NFL Power Rankings heading into the fourth quarter of 2019

#13 Tennessee Titans (7-5)

Is there a hotter team right now not named the Ravens than these Tennessee Titans? Ryan Tannehill has given this team some splash since being inserted into the starting lineup and it is officially Derrick Henry time. The big fella once against is becoming one of the biggest physical forces in the game as we reach the second half of the year, rushing for an average of 165.3 yards and a combined five touchdowns over these last three weeks.

While it never felt like they would win against the Chiefs or now in Indy, this is a complete team and it has actually been two blocked field goals that have made the difference for them. Tennessee easily lead the league with five(!) blocked kicks, but they are also quietly top ten in points allowed (19.5) and third-down percentage (36.3) on defense. Dean Pees is keeping offenses on their heels and he has rising young stars at every single level.

This team is hitting its stride with their ability to pound the rock, have their QB come up with timely plays with his arm or legs, a defense that is always good for a takeaway and those clutch special teams. These guys simply don’t kill themselves and they seem to find a way to force the opposition into mistakes, which is demonstrated by them being top ten in turnover differential. I don’t think a lot of people want to play this squad right now and a win over Oakland would give them a heads-up in the Wildcard race, while still playing the division-leading Texans twice.

#14 Indianapolis Colts (6-6)

Speaking of those AFC South, I don’t think anybody has had more demoralizing losses these last two weeks than the Colts. First they rush for 175 yards, pick up 19 first downs and possess the ball more than 33 minutes with an apparent fumble not even being reviewed to lose to the Texans 20-17 in a battle for the division lead. Then last Sunday they are setting up for a field goal with the score tied at 17 apiece, but Adam Vinatieri gets his kick blocked for the second time that day and the Titans scoop this one up to give them the lead in the snap of a finger.

On a third-down later on, Ryan Tannehill goes play-action and throws a deep touchdown pass to ultimately win the game by 14 points. All of a sudden Indianapolis is third inside its own division and needs quite a bit of help to make it to the postseason with Pittsburgh being a game up and already having the head-to-head tie-breaker, as well as Houston, being two games ahead for the South.

The Colts are still fourth in rushing yards and outside of that fluky final result against Tennessee, the defense has not surrendered more than 23 points since week four. However, they are now in the minus in terms of turnover differential and their all-time great kicker has become an absolute liability for them. I recently predicted that they would win their division, but I’m not sure how they will recover.

#15 Oakland Raiders (6-6)

It’s kind of tough to really get excited about the Raiders after these last two weeks. They have lost by a combined score of 74-12 against the Jets and Chiefs while looking like hot trash for most of it. With that being said, they can still write their own story as they host one of the two main contenders for a wildcard spot in the Titans before going against three straight teams below .500 (Jaguars, Chargers, and Broncos).

On paper, this squad does not look like they should be part of the postseason and I think that 6-4 record gave people expectations that were too high. For a team without a receiver that was more than WR3 last year, a below-average quarterback, rookies being counted on to turn around a historically bad pass rush and questions on the back-end to be at .500 with a chance to play in January is pretty remarkable.

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock deserve a lot of credit for putting together a bruising ground game spearheaded by another rookie in Josh Jacobs and a defense that plays with youthful energy. The Raiders need to play a certain way to win games and I don’t believe they quite have the roster to compete with the AFC’s elite, but they are only a game back from the Steelers and Titans with a tie-breaker over the Colts secured already. If you want proof that they have exceeded expectations – they are 27th in average scoring margin, as opponents have scored an average of 7.2 points more than they do.

#16 Chicago Bears (6-6)

It has been a really weird season for the Bears. They came into the year as reigning NFC North champs with high hopes in their second year under Matt Nagy. They started off 3-1 despite Mitch Trubisky looking to have regressed due to a defense that once again looked elite, highlighted by that dominant performance against the Vikings in week four. They would go on to lose their next four against the Raiders, Saints, Chargers, and Eagles, with their offense looking completely inept and people calling for Trubisky’s head.

All of a sudden they have won three of their last four – even if the quarterbacks they have faced are Jeff Driskel, Daniel Jones and David Blough – and, dare I say, could sneak into this race. Assuming the team who finishes second in the NFC West will get the five-seed, it will come down to that final Wildcard spot. The Bears could still sweep the Vikings season series and while they lost their direct matchup against the Rams, those guys still have two primetime games against the Seahawks and Niners as well as travel to Dallas.

With that being said, nobody in the league faces a tougher final stretch than Chicago – they host the Cowboys on Thursday Night, then travel to Green Bay, have the Chiefs at their house and then end with a trip to Minneapolis, where the Vikes are out for revenge. Even if his numbers have looked pretty good recently, let’s please not act like Trubisky has been playing that well, but if he can pick up some first downs with his legs and Nagy finally gives the ball to David Montgomery 20+ times per game, they could at least stay “in the hunt”.