Another crazy week of NFL action is in the books. This week, some of the craziness has brought about some massive changes all across the board in the latest NFL Power Rankings. While the NFC East has been the talk of the NFL this season, we’re seeing a resurgence in the AFC East as well with three teams in that division coming away with huge wins over the weekend.
Did the Kansas City Chiefs drop after their tough home loss to the Buffalo Bills? There’s an NFC South team that is really rising in this week’s power rankings while another NFC South team is absolutely plummeting. Let’s take a look at where teams are coming in with our Week 7 NFL Power Rankings.
2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 7
32. Carolina Panthers (1-5), lost to Rams
Matt Rhule has been fired, and it seems like, over the next couple of weeks, the Carolina Panthers fire sale will soon begin. The Panthers have apparently placed a price tag of multiple first-round picks on Christian McCaffrey and other big-name players that could be available in a trade, but we’ll see how much this team actually will part with as they try to attract another head coach to turn the ship around quickly.
Regardless, this is a team in transition with no clear answer at the quarterback position despite trades for two top three picks from the 2018 NFL Draft in Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. It’s likely that neither will be with the Panthers in 2023.
31. Detroit Lions (1-3), BYE in Week 6
The Detroit Lions get bumped down this week, despite the fact that they didn’t play. Despite their impressive offensive output in the first handful of weeks of the season, the Lions don’t have anything but one win to show for it. It’s a shame because there are spots up for grabs in the NFC right now.
Coming back from the bye week in Week 6, the Lions need to not only keep up the tremendous offensive output that we had previously seen from them, but they also need to tighten up defensively in a big way and improve upon their NFL-worst 34.0 points per game allowed so far this season.
30. Chicago Bears (2-4), lost to Commanders
The Chicago Bears have two wins in 2022, and they are lucky to have that. You can’t play teams like the Commanders every week where you get chances to win games you have no business being in based on how you’re playing offensively. Right now, the Bears are just horrendous on that side of the ball and you can hear the clock ticking on Justin Fields. Fields, of course, is auditioning for new general manager Ryan Poles, but right now, has he done enough to convince a new regime to continue building around him?
Fields has talent, no question. The issue right now is, the production is just not matching up, and the Bears desperately need it to for the future of the franchise.
29. Washington Commanders (2-4), beat Bears
Carson Wentz injured the ring finger of his throwing hand, but perhaps Taylor Heinicke can be a catalyst for some more balance on this Commanders offense, if only just briefly. The Commanders got a much-needed win on Thursday night but it wasn’t pretty, and they lost Wentz in the process.
Brian Robinson has joined the lineup and we know Heinicke has strong rapport with Terry McLaurin. They get the Packers this week who are coming off of a tough home loss against the Jets, and that could be rough news for the Commanders who will be getting a Packers team with a chip on its shoulder.
28. Houston Texans (1-3-1), BYE in Week 6
After coming so close for a handful of weeks, the Houston Texans finally got their first win of the 2022 NFL season in Week 5 against the Jaguars, and one week later, they are poised to have two picks in the top six of the 2023 NFL Draft. Although Cleveland might keep losing, I think the Texans will find a little bit of a groove at some point here. They look like at least a five or six-win team, and they came so close in each of their first four games before finally getting on the board.
Houston’s roster has improved, Lovie Smith and his staff have some decent weapons offensively, and the team has a budding star in running back Dameon Pierce, who has really been a huge boost to this team.
27. Cleveland Browns (2-4), lost to Patriots
Six weeks into Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension from the NFL, and things are going just about as you would expect for the Cleveland Browns, aren’t they? They have a couple of wins and the running game has been their bread and butter, but they are not playing well enough defensively to keep the ship afloat in Watson’s absence.
Not to mention, nobody really knows what to expect when Watson comes back, anyway. On Sunday, the Browns were beaten pretty handily on their home field by the New England Patriots, who have been playing some really good ball with Bailey Zappe under center.
