BY RALPH VENTRE
It’s about the entire body of work, especially this late in the regular season.
When it comes to ranking the National Football League’s 32 teams, one mustn’t focus too heavily on the numerous weekly anomalies that occur in a league where parity is celebrated.
In Talking Pigskin’s Pro Football Top 10, a single result will not disproportionately affect a particular team’s ranking hence the Philadelphia Eagles remain in the No. 1 spot this week.
A one-score road loss (with a backup quarterback at the controls) should not hide the fact that the Eagles have built the NFL’s best resume with only two weeks remaining in the regular season.
No Week 16 result was enough to force any of Talking Pigskin’s top-seven teams out of the spots they occupied the prior week.
Jacksonville was this week’s lone newcomer into the Talking Pigskin Top 10. Meanwhile, two of the top-five teams (Buffalo, Cincinnati) will meet in an important matchup on Monday night.
ON THE BRINK
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (16) NEW YORK JETS (15), MIAMI DOLPHINS (14), NEW YORK GIANTS (13), GREEN BAY PACKERS (12), DETROIT LIONS (11)
No. 10 BALTIMORE RAVENS ↔️
Last Week: 10
Record: 10-5
The Ravens posted a 17-9 triumph against an overmatched Desmond Ridder-led Falcons team. Despite Lamar Jackson being sidelined, Baltimore clinched a postseason berth with two games remaining.
No. 9 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 📈
Last Week: NR
Record: 7-8
The highly-touted Trevor Lawrence appears to have found his groove as the Jaguars have overtaken Tennessee for the AFC South lead. Head coach Doug Pederson presides over the NFL’s sixth-best offense (367.7).
No. 8 LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 📈
Last Week: 9
Record 9-6
The Chargers’ third straight win resulted in a Wildcard playoff berth. The Los Angeles defense has limited the opponent to 11.3 points per game over the past three weeks.
No. 7 MINNESOTA VIKINGS ↔
Last Week: 7
Record: 12-3
The Vikings have made a habit of “finding a way to win.” After using a last-second 61-yard field goal to sink the Giants in Week 16, Minnesota owns a pedestrian +5 point differential despite being nine games over the .500 mark.
No. 6 DALLAS COWBOYS ↔️
Last Week: 6
Record: 11-4
Dallas squeaked by the Garden Minshew-led Eagles in Week 16, completing its regular season home schedule at 8-1. The Cowboys’ 28.9 points per game account for the NFL’s third-ranked scoring offense.
No. 5 CINCINNATI BENGALS ↔️
Last Week: 5
Record: 11-4
The Bengals averted a possible disastrous road loss by forcing a late New England fumble in the red zone, winning for the seventh consecutive outing. Joe Burrow has totaled seven touchdown passes over back-to-back road victories.
No. 4 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS ↔️
Last Week: 4
Record: 11-4
The 49ers topped Washington to extend the NFL’s longest active win streak (8). San Francisco, which is 2-0 with third-string quarterback Brock Purdy as a starter, has not lost since a 44-23 setback to Kansas City in Week 7.
No. 3 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS ↔️
Previous Rank: 3
Record: 12-3
The Chiefs handled Seattle for their eighth victory in the last nine games. Kansas City boasts the league’s top-ranked offense (420.6) while MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes ranks first amongst NFL leaders in pass yards (4,720) and touchdown passes (37).
No. 2 BUFFALO BILLS ↔️
Last Week: 2
Record: 12-3
For all the talk about their warts, the Bills have won six games in a row and are back atop the NFL leader board in point differential (+157).
No. 1 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES ↔️
Last Week: 1
Record: 13-2
The Eagles receive a mulligan for almost posting a road win over the Cowboys despite starting quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined with a shoulder injury. Philadelphia has had the best overall season of any NFL team thus far and its star signal caller should be ready for a postseason run.
TALKING PIGSKIN 
Leave a comment