NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Undefeateds fall, KC hold strong, Miami stays hot

The 72′ Miami Dolphins have popped their champagne for another year after seeing the Eagles and the Niners fall in Week 6. There are now no undefeated teams left in the league, while only one team, the Carolina Panthers remain winless. These are the kind of weekends that make doing Power Rankings so difficult. We’ve got a jumble at the top of the list, so let’s do our best to put everyone in their place.

1. San Francisco 49ers (5-1), last week 1

Everything we had seen from the Niners in the lead up to their Week 6 game with the Browns had been perfect. Both their offense and defense were among the top units in football and they were marauding past the competition. I don’t think there were many who were thinking they would struggle like they did against the Browns defense, but they looked confused, they looked lost and they looked frustrated even before Deebo and McCaffery went down with injury. Despite looking the worst they have all season, they still could have won the game with a late field goal, but on a day when nothing was going right, seeing that Jake Moody FG would have gone completely against the grain of everything that happened at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1), last week 3

Something may be off in KC, but that isn’t stopping them from climbing our Power Rankings and adding to their winning streak after dropping the season opener to what we now know is a very good Lions team. Those of you who were expecting to see a bloodbath at Arrowhead don’t know how tough it is to win games in the AFC West. Patrick Mahomes went for 306 yards and had his team in the red zone five times, but they only scored 19 points. Say what you want about KC, but they are the hottest team in the league with five straight wins, and with the parody around the league, you wouldn’t want to bet against the defending Super Bowl Champs.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (5-1), last week 2

The Eagles have squeaked by their first five games without having found their rhythm. Jalen Hurts was undone by the Jets defense, throwing three picks and finally those cracks in the foundation started to show. It’s not time to panic in Philly, and perhaps a loss can be just what they needed to wake them up, but they better wake up soon. In the six of their next seven games they play the Dolphins, Cowboys (twice), Chiefs, Bills and Niners. A loss to the Jets is not the way the Eagles wanted to head into the meatgrinder portion of their schedule.

4. Miami Dolphins (5-1), last week 5

The nice thing about having the best offense in the league, and maybe the best offense we have seen since the St. Louis Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf is that you can afford to take a quarter off and still rattle off 42 points like the Dolphins did on Sunday against Carolina. Miami’s offense was only halted once this year, against the Bills a few weeks ago, but since then they have recovered that magic they started this season with, unlike the Bills who’s offense has been skidding through the last few weeks.

5. Detroit Lions (5-1), last week 6

There is no doubt in Detroit. This Lions team is for real, and they are here to stay. Since Week 9 of last season, Dan Campbell’s team is 13-3 and and they have been one of the most consistent teams in the league through six games. Their defense have taken over as the hottest ticket in town, but if Jared Goff is going to be throwing for 300+ yards against defenses like the Bucs impressive unit, than there may be no stopping this team. Goff did say they know that there will be a time when things get bumpy, and that’s when we will really see what this team is made of, but it’s been smooth sailing so far in the Motor City.

6. Buffalo Bills (4-2), last week 4

For as good as the Bills have looked at times, and for good as we think they can be, they were are a yard away, a potential PI flag from falling to 3-3 which is the same record that the Raiders, Saints, Commanders and Colts have. Buffalo’s offense seems to go through peaks and valleys, and it’s hard to trust a team that shows that kind of inconsistency.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2), last week 8

Three wins, two games overseas, and one blowout over the Colts. Things are going just fine in Jacksonville right now who look like maybe just maybe their offensive woes they were struggling with in the UK have been resolved. They scored 37 points, in large part to the four turnovers that their defense forced, but Travis Etienne’s two rushing TDs and Trevor Lawerence’s two passing TDs let the Jags breeze past the Colts, but really the star of the season has been the other Josh Allen who has seven sacks and two forced fumbles after Week 6.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2), last week 10

We talk about it every Tuesday after a London hosts a game. It’s not easy going overseas and coming out with a win. The Ravens went into Tottenham Stadium and I struggle to say they looked like the better team, but they looked like the least worse team if that makes any sense. It took Justin Tucker’s six FGs to top a non existent Titans offense, but C’mon, the English see enough futbol matches full of kicking. They want some TDs, but Lamar Jackson and the Ravens still don’t look like a unit ready to put on a show.

9. Los Angeles Rams (3-3), last week 11

Cooper Kupp is back and so are the LA Rams who have their offense rolling. Puka Nacua has stepped aside and allowed Kupp to retake the lead role in the Rams passing game, but with time those two will only make Matthew Stafford even more dangerous. Maybe the best news coming out of LA this week is Kyren Williams who had 158 yards rushing and a TD against the Cardinals. If you take a look at the Rams schedule, and who they have lost to you start to understand that this team is much better than their record suggests. They have lost to San Fran, Cincy and Philly by a total margin of defeat of 21 points in those three games.