Still, as good as people said this Cleveland roster is, they should be able to beat a Bailey Zappe-led Patriots team at home with the players they have, even if Jacoby Brissett is under center. Alas…
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4), beat Buccaneers
Something told me the Steelers were going to steal a win against the Buccaneers this weekend…The Steelers lost Kenny Pickett due to a concussion in this game, and that’s undoubtedly a concern moving forward, but they also got a much-needed burst of offense. Specifically, the Steelers got a strong performance in this win over the Bucs from wide receiver Chase Claypool, who went off for seven catches on seven targets for 96 yards and a touchdown.
The Steelers got a much-needed win and kept pace in the dudly AFC North. The North has two teams at 3-3 right now after Cincinnati got a win and Baltimore lost. Pittsburgh is not out of anything, but we’ll see if they can string anything together here.
25. Las Vegas Raiders (1-4), BYE in Week 6
The Las Vegas Raiders have been rather unlucky so far this season. Well, it might not all be “luck” but they are losing a lot of close games and their most recent effort was arguably their most impressive of the year. Playing in prime time against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, the Raiders decided to go for two when they could have tied the game with an extra point, and it ended up costing them.
Still, you have to respect the try. There is no question that the Raiders have a hole to climb themselves out of here, but they have found some much-needed balance offensively with Josh Jacobs running the ball well, and they are hanging in there every week.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4), lost to Colts
Just a handful of weeks ago, the Jaguars were everybody’s new favorite team. It looked like Doug Pederson had this team turning a corner, but their record shows this team is the same old Jaguars.
I think Pederson has helped this team turn a corner, regardless of what the record says. Nobody promised this would be a 13-4 team overnight, and nobody promised there would not be growing pains in year one with Pederson at the helm. The Jaguars are just a much more competent overall outfit with him running the show, especially compared to what we saw last year with Urban Meyer.
Jacksonville is the latest team to fall victim to Matt Ryan’s late-game heroics. Matty Ice is back and the Jaguars could do nothing but watch him work his magic as the clock trickled away on Sunday afternoon.
23. New Orleans Saints (2-4), lost to Bengals
The New Orleans Saints had a shot late on Sunday afternoon against the Bengals, but ultimately, they couldn’t overcome the four-touchdown performance of Joe Burrow, losing 26-30 on their home field. It’s not often you see a team run for 228 yards at nearly seven yards per clip, and still lose. But that is what we saw from the Saints on Sunday.
New Orleans desperately missed their top receivers in this game as the replacements simply could not help Andy Dalton out. Dalton completed just 17-of-32 passes and the absence of Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave was evident throughout, but especially when the game was on the line late.
22. Arizona Cardinals (2-4), lost to Seahawks
The Arizona Cardinals are an absolute mess right now. Kyler Murray was drafted number one overall by the current regime in Arizona specifically to play in the Kliff Kingsbury offense. Not that there’s only one offense Murray can play, but in a way, there is a very specific type of offensive system that works for his skill set and that makes moving on from Kingsbury a brutal option on paper.
But the Cardinals may do just that in the near future. They fell on the road to the Seattle Seahawks with an absolutely dreadful offensive performance, but the good news for the Cardinals (and every NFC West team right now) is that the whole division is right in the same win-loss range. Arizona gets DeAndre Hopkins back this week on a short week against the Saints from suspension, not a moment too soon.
21. Los Angeles Rams (3-3), beat Panthers
Unfortunately for the Rams, a victory against the Carolina Panthers wasn’t much of a needle-mover in Week 6. The Rams look like a shell of the team that won the Super Bowl last year and they have issues that could prevent them not only from defending their crown but from making the playoffs in general. As of right now, though, the Rams are 3-3 and right in the thick of things in the NFC West where the Seahawks and 49ers are also both 3-3.
The division is wide open, but it’s wide open because right now, Geno Smith is arguably the QB playing the best in the division. And that may not even be arguable. Matthew Stafford has turned the ball over a ton, but the Rams’ offense had a bit of a ‘get right’ performance against the Panthers. Still, as we reset rankings with so many teams between 2-4 and 3-3, the Rams fall far.
20. Denver Broncos (2-3), Play Monday vs. Chargers
The Denver Broncos have been one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams in 2022, there’s no question about it. Despite having one of the best defenses in the league, the Broncos have been absolutely pathetic on offense, which virtually nobody expected given the arrival of Russell Wilson to the Mile High City. Wilson’s arrival has not meant instant offensive success for Denver.
