NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Seahawks and Rams soar into top 2 spots amid major midseason shakeup

In the last edition of the Power Rankings, I dropped the Seahawks following their bye, looking to reward some teams that had done well in Week 8. Boy, that blew up in my face. Spanking the Commanders something fierce reminded me of what I first saw in Seattle when I had it cracking the top three not long ago: a really dangerous football team when the 'Hawks are playing at their best. And their best best could still be in front of them, with the acquisition of WR Rashid Shaheed and with a lot of younger players manning big roles, especially on defense. They can also get healthier on that side of the ball, which makes Sunday night's dominance all the more impressive. Seattle's defense really only has been stressed once this season -- in the Week 5 loss vs. Tampa Bay -- and Sam Darnold looked pretty great Sunday following some so-so play before the bye.

Even with a facemask penalty that wiped out a touchdown, the Rams were pretty flawless offensively in a beatdown of the Saints, Los Angeles’ third straight W. Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes, bringing his season total to an NFL-best 21 TDs -- against just two picks. Kicking issues once again reared their ugly head against New Orleans, with Joshua Karty missing an extra-point try as well as a 39-yard field-goal attempt, and neither was all that close. That’s certainly something to monitor for tougher games, and Sean McVay’s team has plenty left in a schedule still featuring five more road contests. But when the offense and defense are humming the way they did on Sunday, the Rams can survive some hiccups. They’ve now allowed 20 points in their past 12 quarters while scoring 86.

The Colts looked like the better team for the first 18-plus game minutes in Pittsburgh, with stifling play on defense and a pair of promising drives on offense, but everything seemed to turn on Daniel Jones' first strip-sack. Indianapolis' quarterback lost two fumbles, which resulted in 10 Steelers points, and all three of Jones' interceptions were crushing, leading to 14 more Pittsburgh points. That was the game right there. The Colts were shockingly dominated up front by a maligned Steelers defense that came in struggling. All season long, Indy's offense has been fueled by the line, but that unit was manhandled on Sunday. Perhaps the defense will be juiced by the acquisition of Sauce Gardner, who could be exactly what the Colts need on the back end. And trading two firsts for him means they believe in Jones at QB, for better or worse.

The Bills' defense turned in its most important showing of the season in the 28-21 win over the Chiefs, while the offense hit most of the right notes in yet another crucial victory over an AFC heavyweight. New England remains ahead of Buffalo in the division, and we have to wait more than a month for the rematch, but the Bills can take the AFC East again if they continue playing at their post-bye level. The defensive injuries keep mounting, with Michael Hoecht (torn Achilles) joining Ed Oliver (torn bicep) as key recent losses. But rookie CB Maxwell Hairston stepped up with a big, late interception against Kansas City, and second-year safety Cole Bishop enjoyed one of his best NFL games. The Bills haven't suddenly fixed all of their issues, and there are some tough opponents upcoming, but this was a massive victory for a number of reasons.

Despite spending last week on the bye, the Eagles clearly remained active on the phones, landing Jaelan Phillips from the Dolphins on Monday to help beef up the pass rush. Phillips played one year with Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Miami, logging 6.5 sacks in eight games before getting hurt. If Phillips can match that production down the stretch, the Eagles will be thrilled. They also traded for CBs Michael Carter II and Jaire Alexander, once again looking hell-bent on positioning themselves to win another Super Bowl. Whether that happens is anyone's guess in this wide-open season, and the A.J. Brown drama/tension/whatever still merits monitoring, but Philly looks to be in better shape coming out of the week off.

Kansas City's defense looked slow and reactive in Sunday's 28-21 defeat at Buffalo, losing the line-of-scrimmage battle and leaving pass catchers running free too often. James Cook became the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Chiefs in 35 games (including the playoffs), and the Bills' tight ends consistently carved them up for big plays. Patrick Mahomes also had one of his worst games in memory, completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes, taking three sacks and heaving up a late interception. There were big plays from Kansas City, but not nearly enough down-to-down consistency. The Chiefs have the bye to recover before a big showdown at Denver in Week 11, but this loss doesn't sting any less.

