Cover photo taken from The Phinsider.
1 – 
Chiefs (7-2) 
1
For the first time in 7 weeks, we have a new #1 team. Kansas City has clawed their way back to the top thanks to another lights out performance. Yes, they were playing Jacksonville, but the way they won was very promising. They got newcomer Kadarius Toney involved, their committee of RBs continues to dominate, Travis Kelce found the endzone for the first time in weeks, and Patrick Mahomes is simply lights out right now. He is the MVP at the moment, and it’s hard to see him falling off that track. It wasn’t perfect, and I’d like to see them limit turnovers as much as possible, but it doesn’t matter as long as they continue to dominate on both sides of the ball like they have since losing to Buffalo. Just to put that dominance in perspective: they can clinch the division this week, and there’s still seven more games after that one. Yes, the division is awful, but this team has risen above the rest in the AFC in recent weeks and absolutely deserves this top spot.
2 – 
Eagles (8-1) 
1
It finally happened, everyone run for your lives! Relax. The Eagles were never going undefeated. No team ever will. They were bound to lose eventually, and while I felt it was coming soon, I didn’t see it being to Washington, nor did I see it being in that fashion. The Eagles were physically dominated for 60 minutes on Monday night as their division rival shoved the ball down their throat for several long drives to dominate time of possession and set the tone throughout the game. It was the first time this year that the Eagles have been outplayed, and it was pretty shocking to watch. I have a feeling that this will be a much needed wakeup call for Philly. The rest of the schedule is still pretty easy, but this loss should give them their edge back ahead of big matchups like their second game against Dallas as well as both of their showdowns with the Giants, a very physical team.
3 – 
Vikings (8-1) 2
That was truly something. The Vikings won the game of the year on Sunday despite losing it at least three or four times throughout the course of the fourth quarter and overtime alone. They may have been gifted the game by Josh Allen, but they made every play they had to when they needed it most, and they proved to everyone that they’re not frauds like so many people thought. Kirk Cousins delivered one of his best Vikings performances ever, Dalvin Cook stepped up in a huge way, and Justin Jefferson stole the show as always, highlighted by the greatest catch I’ve ever seen. Most importantly, the defense did its thing to bring the Vikings back and eventually win the game late by forcing two redzone turnovers and scoring that incredible touchdown on the fumbled snap at the end of the game. The secondary, which I had plenty of questions about, came through to put a bow on it. It was a coming out party for the Vikings, who everyone should treat like the real deal. They have silenced the doubters.
4 – 
49ers (5-4) 2
The 49ers won on Sunday night by playing their bread and butter football. They ran the ball all night long and relied on their defense to step up and make the plays necessary to win the game. Jimmy Garoppolo was practically a nonfactor outside of a rushing touchdown, but that’s not a bad thing at all. Getting Elijah Mitchell back was absolutely massive for this team, as the new duo of him and Christian McCaffrey simply wore down the Chargers defense all game long. While I’d love to see guys like Deebo Samuel get more involved, it’s not necessary at all. This run game is going to be one of the best in the league moving forward, and the defense is back to being elite now that they’re healthy again, as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Talanoa Hufanga absolutely took over late. I love this team from top to bottom and can’t wait to see what else is in store for them as this season winds down.
5 – 
Dolphins (7-3) 4
Tua Tagovailoa is shutting a lot of people up, including me. The Dolphins are now undefeated in games that Tua starts and finishes, and his last three have been incredible. He became the first QB in franchise history with three straight games of 3+ TDs and 0 INTs. That’s a remarkable streak, and his efficiency cannot be overstated. He’s the highest rated passer in the league by far. I know that it helps to be surrounded by an embarrassment of riches, but Tua is a huge part of this team’s success. The acquisition of Jeff Wilson continues to prove to be a huge one as he once again dominated, and the tandem of him and Raheem Mostert is a pretty dominant one. Now that this team has a great run game, who is going to stop their offense? I’ll have to see someone do it to believe that it’s even possible.
6 – 
Bills (6-3) 2
My suspicions were true. We are in that area of the season where the Bills fall apart after winning their Super Bowl by beating the Chiefs in Kansas City. Josh Allen is going on his yearly roller coaster where we have no idea what we’re going to get from him on any given snap. He now has six (6!) redzone turnovers in his last 10 quarters. That is awful. The Bills would have won easily if Allen didn’t commit any of the three absolutely atrocious 4th quarter/OT turnovers that he did. He has been straight up bad for the last 2.5 games, and it’s holding this team back. It doesn’t help that their secondary injuries are starting to catch up to them. Buffalo is just teetering right now, just like they did at this time last year. All of a sudden, they are third in their own division, just a game out of last place, a week removed from being the 1 seed in the conference. It’s not the easiest schedule moving forward, so Josh Allen has to get back on track if they want to get back in first place.
