Rising Star

In our weekly NFL team rankings, we’ll grade them by:

– Roster
– Current Injury Issues
– Coaching
– Performance
– Record

We don’t subscribe to the theory that a team with a lesser record can’t be ranked higher than a team with a better record. It’s about how they look as of now based on the criteria listed above:

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the NFL’s hottest teams after a 40-3 beatdown of the Minnesota Vikings

1) Kansas City Chiefs (8-2, previous ranking: #1): Again, this is the team with the fewest number of weaknesses.

2) Philadelphia Eagles (9-1, previous ranking: #2): They barely beat a subpar Colts team last week, but that’s going to happen over the course of an 18-game season—you’re not going to play at your best every week. However, there are some concerns, particularly on offense without injured TE Dallas Goedert.

3) Dallas Cowboys (7-3, previous ranking: #7): A very impressive road win last week over the host Vikings and they’ve now won seven out of their last nine games.

4) Minnesota Vikings (8-2, previous ranking: #3): It seemed as though they were flat during last week’s terrible home loss due to the emotional victory over the host Bills the week before.

5) Buffalo Bills (7-3, previous ranking: #6): They’ll roll over the Lions this week and they’ll need to keep winning as the AFC East is totally up for grabs now.

6) Miami Dolphins (7-3, previous ranking: #5): They’ll come off their Week 11 bye having won four games in a row after losing three straight games. In fact, their season has been a series of streaks (W3, L3, W4).

7) Baltimore Ravens (7-3, previous ranking: #4): Their lack of a consistent passing game is a bit worrisome and that’s what will ultimately keep them from winning a Super Bowl this season.

8) San Francisco 49ers (6-4, previous ranking: #8): They don’t play another game out of the West Coast time zone and now have won three games in a row.

9) Tennessee Titans (7-3, previous ranking: #12): An outstanding win over the host Packers last week and now they have a legitimate deep threat in rookie WR Treylon Burks.

10) Seattle Seahawks (6-4, previous ranking: #9): They’ll be in it until the end for the NFC West crown and also for an NFC Wild Card spot.

11) New England Patriots (6-4, previous ranking: #11): That’s three wins in a row and five out of six, but they play two of the NFL’s best teams over the next two games.

12) Cincinnati Bengals (6-4, previous ranking: #14): Once they get 2^nd-yeawr WR J’Marr Chase back, this offense will take off again and it has been solid without him in the lineup.

13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5, previous ranking: #15): They’re getting healthier and are poised to make a run in the NFC.

14) Washington Commanders (6-5, previous ranking: #16): They continue to win and the defense has essentially been carrying the team of late. However, at some point, they’re going to have some semblance of a passing game.

15) New York Jets (6-4, Previous ranking: #10): It’s time for 2^nd-year QB Zach Wilson to take a step back for a few weeks in order to get his head in the right direction.

16) New York Giants (7-3, previous ranking: #13): The injuries are really starting to pile up on both sides of the ball, but they’ll still be in it in the end for an NFC Wild card spot.

17) Los Angeles Chargers (5-5, previous ranking: #17): So much for their defense taking a big jump this season. Expectations were high, but this team has fallen short of the mark.

18) Detroit Lions (4-6, previous ranking: #23): That’s three wins in a row, but the Bills are back in Detroit again, which is not a good thing for the Lions.

19) Atlanta Falcons (5-6, previous ranking: #21): I’ll say this; they aren’t the most talented team, but head coach Arthur Smith gets a lot out of his roster of young players.

20) Green Bay Packers (4-7, previous ranking: #19): Something has been missing from this team all season and they won’t be able to fix it until they start their off-season.

21) Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1, previous ranking: #18): You can see how much veteran QB Matt Ryan has lost from his fastball during last week’s loss to the visiting Eagles. They must use their first-round pick next year on a QB.

22) Arizona Cardinals (4-7, previous ranking: #20): They need starting QB Kyler Murray back in the lineup if they want to make a run at the final NFC Wild Card spot.

23) New Orleans Saints (4-7, previous ranking: #27): A nice win over a beat-up Rams team last week, but the Saints are very banged up themselves and will be on the outside looking in during the playoffs in January.

24) Cleveland Browns (3-7, previous ranking: #22): It’s surprising how much their defense has fallen off this season.

25) Denver Broncos (3-7, previous ranking: #25): They’re struck with Russell Wilson’s contract, so until he plays at a much higher level, they won’t be a playoff team.

26) Carolina Panthers (3-8, previous ranking: #24): Again, they’re a good QB away from being in the playoff picture.

27) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7, previous ranking: #26): You can expect some changes on offense next year.

28) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7, previous ranking: #29): Over the next few seasons, this team should be able to challenge for an AFC Wild Card spot based on the good, young talent on their roster.

29) Los Angeles Rams (3-7, previous ranking: #28): What a difference a year makes.

30) Chicago Bears (3-8, previous ranking: #30): What’s surprising about this team is how the defense has regressed over the course of the season.

31) Las Vegas Raiders (3-7, previous ranking: #31): A nice comeback win last week, but the Raiders are still a bad football team.

32) Houston Texans (1-8-1, previous ranking: #32): It appears they could be looking for a new starting QB next year based on the way 2^nd-year pro Davis Mills has played this season.

– Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.