NFL Power Rankings, Week 7: Steelers, Buccaneers make emphatic leap

Our Week 7 edition of the 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

There were some great games in Week 6 and their outcomes had some major implications on our Week 7 edition of the 2020 NFL Power Rankings. The first big game was the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Cleveland Browns.

In what has normally been a throw-away game for the Steelers, they found themselves facing a red-hot 4-1 Browns team that had reeled off four in a row. With that being the case, Pittsburgh came out on fire as they were blitz-happy on defense and physical on offense.

With that approach, they made life miserable for Baker Mayfield and he ended up sitting out the end of the game as Cleveland turned to backup Case Keenum. As for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger continued to prove he’s healthy following elbow surgery a season ago. Now at 5-0, Pittsburgh has asserted themselves as a powerhouse.

Also asserting themselves was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were 3-2 entering the weekend but then made a statement against the Green Bay Packers. They forced Aaron Rodgers to throw two picks and the game was so lopsided that he too found himself on the sideline to close the game out. It was the first loss of the season for the Packers who have just four regular-season losses under head coach Matt LaFleur.

In that win, we saw a vintage Rob Gronkowski who was the top receiver for the Bucs. They’re now 4-2 but are looking like a team that will be difficult to beat. Especially the more comfortable Gronk and Tom Brady get in this system.

With all that out of the way, we dive right into our Week 7 2020 NFL Power Rankings.