Week 7 NFL Power Rankings (2019)

Heading into Week 7, panic is setting in for a lot of would-be contenders. The Cowboys and Rams are both on three-game losing streaks, while the Chargers, Falcons, Titans, Browns, and Eagles are greatly underachieving. And what is going on in Kansas City? Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers’ fanbase shouldn’t be worried, as their team went to Los Angeles and took care of business against the Rams for a huge division win that kept them undefeated.

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32) Miami Dolphins (Prev: 32)
The Dolphins very nearly pulled off a miracle after trailing 17-3 in the fourth quarter, but Kenyan Drake dropped a two-point conversion pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick, and thus, the Dolphins dropped to 0-5. Miami is officially in the driver’s seat for the number one overall pick in 2020.

31) Cincinnati Bengals (Prev: 29)
They might be the only team that can steal the first overall pick from Miami. The defense was terrible on Sunday, allowing Lamar Jackson to put up video game numbers that resulted in the NFL’s first 200-plus passing yard/150-plus rushing yard day by a quarterback.

30) Washington Redskins (Prev: 30)
Case Keenum looked much better as the Redskins escaped Miami with their first win. Terry McLaurin continues to look impressive with four catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Adrian Peterson turned back the clock with 23 carries and 118 yards.

29) Atlanta Falcons (Prev: 28)
Matt Bryant’s errant extra point late in the fourth quarter may prove to be the final nail in the Falcons’ coffin. The defense can’t stop anyone, to such an extent that Matt Ryan’s 30-36, 356-yard, and four-touchdown performance was wasted by giving up nearly as impressive numbers to rookie Kyler Murray.

28) Arizona Cardinals (Prev: 27)
Don’t look now, but the Cardinals are on a two-game winning streak. Kyler Murray put together his best full-game performance in the NFL, going 27-37 for 340 yards, three touchdowns, and zero turnovers.

27) New York Jets (Prev: 31)
What a difference the addition of Sam Darnold made. Did he come back early enough for the Jets to salvage their season? In his return, Darnold was 23-32 for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Remember, Luke Falk only threw for 416 yards total in three games.

26) New York Giants (Prev: 26)
The defense looked good against Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense, scoring a touchdown and forcing two turnovers, but the offense struggled mightily, turning the ball over four times and gaining just 213 total yards. Daniel Jones was just 15-31 for 161 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in the loss.

25) Los Angeles Chargers (Prev: 25)
The only good news for the Chargers is that the Chiefs keep losing, so they aren’t falling off the pace in the AFC West. But if we’re being honest, this team can’t be considering the playoffs at the moment. There are so many things to fix. They just lost a home Sunday Night Football game to an undrafted rookie quarterback, and at one point, trailed 24-0.

24) Tennessee Titans (Prev: 22)
The Titans made the switch from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill late in their loss to Denver in hopes that it would spark their stagnant offense. Tannehill was 13-16 for 144 yards and an interception. He wasn’t great, but he was better than Mariota, who posted a 9.5 QBR.

23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prev: 21)
Jameis Winston threw a career-high five interceptions as the Bucs got trounced in London on Sunday. The short fields that the turnovers gave the Panthers’ offense proved to be too much for the Tampa defense, which gave up only 268 yards but allowed 37 points.

22) Cleveland Browns (Prev: 20)
Everything looked great for the Browns in the first 15:06, and then it all fell apart as their 14-point lead quickly turned into a loss. Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions in the loss. He has thrown for an interception in all six games this season and has thrown multiple in three of them.

21) Denver Broncos (Prev: 24)
The Broncos are turning a corner. After Bradley Chubb tore his ACL, many thought the Broncos were done. But the defense has been incredible since, causing six turnovers in their last two games after zero in their first four. Now, they get a short week and will host a suddenly struggling Chiefs’ team in a Thursday night game. If they somehow find a way to win, they will only be one game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West.

20) Pittsburgh Steelers (Prev: 23)
The Steelers’ defense stepped up in a big way this week, forcing three turnovers and taking a fumble back for a touchdown. Devlin Hodges didn’t light up the stat sheet replacing Mason Rudolph, but his numbers were sound: 15-20 for 132 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In his first meaningful action of the season, Benny Snell Jr. had 75 yards rushing.

19) Jacksonville Jaguars (Prev: 18)
Gardner Minshew II finally looked like a rookie quarterback against the Saints’ tough defense. He had a season-low 48.3% completion percentage as the Jags gained just 226 yards of offense. The defense played well, giving up just 13 points despite again being without Jalen Ramsey.

18) Oakland Raiders (Prev: 19)
The bye week was a successful one for the Raiders, who sat at home and watched the Chiefs fall, which means they are tied in the loss column for first place in the AFC West. A win in Lambeau this week would prove that they are legitimate contenders.