In games where the Lions run for 100 yards this season, they're 5-0. Less than 100, they're 0-3. Teams have learned that if you corral Detroit's ground game early, it makes the offense one-dimensional -- and that especially hurts in a contest like Sunday's, when the Lions had multiple injuries along the O-line. They also were without Kerby Joseph on defense and couldn't get enough stops against J.J. McCarthy. They held the Vikings to 13 points over the final 49 game minutes, but it wasn't enough after allowing TDs the first two drives. Detroit's special teams are also partially to blame, giving up long returns and allowing a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter. A humbling home loss for our former top dogs.

The Buccaneers pulled into the Week 9 bye with their defense arguably playing its best ball of the season and the offense struggling to generate points the way it did early on. They'll have to show that the bye was productive, with three games vs. teams currently in the playoff field coming out of it and the Panthers starting to nip at their heels in the division. The hope is that there is improved health at receiver and along the offensive line, and that Bucky Irving can return to fuel the ground game. The Bucs have the offensive talent to thrive if they get well on that side of the ball, assuming the defense can keep pace. There are Super Bowl-caliber qualities to this team, but it also feels a bit delicate at the moment. I'm still bullish, for now.

Glass half full, the Broncos held the Texans to 3-for-17 on third downs in an important road victory and didn’t give up a touchdown even though they were without the injured Pat Surtain II. Glass half empty, Bo Nix struggled until the fourth quarter, Denver’s special teams cost the club points and more than half of the Broncos’ defensive efforts came against a backup QB. Sunday’s game was sort of a microcosm of this organization's season: Denver won a big game, but it came littered with questions and shortcomings. You can’t deny the Broncos’ fourth-quarter magic in 2025, but it’s the rest of the game that often makes them look human. Denver is minus-1 in point differential in the first three quarters, but a stunning plus-60 in the fourth. That’s both good and glaring, and it’s held me back from elevating the Broncos farther. 

The Packers came into Sunday with three turnovers all season but coughed it up twice, the first one costing them points and the second leading to a Carolina TD. They also missed a 43-yard field goal attempt and turned the ball over on downs, which is how you go from a triumphant win in Pittsburgh to a shocking home loss to the Panthers. Matt LaFleur's decision to go for it on fourth-and-8 from the Carolina 13-yard line with 11 minutes left certainly can be debated. But this feels like an indictment on the offense, which wasted decent chances Sunday. Jordan Love insists on making just enough mistakes to stunt his growth and cap Green Bay's potential as a team, and the loss of TE Tucker Kraft (torn ACL) is nothing short of massive. Super Bowl dreams haven't been denied yet, but they're looking a little far-fetched after games such as this one.

Style points be damned; the Patriots have won six straight games. Yes, this was a step back in terms of execution, as they nearly blew a two-TD lead with a shaky second-half performance. New England had outscored its previous two opponents (Tennessee and Cleveland) in the second half by a combined tally of 37-6, but Atlanta was the better team after the break on Sunday, nearly stealing a win. This is a reminder, I think, that while the Patriots are indeed vastly improved, they're ultimately only as good as Drake Maye is. Maye was sacked six times, lost a key fumble and threw a wild pick. He's been terrific this season, but New England is letting him take way, way too many hits.

Significant injuries have rocked San Francisco's defense, with first-round pick Mykel Williams’ torn ACL the latest blow. It was tough enough to lose Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for the season, but now the defense has to wonder where the pressure will come from with the emerging Williams abruptly sidelined. Defensively, they were good enough against the Giants, with the offense and special teams carrying the load after falling behind early. Mac Jones hit on his first 14 pass attempts of the game, and the Christian McCaffrey-Brian Robinson duo really kept the Niners on schedule. A good bounce-back game prior to the huge showdown vs. the Rams. Do the Niners have enough defensive juice to make it through the season?

