PackFan’s NFL Power Rankings 2018: Week 7

PackFan2005 Yet another wild week in the eventful NFL has been capped off, meaning I can rank where teams stand currently. Let’s get to these power rankings.

#1. Los Angeles Rams (6-0)
Our lone undefeated team in the NFL is the powerhouse Rams, who won a close game over Denver on Sunday. They’re so good that I’m wondering, can anyone stop them?

#2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)
They battled the Patriots to the final minute, but came up empty handed. However, a three point loss isn’t much, and they’re still a very good team. It’s just that, their defense once again allowed a large amount of points.

#3. New Orleans Saints (4-1)
After a week of rest, the Saints are fired up and ready for week 7. They’re quite a solid team.

#4. New England Patriots (4-2) +2 ⬆️
Now we’re seeing the dominant Patriots again, as they won a hard fought duel. Once again, they’re playoff favorites, with Tom Brady dominating at the helm.

#5. Chicago Bears (3-2)
Yes, I’m aware that they lost, but come on. It was an extremely close overtime game that came down to a field goal. I feel maybe the bye week is what made them rusty, so I expect a bounce back next week.

#6. Minnesota Vikings (3-2-1) +2 ⬆️
These are the Vikings we know, and they look complete again. While Dalvin Cook is out, Kirk Cousins is lighting up the field, especially to Adam Thielen. While the defense may not be the same, they’re still good, and once again, are locked in a battle for the NFC North.

#7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) +4 ⬆️
They manhandled the Browns, giving them an advantage in the highly competitive AFC. The Chargers look really good, and I see them making the playoffs in the near future. Of course, it’s still too early to tell.

#8. Carolina Panthers (3-2) -1 ⬇️
I mean, it wasn’t much of a loss, but a loss is a loss. Suddenly, Josh Norman actually looked good against his former team, and Carolina had no answers for the Redskins offense. They can’t lose games like these.

#9. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) +1 ⬆️
Finally, Philly has a bounce back game in a rout of the Giants. Still, they have plenty of holes, and they’re locked in a desperate struggle to regain the division lead with Dallas and Washington in the way. Can they prevail?

#10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) -1 ⬇️
If their defense hadn’t played as poorly as it did, they may be at the top of the AFC North and ahead in these power rankings. Instead, they sit at 4-2 with Baltimore and Pittsburgh looming. Oh, and on another note, why do they still have Vontaze Burfict around?

#11. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1) +2 ⬆️
They go into their bye week with confidence as they outdid their division rival in a key game, and kept them in the tight AFC North race. A week of rest should help going, and maybe they’ll pull it off in Week 8.

#12. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) -8 ⬇️
Too harsh of a drop? Not necessarily when you lose 40-7 to the Dallas Cowboys. Yep, Dallas and their mediocre offense. This team may be more problematic than we first thought. And like the week before proved, Blake Bortles is one of the main players that are screwing this team up. Now they are tied at 3-3 in the AFC South, along with Houston and Tennessee.

#13. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) +1 ⬆️
Dang, 11 sacks is an amazing total, and that definitely contributed to their shutout win over the Titans to keep them in the race for the AFC North. Not to mention the offense has surprisingly been doing their part.

#14. Green Bay Packers (3-2-1) -2 ⬇️
They needed another Aaron Rodgers miracle to win in Week 6, which is concerning. Their offense can never get off to a consistent start, and the defense looked awful until the final 5 minutes on Monday against a backup quarterback and injured running back. This team has some serious holes that they need to patch heading into the bye week. After the break comes a hostile stretch of games.

#15. Miami Dolphins (4-2) +2 ⬆️
Apparently Brock Osweiler is the Chicago Bears’ kryptonite, as he is still undefeated in his career against them. He had quite a spectacle filling in for Ryan Tannehill, and giving the Dolphins a win to keep float in the AFC. Maybe Osweiler will start over Tannehill for a bit. Or this could be the Ryan Fitzpatrick thing all over again.

#16. Washington Redskins (3-2) +2 ⬆️
If you looked up the definition of an “up and down team” in a dictionary, the Redskins logo would show up there. After a crushing loss to the Saints, they explode against the Panthers, and upset them. Now they sit at the top of the NFC East. Who would’ve expected this?

#17. Seattle Seahawks (3-3) +2 ⬆️
They absolutely embarrassed the Raiders in London, and things don’t look so bleak after all for them. Russell Wilson is keeping this team alive, and pending any major injuries, they could maybe make a surprise playoff run. Then again, the win was against the Raiders, so don’t get too excited yet Seattle fans.

