NFL Power Rankings: Mosh Pit of Mediocrity Leads to Crowded Week 6

We’re going to talk about the end of the season and why the next few weeks matter (but really don’t). All the good teams have to do at this point is survive, which seems to be the strategy for almost anyone hanging off the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan tree. Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Mike McDaniel, Shanahan and McVay are all winning enough games to be relevant at the end of the season, while completely masking the behind-the-scenes scrambling that is taking place to iron out all the chaos.

The same could be said about the Ravens, Buccaneers and Titans. So, outside of the obvious No. 1 Buffalo Bills, this season could be more about what a team does reliably well when they are backed up against the wall, since a swath of mediocrity (record-wise) is going to be slammed through the postseason threshold like a handful of soft cheese through a grater?

When you ask yourself a question that way and realize that most of the league is stuck in neutral, it puts the problems regarding Rodgers, Stafford and Brady, among others, in perspective. While they have not been gaining yardage consistently and beautifully so far this year, they have done so for a long period of time. While Lamar Jackson looks hot and cold, the composition of that roster will allow for ugly yardage when necessary.

It’s more fun than saying the Bills are so much better than everyone else, and it’s not fairly close. 

1. Buffalo Bills (5–1)

Last week: win at Kansas City, 24-20
Next week: BYE

A thorough, masterful performance by Buffalo on Monday night leaves no doubt as to which team in the NFL is best. At this point, Kansas City seems like the Bills’ only potential rival, though some kind of strange weather game or an injury could always bring this team back to earth a bit. 

Last week: loss vs. Buffalo, 24-20
Next week: at San Francisco

As strange as it sounds, the Chiefs’ loss to Buffalo did a great deal in cementing them as the No. 2 team in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes, even at his least responsible, is still an incredibly efficient, field-bending quarterback who stresses defenses to their limitations. Had his receiver fought his way into a 50-50 ball touchdown early against the Bills, we’d be talking about a different kind of Chiefs team. I’ll stick with this club. 

Last week: win vs. Dallas. 26-17
Next Week: BYE

The Eagles were up against it on Sunday Night Football, down a key offensive lineman and almost completely unable to sneak their tight end out into the route tree due to protection issues. Yet, they stiff-armed a formidable division rival and remained the best record in football. While the AFC has some answers for this Eagles team, who in the NFC is going to stand up to the Eagles?

Last week: win at Miami, 24-16
Next week: BYE

This is mostly just in an effort to pacify their fan base, which has been subtweeting me since July for picking them to finish with a mediocre record and rolling their eyes when I say the Packers are better. So, enjoy your moment in the sun. No. 4 in the power rankings this week, a complete and total kiss of death. Just ask Cardinals fans from 2021, a fanbase that aggravated me so much that I invited one of their fans to write the lead of my power rankings. I may not have the power to accurately predict things, but boy can I mush a team when I want to. 

Last week: loss vs. New York Jets, 27-10
Next week: at Washington

The Packers are struggling to protect Aaron Rodgers and were uniquely susceptible to the creative penetration tactics of the Jets’ defensive line Sunday. When they’re leaky in this way, it’s difficult to get a back like AJ Dillon to the tight end on a wide zone play; the kind of basic, foundational play that could unlock more complex and potent schemes within Green Bay’s offense. 

Last week: loss at Pittsburgh, 20-18
Next Week: at Carolina

Like Green Bay, I’m betting on Tom Brady, an all-world quarterback who has dealt with every conceivable offensive-line issue one could face at the position, to overcome. He has better receivers (still) than he ever did in New England. He has a more forceful run game (still) than he ever did in New England. Yes, he is older, but he is also wiser. A good week in the film room turns the Buccaneers into a model of efficiency. 

Last week: win vs. Baltimore, 24-20
Next week: at Jacksonville

The Giants are 5-1 and likely won’t be significantly large underdogs until at least Thanksgiving. At some point, the team turned from a cute story and potential seventh seed to very serious contender, in that they always find a way to hang around in games long enough to win them. They are the barnacle at the bottom of the boat, clinging artfully. 