Who could have seen this defensive performance coming? After back-to-back humbling outings on that side of the ball against the Bengals and Packers, the Steelers were lights out versus the Colts, not allowing Indianapolis' run game to develop while disrupting the timing of the pass attack. With the defense racking up five sacks and five takeaways (Indy nabbed a sixth TO on special teams), this was the unit's best showing of the season, stifling an offense that had averaged 36.8 ppg in its previous four outings. It wasn't a banner day for Pittsburgh's offense, but the defense picked up the slack in a major way. After Baltimore won on Thursday, the Steelers could have seen their division lead fall to a mere game. This was a massive victory when they needed it most.

The Chargers' too-close-for-comfort win and another injury to Joe Alt (this time, a season-ender) has me once again questioning their credentials, even if they remain in the current playoff field and still boast a 3-0 mark against the AFC West. Perhaps the Trevor Penning trade can help stop the bleeding, but they're just a different offense with Alt -- and Justin Herbert can’t take six sacks in 40 dropbacks and hope to win too many more games. He also threw an early pick-six, and the Chargers allowed a punt-return TD, so the self-inflicted mistakes were aplenty. That’ll have to be cleaned up before tougher games against the Steelers and Jaguars, with the bye still a few weeks away. This team keeps riding the razor’s edge, and it’s making me nervous about its chances to truly contend.

The Jags needed a record-breaking 68-yard field goal to get their first points of the game 30 minutes in, needed another long field goal near the end of regulation and relied on a failed two-point try in overtime by the Raiders to survive in Vegas. In the absence of Travis Hunter and Brenton Strange, the passing game had plenty of clunky moments, including a bad end-zone interception by Trevor Lawrence. He ran for two scores, including the eventual winner in overtime, and Travis Etienne was a steady force, especially late, but this was not a performance to rally the troops behind. Ending a two-game losing streak was most important; still, the Jaguars looked a bit hiccup-y after their Week 8 bye. 

It’s amazing what two victories in a five-day span can do for the soul, as well as the playoff hopes. From 1-5 to Lamar Jackson throwing for four TDs in his return is a pretty amazing swing for a team you suddenly can’t count out at all, maybe even to host a home playoff game. The Week 14 showdown with Pittsburgh looms, and Baltimore can’t suddenly go into cruise control, but the schedule does line up quite nicely. Jackson’s return was a huge catalyst, of course, but the Ravens probably wouldn't even be in this position had it not been for the upswing of the defense. They’re still bailing out some water, but the Ravens are nearly back to full steam here.

How do you take stock of a bonkers game in which the Bears were exceptional in some regards and truly awful in others? A win’s a win, but the special teams were mostly horrendous, starting from the opening kickoff, and the defense blew a two-TD lead in the final few minutes. The Bears’ run game was incredible without D'Andre Swift, as rookie Kyle Monangai looked like a feature back, even against arguably the worst defense in the NFL. Ben Johnson also had all the play-calls going, and Caleb Williams put the Bears in a position to score on 10 of their 12 possessions. That it took a miracle deep shot to Colston Loveland (and a missed tackle) to win made it difficult to give this victory too much credit.

Each loss makes the climb that much more difficult, and Sunday's setback to the Broncos came with an added tax. C.J. Stroud left the game with a concussion, and his status will be the current focus, with two straight division contests coming up next. Davis Mills came out ready to throw against the Broncos, but he had very little going in the second half against a good Denver defense. The Texans gained just 87 yards on 27 second-half plays, watching their tenuous eight-point lead dissolve over the final 20 minutes. They controlled the clock most of the game and held the Broncos in check but couldn't get key stops in the fourth quarter. Houston can still climb back to .500 with wins over the Jaguars and Titans, but we don't yet know if Stroud will be able to help.

The Panthers deserve a ton of credit for coming into Green Bay with a smart game plan and executing it well. This is one of the biggest wins for Dave Canales in Carolina -- and the team's on a roll, taking four of the last five to pull above .500 for the second time in the head coach's tenure. Bryce Young wasn’t prolific in his return to action, and his end-zone INT felt costly at the time, but he made enough key conversions and generally kept the Panthers out of trouble. Between an opportunistic Carolina defense and the hard running of Rico Dowdle, the Panthers had just enough to spring the upset and make gains on first-place Tampa Bay, which was on a bye. If they can keep pace until the home stretch of the season, they’ll have a chance to battle the Bucs for the NFC South crown. 

