Week 6 NFL Power Rankings; Seahawks remain the team to beat in the NFL

By: Josh Shippen, John Paul Whitaker

1. Seattle Seahawks

    The Seahawks have the best-undisputed quarterback of 2020 in Russell Wilson, with recessions to Rodgers and Allen, and an injury to Prescott. The Seahawks are ready to beat any team on offense, but their defense could give up a couple of games so they need to be careful.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

It isn’t a surprise that the Chiefs are at this spot. Things could go downhill or uphill in the running game after signing Le’Veon Bell, but it is just too early to tell right now. We will just have to wait it out and watch Patrick Mahomes work his magic just like every other year he’s been in the NFL. 

3. Tennessee Titans

Yes the Titans are this high. They have shown lots of promise already and Derrick Henry might be the big reason they score so much. Derrick Henry has already posted 3, 200 yard rushing games in his career so we can expect this team to do well both in the air and on the ground. Despite losing Logan Ryan, they have added Jadeveon Clowney to the roster via waivers. With this building defense, they have the potential to keep the number 3 spot in the rankings despite facing a tough steelers defense this weekend.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

Another non-first round WR drafted that makes an impact on the Steelers? That is not something we are used to, yet the Steelers keep surprising us. Chase Claypool, James Conner and the other young players are showing promise this early in the season, T.J. Watt might earn his brother’s respect, Ben Roethlisberger might be the 2016 QB we are looking at, and JuJu Smith-Schuster might just become the next Tik Tok Star. The Steelers have their hands full, yet their defense makes some key plays every game to get them the wins they need. 

5. Green Bay Packers

The Packers shocked football fans by delivering an egg on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the great Tom Brady who passed all over their defense. But the defense was not the only issue, the Packers failed to get anything done on offense to beat the Bucs, especially against a defense that was completely dominant. The Packers will bounce back, but this was a rough week.

6. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson is starting to look like his 2019 self again. Running for a solid 108 yards and a score last Sunday, it seems that the NFL still can’t figure his plays. While the defense lost some key players over the offseason (Earl Thomas III), they have still managed to shut teams down and give the green light to Lamar Jackon and the offense. The Ravens have potential to win lots of games this year given their easy schedule and their power-run offense. 

7. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders are probably the most surprising team in the top 10 because no one expected them to perform so well. Derek Carr is looking really good this year and with a young and healthy Josh Jacobs, this team looks really good and has potential to carry this throughout the season.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs have made their first strides to being a complete team, not only is Brady playing better and better each week, this defense has possibly been the best in the entire NFL at every position (the line, linebackers, and secondary). Look for the Bucs to start winning a lot more games and not have a stinker like their game against the Bears too often.

9. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have not performed quite to expectations because Drew Brees has pretty much dropped off a cliff in play quality, but Alvin Kamara and the defense are trying their very best to make up for it. I wouldn’t pick Drew Brees to have that Cinderella run everyone wants him to have, but on a good day this team could still be nasty, especially if they have Michael Thomas back.

10. Buffalo Bills

Following 2 losses to the Titans and Chiefs, this Bills team hasn’t proven that they have what it takes to win big games outside their division this year. Josh Allen is trying his best to stay in the MVP running, but his plays these past 2 games haven’t shown that Josh Allen or his team have what it takes to move up since they haven’t been able to capitalize on big matchups so far. 

11. Los Angeles Rams

I don’t think the Rams really did anything that different against the 49ers, San Francisco was just better. LA could very well still make a fun, deep run in this NFC West division whose worst team just kicked the top NFC East team’s ass. Every team has their off games, this is nothing to worry about.

12. Chicago Bears

The Bears defense is having a relapse from their 2018 days as being one of the best defenses ever. This is how the Bears have been able to win their five games, and don’t be surprised if they win a lot more. Winning games 21-16 is their specialty. The Bears offense is good enough with Nick Foles and can hold their own in the NFC North (excluding the Packers), so they could very well make a run in the playoffs.

13. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have one of the best coaches in the NFL running their controls, and it totally shows. Kyle Shanahan turned a quarterback that got benched the week earlier, and had him throw three touchdowns. He has gotten great games out of Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson, and Raheem Mostert. That is such a testament to good coaching, and the 49ers will be able to stay in the NFC West because of it.

14. Carolina Panthers

Carolina has been surviving by having an above average offense and a barely average defense. That doesn’t sound impressive, but this roster looks like it should be going in 4-12 so that’s a great job by Matt Rhule so far. Imagine how good they will be when Christian McCaffrey comes back to their lineup. 

15. Cleveland Browns

While everyone got their hopes up on this Browns team, it seemed that they too got a little cocky. This might have been because they faced the hardest team, but the Browns look to be one of the top “one-sided” teams in the NFL. Baker Mayfield has shown some promise, Odell Beckham and Kareem Hunt have proven their careers aren’t over, and they are off to a good start. We have to wait and see if this team can bounce back this week before jumping to conclusions if this team is the real deal or not.

16. Indianapolis Colts

Phillip Rivers had a really good game, hitting both TE’s for touchdowns and then finding Zach Pascal in the endzone for a score, leading to an incredible comeback. This doesn’t surprise anyone since the Colts are always involved in big comeback stories, (SB XLIV, AFC wild card game, etc.) but this shows that with the colts defense being lights out and Phillip Rivers throwing dimes like in Los Angeles, they could win some key games this year.

17. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have been pretty good this year, but “pretty good” does not meet the expectations set by the football world. Kyler Murray has been pretty inaccurate over 2020, the Cardinals do not fully utilize this team yet, and the aura around the team is that they need another year to get assembled as a team. The Cardinals are a multi year project, and year two is a development year.

18. New England Patriots

Yes. The Broncos really shot the Patriots dreams down this year. It has been 19 years since we have seen Bill Bellicheck and the Patriots going into the season with a below .500 win percentage. Cam Newton has finally returned from the COVID-19 list, but he isn’t looking like the same QB he was in the beginning of the season. With the patriots defense missing some key players this year and not having their veteren QB Tom Brady, the Patriots face a tough division rival that puts their playoff streak on thin ice.

19. Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert just can’t seem to fix things in Los Angeles. Austin Ekeler has been a big injury concern for them this year, which is their go to running and receiving back. The Chargers have faced some major injuries on the defense to start the year, making this year feel like a rebuilding year for them as Justin Herbert works on building relationships with his teammates. 

20. Houston Texans

Should the Texans have fired their head coach a long time ago? Deshaun Watson is proving that Clemson really taught him well and that Trevor Lawrence has got nothing on him! Even with a slumping defense, this Texans offense is solid and is forcing other teams to play catch up, just like what we saw last week when the Titans came back to win in OT to remain undefeated. While they have some tough matchups this year, the Texans are a team to watch now that their head coach is gone and Deshaun Watson is performing at MVP level once again. 

21. Miami Dolphins

This is so heartbreaking to watch a veteran quarterback like Ryan Fitzpatrick get benched to the rookie Tua Tagovailoa. This was completely unexpected because “Fitzmagic” was overperforming this year and giving them second place in the division, following a rebuilding year that was focused on “Tanking for Tua.” We will have to watch for Tua Tagovailoa following their bye week as the rookie will make his first start as an NFL quarterback. Keep your eye on him and see if he really is worth drafting at the 5th pick even after that gruesome injury.