7 – 
Cowboys (6-3) 4
I really have no idea what happened to the Cowboys on Sunday. They lost their first game in franchise history in which they entered the 4th quarter with a 14+ point lead. They were 195-0 previously! That’s a remarkable statistic. They really had their way on both sides of the ball for three quarters outside of some questionable Dak Prescott throws. But in the fourth, it all fell apart. I get that Aaron Rodgers straight up owns this franchise, but it was pretty shocking to see this team that has been so sound all year long just fall apart like that, especially against a team that had lost 5 straight games and has looked awful for months. I think they’re going to be fine, but that was not a very promising sight.
8 – 
Ravens (6-3) 1
The Ravens had a much-needed bye this week as they try to get healthy offensively. This week, they should be getting big pieces like Mark Andrews and Gus Edwards back. Even if they don’t, they should have an easy time on Sunday at home against the Panthers.
9 – 
Seahawks (6-4) 1
The Seahawks were stifled practically all game long on Sunday in Munich. It was honestly weird to see, considering how dominant they’ve been on that side of the ball for the last month or so. But I wouldn’t say that Seattle had a bad game by any means. They ran into a good defense that is in the midst of a hot streak, and they lost a close, hard-fought game in another continent. I’m not so sure they would have lost if the game was in Seattle. Even if their defense was slightly better, they likely could have won. I still think this is a very solid team all around, and I expect them to be better in the coming weeks.
10 – 
Titans (6-3) 
Sunday’s game taught me virtually nothing about the Titans. I will say that I loved their defensive performance despite being without two of their best defensive linemen in Bud Dupree and Jeffery Simmons. At the same time, it doesn’t take much to dominate the Broncos offense. Tennessee’s own offense was absolutely inept for the most part, needing a couple of big plays to win the game. It’s good that they got those plays, but they really don’t have anything else to show for their offensive performance. Ryan Tannehill looked fine in his return, which is more than they can ask for. The next few weeks are brutal, so we’ll see how far this formula can take the Titans.
11 – 
Bengals (5-4)
The Bengals had the week off, and not much happened around them. It’s still unlikely that Ja’Marr Chase will be back for the next couple of weeks, which definitely hurts. There are some toughies coming up, so they could use all the help they can get. But, I have faith in Joe Burrow and the rest of the team to compete and stay afloat in this tight AFC playoff race.
12 – 
Jets (6-3)
The Jets had their bye this week and were the massive beneficiary of the Bills losing to catapult them to 2nd place in the AFC East by virtue of their head to head win against them from Week 9. They should feel a lot better about their playoff chances now. They’ve got some tough games ahead, including an inevitable loss to the Patriots this week, but I still think the Jets have what it takes to stick around in the playoff mix for the next month or so.
13 – 
Giants (7-2)
I am so sick of talking about this team. It’s the same thing every week. Look, the Giants beat another awful team super unconvincingly! It was a boring game that nobody cared about! What a great team! No. I don’t care. Neither do you. While I love Saquon Barkley and have him in my top 5 MVP candidates right now, even he can’t get me to think this team is worth a damn. They can certainly prove me wrong in the next few weeks, but I severely doubt that happens.
14 – 
Buccaneers (5-5) 4
Post-divorce Tom Brady might be something special. Ok, maybe not, but the Bucs are playing pretty well since that split. Their biggest strength has been their resurgent defense, which has played back to back great games. Shutting down the Rams isn’t exactly impressive, but they had their way with a Seahawks offense that had been dominant for months coming into Sunday’s game. Tom Brady has played some nice games as well, despite the plethora of injuries around him, and the offense has seemingly found a wrinkle with Rachaad White coming out of the backfield. He’s more effective at this point than Leonard Fournette, so the run game could find a huge boost. This is still the second worst rushing team in football, so they could use that boost in a huge way.
