Chiefs move up, Patriots drop in RJ’s NFL rankings for Week 11
Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Saints 8-1 (1). The Saints hung 51 points on the road against a Bengals team with postseason aspirations. New Orleans is in a scary good rhythm.
2. Chiefs 9-1 (4). It wasn’t pretty, but the Chiefs got the job done versus the Cardinals and now prepare for a showdown with the Rams.
3. Rams 9-1 (3). The Rams survived a second scare from the Seahawks this season. But they lost wide receiver Cooper Kupp for the rest of the year because of a torn ACL.
4. Steelers 6-2-1 (7). The Le’Veon Bell saga is over and the Steelers are doing just fine without him. Pittsburgh has won five straight games.
5. Chargers 7-2 (6). The Chargers took a hit from linebacker Denzel Perryman’s season-ending knee injury. On the bright side, Joey Bosa could return this week.
6. Patriots 7-3 (2). If the Patriots could avoid a former Bill Belichick disciple they’ll be just fine. The Patriots’ two ugliest losses this season have come against Matt Patricia’s Lions and Mike Vrabel’s Titans.
7. Panthers 6-3 (5). Carolina got crushed by the Steelers on “Thursday Night Football.” On a side note, can the NFL get rid of the short week games? The road teams don’t stand a chance.
8. Vikings 5-3-1 (8). The Vikings return from a bye week for an NFC North showdown against the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.”
9. Bears 6-3 (12). Behind Mitchell Trubisky’s big day, the Bears dismantled the Lions in Week 10.
10. Texans 6-3 (9). The Texans return from a bye to play the Redskins on the road.
11. Packers 4-4-1 (11). Green Bay broke its two-game losing streak with a win versus the Dolphins.
12. Redskins 6-3 (15). The NFC East-leading Redskins forced four turnovers against the Buccaneers.
13. Bengals 5-4 (10). After giving up a 50-burger to the Saints, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis hired Hue Jackson to join his staff. Yeah, that will solve everything.
14. Titans 5-4 (19). The Titans might be serious AFC South contenders after an upset victory over the Patriots.
15. Eagles 4-5 (13). The Super Bowl hangover is real for the Eagles, and it might get worse with the Saints next on the schedule.
16. Falcons 4-5 (14). Atlanta’s three-game winning streak was snapped versus the lowly Browns.
17. Ravens 4-5 (16). The Ravens return from a bye week to host the Bengals.
18. Seahawks 4-5 (17). Seattle gained 273 rushing yards against the Rams, but still came up short.
19. Colts 4-5 (21). The Colts haven’t allowed a sack in the past four games. Indy’s offensive line has come a long way.
20. Cowboys 4-5 (23). Dallas remains in the playoff hunt after a must-win against the Eagles.
21. Dolphins 5-5 (18). The injury-depleted Dolphins didn’t stand a chance against Aaron Rodgers last week.
22. Jaguars 3-6 (20). What happened to the Jaguars’ defense? They got crushed by the Colts.
23. Browns 3-6-1 (26). Baker Mayfield woke up feeling dangerous and that led to a win versus the Falcons.
24. Buccaneers 3-6 (24). Tampa Bay recorded 501 yards of offense and somehow only managed three points against the Redskins.
25. Lions 3-6 (22). For the second straight week, the Lions were embarrassed by a division rival.
26. Broncos 3-6 (25). The Broncos return from a bye week to face the Chargers on the road.
27. Giants 2-7 (30). Eli Manning turned back the clock on his game-winning drive versus the 49ers.
28. Bills 3-7 (31). Matt Barkley played like he was back in college at Southern California during the Bills’ romp of the Jets.
29. Cardinals 2-7 (28). Slowly the Cardinals are showing signs of progress. They kept it close against the mighty Chiefs.
30. 49ers 2-8 (29). Nick Mullens makes prime-time games fun, but he came up short versus the Giants.
31. Jets 3-7 (27). Any day now the Jets will fire Todd Bowles. Or not. It doesn’t matter in this lost season.
32. Raiders 1-8 (32). The Raiders currently have the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. Tank supporters rejoice!
More Raiders: Follow all of our Raiders coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
