Neil Reynolds' Week 6 Power Rankings
There are three very good teams at the top of the NFL but after Buffalo, Kansas City and Philadelphia, I think things are wide open. Some have impressed, many have disappointed and the jockeying for position behind the top three changes weekly. And dramatically.
The Bills have the best player in the NFL in Josh Allen and a dynamic game-changer on defense in Von Miller. That makes them the league’s top team.
I think the Chiefs and Bills are a step up from the rest of the NFL and their clash last Sunday felt like a true heavyweight affair between the best in the game.
The Eagles have an assured and growing quarterback, weapons all around him, a strong line and a very competent defense. Have I done them wrong here?
The Vikings are one of those teams who are hard to trust. They had 10 three and outs against Miami last Sunday. But their 5-1 record speaks volumes.
Time and again, the Giants dig themselves out of a hole and find a way to win games. I don’t feel their 5-1 record is a fluke. This team is not falling away.
The Cowboys will remain one of the top teams in the league, especially when Dak Prescott returns. A loss at Philly does not make them a bad outfit.
I love watching the Jets at the moment and their young players are not only excellent on the field, they are rock solid off it and are made of the right stuff.
The Bengals still have their issues along the line but very little changes for them. As long as Joe Burrow can get the ball to Ja’Marr Chase, they have a shot.
The Ravens have now lost three games this year where they led by at least 10 points. Equally concerning is the inconsistency of Lamar Jackson.
Tom Brady has thrown eight touchdown passes in six games. He has been held to one TD pass or fewer in five of six games in 2022. Stunning statistics.
Justin Herbert’s rib injury could linger all season long and that makes Austin Ekeler his most valuable passing game target out of the backfield.
The Titans were on a bye week so have moved nowhere in these rankings, which would be considered progress for some teams.
It just looks so hard for the Packers on the offensive side of the ball right now. Aaron Rodgers is calling for “everything to be simplified.” Watch this space.
The injury list is significant and the 49ers are officially in ‘hang in there’ mode. Survive this period of the season and make a run later in the year.
New England’s defense remains very stout and rookie third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe is making things very interesting indeed in Foxboro.
The Rams won last weekend but only by 14 points against the worst team in football. And Matthew Stafford threw another pick six. I’m worried.
The Dolphins still got very good production out of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle with the flip-flopping at QB. It looks like Tua will return this week.
Matt Ryan threw 58 times and completed 72 percent of his passes. Take a bow, sir! The Colts are very much alive in the AFC South at 3-2-1.
The Saints rushed for 228 yards but were let down, in the end, by some really poor tackling from a defense that had played pretty well.
The Seahawks are proving themselves to be feisty under Pete Carroll and with Geno Smith at the helm. And Tariq Woolen is a rising defensive star.
The Raiders were on a bye. Can they wake from their slumber? One win from the first five games is unacceptable for a playoff team from 2021.
The Falcons ran all over the 49ers, dominated both lines of scrimmage and got efficient and tidy play from Marcus Mariota. There’s your recipe!
As Nick Chubb goes, so do the Browns. But he cannot play defense as well and that unit has been regressing in recent weeks.
That Mike Tomlin can coach! A week after suffering the biggest loss in his tenure in Pittsburgh, he led the Steelers to victory over Tampa Bay.
The Jaguars are more talented and better coached. The next step in their progression has to be to start winning some of these close games.
The Cardinals added Robby Anderson via trade and get DeAndre Hopkins back at receiver this week. Both are needed desperately by Kyler Murray.
This offense looks broken and there is a body of work here now. Russell Wilson is not playing well and his teammates hardly seem to be warming to him.
The Bears lost to Washington last week, but I still think they beat the Commanders more often than not. That’s about as positive as I can get.
Carson Wentz is out with a broken finger, so this offense belongs to Taylor Heinicke for the next month or so. Another lost season is playing out in Washington.
The Lions were on a bye. How will they come out of it? The last time we saw them they were being blanked by the Patriots and it was not pretty.
The Texans are also coming off a bye. Dameon Pierce is seeing stacked boxes and getting hit by multiple defenders, but he keeps on chugging.
This is turning into a soap opera. First, Matt Rhule gets fired and rightly so. Then Steve Wilks is minutes into his first game in charge when he sends Anderson for an early bath!