Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid.
Hey, how about that Super Bowl! Better late than never, it’s the final rankings of the year! We’ll start with the big game. This clash featured the top two teams in our rankings once the playoff dust settled. One we could have predicted (the Chiefs) and one was a bit of a surprise (the Eagles). There was an expectation that Philadelphia could be pretty good, but few had them in the Super Bowl before week 1. It turned out to be a fantastic game. Philly came firing out of the gate with a 75 yard TD drive. K.C. answered right back with a 75 yard TD drive of their own. Each team sputtered and failed to score on their ensuing drives, but a 45 yard Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown bomb and a 3-and-out by the Chiefs had the Eagles in charge. The first of a couple huge Philadelphia mistakes happened at this point: a careless fumble by Hurts returned for a score. But the Eagles were unfazed, scoring the final ten of the half to lead 24-14.
It looked like Philadelphia was going to move on for the victory, but Andy Reid and the Kansas City coaching staff made the key adjustments at the half and found themselves ahead 35-27 early in the 4th. The Eagles responded with a TD and two point conversion to tie it up, and K.C. was then able to drive all the way down the field to their opponent’s 15 yard line on 3rd and 8 with just about two minutes left. At this point, a field goal or TD and one final drive from the boys in green could have given us one of the best Super Bowls ever. And for a split second we all thought we were going to get that last drive, as the Mahomes’ pass flew well over his target’s head. But then a flag appeared and the call was defensive holding on Philly. Automatic first down, goodbye suspense, Kansas City field goal with 8 seconds left. The grab wasn’t the most blatant, and I kind of wish it had been missed, as these sometimes are. But even James Bradberry, the Eagles’ cornerback involved in the play, admitted after the game that he had held on the play. Sigh, just a really competitive game, not quite an all time classic. Still, a very entertaining contest all the same. The food was delicious and the company was good; who can complain! Ok, I sorta just did, but nevertheless!
To wrap up the year, let’s quickly review and name our tiers. The S-tier was the two finalists. Both can be happy with the result. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes solidify their legacies with a second Super Bowl and the future looks bright for Hurts and the Eagles. We’ll call this tier Successful Season. The next level down is the A-tier, which is comprised of teams that had great years but fell just a little short. Buffalo may be wondering when they’ll break through and Dallas was a bit hot and cold this year. But all these teams are well positioned to compete for a title next year. This tier is named Knocking on the Door.
Next up is B-tier, which is composed of teams mostly happy with their year. Detroit and Jacksonville surged at the end of the season, the Giants were surprisingly competitive (if a bit lucky), and the Ravens and Dolphins have to feel like they are only a healthy starting quarterback away from making some playoff noise. The Steelers and Commanders managed to make the best of seasons which held low expectations. And the Vikings, of course, were historically fortunate and are more than a bit of a question mark heading into next year. Both Minnesota and N.Y. are going to have to figure out if their current QBs are the future. Cousins has never really completely won over the Vikings fans and Daniel Jones reportedly wants $45 million a year in his new contract. I think the Giants could plug someone in to replace Jones more easily than the Vikings could replace Cousins, and the Giants are better set up in terms of financial flexibility going forward. I suspect both teams will take a step back next year, but Minnesota’s step may more closely resemble a giant leap. This tier is called Headed in the Right Direction (Plus the Vikings).
On to C-tier. This is a mish-mash of “well, that went better than expected!” (Seahawks, Jets), “well, I guess we saw this coming” (Patriots, Browns, Saints), and “what the hell happened!” (Chargers, Packers, Buccaneers). The Jets and Seattle need to sort out their QB situation (no, I’m not convinced by Geno Smith yet). Ditto for New England and Green Bay (oh good, another Aaron Rodgers off-season saga, hooray). Tampa needs a tear down. Chargers are the closest, just need to get out of their own way (looking at you, Coach Staley). N.O. and Cleveland don’t feel like they’re quite there yet. This tier will be known as Are We Sure We Know What We’re Doing?
D-tier is populated by a bunch of teams who had varying degrees of disastrous campaigns. From teams low on overall talent (Atlanta and Carolina) to flawed teams unable to overcome their imbalances (Raiders, Colts), to teams with high hopes who absolutely fell apart (Titans, Rams, Broncos, Cardinals), these franchises severely disappointed their fans. This is usually where the Lions like to hang out, except for the occasional foray into the F-tier and an equally rare trip up to B or C territory. This tier shall be know as Poop Sandwich. This is the tier you most want to avoid.
The last up is F-tier. These two were not really planning on being good. Houston needs a franchise quarterback (Bryce Young? C.J. Stroud? Maybe Will Levis?) and Chicago needs to decide if Justin Fields is their guy. He showed just enough, especially with his legs, to make me think the Bears will trade down to one of the many teams desperate for their choice of QB at the #1 pick and try to strengthen the team around Fields. These two are pretty happy with their season despite their awful records. We will refer to this tier as Happy to Have Sucked.
And that does it for another season in the NFL. Hoping to see the Lions move up a tier or two by this time next year. See you in September!
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