I just updated the power rankings through week 7. These rankings are not based on my opinions of the teams but instead on how efficient the teams are at scoring and preventing points being scored when compared to their specific schedule. Next week O’ll add the projected records to the charts. The way we calculate a teams ranking is as follows:
Scoring Efficiency= (teams points scored per game – schedule’s points allowed per game)/(schedules points allowed per game)
Defensive Efficiency = (schedules points scored per game – teams points allowed per game)/(schedules points scored per game)
Needless to say the Patriots maintained the top spot this week with their win against the Jets, while the Jets fell from 2nd to 3rd following the loss. The Panthers were one of the big gainers of the week jumping up 4 spots to number 6 with the win against Philadelphia.
Despite the Eagles struggles to actually win they are ranked 7th overall. Its primarily on the strength of their defense which has been one of the least discussed groups of the year because of all the attention that is given to the Eagles offense. Whether the Eagles can actually turn it around when it comes to wins remains to be seen but it should not be a shock if they do.
Miami jumped 8 spots after their shelling of the Texans. Since firing their coach they have put a beating on two of the worst teams in the NFL, but they were beatings far worse than those teams had before. It will be very interesting to see how they keep things going when the schedule gets difficult.
Speaking of the AFC South they currently have 4 teams that rank in the 20s. That may be the worst division in the time Ive tracked these. Maybe the NFC West between the Hasselbeck Seahawks years and emergence of the 49ers and Wilson Seahawks was worse, but Im sure it’s close.
OTC NFL Power Rankings, Thru Week 7
| Team | Scoring Efficiency | Defensive Efficiency | Total Efficiency | Offensive Spend (vs avg) | Defensive Spend (vs avg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 66.5% | 7.9% | 74.4% | 3.2% | -18.4% |
| Cardinals | 41.8% | 5.5% | 47.2% | 0.0% | -2.9% |
| Jets | 13.0% | 30.6% | 43.6% | 1.4% | 12.1% |
| Bengals | 27.9% | 14.0% | 42.0% | 4.0% | 16.4% |
| Packers | 17.8% | 15.7% | 33.5% | 12.2% | 1.4% |
| Panthers | 8.2% | 20.4% | 28.6% | 8.1% | -4.9% |
| Eagles | 3.1% | 21.6% | 24.6% | 14.0% | 0.6% |
| Falcons | 17.1% | 3.3% | 20.3% | 14.3% | -20.0% |
| Steelers | -3.4% | 23.1% | 19.7% | 9.8% | -7.7% |
| Broncos | -8.2% | 24.2% | 16.0% | 15.3% | -7.2% |
| Seahawks | -2.5% | 18.3% | 15.8% | 6.4% | 36.7% |
| Bills | 9.2% | 0.9% | 10.1% | -17.7% | 28.8% |
| Rams | -28.6% | 34.4% | 5.8% | -11.2% | 5.4% |
| Saints | 7.6% | -2.6% | 5.0% | -4.3% | -9.6% |
| Vikings | -22.1% | 18.8% | -3.2% | 15.7% | -16.5% |
| Dolphins | -1.3% | -2.3% | -3.6% | -5.1% | 14.9% |
| Chiefs | 0.9% | -4.6% | -3.7% | -1.8% | 15.8% |
| Giants | -1.0% | -2.9% | -3.9% | 4.0% | -12.5% |
| Redskins | -2.1% | -5.1% | -7.1% | 1.9% | 10.6% |
| Ravens | 6.5% | -14.6% | -8.1% | 0.1% | -8.2% |
| Colts | -16.4% | 5.3% | -11.1% | -4.5% | 6.2% |
| Cowboys | -9.7% | -1.5% | -11.2% | 20.9% | 7.0% |
| Raiders | -4.2% | -10.6% | -14.8% | -17.6% | -13.7% |
| Chargers | 8.4% | -25.0% | -16.5% | 10.2% | -7.9% |
| Titans | -22.8% | 2.0% | -20.7% | -28.7% | 12.9% |
| Browns | -6.9% | -22.6% | -29.5% | -7.0% | 20.1% |
| Lions | -6.3% | -27.0% | -33.2% | -2.5% | -5.5% |
| 49ers | -29.6% | -5.4% | -35.0% | 6.5% | -29.6% |
| Jaguars | -15.8% | -21.5% | -37.3% | -10.5% | -3.7% |
| Texans | -11.7% | -26.0% | -37.7% | -18.3% | 16.0% |
| Bears | -11.3% | -26.6% | -38.0% | -0.5% | -30.8% |
| Buccaneers | -13.2% | -48.0% | -61.2% | -18.0% | -6.0% |