And fans are letting them know about it. Droves of Broncos Country left the stadium before overtime even began last Thursday against the Colts. The team couldn’t punch the ball in from just a couple of yards out for the win against Indianapolis and now sits looking up at both the Chargers (their opponent this week) and the Chiefs in the AFC West.
19. Seattle Seahawks (3-3), beat Cardinals
The Seahawks just continue to play strong team football. It’s not always spectacular (although sometimes it is) but this Seattle team has made enough plays this season to have probably four wins, the ball just didn’t bounce their way in a couple of close ones. With that being said, they are in good shape after beating a division rival (Arizona) in Week 6 and a road trip against the Chargers on deck.
Geno Smith is playing good football. Kenneth Walker looks outstanding as a rookie, and Seattle is forcing very timely turnovers defensively. With their third win of the season, they could probably be considered in the top half of this week’s power rankings but so many teams are in the same range right now it’s hard to differentiate. The drop of a couple of spots is more due to what we’re seeing from other teams than what we’re seeing from Seattle.
18. Miami Dolphins (3-3), lost to Vikings
After a scary injury a couple of weeks ago, the Miami Dolphins could be getting Tua Tagovailoa back very soon. We’ll see if that instantly puts this team back into the top 10 discussion because right now, they are reeling. Not only did the Dolphins have to deal with the injury to Tagovailoa, but backup Teddy Bridgewater and third-string signal caller Skylar Thompson have also had injuries. Bridgewater was at least able to suit up as the backup this past weekend and he ended up having to play against the Vikings.
Still, as the Dolphins tried to mount a comeback, a very untimely fumble from Jaylen Waddle really killed their chances and dropped them to 3-3 on the season.
17. New England Patriots (3-3), beat Browns
You’ve got to tip your cap to Bill Belichick and Bailey Zappe after the last handful of weeks. The former is rather common practice, even as great as Belichick is. The latter? I don’t think anyone really expected that.
The rookie quarterback out of Western Kentucky is operating the Patriots’ offense like a seasoned veteran, Rhamondre Stevenson is running very well, and the Patriots’ defense is making life easier for the young QB. Zappe is coming off his best NFL performance to date, throwing for over 300 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.
When Mac Jones is healthy, he will undoubtedly take his place back in the lineup, but as well as Zappe and the Patriots offense are playing right now, you can’t help but wonder if they consider riding the hot hand.
16. Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1), beat Jaguars
Matty Ice is back, baby. The Colts may have had a brutal start to this season offensively, but this Colts offense found a bit of a groove against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Matt Ryan found one of his new favorite targets — rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce — once again in the clutch moments of a come-from-behind victory. Somewhat shockingly, the Colts have a winning record despite having the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL for the majority of the first month-plus of the season.
In the AFC South, they’ve got more than just a chance. They could still establish themselves as the best team in that division and a win against the Titans in Week 7 would give them control approaching midseason.
15. San Francisco 49ers (3-3), lost to Falcons
The San Francisco 49ers are one of the NFL’s most up-and-down teams this season, and to be fair, they have good reason for that. First of all, the 49ers lost their starting quarterback — Trey Lance — to a devastating, season-ending injury. Second, this team has some terrible injury luck and they have had to battle the war on attrition once again in 2022.
With that said, most people still expected Kyle Shanahan to beat the team he once coached to an NFC title and that did not happen. The 49ers still have the roster and weapons and coaching staff to be one of the better teams in the NFC as the season goes along, but a loss to the Falcons — even if it was a road game — stings.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3), lost to Steelers
Something is terribly wrong with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Did anybody try unplugging them and plugging them back in? The Bucs look like they have been commanded to walk the plank. The life is not there with this team.
Tom Brady is, understandably, not himself. The Bucs’ offense couldn’t even muster up 20 points against a hapless Pittsburgh Steelers team that had given up 24 or more points in three straight games. Going into this season, it felt like the Bucs would be obvious favorites to come out of the NFC once again but as these NFL Power Rankings reflect, the Bucs are much more pretender than contender these days.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3), beat Saints
It was great to see Joe Burrow back in the state of Louisiana racking up touchdowns, wasn’t it? Well, unless you’re a Saints fan. Burrow had three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in his return to Louisiana, where he put together one of the most prolific seasons for a college football quarterback ever.
