2023 NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

With Week 9 officially in the books, we are at the halfway point of the 2023 NFL season! For the first time, the Baltimore Ravens sit on top of our NFL Power Rankings -- which come via numberFire's nERD metric -- while the Carolina Panthers fall to the bottom.

The Kansas City Chiefs' 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins sees them move up three places, landing in third. Miami drops five spots to sixth.

The Cleveland Browns jump up five places after their 27-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals and now sit in 11th.

After their impressive 49-47 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans move up one place and now reside in 13th.

The Las Vegas Raiders 30-6 win over the New York Giants sees them move up five spots to 24th.

The team with the largest increase in Super Bowl odds, per numberFire's model, after Week 9? The Chiefs -- up 6.2 percentage points.

The team with the largest decrease in Super Bowl odds? The Dolphins -- down 6.6 percentage points.

These Power Rankings will continue to shift weekly as the story of the season is written.

Here's where things stand heading into Week 10.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 10)

Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd

After their 13-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Panthers fell one spot and now sit in last for the first time. Carolina's narrow win over Houston in Week 8 briefly delayed this outcome, but it has seemed inevitable for some time now. The Panthers have struggled on both sides of the ball. Their offense ranks 29th, per numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, and their defense ranks 30th. Despite drafting Bryce Young with the first pick in April's draft, their passing offense ranks 27th. With an ineffective offense, they usually find themselves trailing, and their 32nd-ranked run defense does little to prevent teams from holding onto leads. Simply put, everything needs to improve in Carolina.

The Cardinals lost 0-27 to the Browns, falling two places to 29th. With Kyler Murray expected to return in Week 10, there is optimism for a second-half turnaround. First up is a home game against the Atlanta Falcons. If Murray is impactful in his season debut, Arizona could quickly rise up the ranks.

The New York Jets move down two spots after their 27-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Their defense remains elite, ranking seventh overall, per numberFire, but their offense is so ineffective that it simply doesn't matter. The Jets' offense ranks 26th on the ground and 32nd through the air for an overall ranking of 32nd. With the trade deadline behind them, the window for New York to make a move at quarterback is closed. Their odds of making the playoffs sit at just 5.1%. Barring a drastic improvement from Zach Wilson, the Jets appear to be headed toward another lost season.

On a positive note, the Raiders began the post-Josh McDaniels era with a commanding win over the Giants. They moved up five spots and now sit in 24th. Las Vegas still has a long way to go, but they are a rejuvenated side now. Their pass defense ranks 16th, and their passing offense ranks 21st. They remain weak defending the run (29th) and running the ball (32nd). They still have a long way to go, but this was an excellent first step for the Raiders under Antonio Pierce. Next up? A showdown with the Jets on Sunday Night Football.

However bad you think the Falcons 31-28 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was, it was probably worse. Atlanta's defense, which had been their strong suit entering Week 9, was unable to stop Joshua Dobbs, who took over during the first quarter after an injury to rookie Jaren Hall. Dobbs had been with the team for less than a week but was still able to lead Minnesota on a game-winning drive in the final minutes. Thanks to their place in a weak NFC South, Atlanta's odds of making the playoffs still sit at 49.7%, which is 44.6 percentage points higher than any other team in the bottom tier. In Week 10, they face the Cardinals in what is expected to be Kyler Murray's season debut.

Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th

After their 24-18 win over the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals moved up two spots and now sit in 20th. Cincinnati has now won four games in a row, including back-to-back games against teams that currently rank inside the top five. Whatever early-season issues they had appear to be behind them -- they are back on track. The Bengals' odds of winning their division remain low (17.9%) because of how strong the Ravens look. Cincinnati's odds of making the playoffs improved by a significant margin (40.6 percentage points), though, after their win over Buffalo. Their odds of making the playoffs (78.3%) are now the ninth-highest. They have the look of a dangerous wild-card team that all of the top seeds will be hoping to avoid come January.

