2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Jets climb into top 10, Packers, Rams disappear

The New York Jets climbed into the top 10 of our 2022 NFL Power Rankings while the Los Angeles Rams drop off as we head into Week 10

The No. 1 team in our 2022 NFL Power Rankings went down as the Buffalo Bills were stopped by the aggressive New York Jets defense. Robert Saleh has his team flying around and they’re now 6-3 while playing with extreme confidence.

As they jump into the top 10 following their huge win, a couple of teams that were supposed to be contenders continue to fall. The Green Bay Packers dropped another one, this time against the Lions while the Los Angeles Rams gave away what should have been a win.

With all the dust settling from Sunday, let’s dive into our latest 2022 NFL Power Rankings.

2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 10

32. Houston Texans

Week 9 kicked off with the Houston Texans facing the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Thursday Night Football. For roughly 30 minutes, Houston teased their fans into thinking they had a chance, going into the bye with the score tied at 14. Then in the second half, the Texans scored just three points while giving up 15.

Dameon Pierce continued to run hard and had 139 yards and Jerry Hughes turned back the clock on defense as the veteran recorded two sacks. However, Davis Mills continued to struggle as he had two picks in the second half and managed just 154 yards passing.

The Texans moved into last place in the NFL which now puts them in line for the No. 1 spot. As long as they don’t drop beyond two, they have a shot at a legit franchise quarterback, which they desperately need.

31. Carolina Panthers

It looks like P.J. Walker’s time as a starter might be done. The former XFL star had taken over for Baker Mayfield but in the Carolina Panthers’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, he was off. Like really off.

Walker completed just three of 10 pass attempts for a mere nine yards. Mayfield replaced him and had 10 yards on his first completion to outperform Walker in this one. Mayfield finished with 155 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Panthers to 21 points in the second half.

Of course, the game was over by the time Mayfield stepped in so much of his work was against the prevent defense. But no matter who starts, this team isn’t making any waves in 2022.

30. Detroit Lions

This might have been the Detroit Lions Super Bowl. They got a win over the Green Bay Packers and did so with a strong defense. They did allow Aaron Rodgers to throw for 291 yards but they picked him off three times — all in the red zone.

Their offense didn’t do much at all as they managed a touchdown in the first and one in the fourth — while also converting on a two-point conversion on the first score. That wound up being enough as they won 15-9 but in the end, this could hurt them.

Detroit had the No. 1 pick locked up but a win gives Houston the advantage. The good news is that there are a couple of viable quarterbacks in this class but they have to get one of them if they ever want to turn things around.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 2-6 heading into their bye week and it’s becoming apparent that Mike Tomlin is about to have his first losing season as a head coach in his career. The loss of Ben Roethlisberger had something to do with this but it wasn’t as if he was playing all that well during the past two seasons.

The real problem could be that the running game has disappeared and T.J. Watt’s injury really hurt the defense. They at least understand this season is done for them and got a second-round pick for Chase Claypool which was a huge win.

Now they can fill in a few holes and with Kenny Pickett getting some very important snaps, they could be vastly improved in a season or two.

28. Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders took a 17-point lead in the second quarter as Davante Adams had two early touchdown catches against the Jaguars. But for the second time this season, they ended up losing that lead and were unable to win the game as Jacksonville outscored them 27-3 from that point.

It was the fifth loss for Vegas by one score and the 2-6 franchise is now 0-5 in such contests. It’s clear that they’re trending in the wrong direction since Josh McDaniels took over for Rich Bisaccia which is only a shock to anyone who was hypnotized to forget what a destructive force McDaniels was when he was the head coach for the Denver Broncos.

Having said that, it will be interesting to see how he does as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator without Tom Brady after he’s fired by the Raiders and re-joins Bill Belichick. Again.

27. Indianapolis Colts

The Sam Ehlinger era isn’t off to a hot start. His first start for the Indianapolis Colts came in Week 8 and they lost 17-16 to Washington as he had 201 yards passing. This weekend, he got his second start and headed in the wrong direction.