Most importantly, the Bengals got back on the saddle after a tough loss on Sunday Night Football last week to the Baltimore Ravens. We saw some positive signs in this game from the Cincinnati offense, including a huge burst of production from Ja’Marr Chase, who had a pair of touchdowns on the day.
12. Atlanta Falcons (3-3), beat 49ers
The Atlanta Falcons are getting a serious push up this week’s NFL Power Rankings after yet another impressive and balanced offensive performance. The Falcons finally got Kyle Pitts involved and in the end zone this past week. Even without Cordarrelle Patterson, this team has the ability to be effective on the ground and they ran for 168 yards against the 49ers on Sunday.
Marcus Mariota continues his bid for NFL Comeback Player of the Year with another three total touchdowns against a very tough defense as the Falcons progressed to 3-3 on the season. Don’t look now, but they are right there in the NFC South mix this year as the Bucs dropped to 3-3 this season on Sunday. The Falcons are one of a number of huge risers in this week’s NFL Power Rankings.
11. Baltimore Ravens (3-3), lost to Giants
The Baltimore Ravens have the ability to look so impressive at times, and then all of a sudden, things seem to just be going off the rails. A few weeks ago, we were getting vintage Lamar Jackson performances but Jackson made some huge mistakes late in the Ravens’ latest loss to the New York Giants. As great of a story as the Giants have been, this was a game that the Ravens should have found a way to win if Jackson would have taken better care of the ball.
Even though it was a tough loss on the road to a good team, the Ravens drop a handful of spots in this week’s NFL Power Rankings and need to start finishing better, quickly.
10. Green Bay Packers (3-3), lost to Jets
The Green Bay Packers just can’t figure it out, can they? Offensively, you can’t help but think this team is in really bad shape for the duration of the season. Aaron Rodgers has not been able to overcome the inability of his “weapons” in the passing game to make plays consistently. Matt LaFleur was just bested on his own home field by his brother Mike and this cold be a low point over the last couple of years for the Packers.
With the Vikings winning this weekend, the Packers are now in a really rough spot especially having lost to Minnesota already this season. Given their concerns right now offensively and the fact that Aaron Rodgers hasn’t just been able to will this team to victory, the time to be concerned in Green Bay has perhaps come.
9. Tennessee Titans (3-2), BYE in Week 6
The Titans didn’t have to do anything at all to jump into the top 10 this week, they just had to watch the teams around them lose. Tennessee had a bye in Week 6 and it came at a decent time for them, it appears. The Titans will be taking on the Indianapolis Colts in what is now a massive AFC South matchup in Week 7 action, and they will be doing so well-rested while the Colts seemingly have captured some serious momentum.
The Titans may not be the NFL’s most compelling or exciting team, but they are tough to beat because they play good defense and they are efficient, if nothing else, offensively, at least when it comes to running the ball.
8. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2), play Broncos Monday night
The Chargers move up two spots in this week’s rankings but they could drop down a couple of spots depending on what happens in their matchup against the Denver Broncos on Monday. There is no doubt that Monday’s game is a big one for Los Angeles as they try to keep pace with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
They are having to take on Denver without Keenan Allen, but they’ve gotten some monstrous performances from Austin Ekeler the last couple of weeks. We all know this team is capable of huge things offensively, but what are they going to bring defensively week-to-week? Justin Herbert alone gives this team top-10 potential. A win on Monday against Denver’s stingy defense would solidify top-10 status.
7. Dallas Cowboys (4-2), lost to Eagles
You hate to drop the Cowboys so many spots after one loss to an undefeated Eagles team, on the road, without your starting QB. But NFL power rankings can change plenty week-to-week. The Cowboys still look like a top 10 NFL team to me right now and the primary reason being — this team can really attack you up front defensively.
Come time for the playoffs, the Cowboys’ pass rush is going to be very difficult for teams to get past over the course of four quarters. When Dak Prescott is fully healthy and ready to go, this offense will be a threat to score 30 or more points a week. Cooper Rush has done an outstanding job in place of Prescott, but Dallas needs no. 4 to be a true contender.
