NFL power rankings 2017, Week 10: The Eagles are a very real Super Bowl contender

Who’s going to stop these Philadelphia Eagles? Now 8-1, the team hasn’t lost since a Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and it’s perfectly realistic to imagine the Eagles going to a Super Bowl for the third time ever.

After dealing a 51-23 thrashing to the Denver Broncos in Week 9, the Eagles will get a bye week to refresh and recuperate before trying to cap a season that looks destined to end with the team’s first NFC East title in four years.

Carson Wentz has 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions, the team hasn’t been held under 20 points all season, and now they add Jay Ajayi to the mix.

There’s a lot of season left to be played, including two games against the Dallas Cowboys, who are lurking in the shadows at 5-3. But there’s really no reason why Philadelphia shouldn’t feel really good about its chances at a division crown and so much more.

Riding high

Los Angeles Rams

Is there anyone left who still doubts the Rams? With just three more wins, the team will secure a winning season for the first time since Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk were still on the squad back in 2003.

The latest win was a 51-17 smackdown of the Giants with 473 yards of total offense. Jared Goff threw four touchdown passes and Todd Gurley ran for two, making for the first six-touchdown game for the Rams since 2014. They have to face some tough defenses still on the schedule, but Los Angeles looks like a nightmare to stop.

Jacksonville Jaguars

If the Rams are the unstoppable force, the Jaguars are the immovable object. Another opponent faced Jacksonville, and another team was held to fewer than 10 points.

Unfortunately, the story of the team’s 23-7 win over the Bengals was the fight between A.J. Green and Jalen Ramsey. But it shouldn’t overshadow the fact that absolutely nobody has been able to pass on the Jaguars this year. The team is on pace for its first winning season since 2007.

Dallas Cowboys

A 2-3 start to the year for the Cowboys and Jerry Jones stealing headlines has taken a lot of the spotlight off Dallas. But now the Cowboys are back in the thick of things after a three-game win streak, capped by a 28-17 win over the Chiefs on Sunday.

The team hasn’t been held under 28 points since Week 2 and can set up quite the power struggle if it beats the Falcons in Week 10. Get that win, and the 6-3 Cowboys will host the 8-1 Eagles for a chance to pull right back into contention for the NFC East.

Low spirits

Winless teams

Yes, it was a bye week for the Browns, but it still felt like a rough one after the NFL world laughed at their trade snafu with the Bengals for AJ McCarron. Whether it was intentional or not, it sure didn’t look like the way a smart team operates and it’s getting real hard to believe that the current regime has things pointed in the right direction.

As for the 49ers, the trade for Jimmy Garoppolo gave some hope, but the 20-10 loss to the Cardinals was a quick reminder that the offense isn’t ready for a new quarterback right now. C.J. Beathard is currently getting killed on a play-to-play basis and has no help to speak of.

Houston Texans

The injury to Deshaun Watson last week came right after the Week 9 rankings came out, so this fall felt inevitable. After scoring at least 33 in five straight games with Watson, the Texans managed just 14 against the Colts with Tom Savage leading the way. And one of those two touchdowns came from the defense.

The only offensive touchdown of the game for Houston against the NFL’s worst scoring defense came with 6:11 left in the fourth quarter. Savage finally got his first career touchdown pass on a throw to DeAndre Hopkins.

Houston is 3-5 with a defense no longer featuring J.J. Watt or Whitney Mercilus and an offense no longer featuring Watson. Things look pretty hopeless for the Texans.

Seattle Seahawks

A drop from No. 3 to No. 13 is partly because of the 17-14 loss to Washington but also because of the impressive win for the Rams, who now have the NFC West lead all to themselves.

Seattle had 437 total yards to Washington’s 244 but just couldn’t stop a drive in the final minutes that gave the road team a win. The back half of the schedule isn’t easy, so the Seahawks can’t afford to drop any more winnable games if they hope to top the Rams in the division race.

Full hope rankings

Weekly disclaimer: These aren’t your average power rankings and are instead an attempt to measure the current state of mind — or “hope” — for each team and fan base.

The NFL can be an emotional roller coaster, and one big week can shoot a team’s spirits through the roof and tank another’s hopes of finishing with the Lombardi Trophy in February or beyond. Teams near the top are feeling great after Sunday, while those at the bottom aren’t feeling too optimistic.

If you’re looking for a ranking of who would beat who, this isn’t always going to be the best gauge:

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