Pre-Week 6 Power Rankings
It looked like a rough day at the office for New England's offense for a while in Washington, yet they still put up 33. Can they be stopped? We won't know until they face tougher opposition. For now, the machine is purring.
Three wins out of three without Drew Brees and they are doing much more than just surviving with Teddy Bridgewater at the helm. Is he offering a glimpse of the future in New Orleans?
A hobbled Patrick Mahomes is, of course, a concern. But even more worrying is a poor run defense. If the Chiefs cannot get off the field, Mahomes is going to ride the bench more than he would like.
Okay, Niners' you have my attention. Jimmy G looks in total control, the running game is dominant and the defense aggressive and opportunistic. It feels like this team is for real.
The defense continues to make game-changing plays every week, but I'm not overly-excited about the body language of quarterback Aaron Rodgers when it comes to his dealings with his new coach.
The Bills better hope that the old phrase about defense winning championships rings true because that group is elite and the offense is very much still a work in progress.
The Eagles have been absolutely decimated by injuries yet they are 3-2 and in joint first place in their division. So long as they have Carson Wentz at quarterback, this team stays in the mix.
Russell Wilson for MVP. I don't have a problem with that, at all. He has been nothing short of sensational this season and he is the major reason the Seahawks are 4-1 and feeling good.
Maybe the Cowboys were feeling a little too good at 3-0. Back to back losses to New Orleans and Green Bay in big nationally-televised spots have cast a shadow over the past fortnight.
The Rams are just not the same team without a healthy Todd Gurley in the backfield. Everything they do offensively sprouts off him. Maybe they should give Malcolm Brown more opportunities.
Rushing for 180 yards against the Chiefs was a reminder that Chris Ballard has built a team along the trenches first. If this team can survive until January, they are dangerous in a one-and-done scenario.
This is a damning indictment of Matt Nagy through five games. His offense has yet to top 300 yards in any contest and the Bears have scored just eight offensive touchdowns.
When Deshaun Watson blows hot, this can be a dangerous team. And there are positive signs along the offensive line where the protection seems to be improving each week.
The Lions are coming off a bye so nothing to see here. Matt Patricia's men are relevant in 2019 and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Christian McCaffrey is an absolute beast and pretty close to unstoppable at the moment. Best back in the game? I have no issue with him wearing that badge with pride heading into London.
Baker Mayfield is starting to see ghosts and I'm not surprised behind that offensive line. And is it just me or does every NFL player *really *enjoy sacking Baker Mayfield?
That was a good division win last weekend against Pittsburgh but the Ravens need to get Lamar Jackson back on track. He has thrown five interceptions in his last two outings.
I'm not throwing a parade just because the Vikings beat the Giants. Kirk Cousins and this team beat the teams they're supposed to but they always seem to lose the big ones to tough opponents.
Jameis Winston, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans' the Bucs have the offensive weaponry to be competitive in every game and there should be no shame in losing by seven at the Superdome.
Josh Jacobs is the real deal and the offensive line is vastly improved on last season. The Raiders will still have ups and downs but if they end this year around .500 that is to be applauded.
I had this team as one of my preseason favourites in the NFL but they cannot get out of their own way week after week. This past weekend featured a Philip Rivers end zone pick and another Austin Ekeler fumble near the goal line.
While we're all getting excited about Gardner Minshew at quarterback - and rightly so - can we please recognise that this defense is in freefall and shipping far too many yards and points.
The Steelers are turning their offense over to Devlin Hodges, from Samford University. Never heard of it? Me either. This team won't even reap the rewards of a bad season with a high draft pick in 2020 - they've already given that to Miami.
Marcus Mariota is playing okay but the offensive line is a sieve. This team is currently one of the more non-descript outfits in the entire league.
The defense finally woke up last week and a running game that produced more than 190 yards against the Chargers meant we only needed limited Joe Flacco sightings. That is the recipe.
There are going to be bad days at the office like last week's 28-10 loss to Minnesota because these Giants are nowhere near complete. But Daniel Jones is good and Saquon is working his way back.
Dan Quinn's speciality is defense yet the Falcons shipped 592 yards and 53 points to Houston last week. Atlanta have given up 20+ points in six straight games. Hot seat, anyone?
The Bengals are 0-5 for the first time since 2008, still don't have A.J. Green and they have been out-played pretty much all season. On the plus side... wait, there is no plus side. Move on!
Sam Darnold is returning to the line-up this weekend and good luck to him and his spleen. That Jets offensive line gave up a whopping 10 sacks on Sunday.
Don't shed a tear for fired head coach Jay Gruden. He has just been freed by arguably the most difficult working environment in the entire NFL. He gave it a shot and can now move on
The Dolphins are coming off their best performance of the season last weekend - they were on a bye. Now, they will look to build on that in a massive game for 31st place in these rankings when they take on Washington on Sunday.