J.J. McCarthy’s return to action was a wild affair, filled with ups and downs and everything in between, but the end result is that he played well enough to win, making several clutch plays throughout. The consistency still needs to arrive, but this is the type of game performance the Vikings were hoping for when they traded up for him in the 2024 draft. He only threw nine times in the second half, and three in the fourth quarter, but Kevin O’Connell trusted McCarthy enough to deliver the final nail to Jalen Nailor. The Lions had carved up Brian Flores’ defense in multiple previous meetings, but on Sunday, that unit got after Jared Goff relentlessly. Just a shocking win after the Chargers debacle, and just like that, Minnesota is back to .500.

The Falcons’ third straight loss was pretty painful in that they outplayed the Patriots from the final minute of the first half pretty much until the end. Drake London was feasting on New England's defense, and Atlanta had all the momentum. But a few offensive penalties really hurt, and Michael Penix Jr.’s return was marred by some inconsistencies, even with big plays mixed in. It didn’t help that the run game once again stalled, looking clunky in the past few outings. Atlanta’s defense rallied to turn in a good game overall, holding the Patriots to three points over the final 35 minutes, but Parker Romo's late missed PAT was a killer. The Falcons never could take the lead and seize control. 

Kiss the five-game losing streak goodbye. How about Arizona's defensive performance, led by the awesome Josh Sweat? Sweat made several game-changing plays, Walter Nolen was loud in his NFL debut, and Calais Campbell dunked on Dallas late with two sacks. The Cardinals held the Cowboys without an offensive touchdown for the first 49 game minutes in AT&T Stadium, where the home team had reached 40 points in every game until Monday. The fourth-quarter blues looked like they were returning when the Cardinals stopped blocking for Jacoby Brissett, but the offense looked efficient for most of the game coming out of the bye. In Brissett's three starts, the Cardinals have scored 27, 23 and 27 points. With Kyler Murray starting, the Cardinals have averaged 20.6 points per game. It's not enough to create a QB controversy, but it's worth noting. This was an important victory after so many close losses, but how good is this Arizona team?

Dak Prescott and the offense never really found a rhythm against Arizona until late on Monday night, and they were ultimately buried by Javonte Williams' fumble, one of five Dallas turnovers (if you count the two fourth-down stops) on the night. Brian Schottenheimer opted to go for it -- down 17 points early in the fourth quarter -- instead of kicking a field goal, with Next Gen Stats calling it a toss-up play, slightly favoring going for it (by 0.4%). But Dallas never got back within single digits, and that's now three losses in the past four games. Not even the blocked-punt touchdown could get this team going early enough. Another disappointing loss where the offense couldn't do enough to make up for clear defensive shortcomings, although the trades for Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson could help. But is it too late? The Cowboys might need to win six of their final eight games to have a shot at the playoffs.

I got a little blowback on D.C. radio this summer when I said that I still felt like this was not a complete roster and that a fallback was possible, but I didn’t know it would go this way. Not like things were going great before it, but the Bears loss was really the harbinger of terrible developments. As if Sunday night’s home blowout wasn’t harsh enough, Jayden Daniels’ late injury -- down 31 points with eight minutes left -- was the cruel knife twist, right after he’d re-entered the lineup. Washington’s defense was torn to shreds early and only marginally better late, and nothing is truly working as it should. With injuries mounting, this season feels like it’s just slipping away, painfully.

With a bum shoulder, having practiced only once last week, Joe Flacco went out and threw for 470 yards in an all-time gutsy effort, even chasing down a turnover all the way to the end zone in the fourth quarter. He nearly beat the Bears, too, but the Bengals' defense once again collapsed late. The Bears weren’t that much better defensively, and they had a horrific special teams game, but even with Flacco’s massive game, Cincinnati couldn’t win. That’s how bad things are defensively. Two straight gutting losses have dropped the Bengals to 3-6 heading into the bye, and about the only thing going for them is the 2-0 divisional mark. Perhaps an upset at Pittsburgh in Week 11 can keep them on life support.

