2023 NFL Power Rankings, Week 11: Vikings Jump a Tier, Broncos Soar, Super Bowl Contenders Tumble
Josh Frey
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Folks, this may have been the most entertaining weekend of football this season.
Week 10 jumpstarted the second half of the NFL season, and even without the Chiefs, Dolphins, or Eagles playing, there were competitive matchups between some of the best teams in the league throughout this slate of games.
Now that this weekend of NFL action has come to a close, here is a look at the updated 2023 NFL power rankings heading into Week 11.
Super Bowl Contenders
1. Philadelphia Eagles
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: +1
- This Week: 11/20 @ KC
The Eagles didn’t play last weekend, but with every other team in last week’s Super Bowl tier either also being on a bye or losing, Philadelphia reclaims the top spot heading into Week 11. There are still question marks on their defense, but they have a chance to prove that they own this top spot on Monday night against the Chiefs.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/20 vs. PHI
In a similar vein to Philadelphia, Kansas City benefited from watching the other contenders on the couch this weekend. The Chiefs re-gained the top seed in the AFC after both Baltimore and Jacksonville lost this weekend, so the road to the Super Bowl currently goes through Arrowhead. That bodes well for their hopes in January, but they need to take care of business against Philadelphia.
3. San Francisco 49ers
- Last Week: 34-3 win @ JAX
- Trending: +4
- This Week: 11/19 vs. TB
San Francisco got healthy last week, so with Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams back on the field, this 49ers offense was back to being a juggernaut. They ran up and down the field on a Jaguars defense that had been hot over the past few weeks and got back on track to begin the second half of the season. Chase Young playing opposite Nick Bosa is going to be a problem for opponents as well.
4. Baltimore Ravens
- Last Week: 31-33 loss vs. CLE
- Trending: -3
- This Week: 11/16 vs. CIN
Things were looking great for Baltimore during the first half, but Lamar Jackson made some bad plays during the second half and allowed Cleveland to crawl their way back into the game. Luckily, their next opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, didn’t fare too well in Week 10, either.
5. Miami Dolphins
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/19 vs. LV
Miami rested up on their bye, and now, breakout RB De’Von Achane is on his road back to the field after having his 21-day practice window opened on Monday. This team should be close to fully healthy by the time they play the Raiders.
6. Cincinnati Bengals
- Last Week: 27-30 loss vs. HOU
- Trending: -3
- This Week: 11/16 @ BAL
Cincinnati went into this game without Tee Higgins or Trey Hendrickson. That takes some of the edge off this loss, but still, it was a game that they should have won at home against a young Texans squad. The offense looks fine, but they just aren’t consistent enough right now. They will need to find that consistency against the Ravens on Thursday night.
Strong Playoff Teams
7. Cleveland Browns
- Last Week: 33-31 win @ BAL
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 11/19 vs. PIT
The AFC North continues to get weirder as the Cleveland Browns completed a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens by putting up 24 points during the second half. A Greg Newsome pick-six helped immensely in this victory, and Dustin Hopkins sealed the deal with a game-winning field goal at the end.
8. Dallas Cowboys
- Last Week: 49-17 win vs. NYG
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/19 @ CAR
Dallas did exactly what everyone expected of them by blowing the doors off the New York Giants this weekend. It was a bit of a slow start for the offense, but Dak Prescott got on track as the game wore on. They have a chance to continue this torrent pace against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11.
9. Detroit Lions
- Last Week: 41-38 win @ LAC
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/19 vs. CHI
David Montgomery returned to the field for Detroit and immediately welcomed himself back by ripping off a 75-yard TD run on Sunday. The Lions offense is nearly unstoppable when they’re at full health, and they are exactly that heading into Week 11 against Chicago.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Last Week: 3-34 loss vs. SF
- Trending: -4
- This Week: 11/19 vs. TEN
This was an ugly loss for the Jaguars. After five consecutive wins, they had a chance to make a true statement against the 49ers at home. Instead, they laid an egg and were dominated on both sides of the ball. They still hold a great position in the AFC, but some of the luster may be wearing off.
