2023 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7
No more undefeated teams after a couple wild upsets over the Eagles and 49ers. Both remain alone in the top tier for at least another week though. I did bump Philly over San Fran though simply based on the QB position. This was the first time anyone has really seen Brock Purdy play against a pass rush that was getting home and it wasn’t pretty. Come playoff time, that’s going to happen.
The Lions may deserve to be in that top tier, but there still feels like there’s a gap between them and those two teams. This team just keeps dominating though, and doing so in different ways, which is a mark of a great team. In my eyes, the AFC has a clear trio at the top right now. The Dolphins came out slow but showed, once again, how electric their offense is. The Chiefs stink right now, but keep winning games. The regular season to them is truly just practice. This is the best defense they’ve had during this run of theirs, but it’d be nice to see their offense start to click. The Bills escaped disaster with their narrow victory this week. I still don’t think they’ll get it done in the end, but for now, they’re a top team in the conference.
I added a tier here of teams that I don’t really envision in the Super Bowl, but that wouldn’t shock me if they beat one of those top teams. The Browns sit atop this tier as they just showed their defense can hang with anyone. Deshaun Watson remains the wild card if they can actually do anything special or not. The Jaguars have officially figured it out, and as they showed a couple weeks ago by beating the Bills, they can hang with the top teams. The Cowboys can’t beat the 49ers but it wouldn’t shock me if they beat the Eagles in a playoff matchup. They play them well and are a division rival. So they belong in this tier. And I have the Bengals back in one of these top tiers. They’ve looked better these past two weeks, particularly their defense. So it wouldn’t shock me if they got it all clicking as the season went on.
The middle of the pack is once again where most teams hang out. The Ravens got a win in London this week, but ultimately have not impressed at all. I can’t see them doing much. The Rams and Seahawks will likely both be competing for the 2nd spot in the NFC West, which will likely give one of them a playoff berth. What a win by the Jets, who need to tell Aaron Rodgers to calm down in his rehab. I can’t imagine any Jets fans want to see him up and throwing. 2024 will be their year, but for now, this team can at least hang with most teams in this league. Tough loss by the Chargers. Their coach is a mess. Nice win by the Commanders puts them back in the mix. Bye week for the Steelers did them no favors as the other three teams in the division all won. The Buccaneers, Falcons, and Saints all lost, officially bringing the NFC South back to the level that everyone expected before the season started. And the Packers hope to have gotten healthier out of their bye as they try to go on a run.
I want to put the Texans up a tier so badly, but can’t just yet. I still have my doubts. But they’re certainly not a pushover. Same with the Raiders. The Vikings got a nice win in their first week without Justin Jefferson. Their defense was actually pretty impressive, which gives them some hope. The Titans and Colts both had rough losses and are slowly falling down the rankings here.
Scrappy game by the Giants, but ultimately another loss where their coach was certainly a major question mark. The Cardinals played a competitive half, again. The Bears, Patriots, Broncos and Panthers all stink.
