Welcome back to the blog ladies and gentlemen. It’s been a while since I’ve done much of ANYTHING on here, but I had some time after work to throw together some good ol’ fashioned Power Rankings. I’ve also included what record my model projects the team to finish at. Certainly not the gospel truth, but I thought it was pretty cool!
I’ve broken up the 32 teams into several tiers based on where I think they are as a squad. If your team is higher than you think they should be, enjoy it while you can. If your team is lower than you think they should be, it’s because your rival paid me off. Without further adieu, HERE WE GO
Tier 1: Super Bowl Contenders
1. Chiefs (10-1)
What more can be said about the Chiefs? Week in and week out the offense continues to impress. Although a lackluster second half against the Bucs may leave some room for concern, fans of Kansas City have absolutely nothing to complain about.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 15-1
2. Saints (9-2)
Saints keep marching. They were certainly helped by playing a QB-less Denver Broncos, but Taysom Hill continues to do enough to win games. I think the ceiling of this offense is indeed higher with Jameis Winston, but the floor is certainly higher with Hill. If the defense continues to play this well, the Saints will be tough out even without Drew Brees.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 13-3
3. Steelers (11-0)
The Steelers probably do have a legitimate gripe about what COVID has done to their season, although this was bound to happen when you try to play sports without a bubble environment. The burden just happened to fall on Pittsburgh this time, although you would not be able to tell from their record. They ESCAPED with a win against a depleted Ravens team and didn’t look particularly good at all. Fortunately for them the defense continues to dominate games, and the offense continues to just barely do enough to win games. Watch for their Week 16 matchup against the Colts.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 16-0
4. Packers (8-3)
Aaron Rodgers continues to do Aaron Rodgers things. The Packers offense continues to roll, and if it wasn’t for a few fumbles against the Colts this team would be 9-2. Rodgers dropped a rude 41 points against the famed Chicago Bears, who before tonight were only giving up 20.9 points a game. The defense did look a little suspect though, so there is room for improvement.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 12-4
Tier 2: Teams That Could Make a Run
5. Titans (8-3)
I haven’t quite seen enough to move the Titans up into the top tier of the NFL, but man did the offense look good against the Colts. Derrick Henry continues to bowl over every single player on the opposing roster, but there are some holes to address. The Titans did need OT to beat the Ravens last week, in a game that very easily could have gone the other way. The Titans defense needs to step up over the coming weeks during the playoff push.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 12-4
6. Colts (7-4)
Hey look who it is! Despite the tough loss against the Titans, this team is still legit. With DeForest Buckner hopefully returning soon, look for the Colts to bounce back against a weaker schedule going forward. Getting Taylor back will also be crucial to the success of the season.
P.S. Don’t listen to my model, I don’t know why it hates the Colts
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 9-7
7. Rams (7-4)
The Rams are such an up and down team. One Rams team dominates the Seahawks and beats the Bucs, the other almost loses to the Giants and does lose to the 49ers. It all comes down to Jared Goff, the world’s most perplexing quarterback. He has what it takes to lead his team to a Super Bowl, especially with the defense and run game behind him. He just has to figure out how to get there.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 11-5
8. Bucs (7-5)
The Bucs are pretty high on this power ranking despite their primetime record. Yes, their two losses to the Saints were bad, but they actually played a great second half against the Chiefs and could have won the game if it were 5 quarters. I think this team could put it together, and as always – Never count out Touchdown Tom.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 11-5
9. Seahawks (8-3)
The Seahawks seeeeem to be putting it together. There’s still something about this team that I can’t put my finger on though. It might be my internal bias, but this team never seems to be able to pull away from teams they should beat. Plus they gave up one of the worst bad beats of the season, so that was annoying. If the defense from the last couple of weeks shows up, this team will be TOUGH to beat. But if it doesn’t, Seattle will be poised for a quick exit. The defense should feast the next three games, and will build up a lot of momentum headed into a critical Week 16 matchup against the Rams that will likely decide the division.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 12-4
10. Bills (8-3)
Oh what could have been without the Hail Murray. A 9-2 Bills team would be talked about in a much different light than an 8-3 team, but I do think their record accurately reflects the team as a whole. The defense has taken a step back from seasons prior, but the addition of Diggs has elevated this offense to new heights. Their last 5 games are all against great defenses, so the offense will certainly be tested.