15 – 
Commanders (5-5) 6
I’ve been trying to find the words to describe Monday night’s game for a while and I just can’t find them. I’m still so shocked at what I saw, but more importantly, I am so proud of this team. They went on the road on primetime in a spot where they always fold and absolutely dominated the best team in the league all game long to hand them their first loss. That’s so impressive, and actually inspires confidence in this team, which I haven’t had in a while. I won’t get my hopes up too high, but it’s hard not to feel good about where we stand right now. The defense continues to play lights out thanks to their dominant front, which is only getting better now that Chase Young is returning, and a surging secondary highlighted by the emergence of Benjamin St-Juste. The offense has been physical and dominant, which was on display all night long in Philly. The run game is working thanks to Brian Robinson’s toughness and Antonio Gibson’s dynamic ability. Terry McLaurin has been absolutely feasting in recent weeks and has been the best player on the field for several weeks now. Taylor Heinicke tried his best to give the game away, as always, but at the end of the day, he helped us win. The winning formula involves limiting his mistakes and physically setting the tone in the trenches. We’ve done that for the most part in recent weeks, and I feel great about our chances of doing so in the next two as well. This is the type of win that catapults teams to runs, like our win against Tampa last year, so we’ll see where this roller coaster takes us next.
16 – 
Patriots (5-4) 1
The Patriots had the week off ahead of a huge divisional matchup against the Jets. All of a sudden, the Patriots are only a game behind the Bills, which was unfathomable two weeks ago. If they can keep physically dominating in the next couple of weeks, then they will find themselves in the thick of the wild card race. It will be very difficult, as this is likely the hardest section of their schedule.
17 – 
Chargers (5-4) 3
The Chargers were about as competitive as I imagined they would be on Sunday night, but after their opening drive touchdown, they were pretty much inept for the rest of the game. Justin Herbert was just ok, the injury-riddled offense was anemic for the most part, Austin Ekeler couldn’t do anything, and the defense got pounded all night long. It was slightly worse than I anticipated, but I don’t expect anything out of this team anymore. Against great teams like San Francisco, they are just going to look outmatched. Prepare for a repeat of that this Sunday night against the Chiefs.
18 – 
Cardinals (4-6) 2
To put it plainly, the Cardinals are very good when they have to turn to Colt McCoy. Dating back to last year, all he does is win games. All that shows is that he is a great backup QB, as he always has been. Beating the Rams isn’t exactly an impressive feat. Beating the Rams with a backup QB is even less impressive. Combine that with the fact that Cooper Kupp sprained his ankle in the middle of the game, and you have one of the most “meh” wins of the 2022 season. Still, the Cardinals got everyone involved offensively, and for that, they should feel good about themselves.
19 – 
Packers (4-6) 6
I am not going to overreact and declare that the Packers are back or anything close to that, but they showed more fight in the 4th quarter on Sunday than in all of their previous 5 games combined. That means a lot. Their defense finally remembered how to play football, and their offense got massive contributions from Aaron Jones and, for the first time, Christian Watson. The rookie caught 3 huge touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers, who finally found touch on his deep ball again. The comeback was a truly great one, and the Packers should be proud of themselves. I have no idea what this could lead to for them with a brutal remaining schedule, but they finally have one thing on their side: momentum.
20 – 
Bears (3-7) 2
The Bears keep on moving up despite the fact that they keep on losing. Why? Well, Justin Fields continues to play like one of the most dynamic players in the league. Not just QBs, but all players. And losing is good for the Bears! They need that draft pick as high as possible to snag a great WR! Blowing a lead like that is quite embarrassing, and Fields’ pick six was a bad one, but for him to bounce back with another incredible TD run like he did is proof that this kid is the real deal. I love watching him play, and the Bears’ best-case scenario of him dominating while losing is coming to fruition every week. It’s truly remarkable that they became the first team in NFL history to lose 3 straight games in which they scored 29+ points. I don’t see any problems!
21 – 
Browns (3-6) 4
The Browns are back to being awful. To come out of their bye and get dismantled like that is pretty bad, even if they were on the road against one of the league’s best teams. Jacoby Brissett is really struggling, but the good news is that there’s only two more games of him. The bad news is that the season is pretty much over.
22 – 
Falcons (4-6) 6
Even though I picked the Falcons to lose on Thursday, I’m pretty embarrassed at how bad it was. They have simply devolved into a team that does nothing well on either side of the ball. They have the sixth worst total offense and third worst passing offense in the league. I don’t even think they want to try to throw it anymore. Drake London and Kyle Pitts continue to be absolutely wasted in Atlanta. Defensively, they’re second worst in total yards and sixth worst in points. Losing AJ Terrell effectively ended any hopes they had of being remotely viable on that side of the ball. The Falcons had a fun thing going for a bit, but the wheels have completely fallen off, and they are 100% cooked.
