NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Updated Standings After Thursday Night Football

The Thursday Night Football NFL showdown between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers was bound to have major implications on the AFC playoff race.  

Those Steelers entered ranked highly while commanding the AFC North and thinking about playoff positioning. The Titans also have playoffs on the mind, though they have a much tougher battle in the suddenly competitive AFC South. 

Thursday, the Steelers made a statement to the rest of the NFL, whipping the visiting Titans 40-17 while Ben Roethlisberger threw four touchdowns. His counterpart, Marcus Mariota, threw four interceptions, and a talented running game ground to a halt for 2.5 yards per carry against a surging Pittsburgh defense.  

The ripple effects on the overall power rankings aren't as profound as actual playoff seeding, but it's worth reviewing what the result means before the Week 11 slate really gets underway.  

2017 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team
1	Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)
2	Minnesota Vikings (18-1)
3	Pittsburgh Steelers (15-2)
4	New England Patriots (9-2)
5	New Orleans Saints (14-1)
6	Los Angeles Rams (14-1)
7	Dallas Cowboys (16-1)
8	Seattle Seahawks (10-1)
9	Carolina Panthers (25-1)
10	Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
11	Atlanta Falcons (28-1)
12	Jacksonville Jaguars (25-1)
13	Detroit Lions (28-1)
14	Tennessee Titans (28-1)
15	Oakland Raiders (33-1)
16	Buffalo Bills (66-1)
17	New York Jets (250-1)
18	Washington Redskins (50-1)
19	Los Angeles Chargers (100-1)
20	Chicago Bears (150-1)
21	Green Bay Packers (66-1)
22	Baltimore Ravens (100-1)
23	Miami Dolphins (250-1)
24	Arizona Cardinals (150-1)
25	Denver Broncos (100-1)
26	Houston Texans (100-1)
27	Cincinnati Bengals (100-1)
28	Indianapolis Colts (300-1)
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (200-1)
30	San Francisco 49ers (5000-1)
31	New York Giants (1000-1)
32	Cleveland Browns (5000-1)

Los Angeles Rams

Who saw this coming? 

The Los Angeles Rams underwent a culture change this past offseason under the guidance of head coach Sean McVay and have stormed out to a 7-2 mark and first place in the NFC West. 

Along the way, the Jared Goff-led offense has posted wins of 46-9, 27-17, 33-0, 51-17 and 33-7 margins as Goff has thrown for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions, and Todd Gurley behind him has rushed for 754 yards and seven touchdowns on a 4.4 per-carry average. 

Goff looks like a completely different player this year, and he has the confidence to back it up: 

The usual strong Rams defense hasn't gone anywhere either considering it only permits an average of 18 points per game—not to mention 28 sacks and 12 interceptions, three of them by Mark Barron. 

When looking at long-term prospects or odds, it is important to point out the Rams have shown signs of growing pains earlier this year, like only escaping the San Francisco 49ers 41-39 or losing to the now-struggling Washington Redskins, a 4-5 team. 

But overall? The Rams have whipped their last four opponents by at least 10 points, including the next team we'll talk about. If it's a sign the team is only going to keep improving, those who want to take a risky bet with huge upside need look no further than these Rams. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Hidden Truth: Jaguars Defense Can Beat Anyone in AFC Playoffs, Even Patriots

At face value, the Jacksonville Jaguars have built such a monster of a defense that the team has managed to disguise Blake Bortles under center. 

But Bortles isn't the garbage-time stat connoisseur of past years now that he's surrounded by talent. 

First, an interesting note provided by Mike Kaye of First Coast News: 

Passing yards aren't everything, of course, and Bortles is still completing less than 60 percent of his passes. But he's doing enough to stave off any mention of a quarterback controversy, and 629 yards and six touchdowns from rookie back Leonard Fournette certainly helps—as does a four-touchdown outburst from tight end Marcedes Lewis.

All this is made possible by a 35-sack defense holding opponents to 14.9 points (first), 165.1 passing yards (first) and 120.7 rushing yards (25th) per game. In a pass-first league, the Jaguars won't fret too much about the last number given the clearly working bend-but-don't-break mentality. 

Detractors or would-be bettors might have thought this wouldn't keep working. Instead, the Jaguars ride a three-game tear into Week 11 and have three consecutive cupcakes against Cleveland, Arizona and Indianapolis. The playoffs seem likely, and from there, a defense like this could make anything happen. 

Seattle Seahawks

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Here is one of the toughest questions facing bettors right now—can the Seattle Seahawks hold it together? 

It feels like the Seahawks keep teetering on the edge of disaster. Russell Wilson has had to work miracles behind one of the league's worst offensive lines to get the team to 6-3 and somewhat close to the Rams in the NFC West. Now the team won't have Richard Sherman for the rest of the year after a closer-than-expected win against the Arizona Cardinals, 22-16, in Week 10. 

Now the Seahawks have to hope Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell can hold it down at corner. The former got traded and returned due to a failed physical and the latter is a guy they just signed. 

"Early indications are that he's really ready," Carroll said of Maxwell, according to ESPN.com's Brady Henderson. "I think sitting out for a couple weeks helped him a little bit, kind of get his mind straight, and he's really anxious to get back and he's grateful to be coming back here."

As if there wasn't enough pressure on the offense already. Wilson has thrown 19 touchdowns and six picks and has to do it all to the point he also leads the team in rushing. He's peppered various targets while fleeing, hence four players boasting three or more receiving scores so far. 

The good news for the Seahawks? They already have a win over the Rams this year after catching the budding contender early in the season and escaping with a six-point victory. But the remaining schedule is brutal, including dates with Atlanta, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Dallas and the Rams again. 

Those who ride with the Seahawks will clearly bank on Wilson continuing to play incredible almost every week while the defense finds a way to compensate for the loss of a lockdown corner. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds courtesy of OddsShark.