NFL Week 7 power rankings: Ravens, 49ers, Eagles, Bears rise as Cowboys, Commanders drop

In Drake Maye’s first NFL start behind the worst supporting cast in football against a very aggressive Houston Texans defense, he was sacked four times and threw 2 interceptions. Two of those scores basically came in garbage time and the rookie was frequently under duress. With that said, Maye at least showed franchise-caliber quarterback tools so at least that’s a positive for the worst NFL team.

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It’s time for Doug Pederson to go. There are a myriad of issues with this Jacksonville Jaguars roster on both sides of the ball and Trevor Lawrence is part of the problem right now. With that said, Pederson has already thrown players under the bus this season and the thing that cost him his last job (loyalty to Press Taylor) is the same issue in Jacksonville. Pederson seems like a loyal friend, but he’s not an NFL head coach.

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Of the 16 points the Cleveland Browns scored in Week 6, one touchdown came from a blocked field goal return and the remainder were field goals. This is just an abysmal offense with quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is anchoring this team like few other NFL quarterbacks have in recent memory. Unfortunately, thanks to the Haslam family, Kevin Stefanski, the Browns locker room and this devoted fan base are stuck with Watson as he drags them down further.

If you want to take the optimistic perspective with the Miami Dolphins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could return in Week 8. That would be phenomenal for Mike McDaniel, who has seemingly been unable to engineer any sort of efficient offense with backup quarterbacks. With that said, Tyler Huntley will start in Week 7 against Indianapolis and that feels like a recipe for a 2-4 start. That’s a big hole, especially for a team that is dependent on a concussion-prone quarterback behind a woeful offensive line.

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The Tennessee Titans’ defense held the Indianapolis Colts to 4.1 yards per play with 1 takeaway and a 33% red-zone conversion rate. Tony Pollard turned 17 carries into 93 yards and a score. None of it matters because even when Will Levis isn’t committing multiple turnovers, he’s playing bad football. For as bad as we think Mason Rudolph is, he looks like the better option. Then again, continuing to throw Levis out there improves the Titans’ shot at landing a top pick in 2025.

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Not only are the Las Vegas Raiders an undisciplined team but they’ve come out flat in multiple games this season. Antonio Pierce isn’t an offensive guru nor a defensive mastermind, the Raiders made him the interim coach because he could motivate this locker room and get everyone to buy in. Las Vegas is now 2-5 and there’s a strong case to be made that this team won’t win a game until November. Maybe Pierce proves us wrong, but nothing we’ve seen from this team suggests that will happen.

The Carolina Panthers are at least showing some fight, which is more than we can say from some of the other worst NFL teams this year. Andy Dalton is showing that Carolina found something reliable in Diontae Johnson and they also might have their guy at head coach. With all that said, Carolina still has one of the worst rosters in football and that makes wins difficult to come by.

Updated after Sunday Night Football

The New Orleans Saints looked outstanding in the second quarter, outscoring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-7. In the other three quarters? Tampa Bay absolutely wrecked New Orleans with a 44-0 advantage. Spencer Rattler (5 sacks and 2 interceptions) was awful behind an even worse Saints offensive line and even with this secondary generating 3 takeaways, New Orleans still allowed 594 total yards and 8.2 yards per play. The Saints are right back to where everyone, including Who Dat Nation, expected them to be entering the season.

It was an ugly win for the Indianapolis Colts, but style points aren’t necessary when you’re still without Jonathan Taylor. Joe Flacco came back to earth in this one and likely provided Anthony Richardson with a clear path to regain the Colts starting job. We do believe Indianapolis has a great shot at a 4-3 mark in Week 7, facing the Dolphins, but there could be a drop-off after that because of this Colts’ defense and a lack of development from Richardson.

Few NFL teams needed the bye week more than the Los Angeles Rams. The team’s record (1-4) entering Week 7 is ugly, but Los Angeles has one-score losses against the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Now, All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp could return this coming week and more reinforcements are on the way. All it takes is a win next week against the Las Vegas Raiders for this team to have some confidence.

