The Wide World of Dirt

With the help of some close, personal friends of the website, the Wide World of Dirt dips its toes into the ether of Power Rankings to bring you a unique perspective on the top teams in the NFL today.

The teams on this list were reviewed by our panel and placed carefully with explanations on placement from a few members that were able to contribute.

For the remainder of this season, our panel will be determining the top-10 best teams in the NFL, but starting next season, we will debut an updated 32-team ranking after every six weeks of play.

Without any further ado, here is our #10 team.

#10: Washington Commanders (8-5)

Will: Coming off of a major return to form for both their offense and young star Jayden Daniels, Washington is poised to make a strong push toward the postseason after their much-needed bye week.

Washington will look to retain their wild card position as well as potentially separating themselves from the pack huddling around the middle of the NFL standings over the last month of the regular season.

Look for Washington to bully an old and underperforming Saints’ defense this week with their strong run game while their porous defense faces a New Orleans offense sans Derek Carr.

This should set up an enticing battle with Philadelphia in week 16 where Washington will be seeking a signature win that currently keeps them from being higher in these rankings.

#9: Seattle Seahawks (8-5)

Will: Seattle appears to be peaking at the right time.

In their 30-18 manhandling of division rival Arizona last week, a largely dormant run game came to life despite missing their most dynamic runner in Kenneth Walker III.

The defense has been playing up to its potential and expectations placed upon them by observers when head coach Mike MacDonald was hired to run the show this past offseason.

Pair these defensive developments with a QB in Geno Smith who has shown a penchant for making big plays when it counts this season in spite of poor offensive line play, and Seattle is beginning to look like a dangerous team.

MacDonald’s team controls their own destiny to host a playoff game this January, but due to the aforementioned offensive line woes, they land here at #9 this week with a big game ahead against Green Bay at home.

#8: Baltimore Ravens (8-5)

Jey: The Baltimore Ravens sit second in the AFC North coming out of a late bye week with four games to go; they’re gonna need some help from the likes of the Eagles and the Chiefs in order to have a shot at Pittsburgh to win the division.

Baltimore does have a very favorable slate remaining that includes the Giants and the Browns.

Questions still remain for this team: Will we get the powerhouse of a team that we saw at the beginning of this year? Or, will the late-season teams of Baltimore’s past rear their heads and have them play down to their opponents?

With Derrick Henry running as strong as ever in purple and black, I expect the former. The efforts of Henry and Jackson this year have gotten them this far and should carry them deep into the postseason.

#7: Green Bay Packers (9-4)

Dirt: After an offensive showcase with Detroit on Thursday Night Football, the Packers ultimately fell to the Lions, 34-31 to earn their fourth loss on the season.

The Matt LeFleur-led outfit has nothing to be ashamed of, putting up a much stronger fight this time around after Detroit’s romp in Lambeau in week 9.

With the division win virtually out of reach, Green Bay needs to focus over the last month of the season to secure a wild card bid, something they had to settle for last season as well.

Jordan Love’s turnover issues seem to be mostly ironed out while the running game seems to be coming alive now more than ever after Josh Jacobs’ Ford Field trifecta last week.

Armed with a top-10 defensive unit, the Packers are a threat to the top of the NFC if they can make it to the postseason without losing any more key pieces on either side of the football.

#6: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)

Jey: The Pittsburgh Steelers entered this year with the most unique quarterback situation we’ve seen in years for a competitive team.

Not one, but two different QBs cast off by their former squads in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson landed on Pittsburgh’s roster, the latter of which has led the team to the top of the AFC North since his return from a calf injury.

With four games remaining in the regular season, Mike Tomlin’s squad sits firmly in the driver’s seats of their own playoff destiny with an incredible defense and a QB that has finally adapted his play style in his advanced age.

George Pickens’ hamstring injury may hamper things for them, but if the rest of the season is any indicator, they’ll continue to adapt and overcome.

#5: Kansas City Chiefs (12-1)

Dirt: I will join the refrain of many when I quote the inimitable Jesse Pinkman: They can’t keep getting away with it!

This year’s iteration of the Kansas City Chiefs keep finding ways to win games, becoming the masters of snatching wins from the tightening jaws of defeat.