Against the New England Patriots, he was held to just 103 yards on 15-of-29 passing with no touchdowns and a pick. What’s worse is he was sacked nine times for a loss of 60 yards, giving them a total of 43 yards passing. The end result was a 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots as Bill Belichick again made a young quarterback look lost.

The ground game was also a mess for the Colts as they had 78 yards on 22 carries. They’re now 3-5-1 and it’s fair to ask if there’s another win on the schedule for them.

26. Cleveland Browns

After a win in Week 8 against the Bengals, the Cleveland Browns headed to the bye week to prepare for another tough stretch. They will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 10, the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12 — and while they might not be as tough as they were the past two seasons, they still have Tom Brady who will be facing an inconsistent defense.

There’s been renewed hope in Cleveland but catching the 5-3 Ravens who have a soft finish to the season is going to be tough. The Browns will have to find a way to win one, maybe even two of their upcoming games before Deshaun Watson returns to have a chance. That could be a tough ask.

25. Los Angeles Rams

Following a 2-1 start, the Los Angeles Rams are now 1-4 in their past five games and their lone win has come at the expense of the struggling Carolina Panthers. This past weekend, they were in Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady and the Bucs and it ended up being a low-scoring contest that came down to the final seconds.

Los Angeles was up for much of the game and had a 13-9 lead with 44 seconds to go when the Bucs led their game-winning drive. Now at 3-5, the defending champs are in danger of letting this season get away from them.

What’s worse is that it’s not just one problem. They’re generating pressure on defense but not recording sacks. They have talent on offense but can’t give Matt Stafford time to throw. As for their ground game, it’s been a mess all season. In short, this version of the Rams just isn’t very good right now.

24. Arizona Cardinals

A loss to Seattle means the Arizona Cardinals have now lost two in a row for the second time this season. They’re currently 1-4 in their past five games and that includes two losses to the Seahawks. That means they’re not just three games behind the ‘Hawks for first place, but they also lost the tiebreaker.

Of course, with how poorly they’ve played on defense this season, that doesn’t matter. It was a stretch to think they were going to put a stretch of games together that would get them back into the race. There are a lot of holes on both sides of the ball and the rest of this season will be all about figuring out how to fix things going forward.

23. Chicago Bears

It wasn’t expected to be a game full of fireworks but the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears put on a show in Week 9. Miami jumped out to a 21-10 lead but the Bears fought back as Justin Fields had a sensational day.

He threw for just 123 yards but had three touchdowns and no picks. Where he was really electric though was as a runner. Fields took off early and often, running for 178 yards and a touchdown. He hit Cole Kmet from four yards out to pull to within three but neither team scored again and Chicago fell to 3-6 with a 35-32 loss.

They’re still tied for second in the AFC North with the Packers but that’s more of a testament to the division being awful than anything else. Still, the play from Fields is encouraging as he’s finally looking like a legit leader.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars

Travis Etienne had a great outing for the Jacksonville Jaguars as he ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9. More importantly, his play allowed the Jags to erase a 17-0 deficit against the Las Vegas Raiders and steal a win.

Trevor Lawrence also had a solid outing with 235 yards and a touchdown as he continues to look more comfortable under Doug Pederson. The defense also deserves credit as they shut the Raiders down in the second half.

They’re still just 3-6 but they’ve looked like a vastly different team than we saw in 2021 under Urban Meyer. It’s nice to see actual progress for this team after years of struggling. Of course, they now need to take that next step and eventually have a winning record.

21. Green Bay Packers

We keep waiting for Aaron Rodgers to turn things around but it’s not happening. This past weekend, he had three picks in the red zone and the Green Bay Packers managed just nine points in a 15-9 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Green Bay has dominated the series against the Lions and had five wins in a row before losing in Week 18 last season as Rodgers sat in the second half with the division wrapped up. The Packers are now 3-6 and are way behind the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. They also have to make a huge run to catch any of the Wild Card contenders, and with how they looked this past weekend, that’s not likely to happen.