10. Dallas Cowboys (4-2), last week 13

There are so many teams in the league this season that rely on their defense to win them games, and while the Cowboys don’t want to fall into that category they may not be able to avoid it. For teams like the Jets or the Saints they need their defense to make plays, but that wasn’t the plan for the Cowboys this year. They were supposed to have a complete team that would be capable of putting up more than 20 points against a Chargers team that doesn’t particularly a lock down defense. Dak put up nice numbers, but again in the red zone the Cowboys found it hard to cross the goal line. Going on the road for a Monday Night game isn’t easy, especially after getting your butt handed to you the week before. Luckily for the Boys, their defense was up to the task.

11. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3), last week 14

“It’s better to win ugly than lose pretty.” Those were Zac Taylor’s words of consolation to the Bengals fans who saw another underwhelming performance from Joe Burrow and the Cincy offense. After their blowout win over the Cardinals in Week 5, the thought was the Bengals are back to their best, but Sunday’s 17-13 win over the Seahawks less than average defense brings a gray cloud of doubt back over Paycor Stadium.

12. Cleveland Browns (3-2), last week 16

If we needed any more proof of the Browns having the best defense in the league, we don’t after Cleveland’s sensational win over San Francisco. I don’t want to hear that the Niners were without McCaffery or Deebo. They vacuum sealed one of the top rated offenses in the league, and as always the run game led the offense to the promise land. With no Deshaun Watson, and the Niners rolling it seemed like Cleveland needed a miracle to win the game, but they really just needed to do what they are best at. Shut teams down, and then run it down their throats when they have the ball. If they can keep this up and Deshaun comes back healthy and looks like he did before getting hurt, watch out. This Browns team is going to be dangerous.

13. Seattle Seahawks (3-2), last week 7

The Seattle Seahawks knew they were going to have to use their BYE week to sure up things in the secondary. It looked like the extra work during their week off paid off, at least on one side of the ball, but the Seashawks offense was shut down in a cold, muggy Cincinnati. This is one of those teams that is hard to get a read on. While there might be some mysteries about this team still to resolve, one thing that’s for certain is that they won’t be happy about the way they came out of their BYE week.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2), last week 12

“We sucked today. I sucked today. We sucked today. It was awful from the get go.” That was Baker Mayfield after the Bucs managed just 6 points against the Lions. He’s right. Tampa Bay are bad, and what makes things worse is they had an extra week to prepare for the Lions, but they got mopped up by a team that looks like a true contender and not just a pretender which is what the Bucs have to prove they aren’t. Their three wins came against the Vikings when they stunk, the Bears who stink, and the Saints who no one outside of New Orleans believes in through six weeks of the season. I like the way Todd Bowles defense plays, and I want to root for Baker. Let’s see how they respond next week against the Falcons after a disappointing performance in Week 6.

15. Los Angeles Chargers (2-3), last week 9

You have to feel for the Chargers. They have the weapons to be a competitive team, and win big games like the one against the Cowboys on Monday night. But they can not stay healthy and that makes it incredibly difficult to score touchdowns. Justin Herbert and the offense went up against a formidable Cowboys D which gave them nightmares all game long. Herbert passed for just 227 yards and Austin Ekler had just 27 yards in his return to the backfield. This is not how the Chargers wanted to come out of the bye week considering they have a date with the KC Chiefs next week.

16. Houston Texans (3-3), last week 19

C.J. Stroud is human. The rookie quarterback threw his first interception of his NFL career after 5 games of nearly perfect football. He wasn’t perfect, but DeMeco Ryans defense was when it counted. They held the Saints out of the end zone on all three of their trips inside the 20. Stroud still went for 199 yards on 13/27 passing, with two TDs in the win. I can’t remember the last time a rookie has brought this much hope to a team this early, but there is reason to rally, and shoot for the stars Space City.

17. New Orleans Saints (3-3), last week 17

The Saints scoring struggles continue. Give them credit. For a team that can’t get into the end zone, they are going a great job winning games. Unfortunately for New Orleans, their 13 points weren’t enough to take down the Texans in Houston. It seemed like maybe Dennis Allen, Derek Carr and the Saints figured out what was plaguing them on the offensive end in their 34-0 blowout of the Patriots last week, but it turned it they were just playing the Pats and everyone blows them out.

18. Atlanta Falcons (3-3), last week 18

The Falcon’s struggles on the offensive end aren’t just starting to surface, they are starting to cost them games. Desmond Ridder now has more interceptions than he does touchdowns after throwing three picks against the Commanders on Sunday. Atlanta dominated every part of the game against Washington, but the three picks what dropped the Falcons to 3-3 on the year.

19. New York Jets (3-3), last week 26

How many people in attendance at MetLife on opening night would have thought that the Jets would be 3-3 after seeing Aaron Rodgers limp off the field after tearing his achilles? Robert Saleh’s defense has literally propelled the Jets to all three of their wins, and slowly but surely, Zach Wilson is starting to turn things around. He isn’t putting up eye popping stats, but he also isn’t making plays to lose the game. He has just one INT over the last two games. As long as the defense continues to dominate and Wilson continues to hand the ball off to Breece Hall, the Jets are going to stay relevant in the AFC.

