National Football League

NFL Power Rankings: Bills on top, Giants climb; how far do Packers, 49ers fall?

Updated Oct. 18, 2022 3:04 p.m. ET

By David Helman
FOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Writer

It's always kind of the NFL to drop one of these weeks on us to remind everyone that we don't know anything.

Admittedly, Week 6 was not the most thrilling slate of games from beginning to end, but it sure as hell was one of the most surprising weekends of the year.

Across 14 games, the league's favorites went a measly .500 against the spread. More than that, though, several members of the upper echelon — Green Bay, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Baltimore — all suffered perplexing, embarrassing defeats.

It all adds to the theory that there's not much you can trust in this league, aside from two or three obvious contenders. Frustrating as that might be for dumb prognosticators like me, it makes for an entertaining Sunday.

Let's get into the Week 7 power rankings:

1. Buffalo Bills (5-1): No, the Bills are not the last unbeaten team in the NFL. But, for my money, this is currently the most dangerous team in the league, and it just added one of the best wins of the season to its résumé. This was everything we hoped to see from Buffalo in 2022: Josh Allen playing like an MVP, making plays with his arm and his legs while that Bills defense closes things down on Patrick Mahomes when it matters most. Sign me up for a January rematch.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0): Hate me if you must, Birds fans, but I favor the Bills' body of work just a tad more than the Eagles after Sunday. But it's close. Philly's defense was impressive in finally making Cooper Rush look like a backup. And while it would have been nice to see the Eagles pull away without letting Dallas back into the game, I was impressed by the way they put their foot on the gas when they needed to in the fourth quarter.

Explosive Bills or undefeated Eagles: Who's No. 1?

Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy and David Helman debate which team is the best team in the NFL after week 6.

3. Minnesota Vikings (5-1): It's amazing what simply stacking wins can do for you — especially in a year when few teams look capable of doing that. The Vikings aren't doing anything flashy, but they're winning. More importantly, they're winning consistently while the rest of their division struggles. They've already got a big victory over Green Bay, and the schedule looks manageable. Winning the division for the first time in five years is a realistic goal.

4. Kansas City Chiefs: (4-2): Don't worry, Chiefs. Y'all lost the regular-season meeting to Buffalo last year before bouncing back in the playoffs. Mahomes has earned the benefit of the doubt many times over, but you also can't ignore his two interceptions in such a tight game, especially with one of those coming in the end zone. If the Chiefs and Bills do meet again, Kansas City needs to find a way to pressure Allen more consistently.

5. New York Giants: (5-1): We keep dismissing the Giants' success, and they just keep winning. Sunday's win over Baltimore was more of the same scrappy stuff. The Ravens outgained the Giants almost two-to-one, but the Giants came away with two clutch takeaways in the fourth quarter to complete the rally. Who cares about style points? This team is currently tied for the second-best record in football.

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6. Cincinnati Bengals: (3-3): That looked more like the blueprint for Bengals success we got so used to last season. Joe Burrow bought himself time with his feet, even rushing for a touchdown, and found his big-time receivers for explosive plays. Cincinnati's defense wasn't amazing, but forcing four red-zone field goals made the difference in the game.

7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2): It's probably not good that the Chargers' player of the game was kicker Dustin Hopkins. But give the guy some credit for nailing four clutch kicks, including the game-winner, despite a bum hamstring. Not a memorable night for any other aspects of this Chargers team, but at least they came out on the winning end.

8. Dallas Cowboys (4-2): Rush finally ran up against a roadblock, but it's hard to fault the Cowboys too much for dropping a road game against one of the league's best teams. The defense played well, though maybe not up to its potential, against Philadelphia. And it helps to know that Dak Prescott's return from injury is finally on the horizon.

9. Baltimore Ravens (3-3): Is this team capable of protecting a lead? The Ravens have held a multiple-possession lead in the second half of all three of their losses, and they keep coming up with excruciating ways to blow them. This one falls pretty squarely on Lamar Jackson, who had an ugly interception and a fumble on his final two possessions to open the door for a feisty Giants team.

