NFL Power Index: Seahawks rebound back into top 10
By Keith Myers
![Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; The Seattle Seahawks offense squares off against the Arizona Cardinals defense during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; The Seattle Seahawks offense squares off against the Arizona Cardinals defense during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2F12thmanrising-com-2Ffiles-2F2016-2F10-2F9629694-nfl-seattle-seahawks-arizona-cardinals-850x560-ac2a4756a6a9704b6c6d3cf5f2ed4056c841b696b87487308346b308fe412d98.jpg)
The Seattle Seahawks used their dominant win over the LA Rams to rebound back into the top 10 in the NFL Power Index.
The NFL Power Index hasn’t been all that kind to the Seattle Seahawks this year. It has twice seen them drop outside the top 10, including bottoming out at 16th a week ago. Now, after beating up the LA Rams, the Seahawks have rebounded up to 9th overall.
The biggest swing for the Seahawks was an improved third down efficiency rate. That has been a major concern all season, and one that seem to be a good indicator of how the team does on offense.
Seeing Oakland and Tennessee sneak into the top 10 with Seattle might surprise some people. Both have been playing very well this season, though their history of being terrible has made everyone slow to see it.
The big surprise near the top of the rankings continues to be the Bills. They’re good in the ways that correlate strongly to winning. Their weaknesses are in areas that have a lower correlation. That gives them a high rating despite the fact that they’re a .500 team. Basically the NFL Power Index believes that the Bills are drastically underachieving, like all Rex Ryan teams seem to do.
On the other end of the spectrum would be the Lions. They’re currently 24h, and have been in that range the entire season. The Lions are 9-5, and are the team most likely to push the Seahawks for the No. 2 seed. They haven’t actually been all-that good this season, but good coaching has put them in a position to win almost every week.
With just two games remaining, the Cleveland Browns have a shot at being the worst team in the history of the NFL Power Index. There has never been a team in single digits at the end of the season. The Browns aren’t just bad, they’re historically bad.
Here are the NFL Power Index ranking for Week 16:
Rank | Last | Team | Yds | Pt Dif | 3% | SoS | TO | Power |
1 | 1 | Atlanta | 1.7 | 7.9 | -1.68 | 0.7 | 8 | 75.98 |
2 | 3 | New England | 1.2 | 9.5 | 6.49 | -0.4 | 6 | 72.29 |
3 | 4 | Pittsburgh | 0.5 | 4.7 | 3.53 | 1 | 3 | 66.56 |
4 | 2 | Dallas | 1.5 | 7.7 | 3.41 | -0.9 | 5 | 66.42 |
5 | 6 | Buffalo | 0.5 | 3.2 | 0.35 | 0 | 8 | 62.28 |
6 | 7 | Oakland | -0.7 | 2.9 | -1.93 | 1.2 | 15 | 61.27 |
7 | 5 | Denver | 0.5 | 3.0 | -1.14 | 1.1 | 2 | 59.82 |
8 | 9 | Tennessee | 0.9 | 1.2 | 7.49 | -0.6 | 0 | 59.19 |
9 | 16 | Seattle | 1.2 | 4.5 | -2.95 | -0.1 | -1 | 57.97 |
10 | 18 | Green Bay | -0.2 | 1.7 | 4.34 | -0.2 | 5 | 57.56 |
11 | 15 | New Orleans | 0.3 | 1.0 | 7.96 | 0.6 | -4 | 57.07 |
12 | 12 | Kansas City | -0.3 | 3.2 | -10.4 | 0.8 | 13 | 56.76 |
13 | 14 | Baltimore | 0.2 | 3.1 | -1.18 | -1 | 6 | 55.24 |
14 | 11 | Arizona | 0.7 | 1.1 | 3.04 | -0.9 | -1 | 54.45 |
15 | 17 | San Diego | 0.3 | 0.0 | 5.88 | 1 | -5 | 54.43 |
16 | 20 | Miami | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.88 | -1.1 | 5 | 54.30 |
17 | 8 | Minnesota | -0.7 | 0.4 | -1.5 | -0.4 | 9 | 53.08 |
18 | 13 | Tampa Bay | -1.2 | -0.6 | 9.16 | 0.9 | 3 | 52.89 |
19 | 19 | Cincinnati | 0.0 | -0.3 | 0.21 | 0.4 | 2 | 52.69 |
20 | 10 | Washington | 0.6 | 0.1 | -1.58 | 0.6 | -2 | 51.12 |
21 | 23 | Carolina | 0.0 | -1.0 | 1.02 | 0.6 | 1 | 50.34 |
22 | 22 | NY Giants | 0.1 | 1.5 | -1.07 | -0.9 | -3 | 49.38 |
23 | 25 | Indianapolis | -0.6 | 1.7 | 3.17 | -0.7 | -2 | 49.32 |
24 | 21 | Detroit | -0.5 | 1.1 | -1.94 | -1.4 | 2 | 48.29 |
25 | 24 | Philadelphia | -1.2 | 1.2 | -1.3 | 1 | 2 | 45.32 |
26 | 27 | Houston | -0.6 | -3.1 | 2.96 | 0 | -8 | 40.25 |
27 | 26 | Chicago | 0.5 | -5.2 | -1.63 | -0.9 | -11 | 40.24 |
28 | 28 | NY Jets | -0.3 | -8.3 | 0.1 | -0.5 | -19 | 29.56 |
29 | 29 | Jacksonville | -0.3 | -7.0 | -2.1 | 0.5 | -16 | 26.08 |
30 | 30 | Los Angeles | -1.1 | -9.3 | -5.09 | 0.9 | -10 | 20.65 |
31 | 31 | San Francisco | -1.7 | -12.1 | -11.36 | -0.1 | -3 | 19.70 |
32 | 32 | Cleveland | -1.4 | -13.4 | -13.4 | 0.6 | -10 | 8.40 |
Next: Seattle wins division, but aren't done yet
All of the over 30 stats but one used in this model come from the NFL GSIS database. Strength of schedule is provided by Team Rankings.