It’s a tough time of year in the NFL, as coaching changes, injuries, and quarterback issues are bubbling up all over the league. But it’s also a feel-good time for some, if you look around. Lets take a look at the NFL Power Rankings as we head into week 10.

32. Carolina Panthers

31. New England Patriots

30. Las Vegas Raiders

29. Tennessee Titans

28. New Orleans Saints

27. Cleveland Browns

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

25. New York Giants

24. Miami Dolphins

23. Dallas Cowboys

22. Indianapolis Colts

21. New York Jets

20. Chicago Bears

19. Seattle Seahawks

18. Los Angeles Rams

17. Denver Broncos

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

15. Los Angeles Chargers

14. Arizona Cardinals

13. Cincinnati Bengals

12. Pittsburgh Steelers

11. San Francisco 49ers

10. Houston Texans (6-3)

I wasn’t sure if I should even put this team in the top ten after last game. CJ Stroud took eight sacks against the Jets and has struggled overall in his games without Nico Collins. He’ll have had a few extra days’ rest prior to the SNF matchup with the red-hot Lions. That one will be a real measuring-stick game for the Texans, who remain in control of the AFC South but could use another statement victory after their recent struggles.

9. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)

The Falcons have started to pull ahead in the NFC South after taking down the Buccaneers a few weeks ago. They’ve now won five of their last six and the offense has solidified itself as a top unit in the NFL. Losing London for any stretch of time would sting with the Falcons’ bye still two weeks away. They also have back-to-back road games coming up.

8. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

Green Bay remains a good team in good shape overall, and last Sunday can be chalked up as a bad day against a superior opponent. The Packers would be the final playoff team in the NFC field if the postseason started today — and the good news for them is that there are not a lot of other teams pushing them for that spot. Jordan Love has thrown an interception in every game this season, he’ll need to play with better ball security moving forward if they want to make the same late-season push they had last year. This defense is still fantastic and I have a lot of faith in Jordan Love moving forward.

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

The Vikings defense returned to form last week against the Colts. Their pass rush was constantly pressuring Flacco and is now second in turnovers forced. The biggest concern is protecting Sam Darnold, who has been a bit inconsistent as of late with six touchdowns and four interceptions in his last four games. There likely was some adjustment around the arrival of Cam Robinson, who took over at left tackle with less than a week’s worth of practice. They’ll need him to pick things back up as the Vikings hit the road for the duration of November.

6. Buffalo Bills (7-2)

Buffalo doesn’t crack my top five due to the teams they’ve beaten. They only have one win against a team over .500 (Arizona Cardinals) and lost both of their most important games against the Ravens and Texans. Sweeping the Dolphins makes the Bills 3-0 in the AFC East, and unless the Jets can make a charge, the division is theirs. They don’t always look like a team with a 7-2 record, but with MVP candidate Josh Allen leading the way, these Bills can win most games, as long as they limit the big mistakes.

5. Washington Commanders (7-2)

The Commanders are no fluke, but it is worth noting they’ve beat up on the weaker part of their schedule like the Bills. Interestingly, Arizona is the only team over .500 they have beaten, just like the Bills. So why do I have the Commanders ranked higher? Their offense is elite and they are much better at defending the pass than Buffalo. I’m a little worried about the run defense, and Jayden Daniels wasn’t particularly special on Sunday, but he’s been very good (or better) in most games this season.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)

The Eagles might be back. In the past four games, Hurts has completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 844 yards, six TDs and no interceptions, also rushing for 159 yards and six more TDs. Over that same stretch, Barkley has run 84 times for 490 yards (a 5.8-yard average) with two TDs, plus another TD catch. Barkley has been worth every penny as this offense continues to gel. Fortunately, AJ Brown’s knee injury isn’t serious, and this team is still a serious threat to take the NFC East away from the Commanders.

3. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)

The Ravens just completed a sweep of the Bengals and have defeated three of their better opponents (Buffalo, Washington and Denver) by a total of 63 points. This team is built for a deep postseason run and seems to be improving more each game. But their pass defense is still very concerning as Joe Burrow diced them up for 428 yards and four touchdowns. Even after this weekends games, Baltimore should still have the last-ranked pass defense in the NFL. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens’ rush defense gives up the least amount of yards per game (75.7). Aside from that one glaring issue, this team looks like Lamar’s best shot yet at reaching the Super Bowl.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)

The undefeated Chiefs keep pulling out gutsy victories after coming back from a second-half deficit against the Buccaneers. Deandre Hopkins has made an immediate impact on passing attack, and the continued hard running of Kareem Hunt keeps the offense very balanced. The Chiefs have won seven of their eight games by just one score, but close games are kind of an advantage when you have the best quarterback of this generation on your team.

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)

The Lions are on top of the toughest conference in the NFL, meaning they are the top team in the NFL. They moved to 7-1 with a statement victory over the rival Packers, boosting their record against their two main competitors in the NFC North (Green Bay and Minnesota) to 2-0, with both wins coming on the road. Despite missing Aidan Hutchinson over the past three games, the defense has held strong — and now pass-rush help is on the way in the form of trade acquisition Za’Darius Smith. Offensively, even with receiver Jameson Williams being suspended for the past two games, the Lions scored 76 points, though the defense and special teams deserve some credit for that total, too. This group is built to win in several different ways, and it’s one that few teams in this league are equipped to handle.

Top Five College Football Games: Week 11

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