20. Denver Broncos

Russell Wilson is about to ride with Broncos country into an early vacation. The Denver Broncos were all-in on Wilson this offseason but his acquisition hasn’t been what they expected. They got a narrow win over the Jags before their bye week but are now just 3-5.

Even worse is the fact that Wilson has roughly half a season under his belt with them and has thrown 1,694 yards with only six touchdowns and four picks. Denver now has an eye on the offseason and they were able to get a first-round pick for Bradley Chubb, although that’s a big loss for their defense.

They were reportedly also listening to offers for Jerry Jeudy but the compensation wasn’t enough to get them to budge. Mathematically, they’re not out of it, but they know they need to make more moves in the offseason in order to turn things around next year.

19. Washington Commanders

As was the case with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts, the Washington Commanders look much better with Carson Wentz no longer running their offense. It’s weird because he’s not a bad quarterback but it’s as if his teammates have no faith when he’s under center.

This weekend, they wound up losing but they took the Minnesota Vikings to the limit. Washington had a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter and a late pick from Taylor Heinicke doomed them as Minnesota tied it after that, then won a late field goal.

Even with the loss, they looked competitive and nearly made it four wins in a row. That’s a far cry from the 1-4 start they had.

18. New Orleans Saints

Plays on Monday Night Football vs. the Baltimore Ravens

With a record of 3-5, the New Orleans Saints should feel like they’re in a terrible spot, but that’s not the case in the NFC South. No team has been overly impressive this season and if they get a win in Week 9 over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, they would be right in the midst of the race.

Baltimore is favored but they’ve also been beatable. They beat the Browns by just three — and could have lost if not for a terrible pass interference call on Amari Cooper that negated a touchdown — and then the Bucs by just fice. Most of their games have been close, outside of their Week 1 win over the Jets, so New Orleans should feel confident.

17. Atlanta Falcons

Getting Cordarrelle Patterson back provided a spark for the Atlanta Falcons as he scored two touchdowns in his return. However, those were the only touchdowns Atlanta managed and it wasn’t enough as they fell 20-17 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

At 4-4, they’re still in the mix in the NFC South, which isn’t a good division at all. The problem is that they continue to be a mess in the passing game. Marcus Mariota completed just 12 passes for 129 yards. They did put up 201 yards on the ground, which is what keeps them in games, but if you can’t move the ball through the air, it’s going to be hard to win in the NFL.

16. New England Patriots

Outside of their pass rush, there really wasn’t much impressive about the New England Patriots performance on Sunday. When hosting the Indianapolis Colts, the Pats had nine sacks with Matt Judon and Josh Uche both recording three of them.

However, their own offense was anemic under Mac Jones as they had to settle for four field goals from Nick Folk in their 26-3 victory. The win moves them to 5-4 which is last place in the AFC East as that division ended up turning into what we all thought the AFC West was going to be.

If the offense can somehow become consistent and the defense can keep playing lights out, they could make a run. Never count out a team that’s coached by Bill Belichick.

15. Tampa Bay Bucs

There was a time when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Los Angeles Rams would have been a high-scoring affair. That wasn’t the case this weekend as neither team was very impressive on offense. Or at least they weren’t until there was under a minute to play.

That’s when Tom Brady decided to turn it up a notch as he started off a 60-yard drive with a 28-yard pass to Cade Otton then finished it with a one-yard game-winner to Otton with just nine seconds remaining as they pulled off a 16-13 win.

Now at 4-5, the Bucs are still the favorites to win the underwhelming NFC South and we saw why this weekend. At any given moment, they can look like the team we’ve seen the past two seasons.”

14. San Francisco 49ers

Adding Christian McCaffrey was costly for the San Francisco 49ers but it’s already paid dividends. In just his second game, he had a touchdown on the ground, through the air, and even threw one to wideout Brandon Aiyuk.