After the opening-drive TD against the 49ers, the Giants punted four straight times and then missed a field-goal try. Jaxson Dart and Co. finally got cooking a little in the second half, but they showed a surprising lack of urgency while trailing by double digits and never really had a chance to turn the game. The Giants' defense has really struggled to stop the run during the past three games, and they've forced only one turnover over that span -- all losses since the big Week 6 win over the Eagles. Injuries surely have been a huge part of the story, and Dart can't do it all himself, but the Giants really need to make something happen down the stretch if several of the key decision-makers want to ensure their return in 2026. They still have four tough games (three on the road) before the Week 14 bye hits.

Pete Carroll made the right call going for two in overtime, even if the Raiders lost. This season is pretty much toast, but they had a chance to steal a game in front of fans who haven't had much to applaud. Brock Bowers nearly carried his squad to victory, catching 12 passes on 13 targets for 127 yards and three TDs, also taking an end-around into the red zone in the fourth quarter. His second TD gave Las Vegas the lead in the final few minutes of regulation, and his OT score could have been the game-winner. Not bad for a guy who just missed three games with a knee injury. But there was little else to cheer about, even with it being a one-score game throughout. 

They crawled into the bye with a humbling loss at New England, and questions at quarterback have reemerged. Dillon Gabriel has flatlined, and there will be more Shedeur Sanders talk in the coming days and weeks, even if neither he nor Gabriel are a long-term answer. Still, it might behoove the Browns to throw Sanders out there, both as a way of gauging his talent and also potentially showcasing it for an offseason trade. Cleveland's defense has been mostly terrific and could yield a few more wins, but questions at QB must be answered down the stretch prior to an offseason in which the club will have two first-round picks to help them determine the next course at the position.

Well, at least they had Week 8. Chris Grier had been with the Dolphins for a quarter century and the general manager since 2016, and then on Friday, after another demoralizing loss, he was out the door. Just another depressing development in this wicked season, with the all-important trade deadline rapidly approaching. Several big-name Dolphins have been bandied about and could be dealt by the time you're reading this. (They shipped out Jaelan Phillips on Monday.) It’s hard to gauge where the franchise sits with head coach Mike McDaniel and QB Tua Tagovailoa. Basically, this thing is coming apart like a ball of yarn around an eager kitten. It’s hard to imagine we’re suddenly going to see the best of this team with two marquee games, against the Bills in Miami and the Commanders in Madrid, up next.

In Dan Campbell’s second season as Lions head coach, with Aaron Glenn as his defensive coordinator, Detroit started 1-6 before getting white hot down the stretch and finishing 9-8. It was a stunning in-season improvement, the likes of which Glenn will preach is possible for his Jets, who have some winnable games and wind at their backs following the dramatic Week 8 victory and a restful bye. Of course, the problem is that the Jets must now do it without Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. That’s arguably two top-five defenders at their respective positions they’ve suddenly lost, with big drop-offs to their potential replacements. It’s hard to see too many more wins on the schedule.

The Saints had a chance to change the trajectory of Sunday's game against the Rams, trailing only 20-10 at halftime. But a 10-minute TD drive by L.A. and a New Orleans fumble at midfield turned it into a laugher -- the Saints' fifth loss of the season by double digits. Tyler Shough had some good throws in his first NFL start and led a solid TD drive just before halftime, but the second-round pick had only nine completions through three quarters. Part of that was because the Rams controlled the clock, with nearly a three-to-one advantage in time of possession, gaining 30 first downs on 77 plays. After a respectable defensive showing in Week 8, the Saints were flat-out bad Sunday.

The Titans' overall effort and execution against the Chargers was better than we've seen in most of their games this season, but the offensive struggles continued. A pick-six and punt-return TD from the defense and special teams provided 14 of Tennessee's 20 points Sunday. Offensive penalties killed the Titans early on. Cam Ward was sacked four times and completed just four of his 11 first-half passes. Tennessee found some rhythm after halftime but was stopped on goal-to-go from the 1-yard line and never really threatened to steal the game. The next head coach will have an intriguing talent in Ward, but it's clear he will need more help and a better direction offensively after what's been a frustrating rookie season so far.