#D46 Power Rankings: Week 6

With each team in the NFL having at least one win *cough*Lions*cough*, we can finally look past all that. So where do the teams rank six weeks in? Only way to find out! And you’re already in here, so how about you just look below?

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) — Honestly, these are the Jags, so what can you expect? They’ve been without their top two offseason acquisitions (Julius Thomas and rookie Dante Fowler Jr), but they had a chance to go up on the Texans, and they’ve had a chance to claim this division, but couldn’t win a divisional home game, and they lost by double digits. Sorry…

31. Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) — They had a chance to contend inside the AFC West, but after owning the Texans in Week 1, they’ve dropped five straight and their star running back. This has been a horrible year for Andy Reid and the Chiefs.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) — Nothing but good news for the Buccaneers this week! They move up one spot on their bye week, the Falcons are no longer undefeated, and the fans didn’t have to suffer through another horrendous Tampa Bay game! Wins across the board!

29. Detroit Lions (1-5) — I’m going to get slaughtered by the very few Lions fans out there, because they won a game and drop in my ranks. Why wouldn’t I? This team isn’t like they were last season. They needed overtime to beat Da Bears. Detroit’s going to need to win more than just that to earn back my respect..

28. Tennessee Titans (1-4) — They’ve dropped four straight since beating the Bucs, who are 32nd in the 32-team league in PPG allowed. I knew Mariota wouldn’t be given any help. They then lose 38-10 to Dan Campbell’s debut with the Dolphins. I picked Miami, but didn’t expect to be that big of a loss. Why, Tennessee, why?! You had a chance in this division!!

27. Chicago Bears (2-4) — Y’all lost to the Lions… THE LIONS!!! No drop though. They seem to be playing for John Fox, so that should mean something, right?

26. San Fransisco 49ers (2-4) — Like the Bears, this team is playing for their first-year head coach, Jim Tomsula. They actually handled business against the Ravens! Not too bad, but I still need to see more consistency of this team.

25. Baltimore Ravens (1-5) — So if the Niners just beat the Ravens, why isn’t B-More lower? Well, the Ravens (somehow) still have hope. I think the loss of Terrell Suggs is bigger than everyone thought it’d be, and it doesn’t help they lost Torrey Smith at wideout. If the Ravens don’t turn this thing around and start winning a couple games, they may be down towards the bottom quickly.

24. Miami Dolphins (2-3) — I wanted to move them up higher after a four-touchdown victory on the road with the interim coach’s debut, but I just couldn’t. Very impressive win, but they need to do more. They’ve got a very tough task having the Texans, then Patriots four days later. If they can beat Houston and compete against New England, they’ll move up quite a bit!

23. Houston Texans (2-4) — You beat Jacksonville. Calm down, please. Get back to .500 and we’ll talk.

22. Cleveland Browns (2-4) — After a big win against the Ravens, they come back and disappoint against the Broncos, who they should have beat. This is Cleveland for ya. Can they just win two or three games in a row? I’m convinced they could do it.

21. Indianapolis Colts (3-3) — They came closer to beating the Patriots than I thought they would, but they drop seven spots because I don’t believe they’re trying anymore, and that awful fake punt call is evidence of that. Did anyone see that? Don’t go look. It makes football coaches look dumb. Speaking of, Pagano should be on his way out any day now.

20. Washington Redskins (2-4) — They’ve lost to the Falcons and the Jets, two rough teams on the road. They only drop one spot this week, losing these two games. They’ve had to deal with injuries, but there is still questions about Kirk Cousins, which shocks me, because I thought he’d make this offense better and he’s a greater fit in this offense than Griffin III was.

19. Oakland Raiders (2-3) — I carry good news to the Raiders, who don’t drop in these ranks on their bye week, but instead, they move up one! Jolly good, Raiders!

18. New Orleans Saints (2-4) — They won one game, and they move up five? Yes… They beat the Falcons. How big of a win was that! Plus, when you give me a good prediction on Thursday Night Football with my #WeeklyFood Picks, then you’re good in my book! This season may not be a total disaster after all? I’m sure Saints fans are hoping.

17. Dallas Cowboys (2-3) — Dallas moves up one in the ranks, and here’s why! Well, there’s worse teams… Second, they made some vital changes. They’ve benched Ron Leary for La’el Collins. They stated they’ll give Christine Michael more carries, if not start him. And most importantly, they bench Brandon Weeden!!! Matt Cassel will start instead at the Giants, and benching Weeden alone moves them up a spot.

16. San Diego Chargers (2-4) — They drop ONCE AGAIN in my ranks. The last two weeks, they lose on a last-second Wildcat run against the Steelers, and then they fall short at Lambeau against the Packers. They’re competing, but they can’t get out of their own way. If you bought stock into this team, it’s time to back out. Don’t even ask for a refund. Just get out while you can.

15. St. Louis Rams (2-3) — Is this the third straight week the team’s at fifteen? They were on a bye week, so you can’t blame me.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) — Don’t buy into this team. They beat the Giants badly, yes, but this is what I’ve called them, look at their record. A .500 team, give or take a game. They do, however, move up three spots, simply because the Chargers are baaaad.