11. Minnesota Vikings
- Last Week: 27-19 win vs. NO
- Trending: +1
- This Week: 11/19 @ DEN
Josh Dobbs has been a perfect fit in Minnesota’s offense over the past couple weeks, and the Vikings have scored 25+ points in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season. With Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn potentially coming back this week, the group has a great chance to keep rolling against Denver.
12. Houston Texans
- Last Week: 30-27 win @ CIN
- Trending: +4
- This Week: 11/19 vs. ARI
C.J. Stroud may have eclipsed the Rookie of the Year discussion and could now be in the MVP discussion after another dominant showing. As we head into Week 11, this Texans team has already won five games this season, which is more than they’ve accomplished in any year since 2019.
The “Swing” Teams
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Last Week: 23-19 win @ GB
- Trending: +1
- This Week: 11/19 @ CLE
For the ninth consecutive time to start this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were outgained by their opponent. Still, they continue to manage to make winning plays at the perfect time and hold a 6-3 record as well as the top Wild Card spot in the AFC. The defense allowed just six points during the second half while interceptions on each of Green Bay’s final two drives ensured that Pittsburgh would snatch another victory.
14. Seattle Seahawks
- Last Week: 29-26 win vs. WSH
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 11/19 @ LAR
Seattle managed to get a win this week, but it was ugly for awhile. Luckily, the offense bounced back in the fourth quarter to win this game. They will need to be able to put together four quarters of offense at some point, but this team can still be a playoff contender.
15. Buffalo Bills
- Last Week: 22-24 loss vs. DEN
- Trending: -4
- This Week: 11/19 @ NYJ
So many things are going wrong in Buffalo. Josh Allen continues to commit turnovers, and the defense simply isn’t equipped to spend extra time on the field. Buffalo simply isn’t a very good football team right now, and if they are going to make a playoff push, they need better play from their QB.
16. Los Angeles Chargers
- Last Week: 38-41 loss vs. DET
- Trending: -3
- This Week: 11/19 @ GB
Brandon Staley’s defense continues to be a mess in LA. They’ve allowed 475+ yards of offense on four separate occasions now, and the Chargers essentially allowed Detroit to get whatever they wanted. Whoever had the ball last was going to win this game, and it happened to be the Lions. LA needs to get their defense right if they want to actually contend in the AFC.
17. Denver Broncos
- Last Week: 24-22 win @ BUF
- Trending: +6
- This Week: 11/19 vs. MIN
Here comes Denver. They’ve now won three consecutive games, including victories over the defending champs and now their latest win over the Bills. The defense has played much better football during this winning streak, and while there are still inconsistencies on offense, they have enough playmakers to keep themselves in games. We’ll see if they can keep it going against the red-hot Vikings.
18. New Orleans Saints
- Last Week: 19-27 loss @ MIN
- Trending: -3
- This Week: Bye
Derek Carr left the game with an injury after a poor first half, and while Jameis Winston nearly dragged the Saints all the way back, a couple very Winston-esque interceptions got in New Orleans’ way. They still hold a lead in the NFC South, though, and they have a chance to get healthy during their bye.
19. Indianapolis Colts
- Last Week: 10-6 win @ NE (Frankfurt)
- Trending: -1
- This Week: Bye
It was an ugly game over in Germany, so even with the win, Indianapolis takes a tumble in the rankings. Their defense played well, but Gardner Minshew and the offense did very little throughout the game. It’s tough to imagine they would have beaten anyone other than the Patriots in that game.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Last Week: 20-6 win vs. TEN
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/19 @ SF
Mike Evans had a very strong game to lead Tampa Bay to a win over the Titans. With the Falcons and Saints losing this weekend, the Buccaneers are back in the mix in the NFC South, sitting just half a game out of first place.
21. Las Vegas Raiders
- Last Week: 16-12 win vs. NYJ
- Trending: +6
- This Week: 11/19 @ MIA
This was an ugly game for Las Vegas, but they get a bigger boost this week because they never should have been as low as I had them following the firing of Josh McDaniels. The team is talented enough to remain competitive with a lot of teams in the AFC, but their upcoming road matchup against the Dolphins will be a tough task.