22. Detroit Lions

The Lions are surviving with the worst coach in the NFL in Matt Patricia, and have nearly won games against the Saints and Lions. Stafford is playing good football, but the defense lacks clutch ability and the running game is not established yet. Having Adrian Peterson as your lead back is not going to be a viable solution for the future

23. Denver Broncos

The Broncos defense played lights out this weekend, forcing 3 turnovers and holding Cam Newton to just 157 passing yards. Even without Von Miller, this Broncos defense played amazing, and given the spectacular performance by their kicker, they really did pull out this win. Drew Lock didn’t look good this weekend, but there’s always room for improvement. Tim Patrick is looking sharp so watch this team throw the long ball to their receivers and live or die by the long ball. 

24. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are not the team that they showed last year. Last year’s team showed Carson Wentz leading what seemed like a talentless roster to the playoffs, where even then the wheels only fell off when they were forced to start Josh McCown. This year, the Eagles are no longer competitive at all and people are questioning Carson Wentz left and right. The Eagles need to spend some offseason time getting surrounding talent so that Carson Wentz can feel more comfortable next year.

25. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow is in the same situation as Justin Herbert. These are both great quarterbacks that have shown they were ready for the big lights and are both performing exceptionally well during their careers so far. Joe Burrow has already been through a range of emotions this year, getting his first loss on a game-tying field goal, tying to eagles, and of course blowing a lead to the colts. Things just couldn’t go any worse for the Bengals right now. 

26. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons looked awesome last week against a Vikings tea that had no answers on offense or defense, and proved that they know how to play ball in the second half as well as the first half. Their defense also looks much improved last week, picking off Cousins three times in the first half. Let’s take this time to address one thing really quick, Matt Ryan is NOT getting traded. If you are a team that wants to succeed in this league, the last thing you want to do is get rid of strong reliable talent, and that goes for any position. Matt Ryan isn’t just a decent quarterback, he is a franchise quarterback. Good front offices don’t trade away their franchise quarterbacks. As far as Julio being traded, yes I believe it is possible the Falcons would do that but it does not seem like the right move to me.

27. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings look terrible at every position, and it is time for a reboot. I am specifically calling for the quarterback position, Kirk Cousins has been awful this year. Cousins has played six games this year, and has at least one interception in five games (and more than two in three games). Cousins cannot be relied on to put this team on his back, and needs to be warming up the bench for someone next year.

28. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are such a broken team, and to be honest it isn’t really their fault. Andy Dalton is Andy Dalton, not good enough, and ⅘ of the offensive line that were stars for the last few years are gone, one to retirement and three to injury. On top of that, tight end Blake Jarwin who showed promise is also out. The receivers have had nasty drops, Amari Cooper has been quiet, and the defense is one of the absolute worst in the league.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

Once again, Gardner Minshew II and his ‘stache have been overhyped this year. This may be due to Gardner Minshew II not hitting his targets in the endzone, but after they have lost their defense one by one each year, Minshew is slowly losing his help on defense causing him to slip up more as his passes per game keep increasing. There hasn’t been much help on the receiving end of the team with lots of drops this year. While this team is young and developing, it is definitely still a rebuilding year for this team and tanking for Trevor Lawrence might be on the Jaguars radar this year.

30. New York Giants

The Giants look extremely disconnected, partly because of injury, partly quarterback play, partly coaching. Kudos for getting their first win against Washington on Sunday, but this team is in desperate need of some star talent on offense and defense, maybe a few skilled veteran to show the young guys how to do it.

31. Washington Football Team

Washington is being killed in games because they have three backup quarterbacks on their roster, and no strong positions outside of the defensive line. Washington needs a good offseason next year, including a quarterback, but their defensive line is definitely something to get excited about.

32. New York Jets

Cheers to rebuilding year number 51 for the Jets. That’s right ever since that super bowl win, the Jets just haven’t found the quarterback they’re looking for. Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold, and Ryan Fitzpatrick have all been the recent quarterbacks for the Jets, yet none of them are able to hold their ground there just yet. The Jets keep trading away their top picks in the draft for money and useless 6th round picks that do nothing to help the team. Unless they can fire Adam Gase and the rest of the staff, the Jets will be continuing their rebuilding path for a while.