Tag: NFL power rankings

All 32 NFL teams (including the Broncos) ranked by FPI ratings

Going into Week 15, the Broncos have a -1.2 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. 

Fourteen weeks into the season, the Denver Broncos (8-5) have a -1.2 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 22nd in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7), who will face the Broncos in Week 15, are ranked 24th with a -2.7 FPI rating.

FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” according to ESPN.com. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

So with that background in mind, here’s a look at how the league’s 32 teams stack up based on FPI going into Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season.

  1. Detroit Lions (12-1): 8.4
  2. Buffalo Bills (10-3): 6.7
  3. Green Bay Packers (9-4): 6.2
  4. Baltimore Ravens (8-5): 6.2
  5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2): 4.6
  6. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1): 3.7
  7. Minnesota Vikings (11-2): 3.3
  8. San Francisco 49ers (6-7): 3.1
  9. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3): 1.7
  10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6): 1.7
  11. Washington Commanders (8-5): 1.3
  12. Houston Texans (8-5): 1.1
  13. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5): 1.0
  14. Los Angeles Rams (7-6): 0.6
  15. Arizona Cardinals (6-7): 0.6
  16. Miami Dolphins (6-7): 0.3
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8): 0.1
  18. Seattle Seahawks (8-5): -0.3
  19. Atlanta Falcons (6-7): -0.7
  20. New York Jets (3-10): -0.7
  21. Cleveland Browns (3-10): -1.0
  22. Denver Broncos (8-5): -1.2
  23. Chicago Bears (4-9): -1.5
  24. Indianapolis Colts (6-7): -2.7
  25. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11): -4.2
  26. Tennesee Titans (3-10): -6.1
  27. New England Patriots (3-10): -6.7
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10): -6.8
  29. New Orleans Saints (5-8): -7.3
  30. Dallas Cowboys (5-8): -7.3
  31. New York Giants (2-11): -8.5
  32. Carolina Panthers (3-10): -9.6

The Broncos will aim to improve their rating when they host the Colts on Dec. 15. Denver has moved up two spots since last week.

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How Week 14 loss affected Chargers place in NFL power rankings

Despite their loss on Sunday, the Chargers did not move that much in the power rankings.

The Chargers fell to 8-5 after losing to the Chiefs last Sunday.

After Week 14, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 12 (Previous: 12)

“Pretty good effort Sunday night at Arrowhead, especially with RB J.K. Dobbins and WR Ladd McConkey, the Bolts’ leaders in yards from scrimmage, both unavailable. Their six turnovers are the league’s fewest, yet it still feels like a conservative, mistake-mitigating approach is one that isn’t going to pay many dividends in the playoffs.”

NFL: 9 (Previous: 9)

“With no Ladd McConkey against the Chiefs, the Chargers’ offensive struggles reached near-doldrum levels early on, coming off a win where they never reached the end zone offensively. Sunday night’s loss stings, for sure, and it gives the Bolts an idea of what more they need to do to beat quality teams. That’s now three straight one-score losses to Kansas City. Even still, Justin Herbert kept dealing and kept making big throws, and the play-action and run games both started working again. I think the offense will be OK once McConkey returns to the lineup, and as long as the Chargers don’t flounder down the stretch, they will be in the playoffs and will make for an especially thorny first-round opponent.”

ESPN: 9 (Previous: 9)

Most shocking ranking: 19th in rushing

“Throughout the offseason, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman boasted about the dominant rushing offense they would build in L.A., but it hasn’t panned out that way. Averaging 111.5 yards per game, the rushing offense is slightly improved from where the Chargers finished last season (25th), but it has largely been a disappointment and by far the worst of Harbaugh’s NFL career. During Harbaugh and Roman’s four seasons in San Francisco, they had the second-best rushing offense in the NFL; the lowest the 49ers ranked was eighth in Harbaugh’s first season.”

CBS Sports: 9 (Previous: 8)

“That was a tough loss to the Chiefs on the road, but they rallied back and the defense played well, which has been their calling card all year. At 8-5, they would be the sixth seed right now.”

Sports Illustrated: 13 (Previous: 9)

“Quentin Johnston has had issues with his hands since college, but the explosive get off from the line of scrimmage on Sunday night against Kansas City and the ability to hold on to the ball during a massive collision was impressive. If Johnston can develop on this kind of timeline we could have a beast on our hands in Year 3.”

