Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (2020)
The Kansas City Chiefs lost their first game of the 2020 season, which means that the power rankings have a new number one team for the first time this season. As of today, five teams are undefeated, but that will change when the Titans and Bills play tonight. Week 5 was a week of big upsets which has caused a shakeup throughout the rankings.
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32) New York Jets (Prev: 32)
Joe Flacco started for the injured Sam Darnold, which did nothing but confirm that the Jets are the worst team in football no matter who is under center. They were demolished 30-10 by the Cardinals and were outgained 496-285 in the loss. In his return, Le’Veon Bell carried the ball 13 times for 60 yards.
31) New York Giants (Prev: 31)
The Giants came very close to making it so that the NFC East leader through five weeks had one win but ultimately fell short against Dallas. New York is now 0-5 but looked much better against Dallas than they have at any point this season. They had two touchdowns called back. Had that not happened, there would be a lot more hope in Big Blue Nation right now.
30) Atlanta Falcons (Prev: 30)
Dan Quinn was finally fired after the Falcons dropped to 0-5 following their loss to the Panthers. After three great weeks to start the season, Matt Ryan has looked horrible throwing the ball. On Sunday he was 21-37 for 226 yards and an interception, which came on an awful throw in the end zone. Todd Gurley continued to be a bright spot, rushing for 121 yards and one touchdown.
29) Jacksonville Jaguars (Prev: 29)
The Jaguars played the Texans tough despite what the final score says, but ever since their surprising win over the Colts in Week 1, this team has looked like one of the worst teams in football. Gardner Minshew had 301 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, but James Robinson and the rushing attack has all but vanished. The defense also gave up 486 yards to the Texans’ offense.
28) Denver Broncos (Prev: 28)
Due to positive COVID tests for the Patriots, the Broncos had their bye week early. They will make up their game against New England next week and will play every week for the remainder of the season.
27) Washington Football Team (Prev: 27)
Alex Smith returning to the field was one of the most inspirational moments that the NFL has ever had. Two years ago, it looked like he might lose his leg, and on Sunday, he played meaningful snaps in a professional football game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a storybook ending for Smith, who threw for just 37 yards and was sacked six times. Washington has dropped four straight and needs to figure things out offensively if they want to remain in the hunt for the NFC East title.
26) Cincinnati Bengals (Prev: 23)
Joe Burrow finally went up against a very good NFL defense, and he finally had a bad game. All season long, he has kept the Bengals in games that they had no business being in, but on Sunday, the Ravens’ defense proved to be too much for him. He threw for just 183 yards and one interception, as Cincinnati managed just 205 yards of total offense.
25) Detroit Lions (Prev: 24)
The Lions were off this week, but move down one spot due to teams below them winning in Week 5. The Lions are just 1-3 but have a very easy schedule over the course of their next seven games. They will face the Jaguars, Falcons, Colts, Vikings, Football Team, Panthers, and Texans. It’s an easy stretch, and a great record over the course of it may be the only thing that saves Matt Patricia’s job.
24) Houston Texans (Prev: 26)
The Texans scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to run away from the Jaguars and gain their first win of the 2020 season. Deshaun Watson threw for 359 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the win. The Texans travel to Tennessee next week to take on the Titans, in a game they must win in order to continue the process of saving their season.
23) Los Angeles Chargers (Prev: 17)
The Chargers blew a 20-3 lead but still had a chance to win the game as time expired. Unfortunately, Michael Badgley doinked the 50-yard field goal, and the Chargers lost in overtime. They now sit at 1-4, but with Justin Herbert under center, the future looks bright. In the loss, Herbert threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Keep in mind, most of the damage was done without his number one target Keenan Allen who was sidelined for a majority of the game with a back injury.
