NFL Power Rankings: Week 6
16 – New England Patriots (2-3)
PR - NR
They might be on their third string QB but their defense is dominant and absolutely carrying them. I’ll give you extra points if you can name the QB without looking it up. The defense was able to hold the Lions (aka top scoring team in the league) to 0 points! The offensive may have lost RB Damien Harris for a couple of weeks with a hamstring strain but Rhamondre Stevenson showed he was more than capable with his 161 rushing yards performance. His name is Bailey Zappe by the way.
15 – New York Jets (3-2)
PR – NR
Rookie RB Breece Hall is really living up to the hype. He led the Jets in both rushing and receiving (18 car for 97 yards and 1 TD, 2 rec for 100 yards) in the win against the Dolphins. He honestly should have had 3 TDs but was stopped at the 1 yard line on both of his receptions. The Jets finally have a winning record and I am honestly so happy for HC Robert Saleh.
14 – Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
PR – 12
First off, I want to apologize to all the Tee Higgins fantasy owners out there. Tough week. Outside of that, the Bengals have a serious offensive line problem. Once regarded as a premier passing offense, Joe Burrow does not have time to throw. He struggled to get the ball downfield against one of the worst pass defense in the league.
13 – Miami Dolphins (3-2)
PR – 5
Were the first team to experience the NFL’s new concussion protocol. Teddy Bridgewater, who was filling in for Tua, was taken out of the game after 1 snap due to a concussion even though he did not have any concussion symptoms but the booth spotter said he saw Bridgewater stumble. Rookie Skylar Thompson was the next man up and performed decently in the loss to the Jets. Until there is more clarity regarding the Dolphins’ QB position, they will continue to drop in rankings.
12 – Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)
PR – 14
Is Austin Ekeler officially back?? After being nonexistent in the first 3 weeks, he has now put together 2 back to back “Ekeler-like” weeks. WR Mike Williams will go down in the contested catch HOF and has done really well without WR Keenan Allen in the lineup. The Chargers just need to stop making dumb coaching decision *cough*LikeGoingForItOn4And1OnTheirOwn46YardLine*cough* and they will be fine.
11 – Tennessee Titans (3-2)
PR – NR
This team is a lot of what Derrick Henry is as a player. The Titans just keep slowly chugging away and winning games in a somewhat quiet matter much like how Derrick Henry runs the balls for 4-5 yards a carry. Before you know it, the Titans are a 10+ win team and Derrick Henry has 150 yards rushing.
10 – Green Bay Packers (3-2)
PR – 4
To be honest, the writing was on the wall last week. I mean this Packers team barely beat the 3rd string rookie QB from the Patriots (remember his name?) and this week, they lose to Daniel Jones and the Giants without their top 3 receivers. The defense was supposed to be great this year but they’re not. Aaron Rodgers still needs a #1 WR and deep threat because it’s not there right now.
9 – New York Giants (4-1)
PR – 15
Last week I said the Giants were the worst 3-1 team in the league. I was wrong because they are the worst 4-1 team the league. I really have no idea how they are pulling this off. Like I said on the podcast about the Philadelphia Phillies – I don’t know what they’re on, but whatever it is, I want it. It is 100% the Saquon show but outside of that, I think they’re just getting lucky.
8 – Minnesota Vikings (4-1)
PR – 11
Kirk Cousins started out HOT last game. The dude threw 17 straight completions. They were up 21-3 against the Bears in the 2nd quarter but only won 29-22. The Vikings are inconsistent at best and lack that killer mentality to put a team away when they are down.
7 – San Francisco 49ers (3-2)
PR – 8
Damn this defense is good. They lost DE Nick Bosa early in the second half but the depth of the D Line showed up and didn’t miss a beat. Sure they played against the dumpster fire Panthers but they showed they can absolutely destroy teams they are supposed to beat. On top of that Jimmy G is heating up. If Kirk Cousins can do what he did, I think Jimmy G can do that too.
6 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
PR – 7
The Bucs are slowly working their way into form after a nice bounce back game against the Falcons. The run game looked good and the passing game will continue to get better the more Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are in the lineup.
5 – Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
PR – 9
Have the Ravens finally exorcised their last second demons? I think so. For the first time this season, they were able to win on a last second play and in this case a kick from the greatest kicker of all time. Lamar Jackson put the team on his back when they needed him the most and continues to show why he needs to get paid.
4 – Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
PR – 6
Dak isn’t going to be back this week but it does not matter – Cooper Rush is still undefeated as a starter. He is doing just enough to get the wins but because this defense is so good, that’s all they need.
3 – Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
PR – 3
As Tradon so eloquently stated on the podcast, Travis Kelce is always open. Patrick Mahomes is good enough to get it to any receiver there is a ton of open field and can always target an open Kelce in the endzone. Defense is kind of sketchy after giving up 154 yards rushing to Raiders’ RB Josh Jacobs but the Chiefs’ offense is so good that they can outscore their defensive insufficiencies.
2 – Buffalo Bills (4-1)
PR – 2
Even though I have the Bills at #2, they are more 1B in my eyes. Dear God, this team is good. QB Josh Allen threw for 348 yards in the FIRST HALF! That’s more than Bears’ QB Justin Fields has all season! Okay.. that may have been an exaggeration but still you get what I mean.
1 – Philadelphia Eagles (5-0)
PR – 1
The Eagles were tested against the Cardinals this week. QB Jalen Hurts was being forced to throw but when push comes to shove, Hurts showed his incredible rushing ability. With his 2 rushing TDs, he has more than any QB in his first 25 starts ever with 19. As teams start to key in on his rushing ability, that will leave more room for WRs AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith to operate.