NFL Power Rankings are Misleading

So here are some with more clarity

Every year, I see the same story. After a few weeks, the teams with the best record are ranked the highest in the power rankings. This week, most power rankings have the Steelers at one and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at two or three. The Steelers are the last undefeated team in the NFL and the Bucs have been one of the best teams in the NFL as of late. Yet, these rankings are deceiving. The problem power rankings have is that they evaluate a team based on how good they are and have been. We should be ranking teams based on how good they can be.

With this in mind, here are some power rankings that reflect this idea and focus. I will rank the top five teams in the AFC and NFC based on where they will stand by the end of the year. This may not change the rankings much from a week-to-week basis but it should give us a different look. Let’s look at teams that we feel confident in playing in the Super Bowl.

AFC Power Rankings

1. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs stumbled against their division-rival Raiders in Week 5. Aside from the one-loss, the Chiefs have proven throughout this season that they are the best team in the AFC. They look like they haven’t lost a step last season’s Super Bowl run with one of the best coaches and quarterbacks in the game. The offense gets all the attention but the defense is also one of the best in the NFL. The Chiefs possess the 3rd best scoring defense (19 points per game) this season. This includes allowing 40 to the Raiders. Anticipate the Chiefs playing in their second Super Bowl in a row the way things are going.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers have looked great this year and seem to get better as the season continues. The Steelers are unbeaten and should be the number one ranked team in the power rankings. However, I implore you to ask yourself these two questions. Would you consider the Steelers the best team if the Ravens didn’t lose both Mathew Judon and Ronnie Stanley in the first half? Would you still consider the Steelers the best team if Stephen Gostkowski hit the last-minute field goal and the Titans won in overtime? The Steelers are good but have been playing in mostly close games (some of which have been against incredibly inferior opponents). Pittsburgh has an easy schedule approaching but I still can’t declare them the best in the AFC.
3. Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens have lost two games and both are to the best two teams in the conference. When one looks at the Ravens, they can’t ignore the fact that the roster looks like one of the most complete teams in the league. Aside from their receiving corp, there isn’t a void on this roster. Many will point to the two losses as reason to doubt the Ravens. They don’t look like a Super Bowl team at the moment. However, the Ravens have the team that can give both the Chiefs and Steelers the most trouble.
4. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are a difficult team to comprehend. They only beat one opponent with an above .500 record. They lost to the Jaguars in Week One. Record-wise, they aren’t even the best in their own division. Yet the Colts have a certain character in the way the team is built. They make you believe that they can be a serious contender in the AFC. For starters, they have one of the best offensive lines in the game. Anyone knows that a good team in the trenches is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Then there is the defense, which you can argue has at least one top-five player in every unit. The Colts don’t jump out as a top-team. They can become serious Super Bowl contenders as the season progresses (aside from Philip Rivers and his low ceiling of course).
5. Tennessee Titans: The Titans have fallen off in recent weeks. I never bought into the Titans hype so I don’t feel as foolish. But, the Titans don’t look like a top team at all anymore. My main concern for the Titans is their kicking woes. This is a team that can’t trust their kicker to win a game. The Titans have a stacked roster but it will be hard to buy into the hype when you consider the number of close games they will be involved in within the next couple of games.

NFC Power Rankings

1. Seattle Seahawks: It is incredibly tough to believe in the Seattle Seahawks as the best team in the NFC. The running game has struggled with the inconsistent availability at the position and the pass defense is historically bad (allowing 358.7 passing yards per game). Yet the Seahawks are still my pick to make it out of the NFC. How will they fix their issues? For starters, I can see the Seahawks being more precautions with their injured running backs. Last season they lost both Carson and Penny late in the season and will need at least one for a Championship run. The second big piece is the one they received from the New York Jets in Jamal Adams. Jamal Adams is one of the best defenders in the game and the game-changer can bring some fire back to the Seahawks defense.
2. New Orleans Saints: This one might shock many. The Saints have sputtered throughout the season to victories and have looked over the hill for most of the season. There are a few things to consider when looking at New Orleans. First off, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the Saints are currently on a 4-game winning streak. The more impressive aspect is that the streak is happening without star-receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas hasn’t played since Week One but is arguably the best receiver in the game. The Saints might have the best team in the NFC if you look at their roster. The reason people doubt them is their inability to blow away opponents.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have looked unstoppable in recent weeks. Aside from the Thursday night loss to the Bears, Tampa Bay looks like the best team in the NFC. Tom Brady looks like he’s playing some of his best football and the defense doesn’t appear to have lost a step despite losing Vita Vea for the season. The Buccaneers are many experts pick to play in the Super Bowl and recently they haven’t proven otherwise. The reasons to doubt Tampa Bay is the continued excellence of Tom Brady (who can dropoff as the season goes on the same way he did in New England last year) and the secondary (which has surprised me in the first half of the season but can pose major matchup nightmares against the top teams).
4. Green Bay Packers: I would say that the Packers just played down to their opponent but they just lost their second game in three weeks. The Packers started out the season looking unstoppable, led by the high-flying offense and MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers. Now the Packers can barely fend off the Bears in their own division. The next few games will be telling on whether the Packers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders or just a viable playoff team but nothing better.
5. Los Angeles Rams: You start to realize the NFC isn’t all that good when the Rams are the fifth-best team in the conference. I wanted to put the Cardinals here but it’s difficult to buy into the Cards with the way the roster is built (the air-raid makes me skeptical on if they can win against good pass-defenses). The Rams don’t wow anyone with their offense anymore and they don’t have such a credible record (5-3 and beating the NFC East for 4 of those wins) yet the Rams can become a sleeper team. We know about Aaron Donald and the season he is having but more importantly, the Rams defense looks significantly better than it did last year.