2020 NFL Power Rankings: 9-16

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A lot of people are buying into the Tampa Bay hype. I’m not sold on it. They’ve yet to get a statement win over any good teams. The best win is against Carolina, a team that’s much better now than in week 2. The Buccaneers need to show me something this week against Green Bay.

15. Carolina Panthers

After a tough start to the season, the Panthers are rolling. 3 straight victories against solid competition. Teddy Bridgewater is playing excellent football. This young Panthers defense is getting better every week. They are truly a threat in the NFC South.

14. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are a team that could be a lot higher on this list. The issue comes down to turnovers, specifically Philip Rivers turnovers. The Colts would have beat Jacksonville and Cleveland if not for Rivers costly mistakes. Rivers cutting back on turnovers is unlikely. As long as he’s under center he will have a gunslinger mentality. He’s a high-risk, high-reward QB. I have trouble putting them above many teams because of that.

13. New Orleans Saints

The Saints’ offense is just not the same without Michael Thomas. Drew Brees’ age is starting to show. They’ve beaten solid teams, but no great teams. The Saints may have to rely on their defense a bit more this year, and that worries me. They are a playoff team, and a possible contender, but right now there are some cracks in the armor.

12. Chicago Bears

The Bears are sitting at 4-1, but every game’s been a close call. The defense is incredible, and should be enough to carry them to the playoffs. However, this offense worries me. Nick Foles is just not consistent, and the loss to the Colts proves that. Look for the Bears to possibly add Le’Veon Bell to help bring some firepower to the offense and take a similar role as Tarik Cohen.

11. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders are coming off a huge win against Kansas City. The offense is a ton of fun to watch. Derek Carr is balling out, and Josh Jacobs is playing like a top 5 back. A couple losses to very good teams is nothing to be ashamed of. The Raiders defense still worries me a bit, allowing 30 points in all but one game. However, the offenses they’ve been facing are all very good.

10. New England Patriots

The Patriots for now are sitting at number two in the division. However, the loss to Kansas City was more on them missing Cam Newton. Not saying they would have won, but it would have been a better game. The two losses are to two of the leagues best teams. Both wins were against very good teams. New England could be a contender this year, but it’s still a bit too early to say.

9. Cleveland Browns

After getting destroyed by Baltimore in week 1, the Browns have been on a tear winning 4 straight. The competition in those 3 of those games was a bit underwhelming, but beating the Colts helped with my confidence. This teams got a lot of star power. Myles Garrett is playing phenomenal. I still have some concerns with Baker Mayfield, but it’s hard to ignore the star power on this team.