NFL Week 7 Power Rankings

Week 7 has come and gone as we furiously approach the trade deadline and halfway point of the regular season.

This week has seen a fair amount of movement in my Power Rankings, but as the season progresses the power structure is becoming clearer. There are three clear groups where the teams within those groups are all fairly evenly matched. Is there much to separate the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers? Or the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers? I don’t think so.

So, without further ado, here is my updated Week 7 Power Rankings.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-0) +2

It’s hard not to put an undefeated team atop the Power Rankings, especially when they’re coming off a significant win over a formerly undefeated team. The Steelers are the team to beat in the NFL, it’s that simple. The offense is capable of scoring in bunches, and the defense is fierce. This coming week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens has huge ramifications in the conference.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)

On a day when Patrick Mahomes did nothing of remark, the Chiefs still put up 43 points. They scored a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams as they completely dominated the Broncos in this year’s first snow game.

3. Seattle Seahawks (5-1) -2

The Seahawks may have dropped two spots, but that doesn’t represent much of a drop of. The Cardinals exposed the consequences of Russell Wilson making multiple mistakes. All three of his interceptions were poor decisions, and it cost the Seahawks who had ample opportunities to finish off and win the game. The defense without Jamal Adams is seriously poor, they’re just fortunate to have Wilson under center.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) +4

If there has ever been a bigger luxury signing than Antonio Brown, please show me. The Bucs don’t need him, they showed that on Sunday, which makes it even more disappointing they signed him. Antonio Brown should not be in the NFL and it is yet another reminder that the NFL cares more about wins than it does any social issue. In football terms, though, Tom Brady is shutting down every doubter of his talent as he is throwing the ball as well as he has at any point in his career.

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-1) +1

The Ravens had a bye week and finally addressed one of their longest standing needs: pass rush. The team has created pressure with blitzes, but against the best teams an inability to generate four-man pressure has dearly cost them. The addition of Yannick Ngakoue could be huge as the team gears up for the biggest game of their season so far.

6. Tennessee Titans (5-1) -2

Sunday was a tough loss. Against the undefeated Steelers the Titans looked beaten early on, but they forced their way back into the game and did almost everything needed to at least send the game to overtime, until Stephen Gostkowski missed the tying field goal. The Titans are definitely still one of the premier teams in the NFL, though.

7. Green Bay Packers (5-1) -2

Back on track. The Packers completely beat the Houston Texans on Sunday as Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams sent a reminder of their prowess to the rest of the league. The Packers are comfortably the team to beat in the NFC North.

8. New Orleans Saints (4-2) -1

Despite being without their top two receivers, Drew Brees and the Saints managed to put together an impressive offense day, keeping their own punter off the field. It was only a three-point win, but they looked confident and comfortable, offensively, all day – they converted 12 of 14 third downs! The defense still needs to start making more plays, though.

9. San Francisco 49ers (4-3) +3

The 49ers appeared to have turned a sharp corner. Their health at running back is a concern as no one can stay healthy, but the bright side is that every player they put in seems to be performing at a high level. The defense is turning up, too.

10. Buffalo Bills (5-2) -1

Buffalo found a way to win, but the last three weeks have been very tough for the team and leave far more room for criticism than overwhelming optimism like after the first three weeks. The offense isn’t making the same plays and the defense clearly has its issues. I mean, how can a team make it look that hard against the New York Jets?

11. Arizona Cardinals (5-2) +6

What a win for the Cardinals. It looked as though they’d found a way to lose it, but they showed incredible character to stay in it and keep making plays. They thrice picked off Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray played very well. The offense does need to add more vertical element to their passing game, though.

12. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) -1

Sunday was a tough loss for the Raiders, but I don’t think it’s cause for alarm. The team still made multiple plays and showed great fight throughout. I think the game was more of a testament to how high the Buccaneers' ceiling is. The Raiders aren’t a title contender yet, but they’re going to be in the playoff mix.

13. Los Angeles Rams (5-2) +2

Monday night’s win wasn’t overly impressive, as the offense had its struggles at times – admittedly against a very talented defense – but the defense came to play. The Rams may be the weakest team in their division, and they’re 5-2.

14. Indianapolis Colts (4-2) -1

Indianapolis had a bye week, and hopefully they used it to get the run game firing more efficiently, get Philip Rivers and T.Y. Hilton on the same page, and get healthy as they head into their second half of the season.

15. Cleveland Browns (5-2) +1

Sunday was quite the game for the Browns. It couldn’t have looked much worse early on, with Baker Mayfield playing horribly, Odell Beckham Jr. leaving the game with what came to be a torn ACL, and the defense being picked apart. However, the second half was very impressive, at least offensively, as Mayfield shredded his way to perhaps a signature win.

