Welcome back to the Power Rankings: Week 6 edition. We’re starting to get to the point where the top spots become a little bit less fun—Chiefs purists not only mandate that everyone shake Patrick Mahomes’s hand after the game and be grateful for the opportunity, but also that they be No. 1 or close to it each week when public discourse aligns with the fact that they’re just figuring it out and will still make the Super Bowl. But the upper tier still has some serious party crashing going on. Tampa Bay is currently weathering its attrition and still winning difficult games, while the Colts’ schedule doesn’t get wicked until much closer to Thanksgiving.

So, for now, they’re allowed to party crash and bother the stalwarts.

Let’s light this candle, shall we?

Last week’s ranking: No. 12
Last week’s result: beat Lions, 30–17
This week: vs. Raiders

I think it’s dumb that fans are freaking out about the Chiefs having no penalties called against them on Sunday night. I can also think it’s dumb that the Chiefs had no penalties called against them on Sunday night. This, in conjunction with what happened in New Orleans, could be tinder for our next phase of referee outrage in 2025.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Last week’s result: beat 49ers, 30–19
This week: at Lions

Column on the Baker Mayfield MVP campaign, which has really kicked into high gear following Buffalo’s stumble in Atlanta on Monday night.

Last week’s ranking: No. 8
Last week’s result: beat Jaguars, 20–12
This week: vs. Texans

Getting rid of DK Metcalf, who was in need of an extension, makes a lot of sense now that I’m trying to calculate what the Seahawks are going to have to pay Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a few months. And, if he holds as the most efficient QB in the NFL and maybe wants a raise after his prove-it, pay-as-you-go contract, Sam Darnold, too.

4. Indianapolis Colts (5–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Last week’s result: beat Cardinals, 31–27
This week: at Chargers

This is a Daniel Jones stat:

No Colts team through six weeks has scored this many points (194)…ever! (h/t The Athletic).

Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Last week’s result: lost to Chiefs, 30–17
This week: vs. Buccaneers

Here’s Jared Goff going in depth about the incredibly disappointing (and possibly suspicious) touchdown the Lions got called back. One feature of SkyJudge in the future can be forcing the officials who might throw a flag on a cool play like this into temporary paralysis. AI can do anything, man.

6. Buffalo Bills (4–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Last week’s result: lost to Falcons, 24–14
This week: idle

Ok, now it’s time to point out that the four teams Buffalo has beaten so far this season have a combined three wins. A sloppy, pedestrian performance against Atlanta capped by a failed potential pick-six at the end of the game doesn’t raise major big-picture questions—but it does give the Bills their very own Chiefs look-in-the-mirror-moment.

Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Last week’s result: lost to Giants, 34–17
This week: at Vikings

I’m curious to see how Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo responds now that he has a healthy sample size of games under his belt and a clear set of tendencies that he’s created. His own players are calling for more variety and are getting the feel that defenses know what’s coming. That sentiment has been no doubt shared with Patullo. It’s his job to break those tendencies with the mini-bye on tap.

8. Los Angeles Rams (4–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Last week’s result: beat Ravens, 17–3
This week: at Jaguars

Jared Verse shutting down Derrick Henry at the goal line was such a massive play considering how little the Rams were getting out of the offense. Winning that game gives the Rams enough of a cushion to not force Puka Nacua back on the field before he needs to be.

Last week’s ranking: No. 13
Last week’s result: beat Bengals, 27–18
This week: at Cardinals

Jordan Love iced the game with an absolutely beautiful throw against the Bengals. Amid this season of QB injury and uncertainty, he’s right up there with Baker Mayfield in the MVP hemisphere. Behind Sam Darnold, he’s the second-most efficient quarterback int he NFL right now.

Jordan Love Sicko Throw of the Week™ pic.twitter.com/hVih2jDTmX

— Jacob Morley (@JacobMorley) October 13, 2025

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (4–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 14
Last week’s result: beat Browns, 23–9
This week: at Bengals

I give Mike Tomlin a lot of credit for saying what he did about the Browns trading Joe Flacco to the Bengals. I think a lot of coaches are probably tired of Cleveland riding the razor’s edge of strategic non-competitiveness. Here’s a story about cash payments they made to coaches for playing more younger players, spending less cash and having more draft picks.