Lamar's pick costs Ravens

Baltimore let yet another lead pass them by as the Giants came back from a 10-point deficit to defeat them 24-20 in Week 6. Craig Carton and James Jones debate how much of the blame for this loss is on Lamar Jackson.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3): The Bucs' troubles on offense are starting to get more concerning. It's not early anymore, and they're healthier than they were a month ago. As of yet, it's not producing the expected results. On top of that, it's equally concerning to see Tampa's vaunted defense give up two huge third-down conversions to Mitch Trubisky in crunch time.

11. Miami Dolphins (3-3): Props to this Dolphins defense. Despite a less-than-ideal quarterback situation and a plethora of injured defenders, Miami made Minnesota fight for every yard and managed to keep the game close into the fourth quarter. Maybe it's cold comfort after a third-straight loss, but the word on the street is that Tua Tagovailoa might return this week against Pittsburgh.

12. San Francisco 49ers (3-3): Just when you think you're figuring this league out, games like Falcons-Niners happen. It's not just that San Francisco lost; the 49ers' nasty defense is now banged up and looked toothless against Atlanta's ground game, allowing 168 rushing yards. The Niners had yet to allow 20 points in a game prior to this one, and the Falcons made it look fairly easy.

13. Los Angeles Rams (3-3): Panthers-Rams was one of the most forgettable games of the year, but ask the defending champs if they care. The Rams are back at .500 and now have the bye week to get themselves healthy for the second half of the season. Nice job by the defense to not allow a touchdown, too.

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14. New England Patriots (3-3): The Browns and Lions might not be world-beaters, but it's still remarkable the Patriots have allowed just one touchdown across the last two weeks. Better yet, they're 2-0 despite starting third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe, who threw for 309 yards Sunday. This defense, combined with solid quarterback play, makes New England a tough out.

15. Tennessee Titans (3-2): Fun timing for a bye week. On a weekend where so many teams showed their warts, the Titans suddenly look better by comparison — for no reason other than they were idle.

16. New York Jets (4-2): It might be fun to call them the Baby Jets, but there are some dudes on this team. Considering all the big-time draft capital this team has held in recent years, it was fun to see guys like Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall dominate the Packers — and at Lambeau Field, no less. This has to be about as fun as it has felt to be a Jets fan in 10 years.

17. Green Bay Packers (3-3): Woof. There's a lot of season left, but it's hard to keep giving the Packers the benefit of the doubt. The offensive line is a mess, the skill players aren't up to snuff, Aaron Rodgers looks uncomfortable and the Green Bay defense isn't playing up to its talent level. We assume the Packers are good because that has been the case for three straight years. Here in the present, it's getting harder to justify that thought process.

Packers or Buccaneers?

LeSean McCoy weighs in on which team had the worse Week 6 loss.

18. Seattle Seahawks (3-3): Maybe Pete Carroll has been right this whole time. This is a quarterback-driven league, but the Seahawks are doing quite well for themselves by running the ball, limiting mistakes and playing solid defense. Is it enough to make them a contender? Maybe not. But the results have already been a lot better than most of us expected.

19. Atlanta Falcons (3-3): Write the Falcons off at your own risk. None of their three losses have been by more than six points, and now they've knocked off one of the NFC's better rosters in impressive fashion. It says a lot about Arthur Smith's coaching abilities that the Falcons continue to get favorable results despite lacking a truly efficient passing game.

20. Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1): The Colts spent most of the first month looking like one of the worst teams in the league, and all of a sudden, they're one of just a few AFC teams with a winning record. They're still not running the ball well, but Sunday was the first time we've seen the offensive line protect Matt Ryan well enough for him to look like the guy we remember from Atlanta.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4): The early promise of September is slipping away. The end of Sunday's loss to the Colts was particularly back-breaking, as the Jaguars allowed Matt Ryan to convert three third downs en route to a last-minute win. In three of four losses this season, Jacksonville has held a fourth-quarter lead.

