2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Cowboys defense leads top-five push

The Dallas Cowboys defense made a statement in a win over the Los Angeles Rams and they enter the top five of our 2022 NFL Power Rankings as we enter Week 6

No one expected the NFC East to be a powerhouse division but as we enter Week 6, three of the best teams in the NFL reside in the East. The Philadelphia Eagles sit atop the division at 5-0 with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants right behind them at 4-1.

Philly survived a close call against Arizona this past weekend while the Cowboys made a statement with a win over the Rams. New York also went out to prove they’re for real as they kicked off Sunday with a win in London over the Green Bay Packers.

With all that taking place, we dive into the Week 6 edition of our 2022 NFL Power Rankings, starting with a new No. 32 team.

2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 6

32. Carolina Panthers

Things went from bad to worse for the Carolina Panthers. They’re one of the worst teams in the league and Baker Mayfield was benched during their latest loss. Then after the game, he was seen with a walking boot on, so perhaps he will be sidelined for a while now.

Whether or not he plays, they continue to be one of the worst teams in the league and they now fell to 1-4 with a 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

As much as Mayfield struggled, the offensive line continued to struggle to maintain blocks and they had to abandon the run in a hurry again. Now, we might be on the watch for when Matt Rhule gets the axe because it’s clear this thing isn’t getting better and he was already on the hot seat.

31. Washington Commanders

The NFC East is suddenly full of good teams. Well, mostly full. There are three teams with winning records who have been playing well for the majority of the season. Then there’s the Washington Commanders. They dropped yet another game, falling to 1-4 on the season.

They hoped the addition of Carson Wentz would help them improve this season but so far, it’s been a lot of empty yards. That was the case again in Week 5 as he had 359 yards and two touchdowns but they lost 21-17 to Tennessee.

Washington is quickly out of the East race and while they’re mathematically still alive, it looks to be another season where they will be looking forward to next year.

30. Detroit Lions

From one of the best offenses in the league to the worst of the weekend. The Detroit Lions weren’t winning many games but they weren’t rolling over either. They scored more than 30 points three times and their lowest output of the season was a 28-24 loss to Minnesota in Week 3. That changed now that they faced off with the New England Patriots who shut them out.

They had 211 yards through the air and 101 on the ground, so they were moving the ball. But they also had a couple of turnovers and couldn’t slow down New England’s ground game. That resulted in a 29-0 loss and the Lions are now an abysmal 1-4 to start the season.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers

Mitch Trubisky is out and Kenny Pickett is in but the results are the same. The Pittsburgh Steelers were embarrassed by the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, scoring just three points while surrendering 38.

They had no answers for Josh Allen who threw four touchdowns and had more than 400-yards. Gabriel Davis was also a problem, starting the game with a 98-yard touchdown pass and finishing with 171 yards and two scores.

Pittsburgh has never had a losing season under Mike Tomlin but at 1-4, it’s starting to appear that this could be the case in 2022, especially with Tampa Bay, Miami, and Philadelphia coming up over the next three weeks.

28. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans play in such a bad division that they can’t even lock up the No. 1 seed. In need of a new quarterback, the Texans have been the favorite for C.J. Stroud but they started the season with a tie against the Indianapolis Colts.

Still, they entered Week 5 as the only team without a win but found a way to score one against the Jaguars. It was a 13-6 “slugfest” that ended with Dameon Pierce scoring a touchdown late followed by a Desmond King interception as Trevor Lawrence tried to get his team back into the game.

They’re still not a team to believe in, but they might not get the quarterback they need unless they package a trade unless the rest of their division can start beating them.

27. Las Vegas Raiders: Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The AFC West was supposed to be the division to beat in 2022 but so far, they’ve been a huge disappointment. For the Las Vegas Raiders, who have started out 1-3, that’s a good thing.

Even with their frustrating start, they can get back into the race, especially if they find a way to knock off the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.

It won’t be easy since the Chiefs are one of the top teams in the entire league but Derek Carr and his squad have shocked them before. If they do it here, they’re still alive. If not, that 1-4 would be really daunting.

26. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears started out 2-1 but they were clearly the worst 2-1 team in the NFL at the time. They beat the San Francisco 49ers in the sloppiest game of the season and then had a three-point win over Houston in Week 3. Then, they played two teams that have just one loss as they faced the Giants and Vikings on the road.

Both losses were close as New York won by eight and Minnesota won by seven. They also fought back from a 21-3 hole against the Vikings to take a late lead which proves they’re resilient. But they still don’t have a great roster.