More importantly, they’ve now knocked off the Los Angeles Rams two times and are still within striking distance of the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West, who they also have a win over.

Considering they lost their starting quarterback in Week 1, the Niners have done a great job staying on course and could wind up being a problem for anyone they happen to face in the postseason should they find a way to make it in.

13. Los Angeles Chargers

Austin Ekeler remains one of the more productive players in the NFL as he had 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground and added seven receptions and another score. The Los Angeles Chargers were without their top receivers as Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missed the game but Ekeler and Joshua Palmer stepped up and helped keep L.A. on track.

They ended up with a 20-17 win this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons and improved to 5-3 on the season. It wasn’t a pretty win but they all count the same. Now, they need to get through a tough stretch that includes San Francisco and a rematch with Kansas City in order to stay in the race for the AFC West.

12. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans fall a bit in this power ranking which feels unfair following their performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Titans had the lead for much of the game as the defense made it hard on Patrick Mahomes.

He was getting plenty of yards but had to throw it on nearly every play since they were able to shut down the run while also putting a ton of pressure on Mahomes. In the end, Mahomes beat them with his legs but that’s a chance they were willing to take.

What really hurt them in this one was the lack of accuracy from Malik Willis. He again had fewer than 10 completions and when the game was on the line couldn’t deliver as they fell to 5-3. Still, they have an elite defense and powerful ground game, but just need to get things figured out on offense.

11. Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals were pushed around by the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football and they took their aggression out on the Carolina Panthers this weekend. They jumped out to a 35-0 lead at the half, then increased it to 42-7 when the Panthers finally scored.

For much of the second half, Joe Burrow and the starters rested but no one earned a break more than Joe Mixon. The veteran running back had 153 yards rushing with four touchdowns and added 58 yards and another touchdown as a receiver.

Now at 5-4, they’re still on the heels of the Ravens as they head into their bye week.

10. Seattle Seahawks

The rebuild was faster than expected. The Seattle Seahawks weren’t supposed to contend this season after they traded away Russell Wilson, but no one told them this. After nine weeks, they’re in first place in the NFC West with a record of 6-3 and they just secured a second win over the Arizona Cardinals.

They do still have two games against the Rams but they just fell to 3-5 so their real worry needs to be the Niners, who did beat the Seahawks earlier this season. But as long as they keep winning, that won’t be a problem since they’ve built themselves a nice lead.

9. Baltimore Ravens

Plays on Monday Night Football vs. the New Orleans Saints

Still in first place in the AFC North at 5-3, the Baltimore Ravens have a chance to put more distance between themselves and their rivals if they can knock off the 3-5 New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.

Baltimore has done well this season but they’ve been in a lot of close games. Other than their Week 1 win over the Jets (24-9) and the 37-26 win over New England in Week 3, all their games have come down to a single score.

Sometimes that’s life in the NFL. The good news for the Ravens is that they’ve been winning the majority of them but they need to find a way to put teams away, especially when they’re the better club. Monday night will be a good time to see if they can do exactly that.

8. Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa just keeps winning. The Miami Dolphins are now 6-1 with him under center this season and 19-9 overall. He doesn’t always look great when throwing the ball but he doesn’t make many bad throws and this past weekend put on a show.

He was good on 21-of-30 attempts with three touchdowns. he spread it around too, hitting Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and newcomer Jeff Wilson each for a touchdown.

Defensively, they have to be discouraged that they couldn’t stop Justin Fields from running all over them but they hope Bradley Chubb will make more of an impact the more comfortable he gets in this defense. Even so, they held on for yet another win and sit at 6-3 in an incredibly tight AFC East.

7. New York Giants

Brian Daboll is an early favorite for head coach of the year as he’s taken practically the same roster that went 4-13 a season ago and has them sitting at 6-2 entering their bye week. Saquon Barkley has seen the largest jump as he had just 593 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games and this season has 779 yards and five touchdowns in the first eight.