22. Las Vegas Raiders (1-4): Everything feels better after a week off, but this week might set the tone for the rest of the Raiders' season. Houston hasn't been an easy out for anyone this year; the Texans also might be the most manageable opponent left on the schedule. Big opportunity to get the season back on the rails.

Nick's early AFC playoff picture

With Week 6 wrapping up, Nick Wright shares his early AFC playoff picture. The Bills, Chiefs, Bengals and Ravens are all clear contenders, but the remaining spots become more competitive.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4): Welcome to the unpredictability of the NFL. The Steelers started a rookie quarterback against Tampa Bay. Injury forced them to replace him with Mitch Trubisky — who they had already benched. If that wasn't enough, they fielded a devastated defense that didn't have Minkah Fitzpatrick or T.J. Watt or their three best corners. Largely thanks to some great red-zone defense and a clutch final drive by Trubisky, they pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season. Weird league.

24. New Orleans Saints (2-4): This Saints team feels like a poster child for the razor-thin margin of the NFL. After watching Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase steal a win inside the final two minutes, the Saints have now seen victory in their sights in the fourth quarter in three of their four losses. Injury luck hasn't been on their side, but this is a team that hasn't been able to combine solid parts into a whole result.

25. Arizona Cardinals (3-3): Be honest; other than hoping their very athletic quarterback can make magic happen from a broken situation, what do the Cardinals do well? Kyler Murray ran for 100 yards against Seattle in addition to his 222 passing yards, but it felt hollow on a day when a blocked punt provided their only touchdown. Maybe DeAndre Hopkins and Robbie Anderson can help, but everything about Arizona looks rough right now.

26. Cleveland Browns (2-4): Granted, the Browns have dealt with injuries this season. But how is a defense with this much talent playing this poorly? The Patriots were starting a rookie quarterback in his third career appearance, and they put up 400 yards of offense. True, a lot of that falls on the offense for turning the ball over four times. But there's supposed to be too much talent on that defense to see Zappe throw up 38 points.

27. Detroit Lions (1-4): Shut out last week, idle this week. Detroit has slipped about as far off the radar as possible. That might change in Week 7, as Prescott is targeting Sunday's Cowboys-Lions game as his likely return from a thumb injury. Between that and the Lions' own offensive ability, fireworks could be incoming.

28. Denver Broncos (2-4): The Broncos had 130 total yards and 10 points after two possessions Monday night. Across the next nine possessions, they managed just 128 yards and six points in another overtime loss. It's a shame, too, because this defense played a great game against the Chargers. Clearly, Denver is going nowhere fast if Russell Wilson and this offense can't figure something out.

29. Washington Commanders (2-4): Welcome back, Taylor Heinicke. Word came down Monday that Carson Wentz will miss four to six weeks after having surgery. Having watched Washington's offense under Wentz these last few weeks, maybe there's reason to hope Heinicke can enter and inspire better play — similar to the way he did during Washington's 2020 run to the playoffs.

30. Houston Texans (1-3-1): The Texans stay put on their bye, but the big news of their week is the decision Monday to part ways with executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby.

31. Chicago Bears (2-4): It feels cruel that we have to watch the Bears on Monday Night Football just one week after this Thursday night debacle. Credit to Justin Fields scrambling his way into scoring position against Washington, but it doesn't offset another woeful night on offense. Not to mention, a muffed punt set the stage for Chicago to give up the lead in the first place. There's just not much this team does well.

32. Carolina Panthers (1-5): The biggest disaster in the NFL finds ways to get worse. This week, interim head coach Steve Wilks had to kick his own receiver out of the game. A mere 18 hours later, Robbie Anderson was traded to Arizona. As for the actual team, the Panthers threw for 60 yards with PJ Walker replacing Baker Mayfield. Carolina's only touchdown of the day came from its defense. It's not great.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.