2023 NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Vikings Continue Climbing Up and a New Leader Emerges
Josh Frey
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The first half of the NFL season is officially in the books after the conclusion of Week 9’s events.
The league is starting to round into shape in terms of who the contenders could be and who is on the outside of the playoff picture.
Regardless, there is still a ton of football to be played, and after one of the more entertaining weekends of this season, here is a look at the updated 2023 NFL power rankings as we head into Week 10.
The Super Bowl Contenders
1. Baltimore Ravens
- Last Week: 37-3 win vs. SEA
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/12 vs. CLE
The Ravens have faced two division leaders in the past three weeks, and they’ve won those two games by a combined score of 75-9. Baltimore is playing some dominant football right now, and they’ve earned this spot in the poll position.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
- Last Week: 28-23 win vs. DAL
- Trending: —
- This Week: Bye
Problems still remain with the Eagles defense as Dallas was able to get just about whatever they wanted through the air. Jalen Hurts is also clearly working through an injury right now, but despite all these problems, Philly still managed to extend their lead for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They get to work through some of their lingering issues over the bye.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
- Last Week: 24-18 win vs. BUF
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/12 vs. HOU
Cincinnati is rolling right now. They didn’t quite string together a full game offensively, but their defense has improved week by week, and as long as Joe Burrow is at the quarterback spot, there should be continued faith that one of these weeks, the Bengals offense will break out in a big way.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
- Last Week: 21-14 win vs. MIA (Frankfurt)
- Trending: +1
- This Week: Bye
The Chiefs should have won this game by double digits, but they opened the door for Miami late in the game. Still, their defense is proving to be one of the top units in the NFL, and they get a chance to heal any lingering injuries as they roll into their bye.
5. Miami Dolphins
- Last Week: 14-21 loss @ KC (Frankfurt)
- Trending: -4
- This Week: Bye
Miami is a very good team, but they just haven’t been able to pull out wins against the better teams in the AFC, and ultimately, that is going to hurt them come playoff time if they don’t get better. Once again, the offense just couldn’t put together drives on the road, and the pass protection needs to be much better.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/5 vs. SF
The Jaguars rode into their bye on a very high note by winning five consecutive games. Now as a well-rested group, they get to play host to the San Francisco 49ers.
Strong Playoff Teams
7. San Francisco 49ers
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: +1
- This Week: 11/5 @ JAX
The 49ers also spent the past weekend on their bye, but their week off was likely spent fixing the mistakes on this team. They entered their bye on a three-game losing streak, and they have looked like a shell of themselves over the past month or so.
8. Dallas Cowboys
- Last Week: 23-28 loss @ PHI
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 11/5 vs. NYG
Dallas might have been able to beat Philadelphia on Sunday, but they simply ran out of time at the end. Dak Prescott played a very strong game, but much like Miami, this is a team that simply has not not been able to beat other contenders.
9. Detroit Lions
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: +1
- This Week: 11/5 @ LAC
Detroit needs to come out of their bye week with a sense of urgency now that their once-comfortable lead in the NFC North has dwindled down to 1.5 games. One more slip-up between now and January could be the deciding factor between them winning and losing the division.
10. Cleveland Browns
- Last Week: 27-0 win vs. ARI
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/12 @ BAL
That’s the Cleveland Browns that we’ve been anticipating this season. Of course, it helps that they were playing at home against Clayton Tune making his first career NFL start, but they were fantastic both offensively and defensively throughout the game.
The “Swing” Teams
11. Buffalo Bills
- Last Week: 18-24 loss @ CIN
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 11/13 vs. DEN
If the playoffs began today, they would not include the Buffalo Bills, who lost their third game in the past five weeks. Since their 48-point outburst against the Dolphins, this has not been a very good football team. There isn’t one singular issue to point out that has been a problem, either, which is frustrating. One week, the offense isn’t good enough while, another week, it’s been defensive lapses causing the issues.
12. Minnesota Vikings
- Last Week: 31-28 win @ ATL
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/12 vs. NO
I don’t think anyone would have guessed that Minnesota’s first 30-point game would come without help from players like Kirk Cousins, Christian Darrisaw, or Justin Jefferson, but that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Josh Dobbs came into the game cold and proved he had ice in his veins by leading a fourth-quarter comeback against the Falcons. Now, Jefferson is eligible to return for the Vikings to further boon this offense.
13. Los Angeles Chargers
- Last Week: 27-6 win vs. NYJ
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/12 vs. DET
Fumbling was definitely a problem on Monday night at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers fumbled three times over the course of the game, but luckily, none of them resulted in turnovers. Their defense stepped up in a big way, though, negating a bad night offensively.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Last Week: 20-16 win vs. TEN
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/12 vs. GB
Pittsburgh’s defense shone through on Thursday night, allowing just 3 points in the second half against Tennessee. Then, right on cue, Kenny Pickett made just enough plays down the stretch to lead a game-winning drive to seal the deal.
15. New Orleans Saints
- Last Week: 24-17 win vs. CHI
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/12 @ MIN
New Orleans should have won this game by about 20 points, but once again, their offensive struggles came at exactly the wrong time. They still got the victory, but a single-possession win seems disappointing when the defense forced 5 turnovers.
