The NFL season is more than 1/3 over. We have a feel for who’s good, who’s bad and who’s in the middle. Most teams fall in that third category, but others have officially established themselves. Here are my week seven power rankings as we begin to get into the meat of the season.
32) Detroit Lions
There is one winless team in the NFL and it’s the Lions. Based on that way they got steamrolled in their most recent game, we shouldn’t expect that to change any time soon.
31) Jacksonville Jaguars
Pop the champagne!!!!! The Jaguars will not be winless this year. I don’t know if they’ll win again, but who cares?! Finally out of the power rankings basement!
30) Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are dropping like a rock. Even after getting starting quarterback Tua Tangoviola back they still came up short to the Jags. Things are looking as bad as they have in Miami during Brian Flores’ tenure as coach.
29) Houston Texans
The Texans have lost two of their last three games by four or more touchdowns. After showing fight early in the season, it feels like this team is ready to roll over and die.
28) New York Jets
The Jets were on a bye this week and that’s practically a win for New York. Just because we didn’t watch them in week six, don’t forget that this team still stinks.
27) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles offense looked bad in their most recent loss to the Bucs. The final score may have looked close, but it never felt like Philly was close in this one.
26) New York Giants
The Giants are banged up and sputtering along. With the limited talent they have not at 100% then they won’t be moving much higher than this.
25) New England Patriots
The Patriots have given good teams a good fight this year, but they still sit at 2-4. You could say they’re pretty good for a bad team.
24) Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had a bye week and it gave us a chance to forget how bad they are. With that said, there’s a lot of season left to play without a break and little depth.
23) Seattle Seahawks
It wasn’t a bad showing for a Russell Wilson-less Seahawks team. However, they couldn’t get it done with Geno Smith and I have no reason to believe they will in the future.
22) Washington Football Team
Eventually this Washington defense has to show some life….right? They allowed 31 points to the Chiefs and even worse they only scored 13 vs one of the worst defenses in the league.
21) Carolina Panthers
The Panthers dropped their third straight game without Christian McCaffrey. A season that started full of promise is looking like another lost year in Carolina.
20) San Francisco 49ers
Nothing has changed about my opinion of the 49ers while they were on their bye week. They’ve beat bad teams and lost to good teams. They’re mediocre until proven otherwise.
19) Indianapolis Colts
The Colts did what you expect a good team to do to a bad team in their 31-3 win over the Texans. Does that mean the Colts are a good team? To be determined.
18) Denver Broncos
The Broncos are slipping into limbo. They are now 3-3 and the offense seems to be getting worse by the week.
17) Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s hard to say what to expect from Big Ben on a week to week basis. If he can play well, then the Steelers can win. If not, then it will be tough going. We’ve seen both the good and the bad this year.
16) Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has clawed their way back to 3-3 after a slow start to the year. The division is soft overall and their best football may still be ahead of them.
15) Chicago Bears
Justin Fields continues to take baby steps as he adjusts to the NFL. The 14 point performance vs the Packers wasn’t particularly inspiring, but the defense can keep them in games until he is up to speed.
14) New Orleans Saints
The Saints were on their bye week and it feels like they’ve moved up as teams like Carolina and Denver have slipped after a hot start. In reality, they are still middle of the pack.
13) Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals don’t get many impressive wins, but they dominated the Lions on Sunday. They need to continue to prove themselves, but they are starting to get my attention.
12) Las Vegas Raiders
No Jon Gruden? No Problem! The Raiders rolled a division rival and showed that they’re not ready to pack this season in yet.
11) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs finally put together a complete game on Sunday. They blew out Washington and might have decided to finally show up this year.
10) Cleveland Browns
The Browns are banged up right now and they looked like it in a crushing loss to Arizona. I still think this team will be competing for a championship at the end of the year, but it’s not looking good right now.
9) Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers run defense is a problem. They got blown out by the run heavy Ravens after getting run all over by the Browns two weeks ago. This needs to get better before they are a contender.
8) Tennessee Titans
An impressive win over the red hot Bills feels like it has solidified the Titans standing as one of the best teams in the AFC. Derek Henry will carry this team to big things.
7) Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have won five straight and have the best record in the AFC. Not bad for a team that I was ready to write off after week one.
6) Green Bay Packers
The Packers have done what they need to do to get to 5-1. However, they always leave me wanting a little bit more. A very good team, but not a top four team in the NFC.
5) Buffalo Bills
It was a rude awakening for a Buffalo team that was playing better than anyone in the NFL coming into their week six loss to Tennessee. They still have plenty to prove to take the next step.
4) Dallas Cowboys
Dallas has won five in a row. The latest win was a thrilling back and forth victory over the Patriots. Add another interception to Trevon Diggs total as he continues to establish himself as a top tier corner in the league.
3) Los Angeles Rams
The Rams steam rolled the Giants in impressive fashion. You could make the case that they are the best team in the NFL.
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The score looked closer than the game felt, but the Bucs notched a six point win over the Eagles on Thursday night. Even with a secondary that’s riddled with injury, Tampa Bay keeps rolling along.
1) Arizona Cardinals
It’s time to move the only unbeaten team in the NFL the top of my rankings. They look great and are showing no signs of slowing down.