17) Los Angeles Rams (Prev: 14)
The Rams are officially in trouble. They have lost three straight games and may have played their worst game of the season on Sunday. They are already three games behind San Francisco and two games behind Seattle in the loss column and have lost to both teams. The offense mustered only 157 yards of total offense in their loss to the 49ers Sunday.

16) Philadelphia Eagles (Prev: 10)
The Eagles’ secondary needs to solve their issues quickly, or it’s going to be a long season for the defense. Stefon Diggs had three touchdowns against them, two of which were over 50 yards.

15) Dallas Cowboys (Prev: 7)
After three straight losses, the Cowboys will host the Eagles this week in a matchup between two teams that are shocked to be 3-3. Jerry Jones is defending Jason Garett after the loss to the Jets, but questions are circling. The Jets had Darnold back, but that doesn’t account for how bad the Cowboys’ offense looked for the first three quarters on Sunday.

14) Baltimore Ravens (Prev: 15)
Lamar Jackson did it all on Sunday, throwing for 233 yards and rushing for 152. The defense, which has struggled in recent weeks, held the Bengals to 250 yards and just 33 on the ground.

13) Detroit Lions (Prev: 9)
The Lions could be 5-0, but instead, they find themselves at 2-2-1. They would have been ecstatic with this before the season began, but with how they’ve looked on the field, it’s disappointing. They thoroughly outplayed the Packers, yet couldn’t put the ball in the end zone, relying on five Matt Prater field goals. Next week in Minnesota feels like a must-win.

12) Carolina Panthers (Prev: 16)
Kyle Allen once again played mistake-free football, throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns, but the story of the game was without a doubt the Panthers’ defense. They turned over the Bucs’ offense seven times, including five interceptions of Jameis Winston. Next up is a bye week, followed by a date with San Francisco.

11) Chicago Bears (Prev: 13)
The Bears will come off their bye and take on the red-hot New Orleans Saints in what should be an old school defensive matchup. With a win, the Bears would solidify themselves in the NFC race.

10) Houston Texans (Prev: 17)
Carlos Hyde had a huge day with 116 yards and a touchdown as the Texans sprang the upset over the faltering Kansas City Chiefs. The defense started sluggishly, but they managed to clamp down and only give up seven points after surrendering up 17 in the first quarter.

9) Buffalo Bills (Prev: 12)
The Bills come off their bye as 16.5 point favorites over the lowly Dolphins. It’s the widest margin the Bills have been favored by since 1992.

8) Indianapolis Colts (Prev: 11)
The Colts had an extra week to celebrate after their Sunday night victory over the Chiefs, and they will now turn their attention to a home contest against the Texans where the winner will be in sole possession of first place in the AFC South.

7) Kansas City Chiefs (Prev: 4)
The Chiefs jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first quarter, and it looked like they may have righted the ship after their struggles over the previous two weeks. But then in the second quarter, the defense gave up 20 unanswered points, and the offense failed to move the ball at all. Defenses have figured out how to adjust to Patrick Mahomes, while the Chiefs’ defense has not adjusted to stopping the run yet.

6) Minnesota Vikings (Prev: 8)
Stefon Diggs and Kirk Cousins weren’t on the same page all season, but that all changed on Sunday when they connected seven times for 167 yards and three touchdowns in a matchup that could have a huge impact on the NFC playoff picture. After jumping out to a 24-3 lead, the Vikings staved off the Eagles’ comeback by scoring the last two touchdowns of the game.

5) Seattle Seahawks (Prev: 6)
They fell behind 20-6 early, but Russell Wilson was able to lead the Seahawks back to take a 32-28 win on the road in Cleveland. Wilson accounted for three touchdowns, and Chris Carson gashed the Browns’ defense for 124 yards and a touchdown. The defense forced four turnovers in the win.

4) San Francisco 49ers (Prev: 5)
How good is the 49ers’ defense? They held the Rams to just 157 yards of total offense and gave up only 10 first downs all game. They are now second in the league in yards allowed per game at 237.4 and have given up less than ten points in their last two games, against offenses that many considered to be high-powered before the season.

3) Green Bay Packers (Prev: 3)
The red zone defense was outstanding against Detroit on Monday night, allowing the Lions to score just one touchdown on three trips. The defense, in general, played a perfect mix of bend but don’t break, which held the Lions to just one touchdown and five field goals.

2) New Orleans Saints (Prev: 2)
The Saints are 4-0 since Drew Brees’ injury in Week 2. The New Orleans defense continues to play inspired football, while Teddy Bridgewater is playing mistake-free games to put the Saints in position to win. Since replacing Brees, Bridgewater has 1,089 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.

1) New England Patriots (Prev: 1)
The Patriots’ defense forced four turnovers and scored two touchdowns, one on a fumble recovery and the other on a blocked punt, in their Thursday night win. The offense surprisingly struggled against a porous Giants’ secondary, and had trouble finishing drives throughout. New England is still the undisputed leader of the power rankings, but they haven’t looked unbeatable this season, and they have been fortunate with a very easy schedule.

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