25. Cleveland Browns

It’s hard to find a team that’s worse in the fourth quarter right now than the Cleveland Browns. They have a stellar run game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt but if they don’t have a good lead, those two disappear at the end of the game and they know after seeing two picks in the fourth over the past two weeks that the game cannot come down to Jacoby Brissett.

On top of their inconsistent passing game, Cleveland’s run defense is atrocious. It makes no sense why a team so committed to the run did nothing to try and stop it. That inattention to the middle of the D-line is how they gave up 238 yards to the worst running attack entering Week 5.

24. Indianapolis Colts

Matt Ryan spun the Indianapolis Colts Week 5 win as something that a team can build confidence from. That’s complete quarterback talk because no one should feel confident about the way that thing went down. There were no winners on Thursday Night Football, but there were millions of losers — which would be everyone who watched the laughable offenses fight one another.

With all that being said, the Colts are somehow 2-2-1 and even have a win over the Chiefs. It’s still hard to believe in them since they tied Houston to start the season and their most recent win involved two teams that seemed intent on blowing every opportunity they were given.

23. New Orleans Saints

Taysom Hill put his team on his back and willed them to a win. That’s not a statement you hear every week but it was true for the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.

With Andy Dalton starting again for an injured Jameis Winston, the Saints also made sure Hill got in on the action. He threw one pass for a 22-yard touchdown but it was his legs that did the heavy lifting. The veteran ran it nine times for 112 yards and three touchdowns.

New Orleans needed all of those plays as the Seahawks were relentless, scoring 32 points. The Saints still won by a score and are now 2-3 but still have a tough schedule ahead of them with Cincinnati and Arizona on the way.

22. Atlanta Falcons

With the score at 21-15, it looks as though the Atlanta Falcons were able to hang with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that’s not the case. The Bucs were up 21-0 and then the Falcons dropped a couple of late touchdowns before Tom Brady and company decided to run the clock out.

Atlanta falls to 2-3 on the season which is still better than expected when this roster was put together at the beginning of the year. They’re strong on the ground, proven by their 151 yards on Sunday, but the aerial attack continues to be inconsistent. As long as they continue to struggle there, they’re going to have a hard time winning against good teams.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars

This is what we get for believing in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Just when they were fooling us all into believing they were good (or maybe they just fooled me) they go and drop a game to the Houston Texans. In one of the ugliest games of the weekend, Houston scored a touchdown with just 3:11 to go, taking a 13-6 lead.

When trying to get back into the game, Trevor Lawrence threw a pick, which was his second of the day. Now at 2-3, they’ve fallen to third place behind Tennesee and Indianapolis. They could still turn it around since they’re just one game behind first place but I won’t believe it again until they show it.

20. New England Patriots

Even with Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer out, the New England Patriots are never an easy out. That was proven this weekend when Bailey Zappe was under center and they scored a lopsided win. While the quarterback is clearly important, the Pats know they can win with a ball-control offense and stellar defense.

This weekend, that was the recipe as Bailey Zappe got the start and was 17-of-21 with 188 yards. The ground game, however, had 35 rushes for 176 yards with Rhamondre Stevenson going for 161 of those yards.

As good as they were, it was the defense that won this game. They had two turnovers and kept Detroit from scoring a single point. At 2-3, they’re not where they want to be but they’re not buried yet.

19. New York Jets

Zach Wilson is back and the New York Jets have won back-to-back games. This weekend, they took advantage of the Miami Dolphins’ injury concerns under center as Tua Tagovailoa was out and Teddy Bridgewater was hurt during the game.

Skylar Thompson did what he could but Miami controlled the game for the most part but then really blew it open in the fourth. With the Dolphins trying to catch back up, the Jets scored 21 in the final quarter, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a game Miami was trying to steal to a massive blowout for New York.

18. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are off to a rough start. They’re in a bad pattern right now where they lose then win the following week. That has them sitting at 2-3 after a three-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It was a frustrating loss for Arizona as well after they moved within range of a game-tying kick with 22 seconds to go. However, there was no overtime as Matt Ammendola was wide right on his 43-yard kick.

The ground game was strong with 124 yards but they couldn’t stop the Eagles from running all over them. They’re still just one game back, which is the one positive for them, as the entire NFC West is struggling this year.

17. Seattle Seahawks

It’s hard to bash the Seattle Seahawks in their latest loss because they continued to be one of the more stubborn teams in the league this weekend. With New Orleans going up 31-19 heading into the t fourth quarter, the ‘Hawks kept fighting back and took a 32-31 lead with roughly seven minutes remaining.

Taysom Hill broke through the defense for a 60-yard touchdown, which was his third on the ground. While the defense surely wishes they could have stopped Hill, the offense continued to play well with Geno Smith throwing three touchdowns and no picks.

