JOHN McCLAIN’S NFL POWER RANKINGS
Pittsburgh 10-0 (ranked No. 1 last week): After hammering Jacksonville, the Steelers have a three-game lead in the AFC North.
Kansas City 9-1 (2): The Patrick Mahomes-led, come-from-behind Monday night victory at Las Vegas sets up the Chiefs’ game at Tampa Bay.
New Orleans 8-2 (3): With Taysom Hill replacing the injured Drew Brees, the Saints disposed of Atlanta for a seventh consecutive victory.
Indianapolis 7-3 (6): The Colts rallied to defeat Green Bay in overtime, setting up another showdown against Tennessee.
Green Bay 7-3 (4): The Packers still have a two-game lead in the NFC North after losing at Indianapolis.
Seattle 7-3 (13): The victory over Arizona kept the Seahawks in a first-place tie in the NFC West going into Monday’s game at Philadelphia. L.A. Rams 7-3 (12): The Rams earned an impressive Monday victory at Tampa Bay to keep them tied with Seattle for first in the NFCWest. Tennessee 7-3 (14): Derrick Henry’s TD run gave the Titans an overtime victory at Baltimore leading up to their game at Indianapolis. Tampa Bay 7-4 (5): The Bucs have lost their last two games at home to the Saints and Rams. Now they host the Chiefs. Buffalo 7-3 (10): The Bills return from their open date with a one-game lead in the AFC East over Miami. Arizona 6-4 (7): After losing to the Seahawks and falling one game out of first place in the NFCWest, the Cardinals travel to New England.
Baltimore 6-4 (8): The Ravens lost back-toback games to the Patriots and Titans to drop into third place in the AFC North.
Cleveland 7-3 (15): The Browns went 2-1 in three consecutive home games in terrible weather.
Las Vegas 6-4 (11): The Raiders lost a tough Sunday night game at home to Kansas City. They’ll try to recover against Atlanta.
Miami 6-4 (9): Losing at Denver cost the Dolphins a chance to tie the Bills for first place in the AFC East. The Jets shouldn’t be a problem. Chicago 5-5 (19): The Bears come off their open date two games behind Green Bay in the NFC North. Minnesota 4-6 (16): The Vikings’ three-game winning streak ended with a loss at Dallas. They should be able to win at home against Carolina. New England 4-6 (17): Losing to the Texans ended the Patriots’ playoff hopes for all practical purposes. Denver 4-6 (25): The Broncos ended Miami’s five-game winning streak at home. Now they’ll try to end the Saints’ seven-game win streak. Carolina 4-7 (24): The Panthers ended their five-game losing streak with a shutout win over Detroit behind rookie quarterback P.J. Walker. San Francisco 4-6 (21): The 49ers got the weekend off. They play on the road against the Rams. N.Y. Giants 3-7 (22): Coming off their open date, the Giants are one-half game out of first place in the NFC East. Houston 3-7 (27): The Texans beat New England, the first time they’ve defeated a team other than Jacksonville. Dallas 3-7 (30): With Andy Dalton returning, the Cowboys ended the Vikings’ three-game winning streak. Philadelphia 3-6-1 (23): CarsonWentz is struggling and getting blasted by fans and media after the Eagles’ loss at Cleveland.
L.A. Chargers 3-7 (28): Rookie Justin Herbert threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers’ victory over the Jets.
Washington 3-7 (29): After beating the Bengals, Washington is in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East.
Atlanta 3-7 (20): The Falcons’ offense looked terrible in a 15-point loss to the Saints. They’ll try to rebound at home against Las Vegas. Detroit 4-6 (18): The Lions got shut out at Carolina, the first time they’ve failed to score since 2009. Cincinnati 2-7-1 (26): With Joe Burrow gone with a season-ending knee injury, the Bengals might not win another game. Jacksonville 1-9 (31): The Jaguars got obliterated by the Steelers to extend their losing streak to nine games. N.Y. Jets 0-10 (32): The woeful Jets scored 28 points against the Chargers and still lost by six. They return home to play the Dolphins.