NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Dolphins back in top 5

With Week 6 of the NFL in the books, there was certainly a lot to unpack. From season-ending injuries to major upsets, the league continues to show its unpredictability.

 

There are only two teams left with perfect records: Philadelphia and San Francisco. But looking at the other end of the spectrum, Carolina is still seeking their first win of the season. 

 

It has been a rough first five weeks for Bryce Young and the winless Carolina Panthers. Turnovers were the story of the game for Carolina as they got blown out on the road in Detroit. Young threw two interceptions and has now thrown four in five games this year. It doesn’t get easier for the Panthers as they head down to South Florida next week to play one of the league’s best teams in the Miami Dolphins. 

 

Let’s talk about New England for a second. What has happened to Bill Belichick and his New England Patriots? New England got embarrassed at home and Mac Jones’s struggles continued. Jones looked absolutely rattled by New Orleans’ defense as he completed just 12 of his 22 passes for 110 yards. Oh, and he also threw a couple of picks. And to make things worse, the Patriots have been outscored 72-3 in their last two games. Woah.

 

Speaking of the number 72, the Denver Broncos have been one of, if not, the biggest letdown in the league this season. Bringing in Sean Payton was clearly not going to help Russell Wilson guide this team to consistently find ways to win. And it doesn’t help when the defense just looks lost week after week. Denver gave up 234 rushing yards to the Jets and couldn’t bring down Breece Hall as he ran for 177 yards and a touchdown. If it wasn’t for a come-from-behind win against the Chicago Bears, the Broncos would easily be at the bottom of my list. 

 

The Chicago Bears. Let’s give them props for winning their first game in 346 days. Yes, you read that right. Justin Fields played lights out, throwing for 282 yards and four touchdowns. But the story of the game was D.J. Moore. Moore had eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Bears to a 40-20 victory in Washington on Thursday Night Football.

 

The Cardinals are an interesting team. They go from blowing a game against the Giants one week to beating the Cowboys another week. But it seems like they’ve run out of gas as they’ve lost by double digits in their last two games against the 49ers and Bengals. Arizona had no answer in containing Ja’Marr Chase as the star wide receiver had a total of 15 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns. With the status of quarterback Kyler Murray being uncertain, it’s looking like a long season for the Cardinals. 

 

The offensive line for the New York Giants continues to be a disappointment and they have not been doing Daniel Jones any favors as they allowed seven sacks in their loss to the Dolphins. It seemed as if every time Jones dropped back to pass, he was getting tossed to the ground by Miami’s defensive line. Jones eventually had to exit the game due to neck soreness. A positive note that New York can take out of the game was that they forced a couple of interceptions that included a 102-yard pick-six. But don’t look now Giants fans. Your New York Football Giants are headed to Buffalo next week. Yikes. 

 

It looked like the Bills were jetlagged in their 25-20 loss to the Jaguars in London. Buffalo was down early in the game and despite their efforts to make a comeback, it was too little too late. Give credit to Jacksonville though. They had a very good offensive approach, especially through the ground game. Travis Etienne ran all over Buffalo’s defense as he had 26 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns. But I think the main story is the injury to Bills star linebacker Matt Milano. According to reports, Milano suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first quarter and the Bills took another major blow to their defense. They’ve now lost Milano and Tre’Davious White in the span of two weeks. 

 

The Philadelphia Eagles cruised by the Los Angeles Rams to start their season out 5-0 and the San Francisco 49ers look like the most complete team in the NFL after making the Dallas Cowboys look like a deer in headlights. To top it off, George Kittle had a hat trick, catching three touchdowns in San Francisco’s 42-10 victory. 

 

Shifting over to South Florida, the best offense in the league is back at it again. Whether it’s in the air or on the ground, the Dolphins looked unstoppable. Aside from a couple of careless interceptions from Tua Tagovailoa, Miami looked flawless on both sides of the ball. Tyreek Hill had eight catches for 181 yards and a touchdown. Rookie running back De’Von Achane made his presence known as he had 11 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown although there were some reports that Achane was suffering from a knee injury after the game. There are no reports of the severity of the injury.  

 

On the defensive side, defensive tackle Zach Sieler had a day, tallying six tackles and two sacks. After a disappointing loss to Buffalo in their last game, Miami looks like they are back to being the team to beat in the AFC. With a matchup against the winless Carolina Panthers in their next game, the Dolphins could very well be headed towards a 5-1 start to the season. 

 

Below are my Week 6 power rankings.

 

32. Carolina Panthers (0 – 5)

Lost vs. Lions 42-24

 

31. New England Patriots (1 – 4)

Lost vs. Saints 34-0

 

30. Denver Broncos (1 – 4)

Lost vs. Jets 31-21

 

29. Arizona Cardinals (1 – 4)

Lost vs. Bengals 34-20

 

28. New York Giants (1 – 4)

Lost vs. Dolphins 31-16

 

27. Washington Commanders (2 – 3)

Lost vs. Bears 40-20

 

26. Chicago Bears (1 – 4)

Won vs. Commanders 40-20

 

25. Green Bay Packers (2 – 3)

            Lost vs. Raiders 17-13

 

24. Minnesota Vikings (1 – 4)

Lost vs. Chiefs 27-20

 

23. Houston Texans (2 – 3)

Lost vs. Falcons 21-19

 

22. Tennessee Titans (2 – 3)

Lost vs. Colts 23-16

 

21. New York Jets (2 – 3)

Won vs. Broncos 31-21

 

20. Los Angeles Rams (2 – 3)

Lost vs. Eagles 23-14

 

19. Atlanta Falcons (3 – 2)

Won vs. Texans 21-19

 

18. Las Vegas Raiders (2 – 3)

            Won vs. Packers 17-13

 

17. Cleveland Browns (2 – 2)

Bye Week

 

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (3 – 2)

Won vs. Ravens 17-10

 

15. Cincinnati Bengals (2 – 3)

Won vs. Cardinals 34-20

 

14. Los Angeles Chargers (2 – 2)

Bye Week

 

13. Indianapolis Colts (3 – 2)

Won vs. Titans 23-16

 

12. New Orleans Saints (3 – 2)

Won vs. Patriots 34-0

 

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3 – 1)

Bye Week

 

10. Baltimore Ravens (3 – 2)

Lost vs. Steelers 17-10

 

9. Jacksonville Jaguars (3 – 2)

Won vs. Bills 25-20

 

8. Seattle Seahawks (3 – 1)

Bye Week

 

7. Dallas Cowboys (3 – 2)

Lost vs. 49ers 42-10

 

6. Buffalo Bills (3 – 2)

Lost vs. Jaguars 25-20

 

5. Detroit Lions (4 – 1)

Won vs. Panthers 42-24

 

4. Kansas City Chiefs (4 – 1)

Won vs. Vikings 27-20

 

3. Miami Dolphins (4 – 1)

Won vs. Giants 31-16

 

2. Philadelphia Eagles (5 – 0)

Won vs. Rams 23-14

 

1. San Francisco 49ers (5 – 0)

Won vs. Cowboys 42-10