Week 6 is in the books, and we have some big changes at the top of the NFL power rankings heading into Week 7.
I honestly don't believe there's a clear-cut front-runner. Everyone has flaws. There are no unbeatens, and only four teams have one loss. The Bills and Eagles have each lost two straight. And let's not even talk about the Ravens, Bengals and a few other faded preseason darlings.
Flexibility is the key this season. Favorites will emerge. Pretenders will fade. Perhaps even a few teams we've left for dead will have a second coming.
1. Detroit Lions (4-2)
The Lions are literally the best in the NFL right now. Sure, they can lose half their offensive line, including their Pro Bowl center, and both of their coordinators, but it doesn’t matter because they’re just going to go 15-2 again. Detroit somehow lost to Kansas City. The public learned a lesson after throwing tons of money on the Lions. The lesson? Look at the injury report before betting on a team, (as we reported) because Detroit was down a million defensive backs.
2. Buffalo Bills (4-2)
The Bills have dropped out of the No. 1 spot, and I’m not even sure that’s enough of a fall. They haven’t played a good game since Week 2. In fact, they’ve played just five good quarters all year! However, they’ll be better once they get back Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones, who got hurt in warmups ahead of the Atlanta game.
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-1)
The Colts had a great win, but they have to know that they could be 6-0 right now if Adonai Mitchell didn’t pull a Jonathan Taylor by dropping the ball shy of the goal line. Then again, the Colts also could have lost to the Broncos, so maybe they really should be 5-1. Still, the Colts continue to impress, looking like the clear-cut best team in the AFC South
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)
I thought about moving the Buccaneers into the upper tier, but then I recalled their injuries and couldn’t do it. Also, their five wins have come against four inferior teams. The one time they went above their weight class was the loss to the Eagles, who haven’t won since playing in Tampa.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
So, I guess the Chiefs are OK. It turns out that having the best head coach and the best quarterback prevents a team from having a total collapse following a slow start.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
Congratulations to the Eagles for putting forth no effort in the loss to the Giants. Jalen Hurts quite literally looked like he was playing in slow motion the whole game. I’d say it was my stream, but Jaxson Dart looked normal.
7. Los Angeles Rams (4-2)
The Rams would be 5-1 if they didn’t have that ridiculous second-half collapse in Philadelphia. Remember, they outgained the Eagles, 356-288, and averaged nearly one more yard per play. They blew a 26-7 lead with a fourth-and-1 stuff and a missed field goal, but they still had a chance with a game-winning kick, but it was blocked. Los Angeles had a miserable first half against the Ravens. It was Murphy’s Law for them, but all of their misfortunes completely reversed after intermission.
8. Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
The Seahawks defeated a bad team (Steelers), a horrible team (Saints), and a mediocre team (Cardinals) during their three-game winning streak, so it’s fair to be skeptical thus far. They won in Jacksonville, but I also viewed the Jaguars being mediocre in these power rankings, despite Jacksonville’s 4-1 record.
9. Green Bay Packers (3-1-1)
The good news for the Packers is that they won a game for the first time since Week 2. The bad news is that their overrated defense once again disappointed. They were very close to losing outright to Joe Flacco, which does not bode well against real quarterbacks in future matchups.
10. San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
The 49ers are 4-2, but don’t have much of a chance of making a playoff run with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa missing from the defense. On the bright side, it sounds like George Kittle will be back next week. San Francisco also has a very easy schedule moving forward.