NFL Power Rankings: Do You Trust The WFT?

The theme of this week's Sports Illustrated NFL Power Rankings: "Trust.'' And given all we know about the Washington Football Team's ups and downs, you can imagine where that lands your favorite team.

Would you imagine bottom 10?

From the MMQB gang:

This time, one common theme was trust. The old adage is that teams are what their record says they are, but of course that’s not always exactly the case—especially in a season that has put teams in as many trying situations as this one has. We’ve seen teams at their best and their worst (like in any season), but this year we’ve also seen them when they’ve lost players suddenly and unexpectedly from their lineup, lost coaches, lost entire weeks of practice, had their schedules yanked around and more.

So as I sized up the 32 teams, I tried to cut through some of the noise and think more simply about which teams I trust to show up in a given week, or—for the playoff teams—in a big game come January.

Obviously, we don't know if the WFT is lined up to play "in a big game come January.'' Yet their 4-7 record allows that dream.

Doesn't it, SI? The MMQB writes:

I was a harsh critic when Washington pulled the plug on Dwayne Haskins early this year, but I think I’m ready to admit I was wrong. I figured the most important thing Washington had to do this year was evaluate Haskins and decide if he had a future being their franchise QB. But Ron Rivera knows a lot more than I do, and if he already had an answer, then I think he’s been proven right that switching to Kyle Allen and now Alex Smith has helped the team play better and, in turn, made it easier for the coaches to analyze the rest of the roster.

We have made that point that Haskins didn't earn the right to stay with the first team. ... And we'll agree that WFT is both "evaluating'' and "winning.'' ... all good.

But what about "trust''?

"Trust'' to get to 4-7 is one thing. Trust to handle the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday? That's when "trust'' will get tested.

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