NFL Week 7 Power Rankings: Patriots, Cowboys Rise After Statement Wins

Week 6 in the NFL was full of high-scoring shootouts and last-second wins that shook up the NFL power rankings.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots knocked off the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, while the Dallas Cowboys made a huge leap after dismantling the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers also rose despite unconvincing wins in Week 6.

With six weeks of action now in the book, here’s how we’re ranking every NFL team from No. 1 to No. 32. (For our Week 6 power rankings, click here.)

1. Los Angeles Rams (6-0; Last week’s rank: 2): Jared Goff only completed 14 passes, but Todd Gurley ran all over the Denver Broncos and the Rams are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL.

2. New England Patriots (4-2; 4): Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs shredded New England’s defense, but Brady saved the day by engineering a game-winning drive to once again assert the Patriots’ dominance in the AFC.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1; 1): Mahomes and Co. suffered their first loss of the season, but it was a valiant effort that showed they belong in the same conversation with the Patriots atop the AFC. The conference still could run through Arrowhead Stadium.

4. New Orleans Saints (4-1;4): The Saints head to Baltimore to face the Ravens out of their bye week before a marquee Week 8 Sunday night clash with the Minnesota Vikings.

5. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2; 11): It only took six weeks, but the Chargers finally looked like the Super Bowl contender some billed them as when they blasted the Cleveland Browns 38-14. L.A. will hop across the pond to take on the Tennessee Titans in London during Week 7.

6. Minnesota Vikings (3-2-1; 9): Is beating the Arizona Cardinals impressive? No, but Kirk Cousins and Vikes appear to be rounding into form.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1; 14): Are the Steelers back? Unclear. But the Black and Gold will enter their bye week after a thrilling 28-21 win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals, which should put some wind behind their sails.

8. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2; 5): If the Bengals can find a way to lose to the Steelers, they will. Case in point: Antonio Brown’s game-winning, 37-yard touchdown catch with 10 seconds to go Sunday afternoon.

9. Chicago Bears (3-2; 7): Mitchell Trubisky and Co. exited their bye week by suffering a horrible loss to Brock “The Brocketship” Osweiler and the Miami Dolphins. Chicago’s vaunted defense went missing in South Beach, and it won’t get any easier in Week 7 when the Patriots come to The Windy City.

10. Baltimore Ravens (4-2; 12): Baltimore terrorized Marcus Mariota and the Titans in Week 6, sacking the young quarterback 12 times in a 21-0 win. The Ravens can prove they are for real with a Week 7 win over the Saints.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3; 15): The defending champs probably won’t hit their stride for another month, but they pummeled the lowly New York Giants in Week 6 and can get above .500 with a victory over the Carolina Panthers this coming Sunday.

12. Carolina Panthers (3-2; 8): After barely surviving against the Giants in Week 5, the Panthers got shredded by Alex Smith in a 23-17 Week 6 loss to the Washington Redskins that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. If the Panthers don’t straighten things out soon, they might let the Saints run away early with the NFC South crown.

13. Tennessee Titans (3-3; 12): Baltimore embarrassed Tennessee in Week 6, and now the Titans must travel to London to face the Chargers. Two weeks ago, it looked like the Titans might be the class of the AFC South. Now, not so much.

14. Green Bay Packers (3-2-1; 16): Green Bay’s defense is a sieve, its offensive line can’t block anyone and Aaron Rodgers is playing on one leg. But one leg was good enough to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. The bye couldn’t come at a better time for the Packers.

15. Miami Dolphins (4-2; 17): How are the Dolphins 4-2? We have no idea.

16. Cleveland Browns (2-3-1; 10): OK, so we got a little carried away with the Browns, but we still believe they can make a run at the playoffs … in 2019.

17. Houston Texans (3-3; 18): Deshaun Watson survived bruised ribs, bruised lungs and the scrappy Buffalo Bills to bring the Texans back to .500. Luckily for them, every team called the Indianapolis Colts is at .500 in this division.

18. Dallas Cowboys (3-3; 26): What got into the Cowboys? A week ago, Dallas was dead and buried after losing to the Texans in overtime. But they bounced back in a big way with a 40-7 beatdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. A key division clash with the Redskins awaits in Week 7.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3; 6): The Jaguars have been blown off the field in consecutive weeks and look like a shell of the team that went to last year’s AFC Championship Game. Can they get back on track against the Texans in Week 7?

20. Washington Redskins (3-2; 20): Washington thoroughly outplayed a Carolina team in Week 6 that’s the definition of Jekyll and Hyde. Yes, the Redskins are in first place in the NFC East, but we can’t buy into them just yet.

21. Seattle Seahawks (3-3; 23): The prideful Seahawks won’t go quietly from the spotlight, as the Birds flew to London and shellacked the Oakland Raiders 27-3 to get back to .500. They can climb above water with a Week 7 win over the Detroit Lions.

22. Atlanta Falcons (2-4; 21): Atlanta can’t stop a nosebleed, but luckily for the Falcons, neither can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dan Quinn’s squad should be able to get to 3-4 next week against the New York Giants.

23. New York Jets (3-3; 22): Sam Darnold threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ wild 42-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Next up: A date with the Vikings.

24. Detroit Lions (2-3; 19): The NFC North could be up for grabs, but we don’t trust the Lions to take hold of it.

25. Denver Broncos (2-4; 24): Good luck in the unemployment line, Vance Joseph.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3; 25): The Bucs are who we thought they were.

27. San Francisco 49ers (1-5; 27): C.J. Beathard almost went into Lambeau Field and beat Rodgers, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

28. Indianapolis Colts (1-5; 29): It’s a travesty the Colts haven’t surrounded Andrew Luck with a shred of talent.

29. New York Giants (1-5; 27): Saquon Barkley is worth the price of admission, as are Odell Beckham Jr.’s weekly sideline antics. The rest of the G-Men? Not so much.

30. Arizona Cardinals (1-5; 32): At least the Cardinals appear to have their next franchise quarterback in Josh Rosen.

31. Buffalo Bills (2-4; 30): Josh Allen isn’t great, but Nathan Peterman is much, much worse.

32. Oakland Raiders (1-5; 31): Raiders fans already are counting the days until Jon Gruden is no longer the head coach. Just nine more years and some change.