NFL Power Rankings 2016: Week 7 Edition

The sixth week of the 2016 NFL schedule is over. Now it’s time to see how all 32 teams stack up. Let’s dive right in to this week’s edition of NFL Power Rankings. For reference purposes, here’s a link to last week’s order.

WEEK 7 NFL POWER RANKINGS

1 – Minnesota Vikings 5-0 (Last Week: 1) – The only remaining undefeated team in the NFL is coming off their bye to face an Eagles team that’s on a two-game losing streak.

2 – New England Patriots 5-1 (LW: 5) – The Patriots look as good as ever now that Tom Brady is back.

3 – Atlanta Falcons 4-2 (LW: 2) – The Falcons got screwed out of a chance to beat the Seahawks due to the officials failing to call pass interference on Richard Sherman. A two-point loss in Seattle preceded by a win in Denver isn’t too shabby, though.

4 – Seattle Seahawks 3-2 (LW: 6) – Seattle is lucky the referees didn’t throw a flag on Sherman or else they would likely be 2-3 right now. Still, a win is a win.

5 – Buffalo Bills 4-2 (LW: 10) – Circle the wagons: the Bills are on a four-game win streak after dominating the 49ers in Buffalo. Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy got his revenge on Chip Kelly. The Bills have the best point differential in the NFL.

6 – Dallas Cowboys 5-1 (LW: 11) – There’s a clear leader in the NFC East right now and it’s the Cowboys. Dallas is a one-point loss away from being 6-0. Despite Dak Prescott finally throwing an interception, the Cowboys picked up a nice win in Green Bay.

7 – Denver Broncos 4-2 (LW: 4) – Two straight losses for the defending Super Bowl 50 champions. The good news for the Broncos is that head coach Gary Kubiak will be back after missing Thursday’s game.

8 – Pittsburgh Steelers 4-2 (LW: 3) – The drop-off from Ben Roethlisberger to Landry Jones is huge. The Steelers really need to invest in a better backup quarterback option. Pittsburgh could fall even further if Big Ben misses significant time.

9 – Kansas City Chiefs 3-2 (LW: 12) – Don’t bet against Andy Reid coming off the bye. He’s now 16-2 in the first game back from having a week off.

10 – Arizona Cardinals 3-3 (LW: 13) – The Cardinals are back to .500 after getting off to a rough start. Bruce Arians’ team picked up a strong win over the struggling Jets.

11 – Washington Redskins 4-2 (LW: 14) – After starting out the season 0-2, the 2015 NFC East champions have won four straight.

12 – Oakland Raiders 4-2 (LW: 9) – The Raiders were the victim of Reid’s post-bye week magic.

13 – Philadelphia Eagles 3-2 (LW: 8) – Despite losing two straight games, the Eagles still have the third best point differential in the NFL. The Birds have their fair share of issues, though. They’re playing sloppy football right now; there’s way too many dumb penalties and missed tackles. Losing starting right tackle Lane Johnson is really hurting Philadelphia.

14 – Green Bay Packers 3-2 (LW: 7) – What happened to Aaron Rodgers? The Packers quarterback ranks 20th overall in passer rating. Rodgers wasn’t great at the end of last year either, so it’s more than just a slow start to the 2016 season.

15 – Houston Texans 4-2 (LW: 18) – The Texans are somehow 4-2 despite having a -19 point differential. Only eight teams have worse, so more losses could be on the way for Houston.

16 – Detroit Lions 3-3 (LW: 19) – Jim Caldwell doesn’t have a lot of margin for error but his hot seat continues to get cooler as the Lions continue to win.

17 – New York Giants 3-3 (LW: 23) – Odell Beckham Jr. came up big to help the Giants stop their three-game losing streak.

18 – Baltimore Ravens 3-3 (LW: 15) – The Ravens’ defense was playing well up until cornerback Jimmy Smith got hurt. Baltimore has now lost three games in a row.

19  – San Diego Chargers 2-4 (LW: 27) – Mike McCoy likely saved his job with a big win over the Broncos. San Diego isn’t as bad as their record appears; they own the 11th best point differential in the league. The Chargers have struggled to close out tight games, but they’re not a flat out bad team.

20 – Los Angeles Rams 3-3 (LW: 17) – The Rams are back to .500 after getting off to a 3-1 start. Jeff Fisher is totally on pace to go 7-9.

21 – Cincinnati Bengals 2-4 (LW: 16) – Have the Bengals ever really looked all that impressive this year? Will Marvin Lewis even get the chance to lose in the first round of the playoffs yet again?

22 – New Orleans Saints 2-3 (LW: 22) – Same old Saints. Every week they have to hope their good offense can put enough points to overcome their dreadful defense. Fortunately for them, it worked out this week.

23 – Tennessee Titans 3-3 (LW: 28) – One year after going 3-13, the Titans have already matched that win total through six games in 2016. Tennessee is very much alive in a very weak AFC South.

24 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-3 (LW: 24) – The Buccaneers should hope their rookie kicker remembered how to kick during their bye week.

25 – Jacksonville Jaguars 2-3 (LW: 25) – Beating the Bears by one point is hardly an impressive win.

26 – Indianapolis Colts 2-4 (LW: 21) – It’s still baffling to think the Colts gave Chuck Pagano a contract extension after last season.

27 – Miami Dolphins 2-4 (LW: 30) – If the Dolphins could face Landry Jones every week, they might win a lot more games.

28 – New York Jets 1-5 (LW: 20) – The Jets have the worst point differential in the NFL. It’s probably time to bench Ryan Fitzpatrick, though it’s not like Geno Smith is suddenly going to save the season.

29 – Carolina Panthers 1-5 (LW: 26) – It’s probably time to stick a fork in the reigning NFC Champions. They’re already 0-3 in division games.

30 – Chicago Bears 1-5 (LW: 29) – The Bears lost to the Jaguars. At home. John Fox is 7-15 in 22 games as the Bears’ head coach.

31 – Cleveland Browns 0-6 (LW: 31) – When will the Browns get their first win of the season? Three of their six losses have been decided by one possession, so maybe they’re not too far off.

32 – San Francisco 49ers 1-5 (LW: 32) – Switching from Blaine Gabbert to Colin Kaepernick didn’t make much of a difference for the 49ers. Chip Kelly’s team has allowed the most points in the NFL.