NFL Midseason Top 5 Power Rankings

By: Garret Kryzanowski

As week nine of the NFL ends we are officially at the halfway point of the 2023-24 NFL season. The season has felt like it has flown by as it does every year. Some fan bases are happy, some are angry and some are just down right defeated by their team's outcome so far.

At this point in the NFL season I feel that we have more questions than answers. The AFC is full of incredible teams that could dominate almost any division in the NFC, especially the NFC South. In the NFC we saw a team like the San Francisco 49ers go from unstoppable to fraudulent almost overnight. Literally anything can happen but we are starting to see that the NFC has a few good teams while the AFC has the potential to have many great teams.

Today I will be giving you my Top 5 teams in the NFL right now. Of course it is subject to change at any given point of the season. But right now, in my opinion, these are the best teams in the NFL so let's jump right in!

5. Cincinnati Bengals

What a turnaround for the Bengals who started the season 1-3, before winning their last four games to get to 5-3 at the midpoint of the season. Now you may ask, why? Why are the Bengals at number five when they're last in their division? Here's why; Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow is finally healthy and it shows. In the last two weeks he has led the Bengals to two dominating wins over two pre-season Super Bowl contenders in the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. Those games weren't as close as the scores would suggest either. Especially this past Sunday against the Bills. They won 24-18, but if you watched the game the Bengals took control early and never gave it back.

The Bengals defence is also starting to find it's identity again, in part due to the fact Burrow is actually leading the offence on long, sustained drives, allowing the defence to rest and make adjustments. They also have momentum, which is a very important thing to have on your side as the season progresses. They also don't have an easy schedule left as only one opponent in their last nine games has a losing record as of right now. But I know Bengals players and fans would take their team over anyone right now, and it's incredibly hard to bet against Joe Burrow down the stretch.

4. Detroit Lions

I know I was high on the Lions in the preseason but I will say I didn't think I would think this highly of them at the midpoint of the season. But here we are. The Detroit Lions are 6-2, first in the NFC North and have everything in front of them. They play two more games against the Chicago Bears, who are a bottom five team with quarterback injuries and issues. As well as two more games against the Minnesota Vikings, who are without Kirk Cousins for the rest of the season. On top of that, the Detroit Lions are a damn good football team.

Jared Goff is having a great season and deserves to be in the MVP discussion as of right now. Dan Campbell is a players coach and will get the most out of his players coming down the stretch of the NFL season. Now, I know some of you are thinking about the game against the Ravens. I truly think that loss was a good thing for the Lions. What is meant by that is getting humbled isn't always the worst thing. Yeah no one likes losing by 32 points, however, I do believe that relit the fire for the Lions that they still have lots to prove. And if I know one thing about this Lions team, they love being the underdogs. The Lions are a top five team right now and come playoff time they have the potential to be a top two seed in the NFC. Watch out Lions fans, you may get to see your first playoff win since 1992.

3. Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are arguably if not the hottest team in the NFL right now. They have the highest point differential in the NFL at +115, while the next closest Buffalo Bills are 35 points away at +80. This is in part due to the fact the Ravens have only allowed 13.8 points per game. The Ravens defence has smothered teams this year and have been the reason that the Ravens have been in every game. However, the Ravens offence has slowly been finding its stride the last three weeks.

The offence has struggled at times but new offensive coordinator Todd Monken was hired for a reason and that has shown. In the Ravens last three home games they have outscored opponents 103-12, giving up only one touchdown. The Ravens are an historically good road team, but at home, they have been unstoppable. The reason they aren't as high on my list is due to their "fumble" problem. They have fumbled the ball a lot this season, the most actually, with 17 total fumbles, tying the Jaguars and Vikings. They are also tied for second with nine fumbles lost this season. It is a glaring issue that needs to be corrected if they hope to make a run in the NFL playoffs. That being said, the Ravens have the potential to claim the one seed in the AFC. If they do I don't know if any team can beat the Ravens at home in January.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

The defending NFC champions have the best record in the NFL at 8-1 and have beaten four teams who were in the playoffs last year. They are very good as people expected them to be, but, how good can the Eagles be? They can be even better than they were last season, which is only achievable by winning a Super Bowl. That is this team's goal, anything but a Super Bowl is a failure. They have answered the call so far but they do have a gauntlet coming up with their next four games coming at Kansas City, at home against the Bills and 49ers, then at the Cowboys. This is the toughest stretch any team has this season. They will be tested and they will probably lose one, maybe two of those games.

That is okay. Honestly a loss may be good for the Eagles during that stretch. My only issue and the only reason I don't have them number one, is health. Jalen Hurts isn't 100% and he took a hit to his bad knee in their win against the Cowboys. But it isn't just Hurts, they have seven players on injured reserve and their starting tight end Dallas Goedert is out for at least four weeks with a broken forearm. The only thing that can stop the Eagles from winning the NFC right now is injuries. I do think the bye week is coming at the right time as the Eagles are off this week before their Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs. The Eagles may be number two in my rankings but I do think they will be playing in their second straight Super Bowl come February.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

The defending Super Bowl champions are and should be everyones number one team right now. They are 7-2 and for the first real time in the Patrick Mahomes era the Chiefs have a legitimate defence. Mahomes has said it's the best defence in the NFL and while I disagree they are definitely a top five defence. The Chiefs seem to find a new way to win every season and have been so consistent and that is because they have the best coach in the NFL in Andy Reid. Yes, I know Belichick is still a coach but I am saying right now, not all time. Right now Andy Reid is the best coach in the NFL.

My issue with this team is the offence and its receivers. Besides Travis Kelce they have no one on the roster who has broken out and made consistent plays. Now, I am sure that the Chiefs will figure it out on offence. I mean, they have Patrick Mahomes. At some point they will figure it out on offence and be really scary. They will probably be in the AFC championship again for the sixth straight year. However, I do think another team will be hosting the AFC championship game this year. The Chiefs are number one in my power rankings right now, but that could and may change in the near future.

Here are the rest of the power rankings:

6. Jacksonville Jaguars

7. Miami Dolphins

8. Dallas Cowboys

9. San Francisco 49ers

10. Seattle Seahawks

11. Cleveland Browns

12. Minnesota Vikings

13. Buffalo Bills

14. Pittsburgh Steelers

15. New Orleans Saints

16. Houston Texans

17. Los Angeles Chargers

18. Washington Commanders

19. New York Jets

20. Atlanta Falcons

21. Las Vegas Raiders

22. Indianapolis Colts

23. Green Bay Packers

24. Tennessee Titans

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

26. Denver Broncos

27. Los Angeles Rams

28. New England Patriots

29. Arizona Cardinals

30. Chicago Bears

31. New York Giants

32. Carolina Panthers

The NFL season has been full of surprises so far and I wouldn't be surprised if these rankings look completely wrong in a few weeks time. But that's why we love the NFL. A team can go from Super Bowl contender to uh oh they've lost the locker room so quickly it's frightening. If your team is fighting for the playoffs, cheer hard. If your team is bad root for high draft picks. If you're a Carolina Panthers fan, I'm sorry.

Enjoy the second half of the NFL season and if you think my rankings are wrong, too bad. I know they're correct. But if you want to debate, send me your rankings.