They’re 2-3 which isn’t ideal but they’ve been better than expected for the most part.

16. Denver Broncos

The NFL really expected the Denver Broncos to be good. To be fair, many of us did, but the league really bought in as it seems they’ve been on prime time every week. And each time they play under the bright lights, it seems to get uglier and uglier.

Adding Russell Wilson to this offense was supposed to put them over the top but instead, they’ve taken a step in the wrong direction. They may have hit a low point this past Thursday night when they lost 12-9 in the most unwatchable Thursday Night Football game in recent memory — and that’s saying something.

Wilson had a chance to win this one too with K.J. Hamler wide open in the red zone but he never saw him. If they keep losing, plays such as this will only get more magnified and it could spiral in the blink of an eye.

15. Cincinnati Bengals

They nearly won it all in 2021 but so far in 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals have been struggling. They fell to 2-3 in a tight contest against the Baltimore Ravens, who now lead the AFC North with a record of 3-2.

That’s the only good news so far in 2022 for the Bengals. Despite the slow start, they’re still within range of the North, and had Justin Tucker missed his final kick, they would be the ones standing atop the mountain.

14. Los Angeles Rams

Things have fallen apart in a hurry for the Los Angeles Rams. They entered Week 5 with a 2-2 record but had a shot to get back on track with a home game against the Dallas Cowboys, who were still without Dak Prescott.

It was clear from the start that they were in trouble as they gave up a defensive touchdown and blocked punt in the first quarter. When they finally got a huge play — a 75-yard touchdown from Cooper Kupp — they surrendered a 57-yard touchdown to Tony Pollard and never got the lead back.

Now at 2-3, they’re locked up with three teams in the West as they all look up at the 3-2 49ers. That tight division is the one thing that should give the Rams hope but they need to get something figured out on offense because they’re struggling outside of Kupp in 2022.

13. Tennessee Titans

It’s never pretty for the Tennessee Titans but they don’t care. They dropped their first two games as the Giants and Bills handed them losses but now they’ve reeled off three wins in a row. First, it was a two-point win over the Raiders, then a seven-point win over Indy, and this weekend it was a four-point victory over Washington.

All those were one-score games but they’re getting it done and are now 3-2 — and in a division where no one else is playing well. They face the Colts in Week 7 after a bye and can make a lot of headway in the AFC South should they knock them off again.

12. San Francisco 49ers

Following a 1-2 start, it looked as though the San Francisco 49ers were heading in the wrong direction. Then, they scored a huge win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 which might have turned their season around.

That 24-9 win gave them momentum heading into Week 5 and they made it look easy against the Panthers with a 37-15 win. They made life miserable for Baker Mayfield, racking up six sacks while Emmanuel Moseley added a pick-six.

Next up for the Niners is the Atlanta Falcons before a huge test against the Kansas City Chiefs. If they keep playing the way they have the past two weeks, they could make some noise in that one.

11. Miami Dolphins

Without Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins turned to Teddy Bridgewater who was injured and taken out of the game. That meant Skylar Thompson was taking over under center and the offense struggled with him.

Miami had just 158 yards through the air and despite Raheem Mostert going off for 113 yards, they managed just 17 points. They ended up losing 40-17 to the Jets, who took advantage of a missed field goal, fumble, and two turnovers on downs to rack up 21 points in the fourth quarter.

This game wasn’t as much of a blowout as the score makes it seem but it also wasn’t close. Miami is now on a two-game skid, proving Tua is more important to their success than he might get credit for.

10. Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers could be re-thinking some things today had Cade York hit a late field goal for the Browns. The rookie kicker was wide right on a 53-yard attempt but only had that shot thanks to Brandon Staley going for it on fourth-and-two in Los Angeles territory, setting the Browns up.

A little luck helped them improve to 3-2 but they also had an explosive day from Austin Ekeler who ran for 173 yards and added 26 through the air. Mike Williams added 134 yards on 10 catches and Alohi Gilman made a pick in the end zone that should have allowed them to seal the game — had it not been for the fourth-down call.

Los Angeles is a good team that stinks in the fourth quarter. They won their latest game since the Browns are worse in the fourth quarter and need to clean that up going forward.

9. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers headed to London with a three-game winning streak on the line and then took a 20-10 lead into the second half against the New York Giants. In the final two quarters, things fell apart for the Pack.

Green Bat was unable to score until Jamie Gillan intentionally ran out of the back of the end zone following a last-minute drive from Aaron Rodgers and the offense that failed to reach the end zone.

The Packers’ offense hasn’t been as explosive as we’re used to seeing and their defense — which has been carrying them — struggled with Saquon Barkley in this one. They’re still a team to watch in the NFC, this was more about the Giants proving they’re actually a good team.