Last week’s ranking: No. 11
Last week’s result: beat Jets, 13–11
This week: vs. Giants

The Broncos aren’t wowing anyone but also haven’t needed to. The Philadelphia win was incredibly important to a team that faces the Giants, Cowboys, Texans and Raiders over the next month. Let’s not act surprised when Sean Payton is sitting at 8–2 heading into a Week 11 matchup against the Chiefs.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (4–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 15
Last week’s result: beat Dolphins, 29–27
This week: vs. Colts

One of my favorite parts of the Chargers’ victory was Jim Harbaugh pulling yet another sentimental running back name from my past. Nyheim Hines returning this kickoff, appearing in a game for the first time in like three seasons, was totally awesome.

Former NC State RB Nyheim Hines hadn’t played in a regular season NFL game since Jan. 8, 2022 before being activated by the Chargers today.

His 40-yard kickoff return was the spark to set up a game-winning FG drive. Things you love to see. pic.twitter.com/Yl68DRGdUj

— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) October 12, 2025

Last week’s ranking: No. 10
Last week’s result: lost to Seahawks, 20–12
This week: vs. Rams

Trevor Lawrence is 0–22 as a Jaguars starter when his team does not force a turnover. While this is a loaded statistic and includes a stretch of absolutely disastrous Urban Meyer-led football, it does support the notion that this team was leaning heavily on all of the extra possessions provided by Anthony Campanile’s defense.

14. San Francisco 49ers (4–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Last week’s result: lost to Buccaneers, 30–19
This week: vs. Falcons

A stunning and incredible eagle-eye observation from 49ers reporter Cam Inman: On the play that Fred Warner was injured, the 49ers only had 10 players on the field and were missing a defensive lineman. The Buccaneers ran right at the missing lineman.

Last week’s ranking: No. 17
Last week’s result: beat Saints, 25–19
This week: at Titans

In the last few weeks, the Bills have fallen off a cliff. The North Carolina Bills have sunk to an unfathomable level of embarrassment and incompetence, while the Patriots overcame a poorly officiated game to swerve into first place in the division. The autumn of Robert Kraft is truly upon us.

16. Washington Commanders (3–3)

Last week’s ranking: No. 12
Last week’s result: lost to Bears, 25–24
This week: at Cowboys

This was not a great Jayden Daniels game, but I think we can all agree that it was also not a great Commanders defensive performance, which was obviously more costly. We’re going to get Daniels on nights—especially in a nor’easter—-when he cannot be Superman. We cannot, however, depend on Washington to outscore its opponents so regularly without some help.

Last week’s ranking: No. 19
Last week’s result: beat Commanders, 25–24
This week: vs. Saints

Yes, a Bears game populated with some miscues, that also hinged on a slippery botched handoff from Jayden Daniels, also contained quite possibly the most important news: The Bears’ run game has been fixed. And that, more than any other narrative from Monday, means the most to a Ben Johnson offense.

18. Atlanta Falcons (3–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 23
Last week’s result: beat Bills, 24–14
This week: at 49ers

While we’re going to talk about the big night from Bijan Robinson, this truly wouldn’t be possible with a beautifully YOLO game plan from Jeff Ulbrich and the Falcons defense, which sent extra rushers against Josh Allen when most teams are absolutely horrified to do it. Allen looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Last week’s ranking: No. 16
Last week’s result: idle
This week: vs. Eagles

Now we wait and see whether Kevin O’Connell will give us what we truly want: the Carson Wentz revenge game against a reeling Eagles team. I understand J.J. McCarthy is back, but Carson Wentz may have won over the team after a gutsy performance in London. What’s the harm in giving him one more week specifically for my amusement?

20. Houston Texans (2–3)

Last week’s ranking: No. 18
Last week’s result: idle
This week: at Seahawks

Houston’s get-right campaign saw wins over the now coachless Titans and banged-up Ravens. Now, in a 7 p.m. local start time road game against Seattle on Monday, Houston gets to truly measure itself.

Last week’s ranking: No. 26
Last week’s result: beat Cowboys, 30–27
This week: at Jets

Rico Dowdle had 84 yards from scrimmage leading into the last two weeks of the season and is now one of the five leading backs in the NFL in terms of total scrimmage yards. While playing Miami and Dallas in back-to-back weeks doesn’t hurt, who on earth cannot possibly love this brewing subplot to the 2025 season?

22. Cincinnati Bengals (2–4)

Last week’s ranking: No. 24
Last week’s result: lost to Packers, 27–18
This week: vs. Steelers

The Bengals, in terms of EPA, got the best quarterbacked game it has seen all season from Joe Flacco. Flacco was not even in the top 10 in average snap-to-throw time on Sunday and managed to get out of that game with just one sack against a Micah Parsons team. I think we can tuck away that “statue” narrative for a while.

