Compared to the last few, it was a quiet week in the NFL with no major upsets or wild finishes. That certainly makes my job with the power rankings easier. We’re beginning to get a sense of what teams are made of, which teams are contenders, and which teams are starting to look to next year already.
I miss the chaos, though. Maybe we’ll get some more in Week 7.
1 — Kansas City Chiefs (5-0, —)
The Chiefs were on bye this week and travel to San Francisco in Week 7.
2 — Minnesota Vikings (5-0, —)
The Vikings were on bye this week and host the Lions in Week 7.
3 — Houston Texans (5-1, —)
Receivers Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs stepped up big time in the absence of Nico Collins. The return of RB Joe Mixon helped too, as the Texans obliterated the Patriots.
4 — Detroit Lions (4-1, —)
The Lions were enjoying themselves this week, and it showed. They demolished the Cowboys in Dallas, running a variety of plays for their offensive linemen, trolling the Cowboys for the controversial end to their game last season.
5 — Baltimore Ravens (4-2, —)
After holding off the Commanders to win their fourth game in a row, the Ravens will travel to Tampa Bay in a matchup of contenders.
6 — Buffalo Bills (4-2, —)
The Bills righted the ship with a road win against the Jets, sealed with the interception of the week courtesy of CB Taron Johnson. Buffalo now has a firm lead on the division early in the season.
7 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2, —)
It wasn’t a clean game, but a blowout win over a divisional opponent is always a welcome result. The Ravens won’t be starting a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut next week, however.
8 — Green Bay Packers (4-2, —)
The Packers seemed to sleepwalk through a win over the Cardinals, which works just fine. While WR Dontayvion Wicks left this game with an injury, WRs Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson both returned this week.
9 — San Francisco 49ers (3-3, up 2)
The 49ers ran roughshod over the Seahawks on Thursday night, moving into first place in the division after a slow start. The pass defense still needs some work, though.
10 — Atlanta Falcons (4-2, down 1)
The last two weeks have been the best for this new-look Atlanta offense. A Seattle team desperate for a win comes to town next week.
11 — Washington Commanders (4-2, up 3)
They didn’t get the win, but Washington proved they could hang with the big dogs in Baltimore. Jayden Daniels already looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
12 — Seattle Seahawks (3-3, —)
Three wins to start the season have given way to a three-game losing streak. The Seahawks need a win to right the ship, but issues in the trenches on both sides of the ball could make that difficult with Atlanta on the schedule this week.
13 — Indianapolis Colts (3-3, —)
Anthony Richardson was a late scratch and Joe Flacco came in for the second week in a row to power the offense. The Colts are more explosive with Richardson, but Flacco raises this team’s floor.
14 — Cincinnati Bengals (2-4, up 3)
An ugly victory over the Giants gets the Bengals back in the win column, and lucky for them, they get another very winnable matchup next week against the Browns.
15 — Chicago Bears (4-2, up 3)
Caleb Williams arrived in London and threw his hat in the ring for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The first-year passer threw four touchdowns, reminding viewers of his college days at USC.
16 — Philadelphia Eagles (3-2, down 6)
A four-point win over the listless Browns won’t earn much favor with your fanbase, nor will getting into a shouting match with them after the game. Time is ticking for HC Nick Sirianni, unless he can generate better results quickly.
17 — Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2, down 2)
Pittsburgh got the win against an overmatched Las Vegas team, but it was the second week in a row QB Justin Fields has underperformed. We may see Russell Wilson sooner rather than later.
18 — New York Jets (2-4, up 2)
Robert Saleh was fired last week, but the more notable coaching change for the Jets might have been OC Nathaniel Hackett losing his playcalling duties. The Jets’ offense definitely looked a little better, but it wasn’t enough in a home loss to the Bills.
19 — New Orleans Saints (2-4, down 3)
In a game of wild swings, the Saints led at the half before being buried by the Buccaneers. Fifth-round QB Spencer Rattler stepped in for the injured Derek Carr and did some good things in his first career start, but also had his share of rookie moments.
20 — Arizona Cardinals (2-3, down 1)
The Cardinals’ defense isn’t good enough to keep them in games when the offense isn’t firing on all cylinders. As far as the rebuild goes, however, things still seem to be looking up.
21 — Los Angeles Rams (1-4, —)
The Rams were on bye this week and host the Raiders in Week 7.
22 — Los Angeles Chargers (3-2, up 2)
It was a dominating performance from a slightly healthier Chargers squad in Denver. It seems Los Angeles is the clear second-best team in the AFC West.
23 — Denver Broncos (3-3, down 1)
The Broncos couldn’t keep up their recent momentum in a loss to the Chargers. First-round QB Bo Nix had a rough first half but finished strong, continuing to gain experience in HC Sean Payton’s system.
24 — Dallas Cowboys (3-3, down 1)
The Cowboys had no fight in a blowout loss to the Lions. It’s the kind of loss that might doom HC Mike McCarthy if he wasn’t already on an expiring contract.
25 — Tennessee Titans (1-4, —)
Titans QB Will Levis avoided the catastrophic disaster plays this week, but with 15 total plays in their final five drives, the offense shut down in crunch time against a soft Colts defense. Levis needs to start stacking stronger performances if he wants to keep his job.
26 — Miami Dolphins (2-3, —)
The Dolphins were on bye this week and travel to Indianapolis in Week 7.
27 — Las Vegas Raiders (2-4, —)
New quarterback, same problems. Aidan O’Connell replaced Gardner Minshew in the starting lineup and predictably struggled. This roster isn’t strong, and neither Minshew nor O’Connell can elevate an underperforming unit on their own.
28 — New York Giants (2-4, —)
It was a solid performance by the Giants’ defense, but QB Daniel Jones and the offense were stuck in the mud for most of the game. It doesn’t get any easier with the Eagles coming to town next.
29 — Carolina Panthers (1-5, —)
The Panthers hung around for a while, but it never felt like they were really in the game against the Falcons. Veteran QB Andy Dalton has the offense operating at a level not seen in Carolina for a few years, but if the losses continue to pile up, we might see former first-round Bryce Young again this season.
30 — New England Patriots (1-5, —)
The loss to the Texans isn’t surprising, but first-round QB Drake Maye fared well in his first start. He had some bad throws in there, but overall, it was a promising debut for the No. 3 pick.
31 — Cleveland Browns (1-5, —)
Losing to this Browns team is just embarrassing at this point. They continue to set new records for offensive ineptitude every week.
32 — Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5, —)
The Jaguars couldn’t build any momentum after getting their first win last week, losing badly to Chicago in London. A loss to New England next week feels like it would be the end for HC Doug Pederson.
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