#18. Atlanta Falcons (2-4) -2 ⬇️
Well, at least my ranking of them last week was justified with them winning. However, it was against the Jameis Winston led Buccaneers. And what would’ve happened if that trick play had went through? They could be sitting at 1-5 and preparing for next season. Instead, they have some hope.

#19. Houston Texans (3-3) +4 ⬆️
They’re like the 2017 Chargers, who went from 0-4 to 9-7. Now they’ve won three straight games and remain locked in a duel for the AFC South crown. The defense has shown up, but I can’t say the same for DeShaun Watson. We can’t chalk up his struggles to rust anymore.

#20. Dallas Cowboys (3-3) +5 ⬆️
Huge win over the heavily favored Jaguars propelled them up 5 spots. They don’t look completely dead in the NFC. The offense and defense clearly stepped up, but can they keep the momentum going into next week.

#21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) -1 ⬇️
At least they put up a fight against the Falcons, but ended up losing anyway. They didn’t do as bad as we all thought they would, and Jameis Winston didn’t have a bad game. Of course, he could take a Ryan Fitzpatrick like turn at some point. It’s anyone’s guess.

#22. Cleveland Browns (2-3-1) -1 ⬇️
Terrible loss indeed, but still, they’re an improving team, and the Chargers are a good team. I expect more from them in the coming weeks.

#23. Detroit Lions (2-3) +1 ⬆️
Despite a bye week, the Lions move up a spot. They are now rested up and ready to go. To week 7 they go.

#24. New York Jets (3-3) +2 ⬆️
Somehow, the Jets don’t have a losing record, and are surprisingly decent this season. With their upcoming games, it’s anyone’s guess on how they perform. Which Jets team will we get in Week 7?

#25. Tennessee Titans (3-3) -10 ⬇️
A long, long drop for the Titans, and for good reason. They got shut out 21-0, allowed 11 sacks, their defense was awful, and they only totaled 104 yards of total offense. All the buzz about them from earlier this season is gone. They need a miracle to stay afloat.

#26. Denver Broncos (2-4) -4 ⬇️
Vance Jospeh needs to go. John Elway needs to go. Case Keenum needs to go. Denver is in panic mode right now after their fourth straight loss this week. They became the first team in NFL history to surrender 200 yards rushing in two straight games. This time, Todd Gurley ripped them apart. What is happening to them after a dynamic start to the season?

#27. San Francisco 49ers (1-5) +2 ⬆️
Despite the close loss, they played a great game until the end. C.J. Beathard looked unstoppable, Matt Breida looked good, Marquise Goodwin had a great game, and the whole offense mostly. They proved that they may not need Jimmy Garappolo as badly as they thought.

#28. Indianapolis Colts (1-5) -1 ⬇️
They played a well fought game against the Jets, but ended up coming short in the end. Andrew Luck is averaging 2 interceptions a game, which is not what Indy wants. Their defense has been reliable, but not so much against the Jets offense. It’s safe to say their season may be pretty much over.

#29. Buffalo Bills (2-4) +1 ⬆️
Buffalo had a chance to win it, but then Josh Allen was taken out. Suddenly, the Bills fell. Backup Nathan Peterman did what he always does and threw picks, two to be exact. One was returned for a Texans touchdown, dooming the Bills hopes to come away 3-3. They need to get rid of Peterman and get Allen a real backup.

#30. New York Giants (1-5) -2 ⬇️
Man, Saquon Barkley’s talent is being wasted with this lackluster, no good team. Eli Manning may as well retire, because he hasn’t been the same quarterback that upset Tom Brady in the super bowl twice.

#31. Arizona Cardinals (1-5) +1 ⬆️
At least they put effort into their game against the Vikings, and kept it somewhat close. Still, they’re a pretty bad team with little talent to support themselves.

#32. Oakland Raiders (1-5) -1 ⬇️
Even playing in a different country, they still lose. They can’t win in the United States either. Seattle stomped them, and they clearly didn’t even try. Derek Carr looks abysmal this season, Amari Cooper has done next to nothing, the defense just sits there, and Jon Gruden, oh boy, he’s just awful. They look even worse than they were in that 2014 season. Might as well start losing more for the 2019 first overall pick in the draft.

Comments

I agree with this. I feel like Kansas City’s loss could be a motivator. If they want to get a bye and home field advantage they have to keep winning. The Chargers are on their tail and if they don’t keep winning they’re going right back to Gillette Stadium. I believe Mahomes is what KC needs to win a home playoff game again however I don’t trust that defense and it could be a problem in the coming weeks. - visitor