Is anyone really that good in the NFL this season? We thought the 49ers might be better than the rest, but that was before their disappointing loss to the Browns. The Week 7 Power Rankings have been the toughest to do so far this year, but the latest version is here along with one question for all ten of the teams. Also, check out the past week’s biggest winners and losers here.
1 – Kansas City Chiefs (3)
The reigning Super Bowl champs are back on top, and yet, it’s really only because we can’t keep a team that just lost in the first position. Kansas City’s young defence has been one of the better units in the league, but it’s Patrick Mahomes and the offence who are still figuring things out. Even against the lowly Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, the Chiefs managed to score just one touchdown and 19 total points. Thanks to the defence, however, the game was never really in jeopardy.
Question: Will the offence figure it out?
2 – Detroit Lions (5)
The people of Detroit have waited so, so long for a good football team. Thanks to Dan Campbell, Jared Goff, and a long list of other names, they finally have one. For the fourth straight week, the Lions breezed past an inferior opponent and won by double digits. They’ll have their toughest test since the loss to Seattle in Week 7 at Baltimore, but with the way that both sides of the ball are playing right now, Detroit will be a tough team for anyone to beat.
Question: Will regular season success translate to the postseason?
3 – San Francisco 49ers (1)
San Francisco was handed their first loss of the year on Sunday, but it’s the losses to the roster they’re probably more concerned about. Although it looks like they dodged a bullet this time with the injuries to Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel not being long-term issues, they were certainly exposed a little by Cleveland. Of course, the Browns have maybe the best defence in the league, but when his stars left the game, Brock Purdy didn’t look like himself. The young QB went 12/27 for 125 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. However, he still did enough to give his team a chance to win, and if Jake Moody had made a game-winning field goal, the 9ers would still be at the top of this list.
Question: Can they stay healthy?
4 – Miami Dolphins (6)
Miami’s high-flying offence stole the show once again in Week 6, as they took down the Carolina Panthers 42-21. There’s no doubt that this team looks unbelievably good against bad opponents. For all the questions he gets from the media, Tua Tagovailoa is very good at running Mike McDaniel’s offence. He gets the ball out quickly, and he’s very good at rolling out in play action. Of course, the weapons around him make it that much easier, but still, he needs to be given some props. The ‘Phins haven’t beaten a team with a winning record yet this season, but they’ll get another great chance to prove themselves in Week 7 against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
Question: Can they beat the good teams?
5 – Philadelphia Eagles (2)
Philly has been escaping games against inferior opponents all season, and it finally caught up with them on Sunday. In the loss to the Jets, Jalen Hurts threw three interceptions, including a crucial one that set up the game-winning score with less than three minutes left on the clock. Hurts is still running the ball effectively, but he’s certainly had some struggles in the pass game this year, throwing just as many picks as touchdowns. The team is still in a great position at 5-1, but Week 7 will be an important bounce back for the offence. If they can’t get going, Miami may leave them in the dust.
Question: Can they get back to last year’s level?
6 – Buffalo Bills (4)
After a tough loss in London, the Bills very nearly fell to the lowly New York Giants on Sunday night. Even with seemingly half of New York’s starting lineup missing the game due to injuries, Buffalo fans were sweating this game out until the very last whistle. The defence did their job, but Sean McDermott’s offence had an unusually quiet night. Josh Allen threw for just 170 yards, and the team had only scored seven points until Allen hit Quintin Morris for a score with less than four minutes left in the game. The Bills will always be a rollercoaster, though, and this was just another week on the track.
Question: Can they succeed in the playoffs?
7 – Jacksonville Jaguars (9)
Winners of three straight, Jacksonville is flying high heading a Week 7 Thursday night matchup with the Saints. There’s no denying that they’ve been very good recently, and no one has been more impressive than Travis Etienne. In the last two weeks, the running back has collected 269 total yards and four rushing touchdowns. If they can continue to get this kind of production on the ground, it’ll only help Trevor Lawrence get the ball to all his weapons in the pass game. Speaking of Lawrence, the team is “hopeful” that he’ll be able to play on Thursday after injuring his knee. They’ll need him against a very solid Saints defence.
Question: Do they belong on the same level as the elites of the AFC?
8 – Dallas Cowboys (6)
On Monday, Dallas bounced back from Week 5’s loss with a win, but it was hardly a convincing one. Ceedee Lamb got more involved, and Dak Prescott was solid, but the team still struggled to put up points, and edged out the Chargers by a score of 20-17. If it hadn’t been for some missed opportunities from Los Angeles, though, there’s a good chance this game would not have gone Dallas’ way. The Cowboys are still a very good team in this league, but there’s too many issues we’ve seen to consider them one of the best. If they clean up their play in the red zone, they’ll be on their way to moving back up this list.
Question: Is Dak good enough to get this team past the Divisional Round?
9 – Cincinnati Bengals (-)
Somehow, the Cincinnati Bengals are 3-3 and just one game out of the lead in the AFC North. It’s been a weird year for Joe Burrow and the Bengals, but there’s still time to improve and turn into the team we’re used to seeing. In Week 6, the offence got off to a fantastic start against Seattle before completely stalling. The good news, though, is that the defence played their best game of the season. In five red zone attempts, Seattle mustered just one touchdown and one field goal. If Cincy’s defence continues to play like this, the wins will continue to come.
Question: Will the offence figure it out?
10 – Baltimore Ravens (10)
Finally, we’ve got the Ravens. After a very tough loss in Pittsburgh, the team travelled across the pond and got it done against Tennessee, winning 24-16. There are certainly times where this team looks very average, but you could also make the argument that they SHOULD be 6-0 right now. Lamar Jackson and the defence have been good, but the team has a bad habit of making things hard on themselves, and both of their losses have been the result of that. Week 7 should be a great test, as they’ll host the red-hot Detroit Lions.
Question: Can they get out of their own way?
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