to a drug violation. That means he will be eligible to come back to this sad sack of a team for the season finale. Maybe he has some sick time he can use for that week? (LWR 29)
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7) ~ Allen Robinson has finally woken up. The star receiver has his first 100-yard day of the year on Sunday and found the end zone for the second week in a row. If he can keep it up perhaps the Jags can have optimism heading into an offseason that should result in yet another high draft choice. (LWR 30)
31. San Francisco 49ers (1-8) ~ Four straight starts for Colin Kaepernick and four more losses for the Niners. Maybe it’s just because this is a bad team but maybe Head Coach Chip Kelly doesn’t have what it takes to succeed at the NFL-level. (LWR 31)
32. Cleveland Browns (0-10) ~ They are one loss away from the worst start in franchise history. And you thought they didn’t have anything to play for. Shame on you. (LWR 32)

That's all she wrote folks. Questions? Comments? Feel free to leave them right here. Or if that's not good enough you can follow/harass me on Twitter @therichwhiteguy. It wouldn't be the biggest waste of your time.