20. Washington Commanders (3-3), last week 21

It might be early, but Week 6 was kind of a make or break point for the Commanders. Their Week 5 loss to the Bears on Thursday night spiraled Washington into a state of doubt as questions surrounded Ron Riveras side. As they have done before this season, Sam Howell and the Commanders defense responded. The defense picked off Desmond Ridder three times and while Howell’s numbers weren’t great he threw 3 TD passes.

21. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3), last week 22

It wasn’t too long ago that I had the Raiders down with the bottom feeders of the NFL. Their offense couldn’t move the ball, there looked to be no trust between Josh McDaniels and Jimmy G. I still don’t their they are a .500 team, but luckily for them they have played the Packers and the Patriots in the last two games. Both Jordan Love and Mac Jones made the Raiders D look like the 85 Bears, and as a result they have rattled off consecutive wins.

22. Green Bay Packers (2-3), last week 20

BYE

23. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2), last week 23

BYE

24. Minnesota Vikings (2-4), last week 25

With no Justin Jefferson, the Vikings were going to have to find a way to move the ball, hold on to the ball and get the ball into the end zone. They really didn’t do any of those things, totaling 220 yards, fumbling once and getting into the end zone just once. Luckily, for Vikes fans, it was the defense that held Chicago out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, and made the game changing play, just like they did against the Panthers in Week 4. This time it was Jordan Hicks who scooped it and scored to close the door on the Bears.

25. Indianapolis Colts (3-3), last week 15

After years of futility, it’s only normal that Indy is a fragile franchise. If things can go wrong, they generally do or at least that’s the way it has seemed since Andrew Luck left the city high and dry. Last year was a disaster, but this year it seemed like things were starting to turn around. Their tanked season turned into the No. 4 pick and Anthony Richardson looked like the next big thing at Lucas Oil Stadium. He was brilliant in his first few games, but a shoulder injury could keep him out the rest of the season, and it might be more of the same from the Colts. That was certainly the case in their 37-20 loss to the Jags on Sunday.

26. Tennessee Titans (2-4), last week 27

The last thing the Titans need is to be gifting points to their opponents. Their fumble on the punt return right before the halftime which led to a Ravens field goal is one of the most inexcusable plays you will see all season. The Titans refusal to give Derrick Henry is baffling. They don’t have even a halfway decent pass attack, but they still neglect to feed the beast. He got 12 carries on a day where the Titans ran just 40 plays. Tennessee has four losses this year, Henry has yet to get 20 carries in any of those losses. In their two wins he got 22 and 25 carries. I don’t want to keep beating this drum, but does it not seem like a pretty black and white formula?

27. Arizona Cardinals (1-5), last week 24

I’m sure Cardinals fans are a little tired of me coming out every week and applauding them for staying in games. If were being realistic, they are 1-5, and sure they can give much better teams a fight for a few quarters but that’s exactly their problem. They have yet to show their ability play a complete 60 minutes of football. Not much was expected from this team, so you can understand their record but when you see those flashes of competitiveness, it has to frustrate the fans.

28. Chicago Bears (1-5), last week 28

The good news for the Bears is that they got enjoy their first win of the season for 11 days after beating the Commanders last Thursday. The bad news is they couldn’t take advantage of a week and a half between games to put two straight wins together. Coach Eberflus is back on the hot seat after a temporary cooling in the Windy City.

29. New York Giants (1-5), last week 29

You got to give it up to the Giants, who went into Orchard Park with a banged up offensive line and back up QB Tyrod Taylor and almost handed the Bills their second straight loss. To be fair it was the defense that kept the Giants in the game, holding Buffalo scoreless for the first 45 minutes of the game. They were a yard of beating the Bills, but that’s not going to bring any solace to New York who may already be out of the playoff picture after just six weeks.

30. New England Patriots (1-5), last week 30

There is no end in sight for the Patriots who have lost three straight and failed to score more than 17 points in 5 of their six games this year. There were whispers about Belichick being on the hot seat coming into this season, and the only reason he is still there is because of his shiny jewelry box full of Super Bowl rings.

31. Denver Broncos (1-5), last week 31

Remember last year where the Broncos defense kept Denver in games when the offense looked terrible? Thursday night’s game against the Chiefs was a flashback to last season’s Broncos team. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were held just one five TDs on five trips to the red zone, but it took Wilson and the offense almost 55 minutes to get on the score board. The Broncos have shown they are incapable of putting a complete game together, and now that they may be already out of the playoff picture, our attention turns to the Broncos record last year as opposed to this year after Sean Payton spent all preseason talking smack about Nathaniel Hackett.

32. Carolina Panthers (0-6), last week 32

For a quarter of an hour it looked like we were in store for yet another shock in a Week 6 that provided us with a handful of jaw dropping scoreline. The Panthers took a 14-0 lead over the Dolphins in Miami, but it was only a matter of time before the Fins broke down the dam and blew the lid off Bryce Young and the Panthers. We said it last week, and we’ll say it all season, this isn’t a team that should be getting judged off of wins and losses. There are no more undefeated teams in the league, let’s see how long it takes for the last winless team to get their first victory.