Now that Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: NFL Power Rankings! What differentiates these rankings from the others is that they’re the only truly accurate ones in the entire universe. And so let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up ahead of Week 7.
BLG’S WEEK 7 NFL POWER RANKINGS
1 – Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 1) – The No. 1 team in overall DVOA. The No. 1 team in point differential. The Bills are a juggernaut. Buffalo justified their top spot with a win in KC. The Bills aren’t that far off from winning their last three trips to Arrowhead, which just isn’t an easy place to play.
2 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 2) – By beating Dallas, the Eagles confirmed they are the best team in the NFC. Jalen Hurts and the offense led a huge drive immediately after the Birds’ 20 to 0 lead was cut down to three points. Philly’s defense also came up big on the night with three takeaways. The Eagles have led by at least 14 points in every week this season. And they haven’t even played a complete game yet.
3 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 3) – The Chiefs can’t be kicking themselves too hard after losing to a superior opponent while being very banged up in the secondary. They’ll very much be OK moving forward. But potentially losing the No. 1 seed to Buffalo could be prove costly in the postseason.
4 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 5) – The Vikings stand alone as the second best team in the NFC. Their only loss came by way of the top team in their conference. They haven’t always won convincingly and some of biggest tests still await them. For now, they’re in a good spot as favorites to win the NFC North.
5 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 4) – Miss me with the Lamar Jackson MVP talk after watching him give away the game like he did at MetLife Stadium. The Ravens have likely squandered their chances of getting the No. 1 seed, which could’ve been helpful in assisting a quarterback who struggles so much in the playoffs.
6 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 6) – Cowboys fans seem to be chirping about the merits of a “moral victory” in their loss to the Eagles. A defeat in which they did not even cover the spread. While it’s true that Dallas still has a favorable outlook with an easy schedule ahead, the loss in Philly was very damaging to their chances of winning the NFC East and the No. 1 seed. The Cowboys are happy to be getting Dak Prescott back but let us recall he did not look good before missing time. And is he truly healed or will there be lingering effects from his thumb injury?
7 – New York Giants (LW: 11) – Still have a hard time buying the Giants are GOOD good … but they’re undeniably a respectable team that hangs around. All of their wins are by one score, which is typically not sustainable over the course of a bigger sample size. They’re due for some bad luck at some point. But they have a path to winning more games in the near future with at JAX, at SEA, vs. HOU, and vs. DET up next.
8 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 7) – San Fran was missing the following six defensive starters in Atlanta: Nick Bosa, Emmanuel Moseley, Jimmie Ward, Azeez Al-Shaair, Javon Kinlaw, and Arik Armstead. Some important contributors there. The Niners need to get healthy.
9 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 8) – Tell me the Bucs’ vibes are good. You can’t. They’re pretty bad. Tom Brady looks miserable.
10 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 10) – Their last two wins have been more about surviving against inferior opponents than actually looking good. Justin Herbert being used like Alex Smith is baffling; he logged just 4.2 yards per attempt on Monday night. I know the ribs might be a factor but, like, maybe let him use his special arm talent?
11 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 9) – Too high for a team that’s lost three in a row? Perhaps. But it’s not like there are great alternatives below them. And getting Tua Tagovailoa back obviously improves the Dolphins’ outlook.
12 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 13) – They ultimately beat Carolina by 14 points but the Rams were down to P.J. Walker at halftime. They didn’t regain the lead until late in the third quarter. Point being: LA continues to look shaky. Not scoring many style points.
13 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 14) – Ja’Marr Chase went off for the first time since Week 1. If he can continue to stay hot, the Bengals will be in good shape. Baltimore’s bad loss has Cincy alive for a potential AFC North repeat.
14 – New England Patriots (LW: 16) – Bailey Zappe is 2-0 as a starter. His passing stats so far: 51/70 (72.9% completion), 4 TD, 1 INT, 111.4 passer rating. The Pats have officially found their new Tom Brady. OK, maybe not, but perhaps Zappe can play.
15 – New York Jets (LW: 20) – Zach Wilson doesn’t even look good but it hasn’t mattered for the Jets recently. The rest of their roster is playing well. Breece Hall? More like Beast Hall.
16 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 12) – Are the Packers even going to make the playoffs? They look like ass right now. And they have the NFL’s seventh-toughest remaining strength of schedule. There’s always a chance Aaron Rodgers starts cooking but there’s no indication that’s about to happen anytime soon.
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17 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 19) – The Titans will return from their bye to host Indy. Big opportunity for them to prove they’re the top team in the AFC South. The rest advantage could be a nice boost for them.
18 – Denver Broncos (LW: 17) – We’ve been exposed to way too much Broncos in primetime this season. And we’re all worse off for it. Garbage aesthetic. Russell Wilson continues to look cooked.
19 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 18) – At least the Saints have a high draft pick to look forward to in the 2023 NFL Draft. Haha, just kidding, they currently owe the No. 9 overall selection to Philly. The good news for the Saints, though, is that their division and their conference is fairly open.
20 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 26) – Marcus Mariota didn’t exactly carry the Falcons to victory considering he attempted just 14 pass attempts. But he was extremely efficient by completing 13 of them for two touchdowns and a 144.6 passer rating. Mariota also had a rushing score. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Falcons are frisky.
21 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 27) – Kenneth Walker III was a beast at Michigan State and he’s looking good early on in Seattle. He’s logging 5.5 yards per carry.
22 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 28) – Bet on Mike Tomlin as an underdog at your own risk. The Steelers may not be good but they’re still scrappy.
23 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 29) – Indy has a chance to overcome a slow start to the season by beating Tennessee to take the division lead. The Colts were swept by their AFC South rivals last year.
24 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 15) – The Jags lost a game where Trevor Lawrence only had two incompletions. Of course, he only had 136 net passing yards. Jacksonville is going to need more from him. And more from their defense.
25 – Detroit Lions (LW: 22) – They return from their bye as seven-point road underdogs in Dallas. The Lions are staring 1-5 in the face.
26 – Washington Commanders (LW: 23) – The Commanders beat Chicago but they did not outplay them. Washington was outgained and caught a break with their opponent’s red zone incompetence. The Commanders are going to have to turn to Taylor Heinicke with Carson Wentz suffering a finger injury. That might actually be an upgrade for them?
27 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 25) – The Raiders will return from their bye to play Houston. Chance for them to pick up their second win.
28 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 21) – Stealing this from my former manager Joel Thorman: “I posit that the Cardinals fans have to be the most depressed in the NFL right now. You paid the QB and you stink this year.” There is hope for Arizona since DeAndre Hopkins returning could have a big impact. But it might not be enough.
29 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 24) – Not doing a good enough job of treading water in Deshaun Watson’s absence. The Browns currently rank 13th in the AFC playoff picture with games against Baltimore, Cincy, Miami, and Buffalo up next. More losses are coming. The damage may already be done before Watson is back.
30 – Chicago Bears (LW: 30) – People want to talk about how Justin Fields isn’t getting enough help. And there’s certainly truth to that. But he’s also not helping himself. Overthrowing a wide open tight end in the end zone left four points on the field.
31 – Houston Texans (LW: 31) – The Texans return from their bye to host Las Vegas.
32 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 32) – The Panthers hung in with the reigning Super Bowl champions for a bit before ultimately losing decisively. Things are probably not going to get better for Carolina. They would be wise to sell some of their win now pieces. Trading Robbie Anderson was a start.