For the most part, the teams we expected to be bad last week were indeed bad on Sunday. The 49ers took over the bottom spot after their loss to the Panthers, and while the Browns hung tough against the Steelers, their ranking didn't drastically change.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | San Francisco 49ers | -8.37 | 0-1 | 3.5% | 29 | 18 | -12 |
| 31 | Cleveland Browns | -7.22 | 0-1 | 5.6% | 17 | 20 | +1 |
| 30 | New York Jets | -6.57 | 0-1 | 6.4% | 26 | 26 | +9 |
| 29 | Chicago Bears | -4.99 | 0-1 | 6.0% | 14 | 30 | -1 |
| 28 | Indianapolis Colts | -4.31 | 0-1 | 19.4% | 31 | 28 | -6 |
| 27 | Houston Texans | -3.18 | 0-1 | 17.1% | 30 | 22 | -10 |
| 26 | Tennessee Titans | -2.84 | 0-1 | 26.5% | 8 | 29 | +1 |
| 25 | Los Angeles Rams | -2.26 | 1-0 | 32.2% | 5 | 2 | +6 |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bengals | -2.21 | 0-1 | 20.0% | 32 | 10 | -9 |
| 23 | Miami Dolphins | -0.70 | 0-0 | 30.2% | 20 | 14 | +1 |
Two AFC South teams that were not in the bottom third of the league join the likes of San Francisco, Cleveland and the Jets after dismal performances.
A flawed Indianapolis roster was exposed for what it was in the absence of their stud quarterback, something that should be familiar to Colts fans. Andrew Luck’s backup, Scott Tolzien was completely ineffective, completing 9 of 18 passes for 128 yards and a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
The Indy defense was not any better, allowing 9.9 net yards per pass to Goff, who was fresh off one of the worst rookie seasons in NFL history.
For the team on the other sideline, the result bumped Los Angeles from 31st in nERD to 25th.
As for the Colts’ division rivals, Houston was dominated by Jacksonville and was held to just 203 yards of total offense. The Texans held the Jaguars' mediocre offense in check, allowing just 4.7 yards per play, but only averaged 2.9 yards themselves (you read that correctly).