24. Atlanta Falcons, 3-6 (24)
The Falcons did not blow a ridiculous lead in an unfathomably short amount of time this week. Granted, they were on bye, but let’s deal in baby steps, people. They are loaded on offense. If their defense can play respectable, they can ruin some teams’ seasons this year.
23. Carolina Panthers, 3-7 (23)
They are in the same spot as last week because a loss to Tampa Bay is pretty much what we expected, as are the Panthers — a gritty, smart team led by a similar quarterback, but lacking at some key positions to challenge the real contenders. This team is potentially one year away.
22. Philadelphia Eagles, 3-5-1 (19)
I’m puzzled how this team isn’t any better than it’s shown, even with its rash of injuries. Carson Wentz needs to be playing better than he is, that defensive line needs to be playing better than it is and someone else needs to make a play or two. This is lower than this team should be, but right where they deserve.
21. Denver Broncos, 3-6 (20)
They got smoked by the Raiders, but they’ve been competitive in other games so I’m not going to ding them too much for this one. I’m still not convinced they have their quarterback of the future right now, but that has been the case for a while now, right?