The Eagles suddenly can’t run the ball with Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts, the Giants are fun again and Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have turned the clock back in Kansas City to … well, any prior year.
The NFL remains predictably unpredictable!
And our weekly NFL power rankings have been thrown into the blender once again.
The Super Bowl chase does seem as wide open as any point in years. The Buffalo Bills, off two straight losses, are the betting favorite (+600), per BetMGM, while the 3-3 Chiefs (+650) are next.
That’s the state of the NFL through six weeks.
Let’s reset for Week 7.
Legit Super Bowl Contenders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3, up 10 spots): Is this an overreaction to Kansas City’s 30-17 win over Detroit last week? Maybe. But it’s a reaction the Las Vegas odds-makers share. The Chiefs may have started 0-2, but they’ve won three out of four since then with a Jaguars touchdown drive in the final minutes the only reason they haven’t won four straight. The point, though, is that Patrick Mahomes looks every bit like his usual elite self again and is now the betting favorite for the MVP award. Xavier Worthy’s return in recent weeks has transformed the offense, and fellow key wideout Rashee Rice is expected to play for the first time this week. Is having a 3-3 team atop the power rankings unorthodox? Maybe, but not when that team has been to three straight Super Bowls (and five of the last six). The Chiefs are back.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1, up 3 spots): QB Baker Mayfield is another top MVP contender and just keeps finding ways to pull the Buccaneers to victory. The Bucs are one of just two 5-1 teams in the league, but injuries continue to pile up around Mayfield with WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka and RB Bucky Irving all having some degree of uncertainty this week. The Bucs face the Lions on the road on Monday night in a game that will say a lot about both teams.
3. Green Bay Packers (3-1-1, up 1 spot): The weird 40-40 overtime game with Dallas aside, Green Bay is giving up just 15.5 points in its other four games. Both that game and the 13-10 loss to Cleveland were ones the Packers let slip away. They surely feel they should be 5-0 at this point and haven’t come close to their peak potential outside that Week 1 win over Detroit.
4. Detroit Lions (4-2, down 2 spots): The Lions are very, very good, but the reality is they’ve lost rather soundly in their two toughest games now — Week 1 at Green Bay and Week 6 at Kansas City. That’s hard to ignore, especially when their dominant wins have come against the Bears, Ravens, Browns and Bengals.
5. Buffalo Bills (4-2, down 2 spots): It stood to reason that Buffalo would be extra locked in last week coming off a loss to New England, but instead the Bills came out flat on the way to a 24-14 loss at Atlanta. The offensive struggles are less concerning — Josh Allen will be elite more often than not — but the defense is a real concern. The two best offenses Buffalo has faced — a full-strength Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 and the Falcons — went for 432 and 443 yards while gashing the Bills in the run game.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2, down 5 spots): Look, the Eagles didn’t totally lose it after winning the Super Bowl last year and returning most of the key contributors to that run. But they sure are reeling after consecutive losses to the Broncos and Giants (a 34-17 stunner last week) while scoring just 17 points in both games. New offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is under intense scrutiny for why an offense with Saquon Barkley (fresh off a 2,000-yard rushing season) and Jalen Hurts can’t run the football anymore. Surely, the Eagles will get that sorted out eventually.
7. Indianapolis Colts (5-1, no change): It’s hard to believe the Colts went 8-9 last year, added Daniel Jones (who was cut during last season by the New York Giants) and suddenly they’re an elite offensive team. But, they keep looking like one. Indianapolis is tops in the NFL in scoring (32.3 points per game) and fourth in yards (376.8 per game) while RB Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL with 603 rushing yards and 7 TDs (plus 147 yards and 1 TD receiving).
8. Los Angeles Rams (4-2, up 4 spots): We probably had the Rams ranked too low after a 3-2 start. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua (when healthy), Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Sean McVay and a defense giving up the third-fewest points (18.3 PPG) and eighth-fewest yards (306.8 YPG) is a lot to like.
Making Us Believe
9. Seattle Seahawks (4-2, up 4 spots): Seattle earned a nice 20-12 road win at Jacksonville last week, and the Seahawks’ two losses are by a combined seven points to the 49ers and Buccaneers. Sam Darnold is also backing up his delayed breakout season from last year, ranking third in the NFL with 1,541 passing yards and 11 TDs with 3 INTs.
10. Denver Broncos (4-2, no change): There’s a lot to like about the Broncos. Sean Payton is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, Bo Nix is an emerging talent at QB, WR Courtland Sutton is one of the most underrated at his position and the defense ranks second in both yards allowed (254.2 per game) and points allowed (15.8 per game). And yet they go and barely beat the Jets, 13-11 last week. Maybe it was being in London.
11. Atlanta Falcons (3-2, up 11 spots): That 24-14 win over the Bills on Monday was highly compelling. Even more impressive, though, is that Atlanta ranks first in the NFL in total defense (253.4 YPG allowed) and second in total offense (378.8 YPG). Oh, and Bijan Robinson (484 rushing yards, 2 TDs; 338 receiving yards, 1 TD) and Drake London (34 catches for 427 yards and 2 TDs) are both working on elite career-best seasons. So how did this team lose 30-0 to the Carolina Panthers last month?
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2, down 3 spots): A win at home last week against Seattle to back up their impressive win over Kansas City would have really made a statement about the Jaguars’ readiness to make a big leap forward this year. But the run game disappeared and the offense managed only 12 points. It’s still too early in the season to know how much first-year coach Liam Coen has truly transformed this franchise — and QB Trevor Lawrence — in such short order.
