The real contenders will become obvious in Week 8

These aren’t your grandpa’s power rankings. We look at the way we evaluate teams differently; these are subjective and random opinions or biases, these are analyzes and facts. The Buffalo Bills had a big win in Week 7 and the Baltimore Ravens continued to win but gave up 31 points to the Bucs. How does this affect rankings? The Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated and have been climbing the rankings every week lately. The AFC may not be as strong as initially thought, but the conference has some advantages. Let’s see how they all connect to each other.

To give you some context on how I derived these rankings, I want to make sure you understand that I didn’t simply say that this team or this team is better than another. I took nine indicators, starting from DVOArankings to the EPA per game rankings, offensive and defensive performance metrics, turnover and point differentials, win/loss records and assigned values ​​to create one single value for each team.

Two weeks ago, the Patriots switched to rookie quarterback Drake Maye and it hasn’t resulted in any wins or advancement in the rankings. However, through two games, Maye is completing 64.1% of his passes for 541 yards and five touchdowns. He also made two picks. The Patriots aren’t that good, ranking 30th in offensive and defensive DVOA.

The Raiders are in a mess, and with Aiden O’Connell injured, they’re back to quarterback Gardner Minshew. They traded for receiver Davante Adams, and their only legal weapon on offense now is rookie tight end Brock Bowers. No offensive displays of talent, ranking 29th in offensive DVOA. They are pretty decent defensively, where they rank 13th and 15th in defensive EPA and efficiency rate, respectively.

Related: WATCH: Bills OL takes off shirt and drinks beer at Buffalo Sabers game

The Dolphins will have quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back soon and they really need him. Miami ranks 32nd and 31st in offensive EPA and efficiency rate. The defense is doing better, ranking relatively high in defensive EPA and efficiency rating, but the DVOA metric doesn’t bode brightly for the defense.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson ends the season with an injury due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. This is where Jameis Winston comes in and may be a better option. Watson was terrible and the metrics back it up, ranking dead last in offensive efficiency rate and DVOA. With Winston under center and Nick Chubb in the lineup, perhaps the Browns offense will be at least competitive.

Jacksonville entered the 2024 campaign with great ambitions, but now it is competing for the top pick in next year’s draft. Despite all the questions fans have about Trevor Lawrence, he is not the problem. The Jags offense ranks somewhere in the middle in terms of offensive EPA and efficiency rate, but ranks dead last in defensive DVOA and 31st in EPA.

Despite giving up 34 points to the Bills, the Titans still rank very high in several defensive metrics, including 11th in defensive EPA and DVOA, as well as number one in defensive efficiency rate. The problem is the offensive end, which ranks 30th in efficiency and 27th in DVOA.

Sorry Jets fans, your team is a train wreck. Aaron Rodgers is clearly in charge of the team, and only Randall Cobb can opt out of reuniting the entire gang. The team’s highest position in terms of defensive effectiveness is 11th place. However, the DVOA stats weren’t as friendly, ranking 21st in both offense and defense.

Anthony Richardson is in the eighth week of his second year in the league, and yet he has only played nine games in his career. Basically, he’s still a rookie and it shows. He’s completing less than 50 percent of his passes and has four touchdowns and six interceptions. The Colts’ offense ranks 25th in offensive efficiency, but the defense has its issues, too, ranking 22nd in DVOA.

Related: Bills DE Greg Rousseau is among the NFL’s elite in these key stats

The Bengals have won consecutive games and are starting to get back into the race. It may be too late for a championship, but they are in the wild card race. The Bengals are great on offense, ranking sixth in EPA and DVOA. Unfortunately, the defense doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain, ranking 24th in EPA and 20th in DVOA.

The Broncos can find their way to the playoffs, and they will do so thanks to the strength of their defense. They rank second in defensive EPA, fourth in success rate and third in DVOA. Because Nix and the offense are trying to do their part, but it’s difficult. They rank 25th in EPA and 24th in DVOA.

The Chargers are similar to the Broncos – they win because of their defensive prowess, but they struggle on offense. Their defense ranks fourth in EPA, ninth in efficiency and eighth in DVOA. However, the offense ranks in the low 20s across all offensive categories.

The analytics do not reflect the talent of the Texans’ offensive weapons. Their best offensive ranking is 18th in EPA and DVOA. The defense, on the other hand, has been outstanding, ranking seventh in EPA, sixth in efficiency, and second in DVOA.

The Steelers switched from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson and have scored the most points per game this season. Will this trend continue during the season? Time will tell, but offensively they still finished quite well in the EPA rankings, finishing 12th; however, they rank 20th in success rate and 19th in DVOA. They rank in the top 10 in defensive EPA and DVOA and also rank second in average turnover differential.

The Ravens offense is exciting to watch and quarterback Lamar Jackson could win his third league MVP award. What matters in Baltimore’s rankings is not offense, but defense. The Ravens defense ranks a dismal 26th in EPA, 16th in efficiency and 13th in DVOA. Their offensive DVOA ranks highest in the league and ranks second in efficiency.

Related: A dominant win in Week 7 sends the Bills up in ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings

Just a few weeks ago, Chiefs were 18th in the league in our table; however, they have quickly climbed the rankings with analytics now reflecting their record. Statistically, Patrick Mahomes hasn’t performed well, but the offense ranks first in efficiency and seventh in DVOA. The defense continues to be amazing, ranking fourth in DVOA and seventh in EPA. One area that drags them down is average turnover differential, in which they rank 25th.

The Bills again retained first place and moved up in the overall rankings to finish second in the league. The Bills are one of the few teams that perform very well across all analytical metrics. They rank 11th or better in every category, including top five in offensive EPA, average turnover differential, point differential and offensive DVOA.

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