16. Houston Texans
- Last Week: 39-37 win vs. TB
- Trending: +1
- This Week: 11/12 @ CIN
In case you weren’t convinced, C.J. Stroud has arrived. The rookie threw for a rookie record 470 yards and 5 TDs on Sunday, which included a game-winning drive to seal the deal against Tampa Bay. He was already firmly in the driver’s seat for the OROY award, and now, he may have clinched it.
17. Seattle Seahawks
- Last Week: 3-37 loss @ BAL
- Trending: -6
- This Week: 11/12 vs. WSH
It was an all-around bad game for Seattle this past weekend. Their offensive line could not stand up to Baltimore’s pass-rush while the Ravens got anything they wanted through the air or on the ground en route to 37 points and over 500 yards of offense.
18. Indianapolis Colts
- Last Week: 27-13 win @ CAR
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/12 @ NE (Frankfurt)
Indy’s offense didn’t do much on Sunday, but they didn’t need to when Kenny Moore recorded a pair of pick-sixes. The Colts defense had been pretty horrendous over the past few weeks, so this was a perfect get-right game for that group.
19. Tennessee Titans
- Last Week: 16-20 loss @ PIT
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 11/12 @ TB
Will Levis certainly looks like an intriguing prospect at the QB position, but the late-game jitters got the better of him as he threw an interception to seal this loss against the Steelers. Still, the rookie made a few nice throws along the way and should continue to get starting reps for Tennessee.
20. Green Bay Packers
- Last Week: 20-3 win vs. LAR
- Trending: +5
- This Week: 11/12 @ PIT
This game got a lot easier for Green Bay when Brett Rypien was named the starter rather than Matthew Stafford. The most promising development for the Packers, though, was their rushing attack. It has been a problem throughout much of the year, but they broke out for 184 yards on the ground this past weekend.
21. New York Jets
- Last Week: 6-27 loss @ LAC
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 11/12 @ LV
The Jets offense couldn’t put anything together on Monday night, and fumbles were a big reason why. They put the ball on the ground four separate times and turned it over on three occasions. Breece Hall had one of his worst games of his career running the ball, so New York falls a couple spots ahead of their Sunday night game against the Raiders.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Last Week: 37-39 loss @ HOU
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 11/12 vs. TEN
Very little blame can go towards the Buccaneers offense for this loss, but the defense was carved up by Stroud all afternoon. This is the exact inverse of what has been expected from this team.
23. Denver Broncos
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/13 @ BUF
Denver had a couple good games heading into their bye, and now, they get to test if they are actually putting things together against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
24. Los Angeles Rams
- Last Week: 3-20 loss @ GB
- Trending: -6
- This Week: Bye
It’s pretty simple for the Rams. If Matthew Stafford remains sidelined from his thumb injury for a few weeks, they’ll quickly fall out of playoff contention. On the other hand, if the veteran can return following the bye, LA has the pieces in place to make a second half run.
On the Outside Looking In
25. Atlanta Falcons
- Last Week: 28-31 loss vs. MIN
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 11/12 @ ARI
A couple poor Taylor Heinicke throws and bad collective effort on defense allowed the Vikings to steal this game. Atlanta has plenty of weapons, but none of them seem to click at the right time.
26. Washington Commanders
- Last Week: 20-17 win @ NE
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/12 @ SEA
Washington and New England both looked like bad football teams on Sunday just trying to escape with a win. At least for the Commanders, they have found an answer at the quarterback spot which is promising for their future.
27. Las Vegas Raiders
- Last Week: 30-6 win vs. NYG
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 11/12 vs. NYJ
Josh Jacobs finally got his burst back for the Raiders this weekend, and Aidan O’Connell actually played a decent game at the quarterback spot. Granted, this game was against a reeling Giants team, but it’s a positive step for a team that felt like it was coming apart at the seams just a couple days ago.
28. New England Patriots
- Last Week: 17-20 loss vs. WSH
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 11/12 vs. IND (Frankfurt)
Mac Jones simply isn’t the guy for the Patriots at quarterback. Save an explosive 64-yard TD run from Rhamondre Stevenson, the offense was lethargic all afternoon against a Commanders defense that just traded away their top two pass-rushers.
29. Chicago Bears
- Last Week: 17-24 loss @ NO
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/9 vs. CAR
Tyson Bagent took the Bears out of the game with his passing, but honestly, this was a promising game for the Bears defense. It feels like some of their young pieces are starting to come together, and the addition of Montez Sweat only increases that.
30. New York Giants
- Last Week: 6-30 loss @ LV
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 11/12 @ DAL
New York lost Daniel Jones for the season, and they were blown out by a Raiders team that started Aidan O’Connell at QB after firing their head coach just days prior. The Giants are a mess right now, and without Jones, it doesn’t seem like one that will be fixed anytime soon.
31. Carolina Panthers
- Last Week: 13-27 loss vs. IND
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/9 @ CHI
Bryce Young had another rough outing on Sunday, including the aforementioned turnover issues. It’s been a rough season for the first overall pick, but he is hardly the only problem in Carolina right now. This team still feels like they are near the bottom of the barrell in the NFL.
32. Arizona Cardinals
- Last Week: 0-27 loss @ CLE
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/12 vs. ATL
Clayton Tune was thrown into a very difficult situation this past weekend, and he did not pass that test. The rookie QB looked completely flustered all afternoon, and until Kyler Murray returns to the field, the Cardinals will remain at the bottom of the league.
Kevin O’Connell Makes Starting QB Decision for Week 10
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.