23 – 
Broncos (3-6)
This is the only thing I’ll say about the Broncos. If they scored just 18 points in all of their games this year, they’d be 8-1. Yes, you read that right. Eighteen points per game. Instead, they are the single worst scoring offense in football with a poor 14.6 PPG. Meanwhile, they’re the best scoring defense in the league, giving up just 16.6 PPG, in addition to being the 2nd best total defense and best passing defense. How is that even possible?! This team is a joke that is only getting worse, and I’m just about sick of talking about them.
24 – 
Rams (3-6) 5
This is the only thing I’ll say about the Rams. They just lost Cooper Kupp, who is going on IR with an ankle injury that will require surgery. Do not be surprised if they turn into the worst offense in football without him. They won’t be able to overcome him with Ben Skowronek as their top passing option, and they won’t be able to move the ball on the ground with their dead-last-ranked run game. They are going to be the most unwatchable team in the league moving forward. Mark my words.
25 – 
Colts (4-5-1) 4
Jeff Saturday proved me wrong. He proved us all wrong! Major props to him, and good for the team to find their edge that had been missing for so long. Saturday went back to Matt Ryan and it paid off in a huge way. Most importantly, he finally unlocked Jonathan Taylor, who had his best game since Week 1 and finally looked like his old self. Maybe the Colts will be a frisky team under Saturday for the rest of the year. Either that, or they just notched a one-score win over the worst team in the NFL.
26 – 
Lions (3-6) 1
The Lions actually played a good game in the outdoors. I was just as shocked as you were. They showed up in every phase of the game, and I was impressed. It definitely helps that guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift are healthy again, and it also helps that Jeff Okudah has emerged as the CB1 they envisioned when they drafted him 3rd overall in 2020. Detroit has found themselves again, and it’s fun to watch.
27 – 
Jaguars (3-7) 1
The Jaguars were about as competitive as I expected they’d be on Sunday, if not more. Trevor Lawrence played a solid game, and Christian Kirk had a dominant performance. Their defense just couldn’t overcome the buzzsaw that is the Chiefs. I really don’t know what to make of the Jags at this point, as they show us something different every week, but I still feel like this is a solid young core. They might not have many wins left this year, but I like what’s going on in Jacksonville.
28 – 
Panthers (3-7) 2
I think the Panthers have themselves a gem in D’Onta Foreman. He has proven himself as a physical, dominant RB1 that can be a workhorse. They’re going to need him to keep that up now that they have to turn to Baker Mayfield once again thanks to PJ Walker sustaining an injury. All they have to do is take the ball out of Baker’s hands and put it into Foreman’s while their defense keeps doing its thing. Unfortunately, that might be tough this week against a very good Baltimore team.
29 – 
Steelers (3-6) 2
Just as I predicted, the Steelers got themselves another win because Mike Tomlin is absolute money coming off a bye. They weren’t impressive at anything other than their defense shutting down an anemic Saints offense with some of the worst QB play in the league. This team isn’t very good, but at the very least, they’re incredibly reliable in certain spots thanks to their great coach.
30 – 
Saints (3-7) 6
The Saints going from one of the most promising teams in the league to one of the worst, most unwatchable teams in the league has been extremely sad to watch unfold. I know they have injury problems out the wazoo, but it’s so much more than that. Dennis Allen has been an awful HC, Pete Carmichael might be the worst OC in the league, their QB play has been abysmal, they continuously forget that they have Alvin Kamara, and the defense just hasn’t been good enough. So much of what’s going on in New Orleans is laughable, and they desperately need to hit the reset button this offseason, if not sooner.
31 – 
Texans (1-7-1) 1
Despite being virtually not competitive at all in yet another loss, the Texans are being bumped up this week because there’s one team in this league that’s simply more embarrassing than the rest.
32 – 
Raiders (2-7) 4
That’s right. The Raiders are the worst team in the NFL right now. They are a complete and utter embarrassment, a weekly dumpster fire, and an unmitigated disaster across the board. Derek Carr has fallen off a cliff, Josh Jacobs has run into a wall, the defense might as well not exist, and the coaching staff is just laughably bad. Josh McDaniels could get outcoached by me, and my highest level of coaching is a flag football team for kids. The personnel decisions continue to make no sense and it continues to show on a weekly basis. Everyone needs to be fired; hell, the franchise should just disband at this point. The Raiders should be absolutely ashamed of themselves on all fronts.
All stats taken from ESPN.
Raza Talks Sports 