Bleacher Report: 10 (Previous: 9)

“Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are more physical. They play tough defense. It’s a squad built to win. Yet they still can’t overcome the bully in the AFC West, with two regular-season losses to the Kansas City Chiefs. While Los Angeles remains in line to capture a wildcard postseason berth, it’s clear the Chargers aren’t quite ready to handle the league’s elite. A playoff run is possible, though it doesn’t feel likely since four of the Chargers’ five losses came against potential postseason opponents.”

Where the Dolphins landed in power rankings after Week 14 win

The Dolphins got a Week 14 win, but some experts are even less impressed with the team.

The Miami Dolphins got back in the win column Sunday, but it wasn’t exactly a decisive or convincing victory.

At home against the three-win New York Jets, the Dolphins needed a fourth quarter comeback and overtime to eke out a 32-26 win and keep their postseason hopes alive.

There were plenty of good signs for Miami. Tua Tagovailoa stepped up and delivered with the game on the line, and the Dolphins finally got Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle heavily involved. But another rough outing from the defense didn’t inspire much hope for a playoff run.

Here’s where experts now rank the Dolphins heading into Week 15:

Miami will face the 8-5 Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday in a Week 15 game.

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NFL Week 15 power rankings: How far did Rams move up after beating Bills?

The Rams took down the mighty Bills on Sunday, moving them into the top 15 of this week’s power rankings

The Los Angeles Rams didn’t just notch their seventh win of the season on Sunday. By beating the 10-2 Buffalo Bills, the Rams sent a message to everyone that they could be a threat in the playoffs – if they get in.

A win over a Super Bowl contender like Buffalo is certainly notable and while the Rams were only slight underdogs, few people expected them to beat the Bills.

Entering Week 14, the Rams’ average spot in 10 different power rankings was 16.8. After taking down the Bills, they’ve moved up an average of 2.9 spots, cracking the top 15 in all 10 polls.

Power rankings don’t mean nearly as much as playoff standings, but it does show the Rams are to be taken seriously in the NFC. USA TODAY ranked them as high as No. 10 and their lowest position is No. 15. Their ceiling is getting higher and so is their floor.

USA Today: 10th (last week: 18th)

ESPN: 14th (last week: 16th)

NFL.com: 15th (last week: 16th)

CBS Sports: 13th (last week: 17th)

Bleacher Report: 15th (last week: 16th)

ProFootballTalk: 15th (last week: 16th)

Yahoo Sports: 14th (last week: 16th)

The Athletic: 15th (last week: 16th)

FOX Sports: 13th (last week: 17th)

The Ringer: 15th (last week: 20th)

High: 10th – Low: 15th – Average:13.9

By no means is the Rams’ work done, but they’ve put themselves in position to make a late-season push for the playoffs. If they win out, they’ll take the NFC West crown and secure a top-four seed in the NFC.

All they have to do is stay within striking distance of the Seahawks before their Week 18 showdown, which could be for all the marbles.

Broncos stand pat in NFL power rankings coming out of bye

Coming out of their bye week, the Broncos are still ranked 13th in USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings.

Coming off their bye week, the Denver Broncos (8-5) are ranked No. 13 in Nate Davis’ latest NFL power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. That’s unchanged from their No. 13 ranking last week.

Here is Davis’ commentary on the Broncos going into Week 15:

Surtain Island? CB Patrick Surtain II is playing like prime Darrelle Revis, thriving in all aspects of the game while allowing just 26 receptions (one for a TD) this season, per PFF. He’s got to be on the short list of candidates for Defensive Player of the Year.

Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 4, the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked No. 12 and the Las Vegas Raiders are ranked No. 29.

The Indianapolis Colts, who will travel to Denver to face the Broncos this week, are ranked No. 19.

The Detroit Lions are ranked No. 1 and the New York Giants are ranked No. 32 (last). To view the complete NFL power rankings going into Week 15, visit USATODAY.com.

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All 32 NFL teams (including the Broncos) ranked by FPI ratings

Going into Week 14, the Broncos have a -1.1 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 24th in the NFL. 

Thirteen games into the season, the Denver Broncos (8-5) have a -1.1 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 24th in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts 6-7), who will face the Broncos in Week 15, are ranked 25th with a -2.6 FPI rating.

FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” according to ESPN.com. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

So with that background in mind, here’s a look at how the league’s 32 teams stack up based on FPI going into Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season.

  1. Detroit Lions (11-1): 8.6
  2. Buffalo Bills (10-2): 6.7
  3. Baltimore Ravens (8-5): 6.3
  4. Green Bay Packers (9-3): 6.0
  5. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2): 5.0
  6. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1): 3.9
  7. Minnesota Vikings (10-2): 2.7
  8. San Francisco 49ers (5-7): 2.2
  9. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): 1.7
  10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6): 1.6
  11. Washington Commanders (8-5): 1.3
  12. Houston Texans (8-5): 1.2
  13. Arizona Cardinals (6-6): 1.1
  14. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4): 0.8
  15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8): 0.3
  16. Los Angeles Rams (6-6): 0.2
  17. Miami Dolphins (5-7): -0.0
  18. Atlanta Falcons (6-6): -0.4
  19. Cleveland Browns (3-9): -0.7
  20. New York Jets (3-9): -0.8
  21. Seattle Seahawks (7-5): -0.8
  22. Chicago Bears (4-8): -0.8
  23. New Orleans Saints (4-8): -1.0
  24. Denver Broncos (8-5): -1.1
  25. Indianapolis Colts (6-7): -2.6
  26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10): -3.0
  27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10): -4.6
  28. Tennesee Titans (3-9): -4.6
  29. New England Patriots (3-10): -6.9
  30. Dallas Cowboys (5-7): -7.6
  31. New York Giants (2-10): -8.7
  32. Carolina Panthers (3-9): -10.0

The Broncos will aim to improve their rating after the bye when they host the Colts on Dec. 15. Denver dropped one spot in the rankings this week.

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Chargers standstill in NFL power rankings after Week 13 win over the Falcons

Despite their win on Sunday, the Chargers did not move that much in the power rankings.

The Chargers improved to 8-4 after defeating the Falcons last Sunday.

After Week 13, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 12 (Previous: 13)

“QB Justin Herbert is reaching new levels of efficiency for what is still, perhaps, an overly conservative offense. But he’s joined Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay version) as the only players to pass for at least 2,500 yards and fewer than two picks in their first 12 games of a season. Herbert, whose interception rate is a league-low 0.3%, averaged 10.5 over his first four seasons.”

NFL: 9 (Previous: 9)

“The Chargers struggled all day on offense against the Falcons, allowing a shocking five sacks (to a team that had 10 total coming in) and converting on just three of 11 third downs. They placed J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve with a knee injury prior to kickoff and handed the ball off just 12 times Sunday, gaining 55 yards on those carries, while Hassan Haskins coughed up a fumble on his only touch of the game. Thankfully, the defense did its job, logging four interceptions of Kirk Cousins (including a pick-six by rookie Tarheeb Still) and stripping Cousins for what would have been a fifth turnover had the Falcons not recovered. The Bolts also held firm in the red zone, allowing Atlanta to score only one TD on four trips down there. This was a much-needed win after L.A. dropped to 7-4, but it was hardly a statement victory, featuring a reprise of some of the team’s early-season struggles on offense. The offensive line, considered to be a strength coming into the season, has been a disappointment in more games than I imagined it would be.”

ESPN: 9 (Previous: 9)

First-time Pro Bowl nominee: Wide receiver Ladd McConkey

“McConkey has emerged as one of the NFL’s best receivers this season and quarterback Justin Herbert’s most trusted target. McConkey is 13th in the NFL in receiving yards (815) and has the second-most yards among rookies. He is the first Chargers rookie wideout since Keenan Allen to have three 100-plus-yard receiving games, including 117 of the Chargers’ 150 receiving yards (78%) against the Falcons. That was the third-highest percentage of a team’s receiving yards by a single player this season.”

CBS Sports: 8 (Previous: 8)

“Winning on the road at Atlanta was a nice way to bounce back after the Ravens loss. Now comes a tough one at Kansas City against the Chiefs.”

Sports Illustrated: 9 (Previous: 9)

“Another complete and total game from the Chargers’ secondary, which is not just the Derwin James show. The Power Rankings have been a huge fan of Tarheeb Still and he had another massive game against a rusty-looking Falcons offense. Clearly, the Chargers cannot sustain this kind of pace without something developing in terms of a non-Ladd McConkey playmaker, and McConkey was banged up in two different places after carrying a 50% target share in this one and amassing almost all of Justin Herbert’s total passing yards.”