22) San Francisco 49ers (Prev: 12)
What in the world just happened to the San Francisco 49ers? Favored by 8.5 points in a home game against the Miami Dolphins, the 49ers were shellacked 43-17 in what was one of the most lopsided games in the league this season. Jimmy Garoppolo returned from injury and got the start, but was so bad in the game that Kyle Shanahan elected to go with CJ Beathard to try to at least make the game respectable. In the best division in football, there is no room for losses to teams like the Miami Dolphins. The defending NFC champs have their work cut out for them.
21) Dallas Cowboys (Prev: 20)
The Cowboys got the win on Sunday and are now in first place in the NFC East, but they’re moving down the rankings because of the horrific injury to Dak Prescott. Prescott was having arguably the best season of his career and was putting up video game numbers week after week, but is going to miss the rest of the season. With how bad the Cowboys’ defense has been — they just gave up 34 points to a team that hadn’t scored a touchdown in two weeks — it doesn’t seem realistic to assume that Andy Dalton will be effective enough to get the Cowboys above .500 on the season.
20) Philadelphia Eagles (Prev: 18)
Jake Elliott had a chance to put the Eagles up 32-31 with just minutes remaining, but he missed the attempt, the defense couldn’t get a stop, and now the Eagles are 1-3-1. Carson Wentz continued his average quarterback play, throwing two more interceptions, but was able to hook up with Travis Fulgham 10 times for 152 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles record is terrible, but with the injury to Dak Prescott, they are surely the favorites to win the NFC East.
19) Minnesota Vikings (Prev: 19)
The Vikings did almost everything right on Sunday night and yet they still lost to the Seahawks. Up by five with two minutes left, Mike Zimmer elected to go for it on fourth down rather than kicking a field goal to give his team an eight-point lead. The plan backfired and led to a game-winning drive by Russell Wilson. Now, the Vikings are 1-4 and alone at the bottom of the NFC North.
18) Miami Dolphins (Prev: 25)
The Miami Dolphins are a top 20 football team and are very close to being in the top half. They just decimated the San Francisco 49ers 43-17, and they’re now 2-3 with a game against the Jets up next. Who would have thought that the Dolphins would have a serious chance at being .500 heading into Week 7? In the victory, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Miami’s three losses this season are to the Seahawks, Patriots, and Bills. Don’t count this team out just yet.
17) Arizona Cardinals (Prev: 22)
The Cardinals needed that game against the Jets to get right. Kyler Murray threw for 380 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, as the Cardinals ended their two-game losing streak. The offense outgained the Jets’ offenses by 211 yards. Next up, they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
16) Carolina Panthers (Prev: 21)
That’s three straight wins for the Panthers, and all of them have come with Christian McCaffrey on the sidelines. Teddy Bridgewater had his best game of the season, throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns, while Mike Davis added 89 yards on the ground. Next week, Carolina hosts the Bears in a game that could have some serious early-season playoff implications.
15) Indianapolis Colts (Prev: 10)
Philip Rivers is the reason the Colts lost to the Cleveland Browns. He threw two interceptions and down 27-20, got called for intentional grounding which resulted in a safety. For an experienced veteran, he is making far too many mistakes, and it is costing his team. Despite the loss, Isaiah Rodgers’ 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the highlight of the league this week.
14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prev: 9)
The Bucs’ jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Thursday Night Football but then went ice cold, which allowed the Bears to sneak away with a 20-19 victory. Tom Brady threw for 253 yards and one touchdown but was confused on the final drive of the game when he thought it was third down when it was really fourth. It was one of the sloppiest moments of his career and it may have cost Tampa Bay a game.
13) Chicago Bears (Prev: 15)
It looked like a blowout was brewing in Chicago on Thursday night, but Nick Foles showed his resiliency as he led the Bears back from a deficit twice in the fourth quarter. Chicago is now 4-1 and clearly the only true competition for the Packers in the NFC North. Every single one of the Bears’ games has been decided by one score or less. This is great news considering winning close games is often the difference between making and missing the playoffs.
