Sunday’s NFL Week 5 action is in the books and it was a wild ride. From the Jacksonville Jaguars stunning the Buffalo Bills in London to the San Francisco 49ers’ big win, the Week 6 NFL power rankings offer a new look at the landscape of the league.
We saw the Detroit Lions, Jaguars and Chicago Bears each deliver big wins in Week 5, oh my. On the other end of the spectrum, though, it was a rough Sunday for the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.
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Let’s dive into our Week 6 NFL power rankings.
Week 6 NFL power rankings: Worst teams in NFL
32. Carolina Panthers
- Previously: 31st in NFL power rankings
The Carolina Panthers are the worst NFL team in 2023 and it’s not particularly close. When Bryce Young was drafted, this seemed to be a fairly acceptable situation for him to walk into. After five weeks, it’s hard to imagine how the rookie’s supporting cast could be any worse. Panthers owner David Tepper’s desperation for a quarterback might’ve set this team back several years.
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31. Chicago Bears
- Previously: 32nd in NFL power rankings
The Chicago Bears won a football game, which was far from a guarantee after losing to the Denver Broncos. D.J. Moore is on pace to break some Bears’ receiving records and Justin Fields has a 131.3 QB rating with 617 passing yards in the last two games. The best part is that it sure seems like Carolina will be gifting the Bears the No. 1 overall pick.
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30. New England Patriots
- Previously: 24th in NFL power rankings
It’s one thing for Bill Belichick’s complete control over the 53-man roster to cripple the New England Patriots offense and depth by whiffing on multiple top picks every other year. It’s another type of problem when New England is being out-coached and its own players make so many undisciplined and baffling mistakes. Robert Kraft will give Belichick the remainder of the season, but after that, this franchise desperately needs a change from top to bottom and that includes at quarterback.
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29. New York Giants
- Previously: 29th in NFL power rankings
On the one hand, injuries have been brutal for this New York Giants offense. However, it’s evident general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll were extremely overconfident in this team’s success last season and that hubris led to poor decisions in the offseason. How the Giants are performing right now is a byproduct of decision-makers who thought they could run it back with a team that was quite lucky in 2022. Now, Schoen and Daboll have to learn from their mistakes.
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28. Las Vegas Raiders
- Previously: 27th in NFL power rankings
The Las Vegas Raiders are a very bad football team. After dropping to 1-3 on Sunday, it’s fair to wonder whether or not Las Vegas might consider trading Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams before the Oct. 31 trade deadline. Considering how thin this roster is, especially defensively, Las Vegas might be better off having a firesale. (Pre-Monday Night Football)
27. Denver Broncos
- Previously: 30th in NFL power rankings
If you asked most analysts before the season, a majority would bet on the Denver Broncos’ defense to be significantly better than the offense. Through five weeks, Denver’s offense is tolerable but its defense is on pace to be one of the worst in NFL history. At least the mini-firesale is only a few weeks away and Denver needs the draft capital.
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26. Arizona Cardinals
- Previously: 26th in NFL power rankings
We continue to come away with a positive long-term prognosis for the Arizona Cardinals, even as they start piling up the losses. A roster few believed could win more than a single game in 2023 has made things competitive every time it has taken the field this season.
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25. Minnesota Vikings
- Previously: 28th in NFL power rankings
The Minnesota Vikings only turned the ball over once on Sunday, progress! Then again, going 6-for-14 on third down and 2-for-4 in the red zone feels like mini turnovers. Minnesota isn’t necessarily as bad as its record (1-4), but it also isn’t a good NFL team right now. At least there’s a path to climbing out of the cellar with Chicago looming next week.
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24. Tennessee Titans
- Previously: 23rd in NFL power rankings
This is the epitome of the Tennessee Titans. Mike Vrabel’s squad rallies for some big games – victories over the Chargers and Bengals – then falls flat on its face in other matchups. If history is any guide, Tennessee could upset the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Then again, the version of the Titans’ offense and defense that showed up in Week 5 could also lose by 20 to Lamar Jackson and Co.
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23. Indianapolis Colts
- Previously: 25th in NFL power rankings
For as much as we liked the direction the Indianapolis Colts are headed, there’s one big problem after Week 5. In his first NFL season, Anthony Richardson has already suffered a concussion and an injury to his throwing shoulder that sidelined him. To this point, he hasn’t learned to protect himself. There is still ample time for the 21-year-old to discover how to better protect his body. If he doesn’t change his playing style, though, just let Cam Newton be an example of what can happen long-term.
