TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 03: Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) in action during the NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 03, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Who’s better than who in the NFL? That’s what fans really want to know. Halfway through the 2016 season, that seems a bit clearer. Yet questions remain. Which teams are Super Bowl contenders and playoff hopefuls, and which ones might fade after hot starts?

Take the analysis, previews, breakdowns and smack talk, and it boils down to a simple hierarchy: If any two given teams played, who would win? That’s what power rankings are all about, and that’s how the 32 NFL teams are slotted here each week.

32. Cleveland Browns
The Cowboys Cowboy’d ’em, just like we all expected. Stuck in last until they get off the schneid.

31. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers defense is nonexistent, now dead last in points allowed, and the team as a whole is totally uncompetitive. Hard to see anyone who draws a 49ers paycheck having much job security right now.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars
Couldn’t beat the Kansas City Chiefs with one quarterback and two running backs tied behind their back. They play the Texans this week, then don’t play another AFC South game until the three-contest gauntlet that ends the season. There’s no reason to believe they’ll pick up many, if any wins before the homestretch.

29. Los Angeles Rams
A hard-fought, close, physical loss to the Panthers feels like a moral victory, but that’s four losses in a row. If they can’t put up more than 10 points on a defense allowing an average of over 25 per game, how can they score anything against defenses any better? “Jared Goff” probably isn’t the answer.

28. Chicago Bears
Remember when the Bears upset the Vikings a couple weeks ago? No? Well, they did… but a bye week later, it still remains to be seen whether that even matters.

27. New York Jets
There are a lot of tossups here, but beating bad teams narrowly and losing valiantly to everyone else is the best the Jets seem to be able to hope for.

26. Pittsburgh Steelers
I dropped the Steelers very, very low because they lost Ben Roethlisberger and performed poorly with Landry Jones in. Against the Baltimore Ravens, a relatively healthy-looking Roethlisberger came in and they were even worse.

I’ll be more than welcome to put them further back up the list when they flash some of that early-season form, but they haven’t won in a month, and that was over the Jets.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs’ overtime loss to the Raiders looks a lot better now that the Raiders beat the Broncos, while the Bucs didn’t embarrass themselves against the Falcons. Their defense, however, still isn’t consistently good enough to give Jameis Winston a chance to pull off wins.

About Ty Schalter

Ty Schalter is thrilled to be part of The Comeback. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ty also works as an NFL columnist for Bleacher Report and VICE Sports, and regular host for Sirius XM’s Bleacher Report Radio. In another life, he was an IT cubicle drone with a pretentious Detroit Lions blog.