Welcome to Gridiron’s Week 6 power ranking, where inconsistency at all levels continues to rearrange Nicholas McGee’s pecking order.

 

GRIDIRON POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 6

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) +4 

Another box checked for Baker Mayfield as he continues to build an excellent MVP case. It’s hard to envision anyone stopping this offense when it gets healthy.

 

 

2. Detroit Lions (4-2) -1

Sometimes, the Lions need to show the same fight during the game that Brian Branch did after it. Still, there’s little reason for panic in Detroit.

 

 

3. Indianapolis Colts (5-1) +3

An unconvincing win over the Jacoby Brissett-led Cardinals won’t silence the doubters, but the Colts have been the most consistent team in the AFC.

 

 

4. Denver Broncos (4-2) +4

While it was only against the Jets, the Broncos get credit for going across the Pond after a big win and avoiding the letdown. The sack tally of nine was an emphatic illustration of their defensive dominance.

 

 

5. Green Bay Packers (3-1-1) +4

Josh Jacobs ran all over the Bengals even while throwing up, and Matthew Golden is becoming an increasingly big part of the offense. Things are starting to click in Green Bay.

 

 

6. Buffalo Bills (4-2) -3

All great times go through blips, but the level of concern around the Bills is definitely on the rise.

 

 

7. Seattle Seahawks (4-2) +5

Sam Darnold is right there with Baker Mayfield in the MVP case and the defense is excellent. The Seahawks are for real.

 

 

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) -6

A case of ‘After the Lord Mayor’s Show’ for the Jaguars. Thankfully, they tend to be quite good in London these days.

 

 

9. Los Angeles Rams (4-2) +1

The Rams eventually took advantage of their get-right game against the Ravens. A date with the Jags at Wembley will be a huge test of their credentials.

 

 

10. San Francisco 49ers (4-2) -3

Why do the injury gods hate the Niners so much? The loss of Fred Warner is a devastating blow to the defense that drastically limits the 49ers’ ceiling. The saving grace is that an impressive passing attack keeps their floor pretty high.

 

 

11. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) -7

The defending champions can’t do anything well outside of the tush push. They’re lucky to be this high.

 

 

12. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) +3

The Chiefs bounced back from their Monday night loss with a Sunday night showing that marked their best of the year against a true contender. Rashee Rice is back and their next game is at home against Las Vegas. Look out, NFL.

 

 

13. Atlanta Falcons (3-2) +3

Bijan Robinson is a fringe MVP contender, and the Falcons look like the results might finally match the talent. Now, it’s time for them to back up the win over Buffalo on a trip to face the wounded 49ers.

 

 

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) =

The quietest one-loss team in the NFL. Pittsburgh can cement their grip on the AFC North by beating Joe Flacco and the Bengals on Thursday.

 

 

15. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) -2

Justin Herbert’s late-game heroics are magical, but the collapse that precedes them makes it tough to trust the Chargers.

 

 

16. New England Patriots (4-2) +1

Suddenly in the lead of the AFC East, a soft schedule over the next couple of weeks affords the Pats the opportunity to put themselves in a really strong position.

 

 

17. Chicago Bears (3-2) +3

A close end-of-game scenario actually went right for the Bears. That will have plenty believing this year is indeed different.

 

 

18. Washington Commanders (3-3) -7

The Commanders are .500 through what was probably the softest part of their schedule. Enough said?

 

 

19. Minnesota Vikings (3-2) =

While there are encouraging noises on J.J. McCarthy’s recovery, there’s also a chance for a Carson Wentz revenge game this week against the Eagles.

 

 

20. Carolina Panthers (3-3) +2

The Panthers have quietly developed one of the better offenses in football. Intriguing times in Charlotte.

 

 

21. Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1) -3

Dallas’ defense is an albatross around the neck of this team. Their performance on that side of the ball will get people fired.

 

 

22. Houston Texans (2-3) -1

The Texans need to gain ground in the South. The problem is they visit the Seahawks this week. Their next three after that are at home, but are against the 49ers, Broncos and Jaguars. Rough.

 

 

23. New York Giants (2-4) +4

There’s understandably a lot of excitement around Jaxson Dart, but that might be tempered somewhat with a trip to Denver.

 

 

24. Baltimore Ravens (1-5) -1

The Ravens were competitive enough against the Rams without Lamar Jackson to suggest a surge could come after the bye. The schedule is amenable to that.

 

 

25. Arizona Cardinals (2-4) -1

Hard to see the Cardinals contending for the ultra competitive NFC West at this point, but they were close to the upset against the Colts. There’s no respite, though, with the Packers in town on Sunday.

 

 

26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) +5

It’s still difficult to feel good about the Raiders, but at least they took care of business against the moribund Titans.

 

 

27. New Orleans Saints (1-5) -2

Three of the Saints’ losses this season have been by one score. That is worthy of credit in a rebuild year.

 

 

28. Cleveland Browns (1-5) -1

The encouraging rookie class is all the Browns have to cling to right now. Winning football still seems a long way off.

 

 

29. Miami Dolphins (1-5) -1

There was at least fight in an impressive comeback before the late collapse, but all the focus is on Tua Tagovailoa’s postgame comments. Things are bad in Miami, and it’s hard to see the quarterback, coach or GM being there next year.

 

 

30. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) -1

Stunningly, parachuting in Joe Flacco didn’t fix the offense.

 

 

31. Tennessee Titans (1-5) =

The end of an error [sic] as Brian Callahan is fired. Cam Ward is another high quarterback pick being totally mismanaged.

 

 

32. New York Jets (0-6) =

Still trying to figure out what the Jets were doing during the end-of-half sequence. A long way to go, but there’s an 0-17 case building, even with some winnable games on the schedule.