2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7
Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Oakland Raiders | -6.64 | 1-5 | 0.2% | 23 | 30 | -6 |
| 31 | Tennessee Titans | -6.1 | 3-3 | 17.5% | 28 | 22 | -2 |
| 30 | Buffalo Bills | -5.41 | 2-4 | 6.8% | 32 | 3 | 2 |
| 29 | Miami Dolphins | -4.92 | 4-2 | 29.3% | 26 | 16 | 2 |
| 28 | San Francisco 49ers | -4.57 | 1-5 | 0.6% | 25 | 25 | 0 |
| 27 | Indianapolis Colts | -4.19 | 1-5 | 7.8% | 20 | 20 | 0 |
| 26 | New York Giants | -4.01 | 1-5 | 2.4% | 21 | 24 | -5 |
| 25 | Detroit Lions | -3.78 | 2-3 | 19.6% | 17 | 28 | 5 |
| 24 | Arizona Cardinals | -3.47 | 1-5 | 0.6% | 31 | 4 | -2 |
| 23 | Houston Texans | -2.74 | 3-3 | 34.7% | 18 | 26 | -5 |
We have a new bottom dweller!
Buffalo took over for Indianapolis at number 32 after Week 1 and remained there until this week. The Bills’ offense remains a putrid mess, but the defense now ranks third in schedule-adjusted NEP, which was good enough to move them up a few slots.
The Raiders have taken their place, as Jon Gruden’s first campaign back on the sidelines is off to a disastrous start.
Offensively, Oakland is probably marginally better than its NEP rank may suggest, as it is hard to fathom the team continuing to give the ball away almost two times per game. The Raiders are 19th in yards per play (5.7) and fifth in Success Rate, suggesting they have been able to move the ball consistently (even if big plays have not been there).
Defensively though, things have been a disaster, as the Raiders are conceding 6.7 yards per play, more than every team except Tampa Bay.
Explosive plays through the air have been the main culprit, as Oakland’s defense is actually 15th in Success Rate, but last in the league in both yards per completion (14.4) and the percentage of pass plays that gain at least 20 yards (14%), per SharpFootballStats.com.
Big plays tend to be less consistent than metrics like success rate, so we should probably expect some regression here. Oakland was closer to the league average in both marks last year.
Still, this is hardly the start Gruden was hoping for in his campaign to make the NFL 1998 again.