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2023 NFL power rankings:
22. Washington Commanders
- Previously: 15th in NFL power rankings
There are so many directions to go with the Washington Commanders. It starts with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who is once again wasting a premium defensive line with a pass defense that gives up big plays in bunches. Del Rio isn’t the only problem. Whether it’s a byproduct of play-calling or Sam Howell’s decision-making, there’s no normal world in which Curtis Samuel and Logan Thomas should be targeted just as often as Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. One thing that would help, Eric Bieniemy recognizing the Chiefs’ system doesn’t work with Washington’s skill group.
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21. New York Jets
- Previously: 21st in NFL power rankings
Beating the Denver Broncos is the equivalent of empty calories for most NFL teams, but the New York Jets haven’t won since that bizarre Week 1. Zach Wilson (78.8 QB rating, 4 sacks) wasn’t good against the league’s worst defense, but Breece Hall (194 scrimmage yards) made that unimportant. There’s enough talent on this roster to win six games, but that feels like New York’s ceiling.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Previously: 22nd in NFL power rankings
Rivalry games are weird and the Pittsburgh Steelers will happily accept a 3-2 record coming out of Week 5. With that acknowledged, the Steelers caught a lot of breaks on Sunday that gifted them a victory. Of course, wins are what everything is judged on in the NFL. If Pittsburgh wants to keep winning, Jaylen Warren should start over Najee Harris after the Week 6 bye.
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19. Houston Texans
- Previously: 18th in NFL power rankings
The Houston Texans are so close to being able to compete for the AFC South. When they needed rookie C.J. Stroud to deliver in a critical moment in Week 5, he came through with what would’ve been the game-winning touchdown. Houston still finished with a loss, but there’s no way you can watch this team and not feel great about the Texans’ future.
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18. Los Angeles Rams
- Previously: 17th in NFL power rankings
The Los Angeles Rams keep playing good teams close. Just like the San Francisco 49ers experienced in September, Los Angeles made the Philadelphia Eagles fight for Sunday’s victory. After all of the rumors about Sean McVay potentially retiring in 2022, it’s hard to imagine the current season not re-energizing McVay about the future with Los Angeles.
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17. Cincinnati Bengals
- Previously: 20th in NFL power rankings
Joe Burrow still wasn’t 100 percent on Sunday, but he looked far closer to it than any other time this season. Keep in mind that Arizona’s defense (5-3 TD-INT ratio allowed entering Week 5) has done a respectable job until now. Cincinnati desperately needed this win, but we’ll hold off on overreacting until we see the Bengals against the Seahawks (Week 6), 49ers (Oct. 29) and Bills (Nov. 5).
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16. Green Bay Packers
- Previously: 14th in NFL power rankings
Week 5 is a pivotal point for the Green Bay Packers. Facing one of the NFL’s worst defenses, Monday Night Football should be the perfect stage for Jordan Love to have a breakout performance. If the Packers fall short and drop to 2-3, though, it would be time to start viewing the 2023 season as a learning year for the young Packers.
15. New Orleans Saints
- Previously: 16th in NFL power rankings
That’s a lot more like it for the New Orleans Saints, beating up on bad competition. There isn’t a whole lot we can take away from this offensive performance, given New England is now without nearly half its defensive starters. However, the Saints’ defense is still playing at a high level and that’s more than enough for this team to compete for the NFC South as long as it takes care of its business against bad competition.
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14. Atlanta Falcons
- Previously: 19th in NFL power rankings
Maybe hope isn’t lost for Desmond Ridder after all. Arthur Smith put this game on the second-year quarterback’s shoulders on Sunday. Ridder (28-of-37, 329 yards, 2 total TDs) delivered. The numbers are obviously nice, but the game-winning drive with under two minutes remaining might be the positive turning point for Atlanta’s playoff hopes.
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13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Previously: 13th in NFL power rankings
The bye week certainly would’ve felt even better for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the Falcons and Saints lost. Even without that, Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield have firmly pushed the Buccaneers into a position few anticipated when the season began. Although, Tampa Bay’s schedule gets far more difficult from here on out.
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12. Los Angeles Chargers
- Previously: 12th in NFL power rankings
There’s a strong argument that no NFL team needed the bye week more than the Los Angeles Chargers. When this team takes the field in Week 6, it should have Austin Ekeler, Joey Bosa and Derwin James Jr. all back out there. Unfortunately, coaching is the Chargers’ Achilles heel and the little things this team couldn’t do in the first four weeks will be exploited by the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
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11. Cleveland Browns
- Previously: 10th in NFL power rankings
While the Cleveland Browns didn’t play in Week 5, they have to feel like there was a small victory. Thanks to Baltimore losing, the AFC North stays tight. Plus, two weeks of rest and preparation should help Deshaun Watson return to full health and allow Kevin Stefanski to make necessary changes to this scheme with Nick Chubb gone. Coming out of the bye, Cleveland will be tested immediately by the San Francisco 49ers.