Their latest victory against the Chargers sealed their ninth consecutive AFC West title as their top-10 defense stepped up big time in the clutch to force a field goal.

A game against the lowly Browns should be cake walk for a team of KC’s caliber, but this team likely loses to the Raiders two weeks ago had the officiating protocol been followed properly in the moment.

This team looks much closer to being a one-and-done in the postseason than a three-peat threat, though you can’t count out Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes II, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones.

#4: Minnesota Vikings (11-2)

Dirt: Against the many odds stacked against Minnesota coming out of the preseason, the Vikings stand atop the wild card standings with four games to go, almost certainly set to advance to the postseason.

A slew of observers proclaimed this a lost season as soon as JJ McCarthy went down with a torn meniscus. Sam Darnold has taken that personally and ripped off one of the best bounce-back campaigns in recent memory.

Completing passes at a career-high 68.4% clip, Darnold’s renaissance still has doubters poking holes in his breakthrough season, seeing him as the medium of yesteryear that saw Casper and the Flying Dutchman more than his receivers.

Their vicious defense led by Brian Flores sits second in the league in turnovers as well as fourth in rushing yards per attempt and sacks. This is a team that lost Danielle Hunter this offseason.

After Darnold carved the Falcons’ defense last week to the tune of five touchdowns through the air, he might be looking to enter the MVP discussion with a strong performance in primetime against a reeling division rival.

#3: Buffalo Bills (10-3)

Dirt: The Josh Allen Show peaked last Sunday in a matchup with the Rams where the MVP candidate became the first player in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns and run for three more scores in the same game.

It was all for not as a hungry Rams team eked out a two-point victory over the Bills, handing Buffalo its third loss of the season and putting them in jeopardy of losing out to Kansas City for the top seed in the AFC.

Despite injuries and mass roster turnover, Buffalo took advantage of a weak AFC East crop to put themselves in position to compete for a Super Bowl bid for the first time since the early 90s.

Though the loss in LA did hurt their case in this week’s rankings, Minnesota lost to this same Rams’ team earlier in the season, so we couldn’t justify sliding Buffalo back when they still looked relatively good.

Allen and the Bills travel to Detroit this week for what could be the biggest game of the regular season. The result will depend on if we see the Josh Allen from the Chiefs game…or the one from the Texans and Ravens games.

#2: Philadelphia Eagles (11-2)

Sean: The Birds enter week 15 as the second team thanks to their potent run game and the top defense in the league.

Saquon Barkley has been a menace all season long, and ironically enough, the Eagles would be tied with the Lions for the top seed in the NFC if Barkley didn’t have an ill-timed drop in week 2 loss to the Falcons.

A tough game against the Steelers remains; after that, the Eagles’ schedule is significantly easier than the Lions’ slate.

Could they take that top seed for themselves? We will find out, just like we will find out if their passing offense can get its groove back amid all the chirping.

#1: Detroit Lions (12-1)

Dirt: We can officially rename the head coach of the Detroit Lions to Dan Gamble after that gutsy fourth-down call deep in the final frame that ultimately led his team to their 11th consecutive victory of 2024, their second over Green Bay.

That was just one of the gambles that paid off though as the courageous coach also went for it on his own 30-yard line at a critical point in the second half, and it didn’t work out at all, handing the ball to the Packers with great field position.

I know it isn’t exactly en vogue to ask, but what if Campbell’s gutsy play call backfired on him? The Lions’ wounded defensive unit couldn’t stop Love and Jacobs for much of the evening; who’s to say they don’t lose that game?

I implore folks to not read into those questions too much as the more obvious aspect that demands observation is that Detroit is doing all of this winning without so many starters (and backups in some cases!)

As the regular season winds down, Detroit will try to keep the wheels they have left on to snag that elusive #1 seed, but they’ll be going against steep competition in Buffalo this weekend as well as hosting the Vikings to close out the year in what could be a battle for the NFC North.

Honorable Mentions: Houston Texans (8-5), Denver Broncos (8-5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)

(Top Photo Credit: David Reginek/Imagn Images)