Bleacher Report: 9 (Previous: 9)

“The Chargers took advantage of some huge Atlanta mistakes to snag a win in Week 13, but I’m not sure how sustainable their formula is. Aside from getting four relatively easy interceptions, L.A.’s defense didn’t look great against the Falcons, and it wasn’t good in its previous two games either.

And with J.K. Dobbins (knee) on injured reserve, the Chargers offense looked flat-out bad against Atlanta. Ladd McConkey is quickly developing into a star receiver, but L.A. needs more than one offensive playmaker to be a serious playoff threat.”

Where the Dolphins landed in power rankings after Week 13 loss

The Dolphins took a step back in Week 13 when their three-game winning streak came to an end.

The Miami Dolphins’ growing momentum came to a screeching halt on Thanksgiving with a costly 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

A three-game winning streak came to an end and the other AFC teams in the race for playoff spots gave little indication they’re going to leave the door open for the Dolphins to climb back into the mix. Now, with a month of regular season play left, Miami would have to be perfect down the stretch — coupled with plenty of help — to avoid missing the postseason.

At 5-7. the Dolphins haven’t provided much reason for their fans to be optimistic about anything close to that happening.

Here’s where experts now rank the Dolphins heading into Week 14:

Miami will face the 3-9 New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in a Week 14 game.

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NFL Week 14 power rankings: Where do Rams rank after beating Saints?

The Rams are the definition of an average team based on the latest power rankings

The roller coaster ride of the Rams’ 2024 season continued on Sunday when the team came back to beat the New Orleans Saints on the road, 21-14. It was a much-needed bounce-back win after getting steamrolled by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13, getting things on track again before the final stretch of the regular season.

The Rams haven’t been viewed as a top-10 team at any point this season but they did sink pretty low after their 1-4 start. They’ve clawed their way up the NFC standings and power rankings, giving themselves a realistic chance of making the playoffs come January.

After beating the Saints on the road, the Rams moved up a bit in this week’s power rankings and they now sit smack dab in the middle of the league.

USA Today: 18th (last week: 18th)

ESPN: 16th (last week: 19th)

NFL.com: 16th (last week: 19th)

CBS Sports: 17th (last week: 20th)

Bleacher Report: 16th (last week: 18th)

ProFootballTalk: 16th (last week: 19th)

Yahoo Sports: 16th (last week: 20th)

The Athletic: 16th (last week: 19th)

FOX Sports: 17th (last week: 21st)

The Ringer: 20th (last week: 21st)

High: 16th – Low: 20th – Average: 16.8

The Rams’ average ranking improved from 19.2 to 16.8 this week, with most outlets moving them up at least two or three spots after their win over the Saints.

The Ringer, which was higher on the Rams than most outlets earlier in the season, is suddenly the lowest on them by ranking Los Angeles 20th. Yahoo Sports moved the Rams up four spots, as did FOX Sports, which were the two biggest jumps.

Heading into Week 14, the Rams face a Bills team that’s widely ranked in the top five, if not the top three. There’s no denying Buffalo is one of the best teams in the NFL right now, but that just means the Rams can make a huge statement if they beat the Bills on Sunday afternoon.

Broncos jump one spot in NFL power rankings after ‘MNF’ win

Following their win on ‘Monday Night Football,’ the Broncos jumped one spot in NFL power rankings this week.

Following the Denver Broncos‘ 41-32 win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13, they are now ranked No. 13 in Nate Davis’ latest NFL power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. That’s up one spot from the team’s No. 14 ranking last week.

Here is Davis’ commentary on Denver going into Week 14:

Add another sack plus a 71-yard pick-six to OLB Nik Bonitto’s low-key (but growing) case for Defensive Player of the Year.

Elsewhere in the division, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 5, the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked No. 12 and the Las Vegas Raiders are ranked No. 29.

Up next for Denver is a bye in Week 14. After that, the Broncos will host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. The Colts are ranked No. 20 this week.

The Detroit Lions are ranked No. 1 and the New York Giants are ranked No. 32 (last). To view the complete NFL power rankings following Week 14, visit USATODAY.com.

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