22. Tennessee Titans
- Last Week: 6-20 loss @ TB
- Trending: -3
- This Week: 11/19 @ JAX
All the Will Levis hype came crashing back to earth this weekend. He got hit a ton this weekend, which led to an erratic passing day. The rookie QB completed less than 50% of his passes while Derrick Henry had one of those games where he couldn’t get anything going in the ground game.
23. New York Jets
- Last Week: 12-16 loss @ LV
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 11/19 @ BUF
The Jets have not scored a touchdown since the first quarter of their Week 8 game against the New York Giants. That’s 11 quarters of touchdown-less football for this team, and while the defense is great enough to muck things up for the opposition, they need more production from their offense to actually win games.
24. Los Angeles Rams
- Last Week: Bye
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/19 vs. SEA
The Rams are expecting to have Matthew Stafford back for Week 11, which hopefully will lead to a somewhat more productive offense than what they saw with Brett Rypien at QB. Regardless, this team needs to rattle off wins quickly if they are going to avoid falling out of this tier.
On the Outside Looking In
25. Green Bay Packers
- Last Week: 19-23 loss vs. PIT
- Trending: -5
- This Week: 11/19 vs. LAC
We’re at a new low for the Packers this season. Jordan Love did have a couple TD passes during this game, but they were all but cancelled out by a pair of interceptions. The defense got absolutely thrashed by Pittsburgh in the ground game as well, giving up over 200 rushing yards.
26. Washington Commanders
- Last Week: 26-29 loss @ SEA
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/19 vs. NYG
Washington continues to find themselves in close games, but they simply cannot find a way to win consistently right now. Their last five games have been decided by one possession, but they are 2-3 in those games. The defense needed one stop to force overtime against the Seahawks, but they just couldn’t find a way to get it done.
27. Chicago Bears
- Last Week: 16-13 win vs. CAR
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 11/19 @ DET
Someone had to win on Thursday night, and Chicago’s defense has actually been one of the better groups over the past few weeks. For the third time in the past five weeks, the Bears held their opponent to under 20 points as well as fewer than 300 total yards. Can that continue against their division rivals in Week 11?
28. Arizona Cardinals
- Last Week: 25-23 win vs. ATL
- Trending: +4
- This Week: 11/19 @ HOU
Kyler Murray made his return on Sunday while James Conner also was activated from IR, and suddenly, the Cardinals offense looked solid again. There are still some kinks to be worked out, but Arizona could be on the path towards being competitive for the remainder of the season.
29. Atlanta Falcons
- Last Week: 23-25 loss @ ARI
- Trending: -4
- This Week: Bye
Atlanta is a mess right now. Their defense has shown some cracks in the armor over this three-game losing streak, allowing 25+ points and 120+ rushing yards in each of the three games. Desmond Ridder had to come back in and finish this game too, and he made a couple decent throws but couldn’t make enough plays to win this game.
30. New England Patriots
- Last Week: 6-10 loss vs. IND (Frankfurt)
- Trending: -2
- This Week: Bye
All the woes on offense came to a head at the end of Sunday’s game against the Colts. New England benched Mac Jones (again) for the two-minute drill, and on a fake spike, Bailey Zappe whipped a horrible interception to end the game. This team has a few intriguing weapons, but the QB problem trumps any type of success.
31. New York Giants
- Last Week: 17-49 loss @ DAL
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 11/19 @ WSH
It’s a bit of a surprise that New York even managed to score 17 points against Dallas’ defense on Sunday, but still, this team isn’t going far with Tommy DeVito as their starter.
32. Carolina Panthers
- Last Week: 13-16 loss @ CHI
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 11/19 vs. DAL
Carolina could not get enough offense going to defeat a Bears team that was led by Tyson Bagent. The ceiling has been falling around first overall pick Bryce Young throughout the season, and Thursday night was another example of it.
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.