NFL POWER RANKINGS
Week 11 (2023) NFL Power Rankings From The Sturg
A look at the best and worst teams in the NFL through 11 weeks
Some teams this week showed signs of life. Other teams, like the Lions, were also impressed with what they saw in their opponents, the Bears, this week. There are some teams at the bottom of the standings looking to move up and some teams in the middle starting to slip. I feel a power shift coming to both the mid-tier and elite groups of teams. Here’s a look at my power rankings this week.
Elite (1–10)
1. Philadelphia Eagles (9–1): Well, the Philadelphia Eagles won a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl with a 21–17 win over Kansas City to avenge their own loss in that game last year. The game lived up to its billing and it was exciting. The Eagles were outgained in the game but the defense forced two turnovers and that seemed to be the difference.
2. Detroit Lions (8–2): The Lions almost lost the game to the Chicago Bears. They were down by 13 points with just over three minutes to go. I expected this team to lose the game. They showed some fight despite a three-interception game from Goff and won 31–26.
3. Baltimore Ravens (8–3): The Ravens won an important divisional game against the Bengals on Thursday Night. The offense gained over 400 yards, sacked the Bengals’ quarterbacks five times, and more importantly, ended Joe Burrow’s season. Their running game helped them greatly in the win.
4. San Francisco 49ers (7–3): After losing three straight games, the 49ers are back on track with two straight dominant wins. In the 27–14 win over the Buccaneers, Brock Purdy became the second youngest quarterback to throw a perfect passer rating. They had 420 yards of offense and forced two turnovers along with four sacks.
5. Miami Dolphins (7–3): Sure, this win is over the Raiders 20–13 but a win is still a win. Tyreek Hill had a huge game with nearly 150 receiving yards and one touchdown. The defense forced three interceptions in the win.
6. Dallas Cowboys (7–3): DaRon Bland made history in the 33–10 win over the Panthers. He returned a pick-six for the fourth time this season, tying an NFL record for most pick-sixes. Dallas looks great on both offense and defense right now. They also sacked Bryce Young seven times.
7. Cleveland Browns (7–3): With DeShaun Watson out for the season, the Browns went back to Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback. He did just enough but it was the defense that saved them. They sacked Kenny Pickett three times and overcame a huge running game from Pittsburgh by kicking a game-winning 34-yarder with Dustin Hopkins.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (7–3): The Jaguars deflated the Titans 34–14 this week. Calvin Ridley had over 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns and Trevor Lawrence threw for over 260 yards with no interceptions in the win. The defense also recovered two fumbles in the win.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (7–3): I expected Kansas City to win at home against the Eagles on Monday Night Football so when they didn’t, I noticeably and justifiably knocked them down quite a few spots. Sure, it was a game that either team could win but they played sloppy enough for me to justify this. I fully expect them to rebound again but they will have to continue to earn their way up, especially since now they are no longer in control of the #1 seed in the AFC at the moment.
10. Houston Texans (6–4): A team on the rise with a great offense. The rookie quarterback, CJ Stroud, had to overcome a ton of mistakes in his last win over the Cardinals after having arguably his worst game so far as an NFL quarterback. Despite throwing three interceptions, they outgained the Cardinals by about a hundred yards and the defense found a way to help them win.
Mid-Tier (11–20)
11. Seattle Seahawks (6–4): Quarterback Geno Smith got injured in the game against the Rams and the backup, Drew Lock, threw a late interception. They lost the game on a 22-yard field goal but that game certainly could’ve gone either way. Geno Smith says he’s ready to play on Thanksgiving despite a short week and injuring his elbow.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6–4): Let’s talk about Jaylen Warren for a minute. Jaylen Warren almost singlehandedly helped the Steelers win the game this week. He had 129 yards on 9 carries with the Steelers’ only touchdown and also had 3 catches for 16 yards. The defense kept them in the game but Warren carried their offense.
13. Buffalo Bills (6–5): The Bills dominated the Jets 32–6 in a game that the defense had a field day with. They basically frustrated Zach Wilson all game, sacking him six times and forcing four turnovers. Josh Allen threw an interception but he countered that with three touchdowns this week. Also, Khalil Shakir scored on an 81-yard touchdown. If the Bills can play like this every week, they can bounce back from the disappointing season so far.
14. Minnesota Vikings (6–5): The Vikings gave the ball up three times in the 21–20 loss in Denver. They had a chance to win the game but the turnovers were too much. They even outgained Denver 385–295. The Vikings led for most of the game until the final drive.
15. Denver Broncos (5–5): Denver is on fire right now with four straight wins. The final connection between Russell Wilson and Courtland Sutton sealed an exciting comeback win against the Vikings in a game where they were outplayed in all but one way that is important: winning. This team looks to be a serious dark horse for the playoffs at this point. Their defense has definitely stepped up to the task as of late.
16. Indianapolis Colts (5–5): The Colts didn’t play this week, therefore, they didn’t move. They are playing Sunday in Indianapolis against the struggling, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also, the Colts just waived veteran linebacker, Shaq Leonard, in a huge cost-saving roster move.
17. New Orleans Saints (5–5): The Saints were also off this week. They come back to play the division rival, Falcons, in a game in Atlanta. They will likely employ Taysom Hill a lot because of injuries at the quarterback position. This should be an exciting game to watch.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (5–5): Well, Joe Burrow is out for the entire season after a wrist injury. The season that started off slowly and started to pick up steam seems officially flat on the floor now. Their only hope is former Folsom High School and University of Washington quarterback, Jake Browning. He looked decent in relief but he’s no Joe Burrow.