12) Cleveland Browns (Prev: 14)
The Browns’ offense is starting to look like what was advertised at the beginning of 2019. Without Nick Chubb, they still outrushed the Colts 124-68. Baker Mayfield seems to have figured out how to manage both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. In the win, he targeted both receivers nine times, which resulted in 146 yards. The Browns are now 4-1 with a huge divisional matchup against the Steelers up next.
11) New Orleans Saints (Prev: 13)
The Saints escaped Monday night with a victory, and they’ve now won back-to-back games after trailing by two scores or more. Drew Brees looked terrible for most of the first half but managed to string together enough big plays in the second half to move the Saints to 3-2 on the season. Michael Thomas was likely healthy enough to play this week, which means, barring any other altercations, he will be good to go after the bye week.
10) Las Vegas Raiders (Prev: 16)
The Raiders came out and did what no other team has been able to do since November of 2019: they beat the Kansas City Chiefs. The game was tied heading into the fourth quarter, but Las Vegas completely outplayed Kansas City over the final 15 to leave with a victory. Derek Carr threw for 347 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, as he outdueled Patrick Mahomes. Josh Jacobs rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
9) New England Patriots (Prev: 11)
Due to positive COVID tests, the Patriots had their game against the Broncos rescheduled for next week. Whether New England will have Stephon Gilmore or Cam Newton available is still unknown.
8) Los Angeles Rams (Prev: 8)
The Rams’ defense gave up 108 total yards on Sunday. No, you did not read that wrong. Los Angeles outgained Washington by 321 yards as they absolutely dismantled the Football Team to move to 4-1. The defense recorded eight sacks in the game, six of which came against Alex Smith. Darrell Henderson Jr. scored two touchdowns in the victory.
7) Tennessee Titans (Prev: 7)
The Titans take on the Bills on Tuesday night, and it will be interesting to see how they perform after all of the time off due to COVID. They are currently the only undefeated team in the AFC South and hold a two-game lead in the loss column over second-place Indianapolis.
6) Pittsburgh Steelers (Prev: 6)
The Steelers very nearly blew a 31-14 lead but held on to defeat the Eagles and move to 4-0 on the season. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were to rookie Chase Claypool. Claypool added another touchdown on the ground and became the first rookie in Steelers’ franchise history to score four touchdowns in a football game.
5) Baltimore Ravens (Prev: 5)
The Ravens took it to the Bengals with a fantastic team win on Sunday. The only points for the Bengals came with 32 seconds left in the game when Cincinnati was trying to save face. The truth is, this game was more lopsided than the final score even states. The Ravens gave up just 205 yards of offense and only allowed 12 first downs all game.
4) Green Bay Packers (Prev: 4)
The Packers were off this week and will come off their bye week with a road game in Tampa Bay against the 3-2 Bucs. Davante Adams should be good to go by the time that game kicks off as he has had no setbacks this week.
3) Buffalo Bills (Prev: 3)
The Bills take on the Titans on Tuesday night and will then take on the Chiefs on Monday Night Football next week. If the Bills are able to win both games, they will solidify themselves as the team to beat in the AFC.
2) Kansas City Chiefs (Prev:1)
The Chiefs finally dropped a game, and with how they have looked this season, it’s not surprising that it finally happened. The Chiefs have been able to Houdini their way to some victories this season but were not so lucky against the Raiders who put up a whopping 40 points on them. Patrick Mahomes threw for 340 yards, but the rushing attack struggled throughout the game, which made it difficult for the Chiefs to put drives together. Next up, the Chiefs take on the Bills in a game that could be very impactful to the AFC’s number one seed.
1) Seattle Seahawks (Prev: 2)
They barely escaped with a victory, but the Seattle Seahawks are the new number one team in the NFL. Russell Wilson just keeps adding to his MVP storyline, this time leading a game-winning 13-play, 94-yard drive that took 1:42. He completed two huge fourth downs on the drive, including the game-winning touchdown to DK Metcalf with 13 seconds remaining. Metcalf finished the game with six catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
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Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.