13. New York Giants (3-3) — Though they lost to the Eagles, making them second in the division standings, they rank higher. The Giants still have the best chance to win the division, especially since the Cowboys are vacationing in the hospital. The G-Men have had their injuries to overcome too, but they need to get back on track against Dallas this week. If they can, they can get back up to where they once were (prev. ranked 12).

12. Seattle Seahawks (2-4) — Well, they lost at home. Despite this being against the Panthers, they should have handled business at home. It’s not time to hit the panic button at 2-4, but #D46 is losing patience. Now I’ll quit talking in the third person if the Seahawks can make up for this, beating the 49ers on the road, and then the Cowboys. Seattle needs desperately to get back to the .500 mark.

11. Minnesota Vikings (3-2) — They weren’t that impressive against the Chiefs, but they are .500 and there just isn’t many teams that impressive to me. The Vikings are seeming to have the weapons offensively, and the defense is actually 6th in the league in PPG allowed. That’s a nice recipe!

10. Buffalo Bills (3-3) — If there was a team to stand out this week, the Bills would likely not be in the top ten. They have battled through injuries, and are at the .500 mark. I didn’t expect them to beat the Bengals, and another loss of theirs came against the Patriots. They’re losing to legitimate teams, but they have to start winning again. They have an easy task to maul the Jaguars, and then have the Dolphins. Easy pickings here, so finish the first half 5-3.

9. Arizona Cardinals (4-2) — With the undisputed best point differential in the NFL still, I have to move them out of the top five, all the way down to here. I’m sorry, but their last three games, two being losses? I don’t see many key injuries that’d cause this. They can easily get back on track, but they haven’t exactly beat ‘great teams’.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) — SAL, who I do Wednesday Quarterbacks with, was worried about this defense coming into the season, and once Big Ben went down, he said the Steelers season is over. Now? They are 4-2 and they are two games back of the division lead, which is amazing. Landry Jones stepped in once Vick went down, and showed the potential he flashed at Oklahoma. Plus, this defense is actually tied with the Patriots for 7th-best in PPG allowed. That warrants moving up three spots into the top ten, and most importantly, ahead of the Cardinals they just beat!

7. New York Jets (4-1) — Best defense in the league, allowing only 13.8 PPG. Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing better for this team, but it’s really behind Brandon Marshall and Chris Ivory, why this offense is keeping up with the defense. Todd Bowles is this year’s Bruce Arians. Now if I’m a team in need of a head coach, I’m looking at the Jets coordinators. Kidding, but not a bad idea!

6. Atlanta Falcons (5-1) — I said they’d have an easy road outside this division, but they lose a divisional game to the Saints. I saw it coming, but this is still a really, really good team! I have to drop them out of the top three, but that 3rd spot seems accursed with the Cowboys, Chargers, and Cardinals once possessing it. Or maybe it’s just the C-teams.

5. Denver Broncos (6-0) — Despite their unblemished record, their play on the field is very much blemished. Peyton leads the league with 10 interceptioons, and this running game’s not opening up. They needed overtime to beat Cleveland… CLEVELAND!! No win they’ve had has been impressive to me, or anyone else. I can’t move them down because the Falcons and Cardinals lost, but believe me, I want to.

4. Carolina Panthers (5-0) — They move up five spots, from nine, after FINALLY picking up a big win and finally overcoming the Seattle Seahawks, and to do this in Seattle itself. I watched this game, and was amazed at the strides Cam Newton’s taken. This is a great team. Don’t listen to the fans calling for a Super Bowl, but the Panthers are to be taken seriously every week.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) — They’re undefeated, and they showed up at Ralph Wilson, despite the Bills being short of their starting quarterback, that is still a tough place to play. The Bengals have been good so far, but now they fall in the dreaded 3-spot. Let’s see how they respond to this after their bye week, against the Steelers and then the Browns in two divisional games. Can they begin 8-0?

2. Green Bay Packers (6-0) — Once again, Aaron Rodgers and the CheesePack are at numero dos in my ranks. Did I say that right? I didn’t use Google translate… Anyways, a scare against the Chargers, but they pulled it out. Many are picking this team to go to the Super Bowl, and as deep of trouble the Seahawks and Cowboys are in right now, I wouldn’t call that a bad team to ride.

1. New England Patriots (5-0) — They’ve been through their “vengeance” games with the four games Tom Brady was supposed to miss, and then the Sunday Night game against the Colts, which began the Deflate Gate ruckus. After winning on the road against the Colts, they remain number one. Many feel they will run the table and are an even better team than the 2007 season, where their first loss came in the Super Bowl. I can’t argue with them, but only if they keep the same mentality and mindset. They can’t take any opponent lightly or lose that motivation that they’ve had the first five games. They’ve got the Jets then the Dolphins in one calendar week. Should be interesting to see those two games, especially with Bowles’ defense.

My top ten hasn’t changed that much over the last two weeks, with only one switch (Seahawks for Steelers this week). Did I overrate a team? Are you mad I’m still underrating a team? Was there a 1-loss team that deserves to be ranked higher than an undefeated team? Are the Broncos the worst undefeated team in the league? Answers please!