Last week’s ranking: No. 21
Last week’s result: lost to Rams, 17–3
This week: idle

Lost in the fact that the Ravens are injury riddled is the fact that players who are healthy are also not playing very well. There was a distinct lack of presence from Baltimore’s lead dogs in the trenches, which is especially disappointing given that the Ravens had chances to win this game and improve their pre-bye prospects.

24. Dallas Cowboys (2–3–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 20
Last week’s result: lost to Panthers, 30–27
This week: vs. Commanders

Here’s an interesting comment from Rex Ryan on the state of the Cowboys defense. It’s interesting because I wonder if Ryan would be a person Brian Schottenheimer would turn to in an attempt to fix it. Schottenheimer was Ryan’s offensive coordinator during the Jets’ back-to-back AFC title game runs.

Last week’s ranking: No. 29
Last week’s result: beat Eagles, 34–17
This week: at Broncos

Jaxson Dart was fourth in total EPA this week behind Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes and Drake Maye. If nothing else, this team provided a wound-tight fanbase with an unbelievable exorcism against Philadelphia on Thursday night. Avoiding embarrassment against the Broncos could keep the good vibes rolling.

26. Arizona Cardinals (2–4)

Last week’s ranking: No. 22
Last week’s result: lost to Colts, 31–27
This week: vs. Packers

This is the singular, devastating stat of Sunday. Is this an avenue for Jonathan Gannon to explore life without Kyler?

Jacoby Brissett threw for 320 yards and 2 TDs today.

The last time Kyler Murray did that was 34 games and nearly three years ago (Week 8, 2022).

— Pat Thorman (@Pat_Thorman) October 12, 2025

Last week’s ranking: No. 28
Last week’s result: beat Titans, 20–10
This week: at Chiefs

Many people have players who, no matter what information you hear about them or how middling their PFF grade is, will never believe that player is anything less than awesome. For me, that person is Jackson Powers-Johnson. I just love watching that guy play football.

28. New Orleans Saints (1–5)

Last week’s ranking: No. 27
Last week’s result: lost to Patriots, 25–19
This week: at Chicago

The Saints feel like a stock you should be buying. Outside of one game, there have been no blowouts, few egregious coaching errors, developing younger players, non-embarrassing quarterback play. If Kellen Moore can pull this and the No. 1 pick off somehow, I’d treat that as an unbelievable coup.

Last week’s ranking: No. 31
Last week’s result: lost to Chargers, 29–27
This week: at Browns

The Dolphins are fortunate that Tennessee is taking up a lot of air right now. While I was correct in my assumption that Tagovailoa was probably speaking while still upset and didn’t properly couch the difference between a players-only meeting (very serious) and a players-only voluntary film session (happens all the time), the fact remains that he opened an unclosable box. This was a last stand maneuver that did not reflect well on the head coach, and certainly did not reflect well on the quarterback, whose teammates apparently don’t respect him enough to show up to these film sessions.

30. Cleveland Browns (1–5)

Last week’s ranking: No. 25
Last week’s result: lost to Steelers, 23–9
This week: vs. Dolphins

Albert Breer brought up an excellent point on our MMQB podcast Monday episode. After I’d suggested that Dillon Gabriel would get hurt playing behind that offensive line after a massacre at the hands of Pittsburgh, he cautioned that it would soon be Shedeur Sanders time. It’s more than likely going to be a Deshaun Watson trial run.

Last week’s ranking: No. 30
Last week’s result: lost to Raiders, 20–10
This week: vs. Patriots

The Titans are now in interim head coach territory. Here is my most current list of best candidates, leading with Arthur Smith as one of the lead dogs in the clubhouse.

32. New York Jets (0–6)

Last week’s ranking: No. 32
Last week’s result: lost to Broncos, 13–11
This week: vs. Panthers

Aaron Glenn is going to remain in New York so long as he’s able to convince Woody Johnson that the Jets are on a similar trajectory as Dan Campbell’s Lions, which endured a three-win season without a victory until the ninth game of the year. The issue, however, is that Campbell’s earnestness and finesse at the podium did not follow Glenn to Florham Park. His end of half charade—followed by a puzzling explanation, followed by chiding a reporter for daring to ask if Justin Fields (after a dreadful performance) should be benched, followed by a day after presser in which he admitted Fields wasn’t playing well—simply isn’t going to fly.

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