NFL Power Rankings (Week 6)
This week, more than any so far, shook things up a lot at the top. The Bills are very clearly the cream of the crop in the AFC. I had to really talk myself into including another AFC team, the Chargers, into the top tier. They deserve it though with the way Justin Herbert is playing. The NFC is much more close at the top with 4 elite teams in the Rams, Buccaneers, Cardinals, and Packers.
The Cowboys almost cracked that top tier, but I’m hesitant to do so just yet. The Browns had a bizarre performance this week where Baker Mayfield looked elite, but their defense couldn’t stop anyone. I still love this team’s talent, but they need to beat a good team. Perhaps Arizona this week? The Chiefs finally fall a tier, and quite frankly, I only have them in this tier even out of respect. That offense is certainly scary, but their defense is absolutely atrocious. I see a clear gap between them and other teams in the AFC. I was so ready, and excited, to drop the Ravens a tier with how bad they looked through 3 quarters on Monday night. But then Lamar Jackson had the best throwing game of his career and shut me right up. If he throws like that, this team may actually contend. I don’t think he will.
The Titans bouncing back with a win is nice, but didn’t mean much due to their opponent. Still, once this offense gets healthy, they’re as scary as anyone. The 49ers stayed competitive, but the question marks at QB terrify me. They probably deserve to be lower. The only problem is I don’t see many other good teams out there.
We all know what a mess the Raiders will likely be the rest of this season after tricking us for a few weeks into thinking they were special. The Steelers bounced back in a big way, but I don’t think that’s going to last. The Broncos and Panthers are regressing back to the average teams that they are. The Seahawks just lost Russell Wilson for some time, but even with him, they haven’t looked that great. The roller coaster ride of a season for the Saints continued this week with a nice win, but can they do it next week? I’m not so sure. The Patriots and Vikings nearly lost to two of the worst teams in the league. The Bears have had less than 300 yards of total offense combined in 2 of their last 3 games. And the Bengals have overachieved thus far of the season, but may be the only team of this group trending upwards.
The Colts almost made me eat my words on Monday night, until a total collapse in that game late to bring them to 1–4. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles at one point were 12–20 passing for a total of 35 yards. That’s almost impossible to even conceptualize. But, they got a solid road win to keep their season alive, so good for them. The Football Team, Dolphins, and Giants all lost quite lobsided games this week and have shown very little reason to believe they’ll be playing meaningful games in the not-so-distant future.
It was a somewhat impressive win for the Falcons in London. This is not because they beat up on the lowly Jets, but it’s because they did it fairly convincingly without their top 2 options at WR. The heartbreaking losses for the Lions continued this week, who have actually looked like a competent football team for most of the season. But 0–5 is 0–5, and the season-ending injuries continue for this team. A top pick awaits. The Texans did what bad teams do and blew a big lead late. And the Jaguars continue to be a mockery.
