2023 NFL power rankings, Week 11: 49ers, Vikings soaring

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got themselves another win on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, and Baker Mayfield continues to sort of make you wonder, doesn’t he? I think that’s one of the most underrated storylines of this season. Mayfield, just in general, is a polarizing player. So what happens if he leads the Buccaneers to an NFC South title this season, or maybe just a playoff appearance?

This Bucs team absolutely tortured both Will Levis and Derrick Henry in this week’s matchup in Tampa Bay, racking up a whopping 13 QB hits, 10 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks.

This defense has always had some playoff juice, and while the Buccaneers aren't overly flashy as a team (they're not scoring 30 points per game or anything), they are a pretty good sum of their parts when everything is rolling.

23. Denver Broncos (3-5)

The Denver Broncos don’t play until Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, but I think they deserve a spot outside of the 10 “worst” teams in the league right now. Over the last three games they’ve played, very few defenses across the league have been better than Denver, which allowed 19 to Kansas City back in Week 6, 17 to the Packers in Week 7, and then just 9 points to the Chiefs again in Week 8.

Denver was on a bye week in Week 9, but if they can keep their winning streak going against the Buffalo Bills, this team will be right back in the thick of the AFC playoff picture which seemed impossible after they gave up a whopping 70 points to the Miami Dolphins earlier this season.