NFL Power Rankings: NFC powers move up as the West has the best teams. Can the AFC rally?

Another week, another installment of our NFL power rankings. Everyone is saying these are the best power rankings going, so let’s get to it.

1. Arizona Cardinals 6-0 (last week: No. 1)

The NFL’s last remaining unbeaten team has double-digit road wins against the Titans (4-2), Rams (5-1) and now Browns (3-3) who won a playoff game last season. Sunday’s game in Cleveland came without Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury, after he tested positive for COVID-19, and Arizona still won by 23 points. They have a cupcake game next week against Houston, but then Arizona will be tested again with a home tilt against the Packers and trip to Santa Clara to play the 49ers. Is this the team we’re betting on to win the Super Bowl? Probably not. But they’ve proven they deserve top billing right now.

2. Dallas Cowboys 5-1 (3)

Dak Prescott continued humming with a 445-yard performance Sunday on the road in New England to continue his stellar return from last season’s brutal ankle injury. The normally potent running game was limited to 3.9 yards per carry and Prescott proved he can win with his arm while second-year pro CeeDee Lamb is quickly turning into one of the best receivers in the league. The defense got another pick-six from standout corner Trevon Diggs and his insane interception rate isn’t likely to continue. But the Cowboys are making enough plays on that side of the ball to remain a real threat to get to the Super Bowl given all their play makers on offense.

3. Baltimore Ravens 5-1 (7)

Their 34-6 drubbing of the Chargers — who were ranked fourth last week — elevates them to the top of the AFC, paired with some losses from other teams at the top of the standings. The fact Baltimore won big without a great game from Lamar Jackson (167 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) says a lot about the defense, which limited Justin Herbert’s crew to 208 yards. The Ravens are the only one-loss team in the conference.

4. Los Angeles Rams 5-1 (6)

They bump up two spots thanks to a pair of teams ahead of them losing over the weekend. Matthew Stafford leads the NFL in QBR and is tops in passer rating (116.6) and yards per attempt (9.2) for quarterbacks who have started every game. L.A. gets two more snoozers against the Lions and Texans before hosting Tennessee and traveling to play the 49ers on Monday night, Nov. 15. A month later, they’ll get another shot against the Cardinals, also coming on a Monday night, Dec. 13.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-1 (5)

The team with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin got 15 catches and two touchdowns combined from Antonio Brown and O.J. Howard in Thursday’s win over the Eagles. Tom Brady has more than 2,000 yards in six games, which is not a made-up stat. Tampa Bay fell behind the Rams this week because they lost to L.A. earlier this year, which wasn’t weighted as heavily in last week’s rankings. Or I forgot. I can’t remember which.

6. Green Bay Packers 5-1 (9)

Aaron Rodgers owns the Bears. No, really, he still does. He threw just six incompletions in 23 attempts on Sunday and added a 6-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter to but Chicago away. Green Bay’s defense allowed fewer than 300 yards for the third time in four games and ranks fifth overall. After hosting Washington this week, the Packers will travel to Arizona and Kansas City. Perhaps the owner of Chicago can get us some Garrett Popcorn for those.

7. Buffalo Bills 4-2 (2)

A quarterback run on fourth-and-short that didn’t work? The Josh Allen and Trey Lance comparisons are getting out of hand. But seriously folks, the Bills are still Super Bowl contenders after losing a heart breaker in Nashville on Monday night. Allen threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns. The problem for Buffalo and their top ranked defense was allowing 7.2 yards per carry and three touchdowns to Derrick Henry, who leads the league in the advanced metric called “makes other players look like junior varsity.”

8. Los Angeles Chargers 4-2 (4)

We’re not off the Chargers’ bandwagon just yet after the bad loss in Baltimore. This is still a loaded roster with one of the best young quarterbacks in football. Just about every team has a game they sleepwalk through during the season. We’ll start to get worried about the Chargers if it happens again. They’ll sit on this loss during their bye before hosting the Patriots Week 8.

9. Kansas City Chiefs 3-3 (11)

The Chiefs are back in the win column with their win over Washington after dropping three of four to the Ravens, Chargers and Bills. K.C. thumped last year’s NFC East champions, 31-13, with a 397-yard performance from Mahomes whose league-leading 18 touchdown passes have been overshadowed by his eight interceptions (he had 11 the last two seasons combined). The defense is an issue, absolutely, but don’t count out the two-time conference champs just yet.

10. Cincinnati Bengals 4-2 (10)

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are going to grab the headlines, but Cincy’s defense ranks fifth in scoring and eighth overall. Now, they’ve only played one credible offense (Green Bay) to date, so Sunday’s trip to Baltimore will be awfully telling. Their upgrade to their new uniforms cannot be understated. They looked like a UFL team in their previous threads (sorry, Sacramento Mountain Lions fans).

11. Tennessee Titans 4-2 (12)

Titans fans should feel miffed about moving up just one spot after beating a team that ranked second last week. And yes, Henry is a Hall of Famer if he keeps up this ridiculous pace. But don’t forget, this team lost to the New York Jets.