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Firing Robert Saleh changes nothing, even if Aaron Rodgers and Woody Johnson feel like he’s the perfect scapegoat. If anything, as ESPN’s Domonique Foxworthy has said, taking Jeff Ulbrich’s full attention away from the Jets defense and making him interim coach might have consequences in the one thing New York does well. Maybe Monday Night Football changes our perspective on the Jets’ outlook, but we’re not optimistic.

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After stunning the San Francisco 49ers a week ago, the Arizona Cardinals imploded in Week 6. At Lambeau Field, this young team finished Sunday with 3 turnovers and 13 penalties for 100 yards. Granted, even without those self-inflicted wounds, the Cardinals probably still lose this game by two scores. A learning experience for Jonathan Gannon’s team.

Updated after Sunday Night Football

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The Denver Broncos defense is certainly good enough to give this team a shot at a Wild Card spot. Unfortunately for Sean Payton, the offense is lagging very far behind. Turnovers were the primary undoing for Denver in Week 6 and, unlike last week Pat Surtain couldn’t turn things around with multiple takeaways. Still, a 3-3 record is better than we expected from the Broncos at this point.

This is the culmination of what Jerry Jones did this offseason. Completely disregarding the Cowboys’ run defense and not even taking their own run game seriously, this is a deeply flawed football team. The Detroit Lions were the perfect team to embarrass this Cowboys’ roster and quite frankly, after what happened this offseason, it’s fitting it happened at Jerry’s World.

Well, that’s one way to lose momentum quickly. Just a few weeks after making it to the No. 7 spot in our NFL power rankings with a 3-1 record, the Seahawks are in a free fall after another loss in Week 6. Injuries (Abraham Lucas, Byron Murphy, Riq Woolen and Uchenna Nwosu) absolutely play a part in this, but the Seahawks also took advantage of a soft schedule. This team probably needs a bye week soon, but they’ve got tough matchups looming for now against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills.

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t winning with any style points right now, but they certainly shouldn’t care since they still have a 4-2 record. Justin Fields did nothing through the air to suggest Mike Tomlin should name him the Steelers quarterback moving forward, but at least Najee Harris finally broke out for a big game. Considering what’s transpired with this Steelers offense as of late, with how well Pittsburgh’s defense is playing, it might be time for Russell Wilson to get a shot. If Wilson gets a shot, though, you can bet Fields will still get looks for his rushing ability as he should.

Caleb Williams and this Chicago Bears offense is rolling with confidence into the bye week. After making the trip to London, Williams netted 4 touchdowns and posted a 105-plus QB rating for the third consecutive game (ESPN). During this three-game winning streak, improving Chicago’s mark to 4-2, running back D’Andre Swift is averaging 134.6 scrimmage yards per game. On top of all this, the Bears defense is one of the best in football. Congrats Chicago, you finally have a franchise quarterback and a playoff contender.

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The Washington Commanders aren’t one of the best NFL teams in 2024, there’s nothing wrong with that. Week 6 showed the talent and experience gap between the Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, but Jayden Daniels and Co. kept this thing very competitive throughout. Coming out of Week 6, Jayden Daniels is still playing like a future MVP candidate and he’s led the Commanders to a 4-2 record. Best of all, that mark should be 5-2 with the Carolina Panthers on deck next week.

It wasn’t pretty by any means, with that 27 spot in the second quarter raising early alarm bells. That’s where this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team deserves credit because Baker Mayfield (4-3 TD-INT) and this Buccaneers defense locked in after that brutal 15-minute stretch. beating an NFC South rival on their turf and pulling out a win. Plus, Tampa Bay now has Calijah Kancey and Antoinie Winfield Jr. That’s critical for this pass defense with the Baltimore Ravens looming.

A little too close for comfort against one of the worst NFL teams, but the Atlanta Falcons left Carolina with a win. It’s very good to see this Falcons rushing attack come alive, especially on a day when Kirk Cousins wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard. The 4-2 record is certainly needed considering how well the Buccaneers are playing this season and both clubs look like playoff contenders with a battle for the NFC South that will come down to the wire.