If Not For Injuries
13. San Francisco 49ers (4-2, down 7 spots): The irony is that RB Christian McCaffrey has been healthy all season while the rest of the roster has crumbled around him. Backup QB Mac Jones has impressed and mitigated the time missed by Brock Purdy, and the return of TE George Kittle this week should certainly help. Meanwhile, the team remains without WRs Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk and already lost star pass rusher Nick Bosa for the season and then lost linebacker Fred Warner last week to a gruesome ankle injury.
A Tier To Themselves
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1, up 3 spots): The Steelers are running away with the AFC North with a three-game lead in the loss column already, but that’s as much because the Browns and Bengals are hopeless this season and the Ravens are decimated by injuries. It’s still hard to get too excited about the ultimate upside of this roster as Pittsburgh ranks 25th in total defense and 29th in total offense. So, yeah, the Steelers are probably going to win their division and make the playoffs, but then what?
Want To See More
15. Washington Commanders (3-3, down 7 spots): Washington took a tough 25-24 loss at home to Chicago on Monday on a game-winning field goal for the Bears after a Jayden Daniels fumble with a little over 3 minutes left. That’s one the Commanders will want back.
16. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2, down 2 spots): Injuries have leveled the Chargers at RB, but having QB Justin Herbert and a loaded WR corps with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen is plenty of firepower. That said, the last three games the Chargers lost to the Giants, lost to the Commanders and squeaked by the reeling Miami Dolphins, 29-27.
17. New England Patriots (4-2, down 1 spot): Drake Maye (1,522 passing yards, 10 TDs, 2 INT, 2 rushing TDs) looks to be legit and pushing his way at least into the conversation of being a top 10 quarterback in the league. Whether the Patriots are ready collectively to push for a playoff spot in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season is yet to be determined, but they’ve won three straight (over the Panthers, Bills and Saints) since a 1-2 start.
18. Minnesota Vikings (3-2, up 2 spots): It looks like backup QB Carson Wentz will make a fourth straight start this week, which oddly bodes in the Vikings favor against the Eagles (Wentz’s former team). Second-year QB J.J. McCarthy didn’t look ready for the job before he was sidelined by injury, and given the team’s investment in McCarthy it will be interesting to see how they handle the position the rest of the way. Honestly, if the Vikings choose to stick with Wentz, we’d have the Vikings higher in the power rankings. The potential of McCarthy nearing a return to the starting job is why they’re so low here.
19. Chicago Bears (3-2, up 4 spots): The Bears have won three straight games over the Cowboys, Raiders and Commanders, picking up a momentous road win Monday on that game-winning Jake Moody field goal in the final seconds. QB Caleb Williams (1,179 passing yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs) is definitely looking more comfortable in his second season.
20. Houston Texans (2-3, down 2 spots): The Texans have won two straight since an 0-3 start, blowing out the Titans (26-0) and the injury-depleted Ravens (44-10). But those are just games a team has to win, especially given the state of things for Baltimore. One positive for Houston is that it has given up the fewest points per game in the NFL now (12.2) and the fourth-fewest yards (265.8 YPG). QB C.J. Stroud played better the last two games, but he has to keep it going.
Also A Tier To Themselves
21. Baltimore Ravens (1-5, down 2 spots): The Ravens are on a bye and hope to get QB Lamar Jackson and LB Roquan Smith back from injuries after that. If this team can get healthier, the potential is always there. This was one of the best teams in the NFL last year, let’s not forget.
Playoff Longshots
22. Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1, down 7 spots): Dallas will stay in most games offensively with the way Dak Prescott is playing — second in the NFL with 1,617 passing yards and 13 TDs with 3 INTs. But they’ve lost to the Bears and Panthers and remain a wildcard week to week.
23. Carolina Panthers (3-3, up 3 spots): The Panthers have won three of their last four after a win over the Cowboys last week, thanks in large part to the most unexpected back-to-back performances from RB Rico Dowdle, who has combined for 389 rushing yards, 84 receiving yards and 2 TDs the last two games.
Better Luck Next Year
24. New York Giants (2-4, up 1 spot): The Giants stunned the Eagles 34-17 last week, and the fan base is fired up by the rookie tandem of QB Jaxson Dart and RB Cam Skattebo. The future may be brighter, but the present still seems cloudy.
25. Arizona Cardinals (2-4, down 1 spot): Backup QB Jacoby Brissett kept the Cardinals surprisingly competitive last week in a 31-27 loss at Indianapolis, but even when Kyler Murray returns to action the reality remains that Arizona is clearly the worst team in the NFC West and already two games behind the rest of the division.
26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4, up 2 spots): The Raiders snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over one of the teams worse than them — the Tennessee Titans.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4, down 6 spots): The Joe Flacco Experiment isn’t going to change the fate of the Joe Burrow-less Bengals — not behind their offensive line. But maybe he’ll be able to get the ball to Ja’Marr Chase enough to keep it interesting some weeks.
28 Miami Dolphins (1-5, down 1 spot): Now the Dolphins are losing and generating controversy with QB Tua Tagovailoa apologizing to his teammates this week after airing frustrations to reporters.
29. Cleveland Brown (1-5, up 1 spot): The Browns’ defense is the best attribute of any of the remaining teams, so there’s that. But rookie QB Dillon Gabriel looked lost last week.
30. New Orleans Saints (1-5, down 1 spot): The Saints are at least on track for a high draft pick … again.
31. Tennessee Titans (1-5, no change): The Titans already fired former head coach Brian Callahan just six games into his second season. So there’s that.
32. New York Jets (0-6, no change): The only winless team in the NFL, the Jets totaled 82 yards last week vs. the Broncos. That’s 82 total offensive yards.