Spencer’s Projected Finish: 10-6
Tier 3: Should be Playoff Teams, But Work to Do
11. Ravens (6-5)
What a game the Baltimore B team just put up against the undefeated Steelers! It’s hard to hold the actual result from today against the Ravens, but we can count the ones in prior weeks. The games against the Patriots and the Titans are games that the 2019 Ravens close out. Fortunately for the Ravens, the rest of the schedule is much easier than the beginning. They can still make the playoffs, but it may require winning out – much easier said than done against *any* schedule. Getting Calais Campbell back will make the road a lot easier.
Spencer’s Projected Record: 11-5
12. Cardinals (6-5)
Man, what is going on in Arizona? Not to be the biased fan, but the kicker is partially to blame. The Cardinals kicker has directly cost 2 games for Kyler Murray, but that doesn’t exonerate Kliff Kingsbury either. The play-calling and decision making from the sophomore head coach has been questionable at best and abysmal at worst. They’ll have to figure out what to do if they’re going to make the playoffs. This team’s ceiling is very high, but the undisciplined nature of this young team will likely cost them a deep run.
Spencer’s Projected Record: 9-7
13. Raiders (6-5)
2020 is very different than 2019 in a lot of ways, but not for the Raiders. In both seasons the team took a blowout loss in week 12 to fall to 6-5. In 2019 the Raiders finished 7-9, which would be a hugely disappointing result for a team that gave the Chiefs their only loss of the season. Luckily Carr gets to face the Jets, which is the easiest way to give your team a shot of adrenaline.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (11-5) !!!
14. Dolphins (7-4)
Brian Flores has this team ahead of schedule in terms of competing for a division title. The defense is phenomenal, but Tua’s injury concerns are obviously troubling. I think they’ll eek their way into a spot, but Ryan Fitzpatrick just isn’t good enough to lead this team deep in the playoffs. Tua is.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (10-6)
15. Browns (8-3)
The Browns may be the toughest team to get a read on. The two headed monster of Chubb and Hunt are tearing defenses apart, but Baker has to be good enough to lead the team down the stretch. That along with the last three weeks being played in monsoon weather, doesn’t make me feel very comfortable slotting them further up. A win against the Titans next week would certainly vault them sky high.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (8-8) ???
Tier 4: Teams That Are One or Two Pieces Away
TIER 4
16. Bears (5-6)
After starting the season 5-1, the Bears have lost 5 straight games largely due to an absolutely inept offense. But this last week, Trubisky and the Bears didn’t look *horrible* on offense. Not to say they looked good, but the defense certainly didn’t make the trip to Lambeau with the rest of the team. Missing Akiem Hicks on the DL certainly crippled this defense to an unrecognizable unit. If the Bears want to win any games, they need to figure out how to adapt and fast.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (7-9)
17. Texans (4-7)
Deshaun Watson is having another special year. While Patrick Mahomes is certainly the star of his draft class, Watson has been flying under the radar as his own kind of superstar. The unfortunate suspension of Will Fuller really hurts this team though. Fuller was playing as a true #1 receiver, and now you have to wonder who Watson will throw the ball too. It is so strange to think that this team was up 24-0 on the Chiefs just a year ago.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (7-9)
18. 49ers (5-6)
I’m not going to lie, I thought this team was pretty much done – but a win over the Rams may revitalize this team. I have to wonder how being displaced from their home stadium and practice facilities for the next 3 weeks will impact the team, but it’s possible that they go on a run and push their way back into the playoffs. It all starts next week with a tough matchup against the Bills.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (7-9)
19. Patriots (5-6)
Well, Bill Belichick deserves a lot of credit. His defense shut out one of the top offenses in the league in the second and third quarters. Cam’s stats lead a lot to be desired, but winning is ultimately all that matters in this league. There is a huge uphill climb to the playoffs, but don’t count Bill and the Patriots quite out yet.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (8-8)
20. Washington (4-7)