It’s time to give Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers their flowers. While we certainly recognized Harbaugh is a phenomenal coach and Justin Herbert can be an elite quarterback, there were a lot of holes on the Chargers roster. It just doesn’t seem to matter with Harbaugh. Los Angeles was in full control throughout Sunday’s win over the Broncos. While the 3-2 record doesn’t scream contender, this Chargers team can win every game on its schedule from here through the middle of November.

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The San Francisco 49ers absolutely needed that win. Falling to 2-4, with three losses to NFC West rivals, would’ve raised significant concerns about the 49ers’ outlook moving forward. Instead, Brock Purdy stepped up with one of his best performances this season, the 49ers defense created much-needed takeaways and Kyle Shanahan left Seattle with a 3-3 record. The 49ers certainly aren’t back to being in the elite tier of the best NFL teams, but this is a big step forward ahead of a Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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The results on Monday Night Football certainly matter for the Buffalo Bills, but even more important is what happens in the weeks to come. Keon Coleman could develop into a nice No. 2 wideout, but Josh Allen is in desperate need of a playmaker who opponents have to game plan for. If the Bills are unable to make that addition, even with this defense getting healthier, Buffalo will struggle against great defenses and the NFL playoff field has plenty of those.
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There’s the beauty of having an offense with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. On a rare off-day for Saquon Barkley (2.6 yards per carry), the Philadelphia Eagles’ star receiver duo combined for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jalen Hurts looked a little better, too. Philadelphia must improve its third-down offense, but this is a positive sign after what happened before the bye week.

Jordan Love’s lone interception when the game was close only happened because Bo Melton slipped on the turf. Outside of that, Week 6 went about as perfectly as the Green Bay Packers could’ve imagined. Love looks healthier, Green Bay;s defense is consistently generating takeaways and this is slowly morphing back into a top-10 offense. Put it all together and you have one of the best NFL teams right now.

The Houston Texans simply took care of business in Week 6 on the road against the Patriots. Joe Mixon’s return injected more life into this offense, making life easier for C.J. Stroud thanks to shorter third downs and creating more opportunities for downfield throws.It perfectly sets the stage for next week’s Texans vs Packers game, with the winner grabbing a top-four spot in our NFL power rankings.

The Detroit Lions, much like the Baltimore Ravens, are built to destroy teams like the Dallas Cowboys. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Jumping out to a 27-6 halftime lead, Detroit decimated Dallas on the ground and that set up Jared Goff to dice up the Cowboys’ secondary. Unfortunately, this big win is now overshadowed by the Aidan Hutchinson injury which looks season-ending and is just as devastating on the field as it is for the locker room.

With an undefeated record and Patrick Mahomes, it’s certainly understandable why many have the Kansas City Chiefs atop the NFL power rankings right now. However, the Chiefs’ +33-point differential (ESPN) is well below historic averages for undefeated teams this late in the season. It also doesn’t help that Kansas City will still be without some of its best offensive weapons (Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown) long-term while also dealing with major issues in pass protection at both tackle spots. Still, it’s Mahomes and Andy Reid, so respect is given.

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Lamar Jackson is playing like an NFL MVP again. Playing with All-ro running back Derrick Henry, we’re arguably seeing the best version of this Baltimore Ravens offense ever. Of course, we knew that before Week 6. What mattered from Sunday’s game is the turnaround from this Ravens defense. If you put the Ravens and Chiefs head to head right now on a neutral field, we’re taking Baltimore in large part because of all of Kansas City’s season-ending injuries.

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The Minnesota Vikings are the best team in the NFL right now. Coming out of a Week 6 bye, Minnesota is healthier than the Kansas City Chiefs and better on both sides of the ball. We do have some concerns regarding how this Vikings looks when Aaron Jones (hip) is sidelined, but the Pro Bowl running back might only be out short-term. With that, the Vikings’ resume cements their status atop our NFL Week 7 power rankings

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