6. New York Jets (4-2), beat Packers
The New York Jets are one of the most impressive teams in the NFL right now. After three straight wins, the Jets are now 4-2 and have one of the best records in the entire NFL. Their most recent win is undoubtedly their most impressive, thus far.
The reason the Jets are skyrocketing up this week’s power rankings is that they absolutely destroyed Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers — at Lambeau Field. That’s not an easy task for anyone, but the Jets came into town and took care of business in a big way. Robert Saleh has his guys playing hard, which is no surprise, but this team’s progression offensively with Zach Wilson under center has been the biggest development of the year for them.
5. Minnesota Vikings (5-1), beat Dolphins
It doesn’t matter how, the Vikings just keep on winning games. Minnesota may have gotten a road matchup against a Dolphins team that started Skylar Thompson at quarterback, but they had to deal with a second-half resurgence with Teddy Bridgewater under center and they responded well. The Vikings are now 5-1 this season and they have a decent early cushion in the NFC North after both Green Bay and Chicago took losses.
Defensively, the Vikings are nothing to really write home about right now, but they have the weapons and pieces offensively to make a run in the NFC if they can keep playing like this.
4. New York Giants (5-1), beat Ravens
The New York Giants are the other New York team that is absolutely killing it right now. Brian Daboll finds himself at the forefront of the NFL coach of the year discussion thanks to the huge turnaround the G-Men are experiencing here early in 2022. I will be the first to admit, I go into every week assuming the Giants are going to come crashing back to reality, as though they are out there defying gravity or something.
The Giants are just playing great down the stretch of games. They are hanging in for four quarters, and they are making clutch plays when it matters most. It had to feel absolutely cathartic for the Giants faithful to see Kayvon Thibodeaux strip-sack Lamar Jackson to win this game and send New York to a 5-1 record with games coming up against the Jaguars, Seahawks, Texans, and Lions. How far can this thing go?
3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2), lost to Bills
If the Chiefs had been able to beat the Bills, they would have jumped to the number one spot. A loss to the Buffalo Bills right now, though, is nothing to be ashamed of. The Chiefs and Bills are about as evenly matched as it gets in today’s NFL with two of the best and most exciting playmakers at the QB position in the entire league.
Unfortunately, in this one, Patrick Mahomes’ gunslinger mentality got him in a bit of trouble, throwing an interception down in the red zone earlier in the game and ending the game with an interception while being pressured by Von Miller. I still think the Chiefs need another difference-maker at wide receiver to be able to beat Buffalo in the postseason, but even with their current lineup, they are one of the best teams in the league.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0), beat Cowboys
Despite the fact that the Dallas Cowboys are a very good team and are one of the top defenses in the NFL right now, the Eagles are getting dropped one spot in this week’s NFL Power Rankings simply based on the fact that the Buffalo Bills are the clear top team in the NFL, regardless of the loss in their record. The Eagles have done everything asked of them to this point. They are the NFL’s lone undefeated team and Jalen Hurts has taken massive strides forward in year three.
Because of Hurts’ progression, the Eagles are not just a really good or really fun team — they are a legitimate contender in the NFC right now. To be fair, Dallas without Dak Prescott and the Minnesota Vikings earlier this season are the Eagles’ biggest tests through six weeks. Their other games were against the Lions, Commanders, Jaguars, and Cardinals, all of which look like bottom-10 teams in the NFL right now.
Again, the Eagles are what they are — 6-0. They are the class of the NFC right now.
1. Buffalo Bills (5-1), beat Chiefs
The Buffalo Bills left the Kansas City Chiefs a lot more than just 13 seconds left on the clock at the end of their matchup but thankfully, the Buffalo Bills’ addition of Von Miller meant that the Bills’ defense would barely need 13 seconds to get off the field. Miller was a one-man wrecking crew against the Chiefs, chasing Patrick Mahomes around and making an especially notable difference in the second half.
Which is exactly why the Bills gave Miller his second NFL contract worth over $100 million in total money, even if some of it was to push the cap hit can down the road. The Bills invested heavily in Miller, regardless, and it has already paid off with a regular season win in Kansas City, tough to do no matter what time of year it is. The Bills got the job done and with all due respect to the Philadelphia Eagles, there is no question right now about who the best team is in the NFL.