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Linus O'Howell

My 2023 NFL Power Rankings

It’s that time of the year where I do my Power Rankings for the upcoming NFL Season. I combine Offensive, Defensive, and my Quarterback Rankings together to get a total score which then forms these Rankings.




32. Indianapolis Colts


The Indianapolis Colts were not very good last year as they finished with just a 4-13 record and I’m not sure they’re any better this year. Whilst they aren’t the worst team on both the Offensive and Defensive sides of the ball, they’re not great and I’m really not sure about Anthony Richardson heading into his Rookie Season which is why they’ve dropped a massive 16 places from last year’s Rankings.





31. Los Angeles Rams


My how the Rams have fallen. After winning Super Bowl 56 at home, the Los Angeles Rams went on to have one of the worst seasons for a Super Bowl-defending team and they look really rubbish coming into this year. I actually rate the Rams’ Defense as the worst in the league and their offense isn’t much better which is why they’ve dropped a massive 23 places compared to this time last year.




30. Houston Texans


The Houston Texans were the second-worst team in the NFL last season, yet they’ve actually moved up in my Rankings. I think their Defense has certainly improved from last year and I would say the same thing about their Quarterback as I think C.J. Stroud has a lot of potential. However, the Texans are still pretty low down in my Power Rankings because I feel like the Offense around Stroud is pretty weak and that’s why they’ve only been able to move up two places from last year.



29. Green Bay Packers


I had the Green Bay Packers as the third-best team heading into the 2022 NFL Season and now I’ve got them as the fourth-worst team heading into the 2023 NFL Season. The Packers are so much weaker on both sides of the ball compared to last year and Jordan Love taking Aaron Rodgers’ place as the Starting Quarterback is a massive downgrade. It’s even more worrying when you think that Green Bay didn’t end up even doing particularly well last year. I feel like Packers fans need to pray that they have a season similar to the Seattle Seahawks (I had them at 31 last year and they ended up making the Playoffs).



28. Arizona Cardinals


The Arizona Cardinals had a pretty bad 2022 Season and on paper, their team is a lot worse than it was this time last year. A lot of people have Arizona as the worst team heading into the new season and I get that as both their Offense and Defense is pretty poor. However, I still rate Kyler Murray and if he’s fit, he will improve this team. However, it’s still not looking good for them as the Cardinals have dropped 14 places in my rankings.





27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers


Tampa Bay may have made the Playoffs last year, but they weren’t particularly good. The Bucs were last year’s “Negative Record Division Winner” and it feels like their team is so much weaker than it was at this stage last year. That’s mainly down to the fact that the Greatest of all Time Tom Brady has retired and he’s been replaced by Baker Mayfield. I’m trying to work out whether that’s a bigger downgrade than the Packers’ situation or not, but either way, Tampa Bay have dropped 25 places in my Rankings as a result.




26. Chicago Bears


The Chicago Bears had the worst record in the entire 2022 NFL Season, winning just 3 games out of 17 (how painful). However, it feels like Chicago’s Offense has improved this year and they’ll be hoping for a more positive campaign. Funnily enough, the Bears were also 26th in my Power Rankings last year!





25. Atlanta Falcons


It’s crazy to think that whilst the Atlanta Falcons finished bottom of the AFC South last year, they were also only 1 win away from making the Playoffs! Whilst Atlanta still aren’t a particularly good team, they look on paper to be a much better team than they were 12 months ago on both sides of the ball. It’s weird because whilst the Falcons have moved up 4 places from last year’s Rankings, I don’t feel like that properly emphasises how much better the Falcons look as a team heading into this season (compared to last season).



24. New York Giants


The New York Giants impressed many last year when they went on to have a fantastic season before they were thrashed by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs. In a similar way to the Atlanta Falcons, I feel like the Giants have improved in all areas of the field compared to last year, but they haven’t necessarily moved up too many places in my Rankings compared to 12 months ago. A big question surrounding the NYG is Daniel Jones and more specifically, whether or not Jones can play as well as he did last year. I’m certainly intrigued to find out and the Giants have moved up 6 places in my Rankings as a result.



23. Tennessee Titans


After a brilliant first half of the Regular Season which saw the Tennessee Titans at 7-3, they completely collapsed and ended up with a 7-10 record and missing out on the Playoffs entirely. The Titans are entering this season not looking as threatening as they did last year, particularly on Offense. I’ve definitely lost a bit of confidence in Tennessee and that’s kind of why they’ve dropped 5 places from last year’s Rankings.




22. Carolina Panthers


The Carolina Panthers only just missed out on a Playoff spot last year and they now enter the 2023 NFL Season with the Number 1 Pick in the Draft, Quarterback Bryce Young. On paper, Carolina definitely look a lot better than they did last year, and their Defense is actually pretty solid. The Panthers have moved up 5 places in my Rankings and if Bryce Young delivers, Carolina Panthers fans could be in for a positive year.