12. Las Vegas Raiders 4-2 (14)

I’ll admit I didn’t have high hopes for Vegas going to Denver this week after the Jon Gruden fiasco. But they were impressive, thumping the Broncos, 34-24, on their home field with a 341-yard performance from Derek Carr against a very good defense. It might have been fueled with emotion, and it remains to be seen if interim coach Rich Bisaccia has staying power, but the Raiders aren’t going away just yet.

13. Cleveland Browns 3-3 (8)

They are very banged up and lost at home to the lone undefeated team in the NFL. But pound for pound, they still have one of the most-talented rosters in the NFL. They just need to get their guys healthy. That starts with a key game Thursday against the Broncos, who are also in the wild card mix.

14. Denver Broncos 3-3 (13)

The Broncos started out undefeated and have lost three straight since. Head coach Vic Fangio is at the ignoring-speculation-about-job-security portion of the season, which is never a great sign. If there’s good news, Denver gets a short week to play the banged-up Cleveland Browns, who were without a slew of players on Sunday and listed 20 players on their injury report Monday.

15. New Orleans Saints 3-2 (17)

If the season ended today (thankfully it does not, per sources), New Orleans would be in the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. Yep, the team that lost to the Giants and got blasted by the Panthers, 26-7, in Week 2 is somehow in the playoff mix. Which doesn’t speak to the NFC being all that strong at the moment. The Saints return from their bye to play the Seahawks on the road.

16. Minnesota Vikings 3-3 (19)

Speaking of meh teams currently in the playoff race, the Vikings are in the No. 7 seed after their overtime win in Carolina on Sunday, which they almost kicked away, literally. Aren’t we glad there are seven teams making the playoffs in each conference now? Don’t answer that.

17. San Francisco 49ers 2-3 (16)

It appears Jimmy Garoppolo is going to return to the starting lineup Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts after last week’s bye. Check back next week to find out if that’s good or bad for San Francisco.

18. Seattle Seahawks 2-4 (15)

Russell Wilson’s pregame workout was objectively hilarious. Who would have thought the guy willing to pose for this poster would be so into performative grinding while dealing with a finger injury? The Seahawks would be a lot lower based on Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, but Wilson’s eventual return still makes them a late-season threat.

19. New England Patriots 2-4 (No. 20)

How do you lose and move up in the standings? You go toe-to-toe with the second-ranked team here while your rookie quarterback continues to prove he belongs. Yes, there was a Kirk Cousins joke made in this space last week, and I’m sticking by it. Mac Jones is solid and might turn into a plus quarterback — which has been true about Cousins for years.

20. Carolina Panthers 3-3 (18)

Sam Darnold’s first three games: 99.0 passer rating. Sam Darnold’s last three games: 62.1 passer rating. You’ll be surprised to learn Carolina started 3-0 and has lost all three games since. Luckily they play the Falcons and Giants the next two weeks.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-3 (22)

Sorry, beating a team led by Geno Smith only moves you two spots up this list. On the bright side, T.J. Watt had two sacks, two tackles for loss and the game deciding forced fumble. He can play.

22. Chicago Bears 3-3 (21)

Matt Nagy, an offensive coach, is running the NFL’s 32nd-ranked offense in yards and 30th-ranked outfit in scoring. I get it, Justin Fields is a rookie. But it’s hard to feel good about anything Nagy has done aside from reluctantly making Fields the starter.

23. Philadelphia Eagles 2-4 (23)

A loss in Las Vegas on Sunday might mean the Eagles go from sneaky wild card threat to gearing up to pitch available quarterbacks in the offseason. It would hardly be a surprise if they’re in the running for Deshaun Watson, Rodgers or Wilson. Philly has four picks in the first two rounds next spring to offer.

24. Indianapolis Colts 2-4 (26)

A 31-3 win over the Houston Texans has to be worth something. In this case, it’s a bump up two spots in these power rankings. Let’s see how they do against the 49ers on Sunday night. It’s still a more talented roster than their record would indicate.

25. Washington 2-4 (24)

Taylor Heinicke just isn’t very good and the 31st-ranked defense is hugely disappointing. Aside from having the worst owner in the league, a horrendous stadium and no quarterback solution, things are awesome in D.C.

26. Atlanta Falcons 2-3 (25)

The NFL decided to send the Falcons and the Jets to play in London two weeks ago. On Sunday, it was the Jaguars and Dolphins. Does the league know the United Kingdom is one of our allies?

27. New York Giants 1-5 (28)

This is how bad things are at the bottom of the NFL right now. The Giants moved up a spot after their 27-point home loss to the Rams. GM Dave Gettleman’s tenure is going great.

28. New York Jets 1-4 (29)

The Jets return from their bye to play in New England, which beat them on their home field, 25-6, in Week 2.

29. Miami Dolphins 1-5 (27)

We’re to the point in the Dolphins seasons where another loss like Sunday’s to the Jaguars will lead to Ace Ventura references. Snowflake would never!

30. Houston Texans 1-5 (30)

Losers of five straight get a trip to Arizona this week. I don’t have a joke for how much this team stinks. I’ll think of one for next week.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-5 (32)

Urban Meyer is a flat-out winner!

32. Detroit Lions 0-6 (31)

Six games and no bitten knee caps. What are we even doing here?