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10. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Previously: No. 11 in NFL power rankings
If not for some late magic from Travis Etienne in the fourth quarter, there would be more conversations regarding the Jacksonville Jaguars offense right now. The Jaguars entered Sunday ranked 26th in red-zone touchdown rate (44.4%) and it didn’t get any better after facing Buffalo. With that said, Trevor Lawrence is playing at an elite level and this defense is beginning to take steps forward.
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9. Baltimore Ravens
- Previously: No. 8 in NFL power rankings
Lamar Jackson’s two fourth-quarter turnovers were the final nail in the Baltimore Ravens’ coffin on Sunday. What drove this offense into the ground, though was seven drops by Ravens’ receivers and a mental lapse downfield by Zay Flowers. The Ravens are entirely responsible for their two losses this season and those self-inflicted wounds are why they are 3-2 instead of 5-0.
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8. Seattle Seahawks
- Previously: No. 9 in NFL power rankings
Similar to the Chargers, an early bye might’ve actually helped the Seattle Seahawks significantly. Jamal Adams (concussion) received additional time to recover while offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas are now much closer to returning. Seattle’s defense is starting to get better and we’re very confident the high-powered offense from the 2022 season will reappear once Cross and Lucas are healthy.
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7. Buffalo Bills
- Previously: No. 2 in NFL power rankings
Losing to the Jaguars after flying into London on Friday isn’t the problem. Instead, what creates doubt about the Bills’ Super Bowl chances are the injuries. All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano and No. 1 corner Tre’Davious White are already done for the year. Buffalo’s margin for error on that side of the ball is gone after Week 5. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs still give the Bills a shot to win on any given week, but the injuries defensively might ultimately be what sinks this team in the playoffs.
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6. Dallas Cowboys
- Previously: No. 6 in NFL power rankings
There never should’ve been any true belief that the Dallas Cowboys were on the same level as the San Francisco 49ers. Coaching plays a part, but the fact of the matter is that San Francisco’s offense and defense are just better than what Dallas puts out on the field. There’s nothing wrong with being a top-10 NFL team, but there’s always been a ceiling on the Cowboys with Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy.
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5. Miami Dolphins
- Previously: No. 7 in NFL power rankings
Even with three turnovers and a 37.5% third-down conversion rate, the Miami Dolphins offense put up 524 total yards, 31 points and an eye-popping 9.7 yards per play on Sunday. Miami, without question, has the best offense in the NFL. Of course, the one thing holding this team back from being the clear-cut AFC favorite is that defense.
4. Detroit Lions
- Previously: No. 5 in NFL power rankings
No Jahmyr Gibbs nor Amon-Ra St. Brown? Not a problem for the Detroit Lions. After Week 5, Jared Goff boasts an MVP-caliber 110.3 QB rating with a 30-5 TD-INT ratio and 3,274 passing yards in 12 Lions’ home games since 2022. When he isn’t on the field, the Lions’ defense looks like a top-10 unit. It’s time to talk about Detroit as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
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3. Philadelphia Eagles
- Previously: No. 4 in NFL power rankings
It’s the same story every week. The Philadelphia Eagles are undefeated, but their win doesn’t inspire confidence that this is the best team in the NFL. Philadelphia’s offense is still experiencing major red-zone woes and its secondary allowed a 90-plus QB rating for the fourth time in five games. While 5-0 should be what the fans care about, there is still a lot of work to be done.
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2. Kansas City Chiefs
- Previously: No. 3 in NFL power rankings
The Kansas City Chiefs offense still hasn’t found its groove yet and the odds of it returning to its peak level now feel even more unlikely because of this receiving corps. However, one of the youngest defenses in the NFL is now proving it can win games on its own. That’s a wicked combo to have with Andy Reid and two of the greatest NFL players to ever play their position. If only the Chiefs could find a WR1 on the trade market, but there’s time for that.
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1. San Francisco 49ers
- Previously: No. 1 in NFL power rankings
The San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFL. Brock Purdy isn’t Mr. Irrelevant anymore, he’s the perfect quarterback for Kyle Shanahan’s system and he’s proven he’s a high-end starter who can play a critical role in San Francisco winning big games. Plus, San Francisco has the best defense in the NFL and the best roster. This is the team to beat heading into Week 6 and San Francisco should prove it against the Browns.