Daniel Jones has also shown improvement although he still hasn’t done enough to prove he should be the long-term answer. Having said that, this is an even bigger compliment to Daboll who is winning in a pass-happy league with a quarterback that doesn’t strike fear into opponents.

The one major problem for them is that they play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL as their 6-2 record has them in third place — thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker in favor of Dallas. They also have to play the Cowboys one more time and have two against the undefeated Eagles. Even if they can’t pull off wins in those games, this season has been a major win for the new regime.

6. New York Jets

The New York Jets have been a surprise team this season and they just shocked the Buffalo Bills with a comeback win to improve to 6-3. They’re now right behind the 6-2 Bills and will meet again in Week 14. That could end up being a huge game as long as the Jets keep on winning.

Head coach Robert Saleh has made a huge difference in just his second season as this defense has been lights out. They not only kept Josh Allen from throwing a touchdown but they forced two picks and kept them out of the end zone in the second half altogether.

They again have a big AFC East game at home in Week 11 as they host the Patriots after their bye. It could be a revenge game as the Pats beat them 22-17 in Week 8.

5. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills lost their No. 1 spot in our 2022 NFL Power Rankings when they lost to the New York Jets this weekend and fell to 6-2. It was a frustrating game for them as they had a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter but the Jets scored just before the half and then took the lead in the fourth quarter. Buffalo did tie it up early in the fourth but couldn’t get the lead back.

Buffalo struggled to keep the high-flying New York defense out of their backfield which led to several mistakes — including two picks from Josh Allen. In the end, it was a narrow loss but the Bills are still in good shape and can get revenge in Week 14.

4. Dallas Cowboys

At 6-2, the Dallas Cowboys have to feel pretty good about their situation. They’re still looking up at the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, who have a win over Dallas, but considering how bleak things appeared in Week 1, they have to be ecstatic.

There’s also a new report that they could be all-in on Odell Beckham, Jr. as a free-agent target. Of course, a major concern here would be Stephen Jones coming in and trying to sell him on a veteran minimum deal but if he realizes that there’s plenty of cap room to work with and offers OBJ more than some of the other contenders, that could be enough to push them over the top.

If not, this could be another season where they fall just short due to a failure to address a glaring weakness. But hey, at least their fan base is used to that.

3. Minnesota Vikings

It was a scare for the Minnesota Vikings who were down 17-7 in the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders. They didn’t panic though as Greg Joseph hit a 25-yard field goal following a 10-play drive. Harrison Smith then recorded an interception off Taylor Heinicke that set them up for a tying touchdown from Dalvin Cook.

A three-and-out ensued as the defense got them the ball back and a 15-play drive killed all but 12 seconds and Joseph hit a game-winner from 28-yards out.

Now at 7-1, the Vikings have a massive lead in the NFC North, especially with the Lions shocking the Packers this weekend and knocking them to 3-6 on the year.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Credit has to be given to the Tennessee Titans because they made it as hard as they could on the Kansas City Chiefs. They scored 17 unanswered and had the lead for most of the game. The Chiefs fought back but they never got their running backs going as Patrick Mahomes not only had to throw more passes than he ever has in a single game in his career, but he also had to take charge in the ground game.

It was easily one of his worst games as he was missing open players quite often. Harrison Butker also had a case of the yips with a missed extra point and field goal that could have prevented overtime.

Still, they took the Titans’ best shot and despite the issues they had on offense improved to 6-2.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

For one half, the Philadelphia Eagles looked as though they could struggle to close out the Houston Texans. Their Thursday Night Football contest was 14-14 at the half as the Houston defense was making things difficult for Jalen Hurts and the Philly offense.

Then during the break, one team made adjustments and the other didn’t. This led to Philly walking away with a 29-17 win and their perfect record still intact at 8-0. Their schedule isn’t too daunting from here on out with Washington and Indy on the slate followed by an underwhelming Green Bay team.

The toughest team left on the schedule outside of the NFC East is Tennessee, so there’s a real chance this team can run the table if they stay focused.