NFL RODS Rankings: Week 14

The RODS rankings are my self-developed statistical analysis of team performance, looking at all three phases of the game. The Standard RODS is an aggregate of the Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams ratings and is based purely on what happens on the field, taking into consideration no outside factors. Additionally I have taken the standard fantasy point scoring from ESPN and aggregated each team’s total fantasy output so we are able to compare actual performance with their fantasy output. For a further breakdown of how the ratings are derived, you can find the full breakdown of the RODS rankings here.

RODS Rankings Week 14

Not only did the Jaguars win over the Seahawks on Sunday mean they will finish with a winning record for the first time since 2007, their +54.3% rating in the win has propelled them to the top of the rankings. It completes quite the turnaround for the Jags as over the seven years I have recorded these rankings, the Jaguars rate as the worst team during that period, never finishing higher than 22nd and ranking dead last for three straight seasons 2012-2014. They can proudly boast the number one RODS rated defense in the NFL, which in itself is propelled by the best pass defense in the league, which is on pace with the best I have ever recorded (2013 Seahawks).

Within the rest of the top 5 there’s been more shuffling with the Saints dropping two places after their loss to the Panthers and the gap between the Rams and Eagles narrowing as the Rams posted a +4.3% rating in their defeat to the Eagles, who had a rating of -20.0% despite winning.

10 of the top 12 teams in the rankings are in the playoff spots after the week 14 results, with the Titans (15th, 8-5) and Bills (23rd, 7-6) the two teams not currently in the top 12. The best rated teams from the AFC who would take their playoff spots if were based on the RODS rankings would be the Chargers (9th, 7-6) and Ravens (13th, 7-6) so there’s still a good chance the rankings could align perfectly with the 2017 playoffs.

The Packers (+17.1% rating) and Broncos (+52.9%) have risen the most places in the rankings this week, both moving up five places to 16th and 18th respectively as the Packers kept their slim playoff hopes alive. The Seahawks, Texans and Jets dropped three places this week to tie for the biggest drop of the week, with the Seahawks defeat to the Jaguars seeing them fall out of a wild card spot in the NFC playoffs.

The bottom six teams remain the same, with only a couple of switches, with the Bears and Dolphins moving up one spot ahead of the Browns and Colts respectively. The Giants remain in last place and are on course to be the second worst team I’ve ever graded (2011 Rams, -33.1%).

In fantasy terms, the Eagles have overtaken the Patriots as the number one fantasy scorers as they posted a team fantasy score of 109.52 points, the second highest of the week 14, for a 93.93 average. The Patriot’s 56.12 points against the Dolphins was their worst of the season and the first time since week 1 that they haven’t posted a team total of over 70 points. The Giants now have the worst fantasy points per game as their 46.12 points against the Cowboys leaves them with a season average of 57.40 points per game.