Last week: loss vs. Minnesota, 24-16
Next week: vs. Pittsburgh

At this point, our hope is that Tua Tagovailoa feels okay. Whatever happens after that is a complementary dessert with the entree. In the meantime, Mike McDaniel’s club has still been challenging for opposing teams, if a little less potent with the revolving door of quarterbacks. 

Last week: loss at New York Giants, 24-20
Next week: vs. Cleveland

I am still high on the Ravens for one simple reason: this entire year is a gigantic crapshoot and if Lamar Jackson and most of his offensive line and a few of his tight ends are healthy in January, they have a better shot than 70% of the league to make a run. Style points, unless you are the Bills, are completely irrelevant this year. 

Last week: loss at Philadelphia, 26-17
Next week: vs. Detroit

A new season begins with the return of Dak Prescott. He returns at a time when Ezekiel Elliott seems to have dipped himself in the fountain of youth. Who knew that Ponce De Leon was just 1,000 miles too far to the east? 

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Last week: win vs. Carolina, 24-10
Next week: BYE

The Rams look so broken but have a rolodex of gotta-have-it plays that they seem to execute flawlessly when in desperate need. Will Les Snead heed the call of his desperate offense and swing some deals for more wide receiving talent and a new left tackle now that Joe Noteboom is out for the season? 

Last week: win vs. Denver 19-16 (OT) (Monday)
Next week: vs. Seattle

The Chargers are so frustratingly pedestrian offensively, though we’re seeing systems around the league get counterpunched by really good defensive play. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was dismissed early in his last stint as an every-down play-caller. Would Brandon Staley ever consider something similar to shake up the offense, or is this the way the league is right now?

Last week: loss at Atlanta, 28-14
Next week: vs. Kansas City

A team that beats the 49ers regularly is one that forces Jimmy Garoppolo into 40-plus attempts. This was a collective storm for the 49ers, who failed to get a run game going due to the fact that they were down 14 points almost immediately. 

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Last week: win vs. San Francisco, 28-14
Next week: at Cincinnati

Arthur Smith procured postgame beers for his offensive lineman for a reason. At the moment, the Falcons have the second-lowest passing percentage (42.78%) in the NFL. They are winning games with just 13 or 14 attempts per game, and a committee of running backs. While Atlanta may not be No. 1 on Christian McCaffrey’s wish list, oh what this team could do with a feature back of his talents. 

Last week: win at New Orleans, 30-26
Next week: vs. Atlanta

The Bengals look so good when opposing teams allow them to play in their comfort zone. While some of their protective measures are still coming up short (just ask Joe Mixon on one particular Saints A-gap blitz Sunday), they are far too talented to dismiss. 

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16. New York Jets (4–2)

Last week: win at Green Bay, 27-10
Next week: at Denver

The Jets are coming off one of the most significant wins the franchise has had in more than a decade. The rebuilding process in Florham Park was long and chilly, and it isn’t over yet. However, Zach Wilson capably manning a ball-control offense and turning the game over to a super aggressive, hard-hitting defense has been a recipe for several upsets (given that the Jets are never favored). 

Last week: win at Washington, 21–17
Next week: vs. Indianapolis

Winners of three straight, the Titans get the chance to sweep the division-rival Colts in a week that could permanently alter the landscape of the AFC South. I, for one, would not want to be facing a Mike Vrabel team. In the regular season, Vrabel has never lost coming off a bye.

Last week: win at Cleveland, 38-15
Next week: vs. Chicago

The Patriots tackled well against the Browns, which is the recipe for defeating a non-Watson quarterbacked Cleveland offense. Meanwhile, Bailey Zappe continues to perform well. When New England is playing like this, they have playoff potential, even in a crowded AFC. 

Last week: loss at Indianapolis, 34-27
Next week: vs. New York Giants

Despite losing to the Colts, I would take Jacksonville over their division rival in a best-of-three series. The Jaguars need to turn their athleticism into game-closing production. Going sackless (with three total QB hits) against the stationary Matt Ryan at 2.75 seconds per dropback is difficult to swallow, especially after they mounted a lead. 

Last week: loss at Los Angeles Chargers, 19-16 (OT) (Monday)
Next week: vs. New York Jets

Here’s something positive we can say about the Denver Broncos: defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is a wizard who has kept the lowest scoring team in football relevant in every single one of their games. 