The Giants still have the inside track to the NFC East crown, but Ron Rivera has done good things with this team in Year 1 of his regime. The passing defense is elite and the Alex Smith led offense is doing enough to win some games (not a lot though). I could see Washington shocking the 5 seed in the NFC, so it might not be the cupcake path many make it out to be.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (6-10)
Tier 5: Things Need to Change, Now
21. Broncos (4-7)
The Broncos defense can only do so much. It was honestly impressive that they were able to score against the Saints defense without a real quarterback (no offense Kendall Hinton). This team might be good, but it’s hard to tell honestly. Certainly not good or consistent enough to be a playoff team, but a few of their remaining games will be good measuring sticks for the future of the franchise.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (5-11)
22. Chargers (3-8)
Justin Herbert looks goooood but Anthony Lynn looks baaaaaad. I think it is likely time to part ways with the head coach, but only time will tell if he can salvage his job over the last 5 weeks of the season. They have a few winnable games (Patriots, Falcons, Broncos) and a few tough ones (@ Raiders, @ Chiefs) that will decide the future of Lynn and the team.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (3-13)
23. Falcons (4-7)
Are the Falcons back? Don’t get fooled, Atlanta is one of the most inconsistent teams in the league – and they have been for some time. I know that it’s been said to death, but something in this team broke against the Patriots and I’m not sure it gets fixed until Matt Ryan is out of the building. Not that he’s even the problem, but he may also be legitimately cursed.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (5-11)
24. Vikings (5-6)
It’s really hard to tell if Kirk Cousins is good or bad. I think he’s kind of the Nick Cage of football. At any rate, I don’t think this defense is good enough to really put up much of a fight against real NFL offenses. We’ll see if I’m proven right or wrong down the stretch, but this offense is not built to go down early. And this defense let’s that happen a lot. Spencer’s Projected Record: (6-10)
Tier 6: Just Give It a Year!
25. Giants (4-7)
This actually feels a little mean to the G-Men and I actually feel like they’ve got a good thing going right now, but I do feel like they’re the second best team in the NFC East right now. If Daniel Jones ever figures out the whole turnover thing, this team could be dangerous.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (6-10)
26. Panthers (4-7)
There is certainly reason for optimism in Carolina, but it’s been tough sledding this season. Letting the Vikings game slip away from them feels like the nail in the coffin for this season, but there are still 5 games for this team to further learn Rhule’s system. That has to be the focus down the stretch. Spencer’s Projected Record: (7-9)
Tier 7: Yikes…
27. Lions (4-7)
There are a lot of 4-7 teams huh? Well the Lions feel like one of the worst ones. Detroit has mostly wasted a great career from Matthew Stafford, but firing Patricia feels like the right move. The Lions need to find the right leader for this franchise, and the sooner they can start looking the better.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (5-11)
28. Eagles (3-7-1)
The E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES are bad. Every year it feels like injuries, but eventually you have to point the blame at someone. It will likely fall on Doug Pederson rather than Carson Wentz, but with Jalen Hurts getting first team reps who knows. With a top-10 pick imminent, the Eagles need to figure out what they have in the QB prospect. But at the same time they’re only ½ game out of first place! Decisions, decisions. Spencer’s Projected Record: (4-11-1)
29. Cowboys (3-8)
Well after Dak Prescott got hurt, this year was always going to be bad. Even with Dak Prescott though this defense looked bad. The Cowboys will get a top draft pick and then try it again next year, though if it’s without Dak Prescott then we should expect similar results to this season.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (3-13)
Tier 8: The Cellar
30. Bengals (2-8-1)
3 steps to success for the Bengals:
- Let Burrow heal
- Get OL talent
- Run the ball more
Spencer’s Projected Record: (3-12-1)
31. Jaguars (1-10)
The Jaguars might be the best 1-10 team of all time, but that doesn’t make them good at all. In fact, they’re bad. They’ll get better with one of Fields or Lawrence.
Spencer’s Projected Record: (2-14)
32. Jets (0-11)
LOL
Spencer’s Projected Record: (1-15)
Thanks for Reading!
Let’s all say a prayer for peace and no COVID, happy Week 13!
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