16. Carolina Panthers (3-4) +2

16^th may seem harsh, because the Panthers are a good team, but it is more of a commentary of the teams above them than the Panthers themselves. Being in a division with the Saints and Bucs puts the Panthers in third by default, and they’ll drop games. But, they do have a bright future and I expect them to steadily improve going forward.

17. Chicago Bears (5-2) -3

Finally, the Bears have been somewhat exposed for who they are: a mediocre-at-best team. The defense is capable of being very good, but that can only last for so long when the offense is as poor as it is. At 5-2 they are still very clearly in the mix, but I expect them to steadily drop games for the remainder of the season.

18. Miami Dolphins (3-3) +1

It was bye week for the Dolphins as they prepare Tua Tagovailoa to make his first start next week against the Rams.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (2-4) +1

The Chargers are just fun, man. Justin Herbert is a joy to watch and he is improving every week, while still producing wow-plays multiple times a game. The team has several very talented pieces, and I think they’ll continue to get wins and steal a few games from ‘better’ teams.

20. New England Patriots (2-4) -10

I’m a huge Cam Newton fan. I was a massive fan of him joining the Patriots and I had very high expectations. But this team has a lot of issues, and Cam Newton is one of them. He is not playing well, at all. His mechanics have regressed, he is making poor decisions, and he isn’t creating big plays. His receivers are awful, and that no doubt has impacted his play, but he must do better to revive his career.

21. Detroit Lions (3-3) +1

Matthew Stafford deserves so much better than the Detroit Lions. He has shown time and time again an ability to come up with the truly improbable clutch moments, and Sunday was his 30^th since entering the league. I still have no doubt that Stafford could be a Super Bowl winning QB in another organization.

22. Denver Broncos (2-4) -1

The Broncos' win against the Patriots could have been a springboard for better things, but Sunday illustrated how much work the Broncos have to do to be competitive – it also helped confirm how bad the Patriots are. Drew Lock has some serious strides to make in his vision, decision making, and processing.

23. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4-1)

Carson Wentz remains unrivalled in his ability to look so dramatically different from drive to drive. He goes from a poor QB to an elite one in an instant, and he saved an elite moment for the biggest moment in the game. His pass to Boston Scott was an absolute dime, and moments like that – along with a tie – will keep the Eagles atop a sorry NFC East.

24. Minnesota Vikings (1-5)

The Vikings had a bye, but did get worse by trading Ngakoue. It’s a statement of the times in Minnesota, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more players jettisoned by the trade deadline.

25. Houston Texans (1-6)

The Texans are so clearly overmatched against virtually any team. Their head coaching position figures to be highly desirable, but other than Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt, who on this team is a star? Or at least a building piece at their position? The Texans have a significant way to go before being a true contender.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (1-5-1)

You have to feel sorry for Burrow. He has twice led his team on what should have been a game-winning/tying drive, only to see it fail through no fault of his own. He did what he had to do, his team just let him down. It’s fun watching him play, though.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) +1

James Robinson is a fairly lonely bright spot on this team. The defense was absolutely shredded and the rest of the offense is pretty sorry. They haven’t been able to get any Minshew magic and D.J. Chark has disappeared. It’s going to be a long ten weeks for the Jaguars.

28. Atlanta Falcons (1-6) +1

Can a team BE any less clutch? It’s completely ludicrous at this point. If it’s any consolation, it’s not as if this team was really playing for anything, so maybe that makes it sting a little less? I can’t imagine it does, but we have to look on the bright side.

29. New York Giants (1-6) +1

What a night Thursday night was for the Giants. From Daniel Jones’ inexplicable fall, to Evan Engram’s drop, to blowing an 11-point lead on a first and goal from the 18-yard line. Nevertheless, I think there is a smidge more to be hopeful for with this team than their NFC East rivals below them in this Power Ranking.

30. Washington Football Team (2-5) +1

Washington are a half-game out of first place… Just let that sink in. This weekend’s win came over the Dallas Cowboys, though, so it’s hardly much of a testament to this team having turned a corner.

31. Dallas Cowboys (2-5) -4

Everything is bleak in Dallas. QB woes, murmurs of unrest in the locker room, a defensive coordinator delaying a media conference call due to Tabasco getting in his eye. This team has precisely zero fight – evidenced by a complete lack of response from the team to a truly dirty hit on their starting QB. 

32. New York Jets (0-7)

This team still bad? Yup.