21. Washington Commanders


Whilst the Washington Commanders were the only team from the NFC East that didn’t make the Playoffs last season, the Commanders still had a good year and have moved up 3 places in my Rankings as a result. The main reason why they’ve moved up a few positions is because their Defense looks really good heading into the new season. They still definitely need to try and improve their Offense, but they certainly look to be in a better position than they were 12 months ago.





20. Las Vegas Raiders


The Las Vegas Raiders massively underdelivered last year as they only won 6 games and I’m a little bit worried about them heading into the 2023 campaign. I’m not really worried about Jimmy Garoppolo as I rate him a lot, but I’m very concerned about their Defense because it looks pretty bad. That’s not a good thing to have in any circumstances, but it’s made even worse when you look at some of the Offenses of the other teams in their Division. Their weak Defense plus their poor 2022 Season is why they’ve dropped 8 places in my Power Rankings.




19. Pittsburgh Steelers


The Pittsburgh Steelers are such a weird team to me as whilst they’ve actually moved up a place from last year’s Rankings, I’d argue their team heading into the new season is slightly weaker than it was last year. Let’s start with the positives, Pittsburgh’s Defense is really good and it nearly made it into my Top 5. I also feel like their Offense is slightly stronger this year than 12 months ago, but I’m also not convinced by Kenny Pickett. Let’s see if Pickett and the Steelers prove me wrong.





18. Minnesota Vikings


The Minnesota Vikings had a pretty good 2022 Season, but it was sort of ruined by a very disappointing loss at home to the New York Giants in the Wildcard Round of the Playoffs. This probably seems way too low, but I don’t really feel like their team looks any better (or even worse) than it did this time last year. Their Offense is good, their Defense is not good and I still rate Kirk Cousins as a Playoff Quarterback. Add in their pretty good 2022 campaign and they’ve moved up 1 place in my Rankings as a result.




17. Seattle Seahawks


The Seattle Seahawks had a pretty remarkable 2022 NFL Season as they managed to make the Playoffs, something I don’t think anyone saw coming. The Seahawks have also moved up 14 places in my Rankings and that’s mainly down to the fact that Geno Smith’s stock elevated massively after a very impressive 2022 campaign. Seattle’s Defense has also improved and whilst some might think that the Seahawks being 17th is too low, it’s worth mentioning that they’re my 6th highest Ranked NFC Team.




16. New England Patriots


The New England Patriots were a little bit disappointing last year as they failed to make it into the Playoffs and that combined with other factors is why they’ve dropped down 5 places from last year’s Rankings. One of those factors is the fact that the Patriots' Offense looks weaker than last year, and I’ve also lost some confidence in Mac Jones. I will say that New England still has a Top 5 Defense, but even that isn’t as good as it was last year. I don’t know the Patriots’ Schedule, but I’m a little worried that they could be in for a tough year (even though they’re in the top half of my Rankings)!




15. New Orleans Saints


The New Orleans Saints were another team in the NFC South that wasn’t great, yet they nearly made the Playoffs. I find the Saints to be a bit odd in the sense that I feel like their team is weaker this year, particularly on the Defensive side of the ball, yet I feel like they could end up having a pretty good year. However, in the meantime, they’ve dropped down 2 places in my Rankings.





14. Detroit Lions


The Detroit Lions did such a good job to come so close to making the Playoffs and I feel like they could be in for another positive year. I feel like they’ve massively improved Offensively, yet that may just be because Jarrod Goff rose up quite a few spots in my Quarterback Rankings. I still think Detroit’s Defense needs a bit of work, but 14 places gained from last year’s Rankings is pretty impressive and encouraging.





13. Jacksonville Jaguars


After back-to-back years of being the worst team in the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars bounced back in style by making it to the Divisional Rounds of the Playoffs and then putting up a great fight against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jags have moved up 10 places in my Rankings compared to this time last year and that’s mainly down to the fact that their Offense looks so much more threatening. An improved Defense and another good year will pretty much guarantee them a spot in the Top 10 come next year.




12. Denver Broncos


The Denver Broncos were majorly disappointing last season as they ended up finishing bottom of the AFC West with a 5-12 record. Whilst Denver being 12th might seem a little high, they have dropped down quite a few places in all of my different categories and their team on paper is much worse heading into this season than it was in the previous one. The Broncos have dropped down 8 places in my Rankings because of this, even though I feel like this doesn’t fully emphasis the drop that they’ve had (the opposite way to the Falcons and Giants).




11. Cleveland Browns


The Cleveland Browns didn’t have the best 2022 Campaign, yet I feel a lot more confident in them than I did last year. The Browns look to be better in all areas of the field and Deshaun Watson is definitely a big improvement from Jacoby Brissett. What Deshaun Watson decides to show up is unclear, but for now, Cleveland have moved up 11 places compared to last year.




