2021 NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Bills own the AFC, Cowboys keep surging
16. team. 87. . . Previous: 11th. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are reeling a bit after a weird 21-18 loss to the Eagles on the heels of losing their first game last week in Dallas. Carolina doesn’t look as fraudulent as the Broncos after their own 3-0 start but Sam Darnold’s warts showed up against Philadelphia, shockingly so. But this defense is legit and just had lapses at the wrong time. I expect a bounce-back sometime soon from the Panthers, especially with Christian McCaffrey nearing a return to action after missing the last two weeks.
Kansas City Chiefs. 15. team. 124. . . Previous: 12th
Honestly, you could make a legitimate case for the Kansas City Chiefs being even lower than this. Patrick Mahomes and the offense have been good but not great and the turnovers are a real issue. More importantly, though, this defense is legitimately terrible — like one of the worst in the NFL levels of bad. For a team that has made a living of making it to Super Bowls, the Chiefs are just 2-3 on the season and they have to find some answers quickly.
. . Previous: 14th. Seattle Seahawks. 14. team. 36
We’re keeping the Seattle Seahawks at No. 14 in our NFL Power Rankings for now because a loss to the Rams in a game that was closer than the 26-17 final score might indicate isn’t anything to knock them for.
Having said that, we could see this team drop precipitously moving forward with Russell Wilson injuring his finger and being out for at least a month and possibly two. Geno Smith played well in relief but Wilson has put this team on his back so many times that it’s hard to have full faith in Seattle without him.
. Previous: 2nd. Las Vegas Raiders. 13. team. 28.
It was easy to be dubious that the Raiders’ hot start wasn’t going to last and we’ve started to see that. They looked outmatched against the Chargers in primetime and were dominated physically by the Bears on Sunday.
Derek Carr was under duress often against the Bears, speaking to the glaring offensive line problems with Las Vegas. The defense is still playing well, which is a good sign, but the Raiders have to find a way to contend with their issues up front on offense if they want to stay in the playoff picture and avoid dropping further in these rankings.