8. Baltimore Ravens

Sunday Night Football finished with a close one between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. A defensive slugfest, it all came down to the foot of Justin Tucker and he did what he always does — delivered.

Tucker hit a 43-yarder at the final whistle to give Baltimore a 19-17 lead. They’re also in first place in their division at 3-2, which might not sound like much but they knocked off the defending AFC champs and their two losses were to the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, so it’s not as if they were exposed by a poor team.

7. New York Giants

This season has been a special one so far for the New York Giants. They’re winning games and while it appeared at first that they were just securing victories over bad teams, they made a statement in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers.

Playing against a four-time NFL MVP, the Giants’ defense shut down Aaron Rodgers in the second half as Saquon Barkley scored a late touchdown to give them the win. Brian Daboll was clearly the right choice as head coach and the success he’s had with a roster that’s still similar to what Joe Judge couldn’t buy a win with is impressive.

Now the question remaining is what they do under center. Daniel Jones still has some flaws but with as well as they’re playing, they might not be able to replace him in 2023 even if they wanted to.

6. Tampa Bay Bucs

The headlines flying around for Tom Brady are less than ideal but he’s been able to shake it all off and put together another strong season. He led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a win in Week 5 as they shook off a two-game losing skid and sent a divisional rival home frustrated in the process.

Atlanta tried to keep the receivers from killing them but Brady just kept dumping it off to Leonard Fournette in response. He ended up with 10 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown to go along with his 56 yards and another score on the ground.

Tampa Bay improves to 3-2 and remains the only team in the NFC South with a winning record. They might not be dominant but they’re still able to go toe-to-toe with anyone.

5. Minnesota Vikings

It looked as though the Minnesota Vikings were going to run away with a huge win this past weekend, going up 21-3 against the Chicago Bears. But then, Chicago scored 19 unanswered points to take a 22-21 lead in the fourth quarter.

Minnesota did just enough to get the win still, with Kirk Cousins scoring from one yard out and then hitting Justin Jefferson for two. That made it a one-touchdown lead for the Vikings and a defensive turnover finished things off.

Now at 4-1, they stay atop the NFC North mountain thanks to the Packers’ loss. They could finally find a way to win this division if they continue to play as well as they have thus far.

4. Dallas Cowboys

Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys are for real. They again won with Dak Prescott out but it wasn’t due to the play of Cooper Rush. The No. 2 quarterback was fine but hardly got to do much as he was just 10-of-16 with 102 yards.

Instead, it was the Dallas defense and ground game that led them to the win over the Los Angeles Rams. Dorance Armstrong sacked Matthew Stafford early in the game and forced a fumble, which was run in for a touchdown by DeMarcus Lawrence. Armstrong then blocked a punt, which led to three more points.

Tony Pollard and the ground game did the rest as they had 163 yards on the ground including a 57-yarder from Pollard. Micah Parsons then closed things out with another strip sack as the defense has yet to give up more than 19 points in the first five games.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Once again, the Kansas City Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC West. They were supposed to have more contenders this season with the Las Vegas Raiders improving with Davante Adams, the Denver Broncos adding Russell Wilson, and the Los Angeles Chargers bringing in Khalil Mack.

But here we are watching the Chiefs do their thing while the rest of the division tries to figure out who they are. Kansas City heads into Week 5 with a Monday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 1-3. A win here not only keeps the Chiefs in the race for the No. 1 seed but also could bury one of their rivals.

2. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills remain the top team in the AFC as they had another convincing win this weekend. While the Steelers weren’t exactly a powerhouse opponent, Buffalo did what good teams are supposed to do against subpar opposition — they won in a huge way.

Josh Allen had 424 yards passing with four touchdowns. He also tied Devin Singletary for the lead in rushing yards, going for 42 on just five carries. Defensively, they held the Steelers to just 54 yards on the ground, forcing rookie Kenny Pickett to put the team on his back.

The result was a lopsided 38-3 win as the Bills improved to 4-1. They remain a favorite in the AFC and continue to show how rounded they are.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

There remains one team with an unblemished record as the Philadelphia Eagles survived a close one with the Arizona Cardinals. Jalen Hurts entered the season with questions about his status as the leader of this franchise and he’s answered them with authority.

Hurts isn’t satisfied yet either. He ran for two touchdowns but after the win, he said he wasn’t thrilled with how he and the offense performed. Hurts understands what it takes to be a champion and is doing everything he can to build toward that with the Eagles.

They have a huge game next week against Dallas and if they stay undefeated, they’ll also start building a lead in the suddenly dominant NFC East.