10. San Francisco 49ers


The San Francisco 49ers are such a hard team to rank because you just nether know what you’re going to get/see from them. I feel like the 49ers are much stronger on Defense this year and they’re actually my Number 1 Defense in the league. However, the problem with San Francisco is their Quarterback picture is so unclear that they can’t really be any higher than this. That said, they’ve still moved up 7 places from my 2022 Rankings.




9. Los Angeles Chargers


The Los Angeles Chargers had a frustrating 2022 Season as they let a huge lead slip in their Wildcard Round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Heading into 2023 and the Chargers look slightly weaker on Offense, but their main concern is on Defense. It’s not all bad, but you’d definitely want to be ranked higher than 19th if you’re going to majorly compete this year. I do rate Justin Herbert as a Top 5 Quarterback in the league, but overall, I’m not as confident in the LA Chargers as I was last year and they’ve dropped 4 places in my Rankings as a result.




8. Baltimore Ravens


The Baltimore Ravens had a decent 2022 NFL Season, but they’ll definitely want to go further than the Wildcard Round this year. The Ravens are in a strange position where I don’t feel like they’ve gotten really any better or any worse from where they were 12 months ago. Baltimore still have a Top 10 Offense, a Top 10 Defense, and a Top 10 Quarterback, but they’ve actually moved up two places from last year’s Rankings due to a bunch of other teams dropping below them. I haven’t looked at Baltimore’s Schedule yet, but I feel like they’re always a safe bet to make the Playoffs (or be in contention).




7. Miami Dolphins


After a really positive 2022 Season, the Miami Dolphins enter this year with a lot bigger expectations. Personally, I feel like the Dolphins have really improved on both sides of the ball whilst I rate Tua Tagovailoa a lot more than I did 12 months ago. Because of this, Miami have moved up 14 places in my Rankings and they should have a pretty good season (even though they are in a tough division).




6. Cincinnati Bengals


The Cincinnati Bengals were unfortunate to lose in the AFC Championship Game last year (in Kansas City), but it also proved that the Bengals really are the real deal. Especially on the Offensive side of the ball as Cincinnati have a Top 5 Offense and in my opinion, the third-best Quarterback in the league, Joe Burrow. Whilst Defensively they could be better, I still rate the Bengals a lot and that’s why they’ve moved up 3 places in my Rankings from 12 months ago.




5. New York Jets


I very much believe that the New York Jets are good enough to compete in a major way in 2023. The Jets may have only finished with a 7-10 record last year, but that was with a pretty weak Quarterback and that can’t be said this year as Aaron Rodgers arrives at MetLife Stadium. And whilst that is a ginormous improvement, their Defense has also improved by a mile compared to this time last year and that’s why they’ve moved up a massive 20 places compared to 2022 (the most of anyone).




4. Kansas City Chiefs


The Kansas City Chiefs are entering another season as the reigning Super Bowl Champions after yet another impressive season. You might think that the Chiefs are too low and that’s probably fair enough, but I do have some questions regarding KC’s Defense. However, I did say that last year and Kansas does have the Number 1 Offense in the league as well as the best Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. In real life, it’s fair to say that the Chiefs don’t need an amazing Defense as they can outscore anyone and whilst that’s probably true, that’s not how these Rankings work which is why they are where they are. However, it is worth mentioning that they have moved up 2 places from where I had them heading into the 2022 NFL Season.




3. Dallas Cowboys


I’m not 100% sure, but I doubt many people have the Dallas Cowboys this high up in their Power Rankings. The reason why I’ve got the Cowboys as high up as I do is only one other team (we’ll get to them) has both a Top 5 Offense and Defense. That’s pretty mighty and it’s also worth mentioning that Dallas feel very much like a team that you can rely on to make the Playoffs (watch this age terribly). You could argue that Dak Prescott is the one concern with this team, but Dak is still a Playoff Quarterback that is good enough to push the Cowboys on. I should also mention that Dallas have moved up 4 places from last year’s Rankings.




2. Buffalo Bills


I very much feel like the Buffalo Bills are the “maybe team” of the NFL and I’m very intrigued to see if that’s going to continue this season. Buffalo are definitely a little bit weaker than they were last year, particularly on Defense as they’ve dropped from being my Number 1 Defense heading into 2022 to not even being in the Top 10 this year. However, the Bills are still incredibly strong on Offense and I feel like they are always a threat. They have dropped from Number 1 in my 2022 Rankings, though.




1. Philadelphia Eagles


For me, the Philadelphia Eagles are the best team heading into the 2023 NFL Season. I said in my Power Rankings last year that Philadelphia could be a Dark House in 2022 and that proved to be right as they went on an incredible run that cruelly ended with a Super Bowl defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, I very much feel like they have a team that’s capable of going one step further this year, particularly as they’re a Top 5 team on both sides of the ball. I also firmly believe that Jalen Hurts is a Top 10 Quarterback and that’s why I have the Eagles not only 14 places higher than last year, but also as the Number 1 Team in my 2023 NFL Power Rankings.

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