Last week: loss at Kansas City, 30–29
Next week: vs. Houston

I don’t see how an offense that is top 10 in points, passing touchdowns and rushing yards per attempt and a defense coached by Pat Grahm are going to be held down for long. While their schedule is brutal, the Raiders remain one of the better bad teams in the NFL. 

Last week: win vs. Jacksonville, 34-27
Next week: at Tennesee

Credit goes to the Colts who, each week, seem to explore deeply the spaces of incompetence and excellence, which often mashes together into a just-okay performance. They were getting gashed by the Jaguars in the first half before the maturation of the Matt Ryan-Michael Pittman connection yielded some positive momentum. 

Last week: win vs. Tampa Bay, 20-18
Next week: at Miami

Every few weeks we’ll be awarding the Steelers several additional places in the power rankings due to the Mike Tomlin legacy coaching award, which is just a reminder that he’s gotten some seriously bad teams to perform over the years. Just look at what they had in the deck for Sunday’s game against the Patriots. My goodness. 

Last week: loss at New England, 29–0
Next week: at Dallas

While the Lions return post-bye with the Cowboys, this is still an offense that can score with any team in the league. If, by some miracle, they were able to alter their defensive strategy and prevent a handful of drives from ending in touchdowns, we might be in for something. 

Last week: loss vs. New England, 38-15
Next week: at Baltimore

The Browns’ defense being 31st in EPA per play allowed should be far more concerning to fans than Deshaun Watson’s arrival time. Watson was, two years ago, a fine quarterback. But he also had bad seasons when the supporting cast wasn’t there. Will he increase the offense’s points per game average from seventh in the NFL to first? Or is it likely that the Browns are more than a QB away from being serious contenders? 

26. Seattle Seahawks (3–3)

Last week: win vs. Arizona, 19-9
Next week: at Los Angeles Chargers

I think I’m beginning to understand why Pete Carroll hung around. As we see the same brokenness in Denver that we saw in Seattle, Carroll has a chance to do what he loves best: churn the bottom of the roster and inspire people who love football to compete against all odds. This season may end up being his masterpiece. 

Last week: loss vs. Cincinnati, 30-26
Next week: at Arizona (Thursday)

The Saints are what they are at this point: A good run defense that is struggling to piece everything else together. The Saints are third in the NFL in EPA per rushing attempt but almost last against the pass. It was always going to be difficult to keep this unit together and playing well enough to buoy an offense that lost Sean Payton. Alas, here we are. 

Last week: loss at Seattle, 19-9
Next week: vs. New Orleans (Thursday)

The fact that the Cardinals’ most successful plays right now are speed option checks at the line by Kyler Murray is difficult to grasp. This franchise has the look and feel of something troublingly hollow that may spectacularly collapse at some point in the near future. 

Last week: win at Jacksonville, 13–6
Next week: at Las Vegas

The Texans parted ways with Jack Easterby on Monday. The chaplain turned high-ranking executive, whose pawprints were all over the Texans’ teardown under Bill O’Brien, is now on the outs. The one question is why? Ownership allowed him to completely reshape the organization and ditched him in the middle of the 2022 season for no discernable reason. Unless, that is, they finally got around to reading this. 

Last week: loss vs. Washington, 12-7 (Thursday)
Next week: at New England (Monday)

It feels like the Bears are one come-to-Jesus meeting with Justin Fields away from turning this offense into something that is chaotic but creative from a survival standpoint. The Bears are not deep enough as a team to go full Ravens or Eagles with Fields, but they can gum-and-paper clip these ideas together and create something worth watching. 

Last week: win at Chicago, 12-7 (Thursday)
Next week: vs. Green Bay

From discord surrounding the franchise to panic at the press conference podium, the Commanders are flailing and it’s quite obvious to everyone looking out from afar. While the efforts of some to make this team look and feel presentable are admirable, the Commanders are what they are at their core. And that’s difficult to change barring a sale. 

Last week: loss at Los Angeles Rams, 24-10

Next week: vs. Tampa Bay

The Panthers artfully fed Christian McCaffrey for a few series against the Rams and hung around respectably despite a sideline eruption from one of their best offensive players and an interim coach trying to hold it all together. Fear not, Panthers fans, the No. 1 pick is coming. 

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