19. Oakland Raiders (5–6): The Raiders forced three turnovers against the Dolphins in a 20–13 loss. It just didn’t help that the rookie quarterback, Aidan O’Connell also threw three interceptions. The Raiders quarterback aired it out for 271 yards but couldn’t overcome those mistakes.
20. Green Bay Packers (4–6): Jordan Love had his best passing game so far as a young quarterback against a Chargers team trying to get on track. He threw for over 320 yards and no interceptions to go along with two touchdowns. The Packers even outgained the Chargers in yards 397–394 in the 23–20 win.
The Caboose (21–32)
21. Los Angeles Rams (4–6): The Rams got a big win. It was only one point but they beat the Seahawks in a game they needed to win. Rookie Puka Nacua came up big. The bad news is that Cooper Kupp is injured yet again, this time he has an ankle injury. We will have to wait to see how long that will keep him out but that can’t be a good sign for a team trying to get back on track and make the playoffs.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4–6): I guess playing a healthier, hungry 49ers team at this juncture of the season will continue to bring this team some struggles. I thought that they might be legitimate playoff contenders early on but now after five of six losses, I think that they might have to play for draft position. Baker Mayfield isn’t the whole problem down here but they should probably look to replace him at some point.
23. Los Angeles Chargers (4–6): This team can’t catch a break either. They lost by three points to a young Packers team. Justin Herbert is doing a lot to keep them in games by himself. That defense definitely needs to improve a bit to get them to a spot where they can even sniff the playoffs. I’m starting to think that despite the talent of their young quarterback, the playoffs might not actually be in their 2023 outlook.
24. Atlanta Falcons (4–6): The Falcons were off this week. They are going back to quarterback Desmond Ridder, as they should, against the Saints. He gives them the best chance to win despite his up-and-down season and makes this offense look halfway decent when he’s out there. Their matchup against New Orleans on Sunday will be must-see football and a crucial division matchup.
25. New York Jets (4–6): Zach Wilson is officially broken and is not nearly where he should be at this point in the third season of his NFL career. They have rightfully moved on from him at this point as his passing ability just looked sad against the Bills. Their defense can’t be expected to carry the weight of this team all season. They’ve now lost three games in a row, the season’s on the line, and Saleh had to move on from Wilson to keep his job. I don’t know how well Tim Boyle will do at quarterback but he’ll look competent in comparison.
26. Washington Commanders (4–7): The Commanders just lost a huge divisional game at home to the New York Giants. Yeah, you read that right. A team all of us thought was tanking won against this sad team. The thing is that the 31–19 win isn’t as bad as it looks on paper. Sam Howell had a chance to win the game but threw a costly interception near the end of this one. The Commanders actually outgained the Giants.
27. Tennessee Titans (3–7): The Titans lost two fumbles in a 34–14 loss to the Jaguars. Will Levis threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions with just over 150 yards passing but the Titans were outplayed and outgained in the game. Derrick Henry hurt his ankle and has been managing the injury so this team is on the rocks right now.
28. Chicago Bears (3–8): The Bears outplayed one of the best teams in the NFL for about 55 minutes of the game and nearly stole a win from the Lions in Detroit…then reality set in and they lost in monumental fashion. Justin Fields is a beast. He was never the problem on this team and it looks to be more and more the fault of the coaching rather than a bad team.
29. New York Giants (3–8): The Giants won a game and Tommy DeVito is looking like a good, young arm for the Giants. They should go with him going forward. They are forced to because of the ACL injury to Daniel Jones, but still, he looks like a much more competent quarterback than Daniel Jones ever did, even before the injury.
30. New England Patriots (2–8): The Patriots didn’t play this week but I still feel like we can talk a little shit, right? They are one of the worst teams in the league and are going up against a recently rejuvenated Giants team in Week 12 in East Rutherford. This team is in serious trouble.
31. Arizona Cardinals (2–9): They nearly beat the Texans. Kyler Murray definitely gives them their best foot forward. James Conner being back definitely helped their offense too. Their biggest problem is winning close games. Their defense played well enough to keep them in the game.
32. Carolina Panthers (1–9): The Panthers had the misfortune of going up against an elite defense in Week 11 in the 33–10 loss in Charlotte to Dallas. Bryce Young still needs a lot of help and to limit mistakes. The defense played decently but couldn’t help overcome two turnovers.
As a bonus this week, I will look to predict all of the Thanksgiving Day matchups. In the early matchup, I take the Lions all the way. This game seems to be important to them every year, even when they’re bad. They’re currently one of the best teams in the NFL. After an exhilarating win over the Bears, they will easily bounce back and trounce the Packers.
The Cowboys are an easy pick against the Commanders. Sam Howell is turning out to be a good quarterback who just needs more time to develop but he makes too many mistakes and the Cowboys defense loves to capitalize on those types of mistakes.
In a game that will be closer than most people think, the 49ers will go into the night game in Seattle and take care of business. It is an important divisional game for both teams and they will both put their best foot forward but the 49ers are way too talented and now healthy to lose.
There you have it, those are my picks for the Thanksgiving games. We will be back here next week on either Tuesday or Wednesday. I know, this week, I’m coming within minutes of midnight on Thanksgiving but I had a ton of moving and traveling to take care of. Stay tuned to The Press Box and Medium every week for my power rankings. Until next week, sports fans.