The Seattle Seahawks dropped six spots after their 37-3 loss to Baltimore, tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the largest drop of the week. Facing a true contender for the first time since their 37-31 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2, the Seahawks looked completely outclassed. They were sufficiently outplayed on both sides of the ball. Some of this had to do with their opponent, as this same Ravens side did just make the Lions look equally as inept, but Seattle's offense is now averaging just 17.6 points per game since Week 4. Their pass defense, which ranks eighth by numberFire's metrics, remains elite, but the run defense (27th), pass offense (14th), and rush offense (14th) have plenty of room for improvement. A Week 10 clash with the Washington Commanders provides a golden opportunity for their offense to get back on track.

The story of Week 9 was the performance of C.J. Stroud. In Houston's 49-47 win over Tampa Bay, Stroud set the single-season rookie record for passing yards (470) and tied the record for touchdowns (5). One week after Stroud had the worst performance of his young career in Week 8's loss to the Panthers, he bounced back in a big way and cemented himself as the favorite for Offense Rookie of the Year. The win moved Houston up one spot and they now sit in 13th on the cusp of entering the top tier, something that seemed unthinkable entering the season. The Texans' problem is that, outside of Stroud, they are still a below-average team. They're numberFire's 3rd-best passing offense, but their rushing offense ranks 31st. On defense, they rank 8th against the run but 23rd against the pass. The future is very bright in Houston, but if they want to make more noise this year, they need to improve in areas of the game that don't involve Stroud.

Teams Ranked 12th to 1st

The Browns' five-spot jump tied for the largest of the week and catapulted them back into the top tier. The story for Cleveland remains the same, as their defense is the best in the league and good enough to make them a contender -- but for that to happen, their offense needs to improve. The Browns' defense ranks 1st overall, per numberFire, but their offense ranks 28th. Compare that to Baltimore, whose defense ranks second overall but plays with an offense that ranks eighth. Cleveland's defense can carry them far this season, but to reach the ultimate goal, they need Deshaun Watson to step up.

The Philadelphia Eagles are on the opposite of that coin. Despite their 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys, they fell one spot and now sit in eighth. The Eagles' offense is elite. They're numberFire's sixth-best offense through the air and on the ground for an overall ranking of fourth. Their run defense is solid, as well, ranking ninth. Their issue is their pass defense, which ranks 19th, and moves their overall defense ranking to 17th. As far as weaknesses go in the modern NFL, being vulnerable to the pass is a tough one to overcome, but Philadelphia has done so to this point. If they can find a way to improve their secondary in the second half of the season, they could quickly become a team without a weakness. As it stands, they still have the second-best odds of winning the Super Bowl (19.4%), per numberFire's model.

The Dolphins had a chance to finally secure a win over an elite opponent in Week 9, and once again, they came up short. They dropped five spots, from first to sixth, after their 21-14 loss to the Chiefs in Germany. The Dolphins' pass offense ranks second, their rushing offense ranks third, and their overall offense ranks first, per numberFire. Their defense ranks 20th overall and is stronger against the pass (12th) than the run (28th). The problem for Miami is that their offense, which covers for their defense, has failed to show up in big games this season, averaging just 17.0 points per game against the Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs combined. Until the Dolphins show up against a contender, these questions will remain. They won't get another opportunity to do so until their final three games of the season, which sees them face the Cowboys, Bills, and Ravens.

Welcome to the top of the rankings, Baltimore! In two of their last three games, the Ravens have combined to outscore the Lions and Seahawks 75-9. The Ravens face a difficult schedule the rest of the way, with games against the Bengals, Chargers, Jaguars, 49ers, and Dolphins. But as it currently stands, they have separated themselves from the rest of the AFC, forming a two-team tier at the top with the Chiefs. The Ravens' worst ranking in numberFire's metrics is their passing offense, which ranks 12th. That's right, Baltimore's worst ranking in any phase of the game is 12th, and it's the one that stands to improve the most as they continue to gain experience in Todd Monken's first season as offensive coordinator. The Ravens' rush offense and pass defense both rank second and their run defense ranks third. They are a complete team, and the nERD margin between Baltimore in first and San Francisco in second (2.81) is greater than the margin between the 49ers and the Dolphins in sixth (2.4). Life is good in Baltimore.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.