With Green Bay's loss, the Bears amazingly hold a half-game lead in the NFC South. That also leaves Seattle as the lone unbeaten team in the NFC, while the AFC still has Pittsburgh and Tennessee (who, ironically, face each other this week, guaranteeing only one unbeaten team in the conference by the end of Sunday). Victories by the Giants and Falcons leave the Jets as the sole winless team in the league. Given their schedule, that may last for a while.
NFL Team Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Baltimore Ravens (5-1) [1] : They squeaked by the Eagles, but tough performances by other Power teams allowed them to retain the top spot.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-0) [6] : They thoroughly routed the Browns, escalating them all the way to Number Two, and making the next Ravens-Steelers game an eagerly-awaited event.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) [7] : They recovered nicely from their loss to the Raiders by totally dominating the Bills, and proving that they have a running game even before LeVeon Bell joins their roster.
4. Tennessee Titans (5-0) [5] : They needed overtime to overcome the Texans, but the Titans showed they can complete a comeback.
5. Seattle Seahawks (5-0) [3] : Okay, yes, I know it's not fair for a team to drop two spots during a bye week. Sorry, I can't argue with the computer results (after all, I programmed that tool!). A victory this week over Arizona will rise them up, and a loss would reinforce this position.
6. Arizona Cardinals (4-2) [10] : And here are those aforementioned Cardinals, moving up after completely demoralizing a Zak-less Cowboys squad.
7. Green Bay Packers (4-1) [2] : The Packers fall five positions after a mistake-filled outing against the Bucs. They face the Texans this week, which might lead to enough injuries to continue this slide.
8. Tampa Bay Bucs (4-2) [9] : And the Bucs rise after such a strong performance, mainly for eliminating their own offensive penalties (since the Pack more LOST their game than the Bucs WON it).
9. Indianapolis Colt (4-2) [8] : Barely squeezing past Cincy didn't help their power ranking
10. Los Angeles Rams (4-2) [4] : The Rams just couldn't get it going against the rival 49ers, who were still missing several of their starters. Not a good sign.
11. Miami Dolphins (3-3) [13] : The Dolphins are the highest ranked AFC East team? After the collapse of the Bills, that is true.
12. Chicago Bears (5-1) [12] : The Bears held an early and lengthy lead in this game, but needed a defensive turnover to turn away a Panthers comeback. They are not dominating games, although they are winning them.
13. New Orleans Saints (3-2) [14] : The Saints enjoy a bye week, although they lost the lead in the division.
14. San Francisco 49ers (3-3) [18] : The offense is starting to get themselves back on track, and the defense derailed the Rams.
15. Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) [19] : Delayed reaction from their upset of the Chiefs, assisted by dramatic falls by other teams (like the Bills).
16. New England Patriots (4-2) [15] : The offense struggled in a defensive battle against Denver.
NFL Divisional Power Rankings
1. NFC West [1] : Seriously, they have all four of their teams in the upper half of the league. No other division comes close!
2. AFC North [2] : Despite the Browns fiasco this week, this division still has three good-looking teams, and holds the top two Power teams
3. AFC West [6] : The Chiefs bounced back, and Denver won. Byes by the other two teams prevented power drops
4. NFC South [5] : Wins by the Bucs and Falcons helped, and a near-comeback from the Panthers didn't hurt!
5. NFC North [3] : The Pack's fizzle pulled down this division even though the Lions won
6. AFC South [4] : Both the Titans and Colts are competitors
7. AFC East [7] : The Bills lead the division but look fractured, the Pats offense is sputtering, and the Dolphins just changed quarterbacks. Not looking good here.
8. NFC East [8] : Nothing needs to be said
Week 6 picks
Thursday night
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles : The Giants won their first game last week, but can they make it two in a row? The Eagles are so inconsistent that you are not sure which team will show up, but their pass rush will be able to shut down Daniel Jones. Without Saquon Barkley for a running game, the Giants won't have an offense. EAGLES, 20-13
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets : I'm not sure the Bills have figured out what happened on Monday, but they don't need a good performance to beat the worst team in the league. BILLS, 30-13
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints : The Panthers attempted an excellent comeback against the Bears, but the Saints offense will create a larger gap to overcome, and they'll miss again. SAINTS, 30-23
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals : The Browns get to clear their pallet with a win against the Bengals. Rookie Joe Burrows is looking better, but the Bengals still have a ways to go to return to competitive form. BROWNS, 27-17
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Wingnuts : Arizona really lambasted a Zak-less Cowboys squad, but
Washington doesn't have that strong an offense. Plus, you know the Cowboys will want to perform much better after that game, although I think their offense will still be lacking. COWBOYS, 17-13
Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons : The Falcons are starting to catch fire, but so did the Lions. Matthew Stafford has struggling in the first half of games, but his second half (and especially fourth quarter) numbers are quite impressive. If the Lions defense can keep this close through three quarters, the Lions should win this one. LIONS, 27-23
Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans : You know Aaron Rodgers wants a chance to redeem the 3rd worst performance in his career! The Texans offense is so anemic that the Packers should win this game. However, the fierce Texans defensive play might result in some injuries to important offensive players, which (as I predicted in my preview column) could result in a downward spiral for the team. PACK, 23-20
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans : Another bout of unbeaten AFC teams. The Titans took the last one when they upended the Bills, but I think they'll come up short in this one. The Steelers defense is reminiscent of the "Iron Curtain" days, and Big Ben has the offense rolling. The Steelers also have one of the best ground games in the league, so they can churn up clock. STEELERS, 20-16
Sunday late games
Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers : The Lions defense showed what Jags QB Gardner Minshew dislikes, and now the Chargers defense gets to expand on that. QB Justin Herbert continues to get better, although he needs to work on his consistency. The only concern is whether this game will actually be played, as the Jags are in COVID protocol after a practice squad member tested positive. CHARGERS, 27-20
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos : The Chiefs have their mojo back, and they welcome LeVeon Bell to the squad! He may not play a large part in this game, as the Broncos have a strong run defense, but their weak secondary means that Patrick Mahomes get to have some fun. CHIEFS, 27-17
San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots : Wow, this game could go either way! 49ers QB Jimmy Garoffolo gets another offensive player back from injury, so the offense will be sharper. Cam Newton returned to practice and seemed ready to take back the helm on Sunday, but we're not sure if that's a good thing or not. Given his history in Carolina, his first game back is often rocky. 49ERS, 20-16
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals : This should be an exciting game! Both teams are strong, and the Cardinals are itching to "stick it" to the Seahawks. However, this game will be a test of the field sense of young Kyler Murray, given the amount of motion used by the Seattle defense, and I'm not sure he's quite up to the task. SEAHAWKS, 20-17
Sunday night
Tampa Bay Bucs at Las Vegas Raiders : The Raiders surprised the Chiefs in their last game, but Tom Brady has seen everything in his career, so no surprises there. BUCS, 28-23
Monday Night Football
Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams : I'd love to pick my Bears, but they just don't fare well on Monday Night Football. The Rams defense is very similar to the Bears, so the usual advantage the Bears have will be offset. Worse, with Foles' tendency to throw at least one interception in each game, that might make the difference in this game. RAMS, 27-20
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