Perfect Los Angeles Rams continue reign atop RJ’s NFL rankings
Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Rams 7-0 (1). Might be premature to talk undefeated season for the Rams with the Packers and Saints next up on the schedule. We’ll find out soon how good Sean McVay’s team really is.
2. Patriots 5-2 (2). Tom Brady’s offense is starting to peak, but they have injury concerns with Sony Michel and Rob Gronkowski.
3. Chiefs 6-1 (3). Remember when pundits had doubts about Patrick Mahomes? He might be the MVP after seven weeks.
4. Saints 5-1 (4). The Saints proved against the Ravens they can score away from home versus a tough defense. Drew Brees’ crew looks ready for a deep January run.
5. Vikings 4-2-1 (5). Minnesota has won three straight after a slow start to the season and will now host the Saints for a “Sunday Night Football” showdown.
6. Chargers 5-2 (6). The Chargers could be getting Joey Bosa back after the bye week. It’s time to take them serious as AFC contenders.
7. Panthers 4-2 (13). Cam Newton led the Panthers to a 17-point comeback versus the Eagles last week.
8. Packers 3-2-1 (7). Aaron Rodgers will have his hands full this week with a road matchup against the Rams.
9. Steelers 3-2-1 (11). The Steelers are back from their bye week and Le’Veon Bell still hasn’t reported.
10. Ravens 4-3 (10). Baltimore’s defense contained the Saints’ explosive offense, but that wasn’t the surprise. Justin Tucker missing an extra point attempt might be the biggest shocker of the season so far.
11. Texans 4-3 (16). Remember when the Texans started 0-3? They’re back in first place in the AFC South.
12. Bengals 4-3 (8). The Bengals were embarrassed once again on prime time.
13. Redskins 4-2 (19). Adrian Peterson could lead the Redskins to the NFC East crown. What year is this?
14. Eagles 3-4 (9). It’s probably time to panic for the defending champs.
15. Dolphins 4-3 (12). Brock Osweiler’s “Brocktober” hit a snag last week versus the Lions.
16. Bears 3-3 (15). Mitchell Trubisky’s Hail Mary attempt fell one yard short of beating the Patriots.
17. Jaguars 3-4 (14). Blake Bortles was so bad last week, he was benched for Cody Kessler.
18. Lions 3-3 (25). Could the Lions be sneaky wildcard contenders? They’ve beaten the Patriots, Packers and Dolphins.
19. Seahawks 3-3 (20). Seattle returns from its bye week to face the Lions on the road.
20. Falcons 3-4 (22). The Falcons have a chance at a wildcard bid after two straight wins.
21. Cowboys 3-4 (17). The Jones family went all in on 2018 after trading for Amari Cooper. They might be too high on this roster.
22. Buccaneers 3-3 (24). Tampa Bay’s pass defense wasn’t awful for a change last week.
23. Titans 3-4 (18). The Titans finally mustered some offense, but lost their third straight game.
24. Broncos 3-4 (26). Vance Joseph might have saved his job by blowing out the Cardinals.
25. Browns 2-4-1 (23). A stunned Baker Mayfield after the Bucs’ game-winning field goal summed up the Browns’ overtime loss.
26. Jets 3-4 (21). Sam Darnold threw three interceptions in Week 7. That’s part of the growing pains.
27. Colts 2-5 (28). Andrew Luck finally had some help with a reliable running game in a win versus the Bills.
28. Bills 2-5 (27). Well, at least Buffalo didn’t start Nathan Peterman again.
29. Giants 1-6 (29). Pat Shurmur’s news conferences are more exciting than the Giants’ games.
30. Cardinals 1-6 (30). Do the right thing, Cardinals. Trade Patrick Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald so they can chase a Super Bowl ring.
31. Raiders 1-5 (31). Somehow the Raiders got a first-round pick for Cooper. That might be their last win of the year.
32. 49ers 1-6 (32). San Francisco lost to the lowly Cardinals at home and will start a backup QB the rest of the season. But keep sending emails asking why the Niners are ranked last.
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.
