NFL Fraud Power Rankings (Steelers Inexplicably Continue to Win Games)
We're halfway through the 2023 NFL season which means we have a good feel for which teams are the most fraudulent in the league.
If you didn't already know, I rank the top five most overrated and fraudulent teams on the NFL in a weekly basis.
Before I get into the Week 10 edition of my fraud rankings, let me tell you about this great promotion from Caesars Sportsbook. For a limited time, new users who click the link below to sign up for an account will receive their first bet on Caesars, up to $1,000!
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Most Overrated Teams in the NFL
5) Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: Not Ranked)
The Bengals are going to remain at the No. 5 spot this week. Listen, I'm not going to claim they're a bad team. Their offense seems all the way back and is coming off two impressive performances. The reason why they're still on this list is people are starting to claim they're Super Bowl contenders and even the oddsmakers have them inside the top six on the odds list to win the Super Bowl.
With that being said, their defense still has a ton of issues that not enough people are recognizing. They're second last in the entire league in opponent yards per play and their secondary has been a mess since losing Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates in the offseason.
Be cautious before you place any futures on this team.
4) Miami Dolphins (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Despite being an unbelievably good offense, I have no choice but to put the Dolphins on this list. They've played just three teams that are above .500 this season and they lost all three of those contests, losing to the Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs. Until they can get it done against a good time, I'm obligated to put them on my Fraud Rankings.
Doing it brings me no joy, but those are the rules.
3) Cleveland Browns (Last Week: Not Ranked)
The Cleveland Browns are the complete opposite of the Cincinnati Bengals. If we combined their defense with Cincinnati's offense, that team might go undefeated. The Browns' defense is elite, but their offense absolutely stinks, so be careful how much you bet on this team.
The Browns offense is one of the worst in the NFL, ranking 30th in yards per play (4.6) and 28th in EPA/Play. You have to be at least competent on both sides of the ball for you to be an actual contender. I think the Browns are going to fall out of a playoff spot sooner rather than later.
2) Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 2)
Listen, I like the Eagles. They're a fun team to watch, I like their players, and I had a great time going to Lincoln Financial Field for the NFC Championship Game last year. With that being said, I have to let the numbers do the talking when it comes to this list and the Eagles are the second most fraudulent team in the NFL.
Are they a bad team? Absolutely not. I'm not going to claim they're not a legitimate contender, but as of writing this article they have the best record in the NFL and I'm here to tell you to look past that fact. This team is good but has a ton of red flags we need to be aware of.
The Eagles are just 13th in the NFL in Net Yards per Play at +0.2. That's one spot below the Texans and one spot above the Packers. Sure, that stat doesn't tell the whole story, but they have played in plenty of games that tilted their way that easily could have resulted in losses. A slim win against the Vikings, an OT win against the Commanders, and the Week 9 game against the Cowboys that they were extremely lucky to survive.
They lose those two of those three games and their record would be sitting at 6-3, which I think is a much more apt record to represent how well this team has actually performed this season.
1) Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 3)
This team baffles me. I don't get it. Year after year they are statistically one of the worst teams in the NFL but continuously find ways to have a winning record. I don't know if Mike Tomlin is the greatest coach of all time or if they're dabbling in the dark arts in order to win these games, but it makes me dumbfounded.
The Steelers are 27th in the NFL in Net Yards per Play at -0.8. That's one spot below the Cardinals and one spot above the Buccaneers. Not exactly elite company to be in. There's no world in which this Steelers team deserves to be 5-3.
They may just remain in this spot of my fraud rankings for the rest of the regular season.