WCG’s Week 7 NFL Power Rankings: The two idle teams take the top spots

The 2024 NFL regular season is flying along. Week 6 has come and gone and with that, we’re starting to get some clarity on how the playoff picture might shake out in January. The top two teams on this list enjoyed an early Week 6 bye. You’ll also notice four NFC North teams within the first 12 spots. While it might seem crazy, they have dominated the league with a 17-5 record. They also hold the top four point differentials in the league. Without further ado, let’s dive into Week 7’s Power Rankings.

1. Minnesota Vikings (5-0)

The two top spots on this list are teams that were sitting idle in Week 6. Let’s call this what it is: The Vikings have been the league’s most dominant team through six weeks. Their defense is playing at a high level under Brian Flores and Kevin O’Connell has Sam Darnold looking like a Top 10 quarterback. The bottom might fall out at some point but until it does, their (+67) point differential is all the proof I need to see they are currently the top dog.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)

It’ll be interesting to see how the Chiefs respond to what Buffalo and the New York Jets did in the trade market at receiver. Right now, Patrick Mahomes’ numbers might not be elite but his play still is. This is a team built for January and February. They’ll find a way to keep it together and continue to have unlikely contributors chip in on the offensive side of the ball. If Minnesota weren’t so dominant, they would hold the top spot.

3. Detroit Lions (4-1)

Coming into the season, I had my doubts about whether or not the Lions could sustain last year’s success. So far, they appear to be on pace to be a better team. The offense continues to play at a high level. Defensively, they are doing enough to justify calling them “improved”. Their 47-9 drubbing of Dallas was a sign that while the Cowboys might be struggling, Detroit is no joke. They’ll be put to the test in Week 7 when they face the Vikings.

4. Houston Texans (5-1)

If there were any doubts as to whether or not second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud could replicate his success as a rookie, those qualms can be put to bed. The Texans are a powerhouse and it would not shock me to see them end up as the No. 1 seed. Their schedule does toughen up a bit this weekend when they head to Green Bay but this is a well-rounded team with plenty of star power.

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5. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

After losing their opening two games, the Ravens have found their swagger. The offense is out-rushing opposing teams by over 800 yards, and Lamar Jackson is, well... damn good. The defense is still trying to regain their elite status, but similar to the Chiefs’ offense, there’s no reason to believe they won’t correct course soon enough.

6. Green Bay Packers (4-2)

If you haven’t caught on by now, the NFC North is a gauntlet. Not only do they hold the best combined divisional record in the league, but all four teams have winning records and rank one through four in point differential through four games. Green Bay started slow but they have found their sea legs. They dominated an upstart Arizona team that appeared to stand no chance from the opening minutes of the game. Jordan Love continues to prove he’s the real deal. The NFC North chase might come down to the final few weeks of the season.

7. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Following a close 23-20 victory on the road against the Jets on Monday Night Football, the Bills went out and addressed a big need. They traded a third-round pick to the Browns for Amari Cooper (and a Day 3 2026 draft selection). With Cooper in the mix, this receiving corps should be enough to get Josh Allen back on an MVP pace. Last year, many wrote this team off. This year, it was more of the same. They might not be as strong as they have been but they are still the best the AFC East has to offer.

8. Atlanta Falcons (4-2)

Is this going to be the first time in a few years that we see a double-digit winner take the NFC South crown? It sure seems that way. The Falcons got off to a slow start, but veteran Kirk Cousins is rounding back into form, and it’s showing on the field. They won a close game against Tampa Bay a few weeks ago and pulled away from Carolina late in Week 6. There’s plenty of talent on this roster, so as long as Cousins stays healthy, it’s hard not to imagine them pushing for a division title in early January.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)

Similar to Atlanta, the Bucs appear to have taken a step forward in 2024. The offense continues to hum along, despite losing Dave Canales during the offseason. The defense is giving more than fans would like to see, but this is a well-built football team. They’ll go as far as Baker Mayfield can take them, but for now, this seems like a two-team race for the NFC South crown.

Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)

Despite a (4-2) start, head coach Mike Tomlin appears to be leaning in the direction of handing a “healthy” Russell Wilson the starting quarterback job. Justin Fields has played well, but his last two performances have left plenty to be desired. His efficiency as a passer has gone down, and while I don’t agree with it, I can see why Tomlin wants to find out if this offense can untap more potential. With an elite defense to help keep them in every game, they’ve got some time to figure out who is going to be their starter down the stretch.

11. Washington Commanders (4-2)

Head coach Dan Quinn has the Commanders playing like one of the league’s most improved teams through six weeks. They hit a roadblock on Sunday against the Ravens but showed that they belonged. 2nd overall pick Jayden Daniels has played at an extremely high level, which has given them one of the league’s best offenses thus far. Their defense had some glaring needs, and now, without Jonathan Allen for the final 11 games, the road to a winning season became a bit more challenging. The next month (or so) will be vastly important to Washington’s playoff hopes.

12. Chicago Bears (4-2)

Chicago is a primary example of allowing a season to get more than a few games into the swing of it before making sweeping judgments. After two weeks, some had written off No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams as a bust. Their offense struggled to move the ball, but they’re starting to figure it out. They hold the league’s weakest strength of schedule but have back-to-back blowouts to their name. The “second half” of the season will be when they are truly tested. For now, they’ve exceeded expectations.

13. San Francisco 49ers (3-3)

Health has been a huge issue in San Francisco through the first month. Christian McCaffrey’s calf/Achilles issues have not been fully resolved, and the injuries on defense are piling up. Despite that, they could very easily be (5-1) if not for a pair of blown leads in the fourth quarter. This team has far too much talent not to figure it out. Assuming CMC comes back, they’ll hit their stride in the second half of the season and likely run away with the NFC West.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)

The Eagles are a hard team to figure out. If not for the Commanders’ hot start, fans might be a little more patient in letting them right the ship. Instead, they’ve got to put their foot on the gas soon and not look back. They struggled to put away a bad Browns team but are getting healthy with names like AJ Brown returning after missing multiple games. Something doesn’t feel quite right in Philadelphia, but the talent is there.

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

15. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)

Is anyone surprised that Jim Harbaugh has the Chargers playing above their heads? I’m sure as heck not. It hasn’t always been pretty, but they are playing Harbaugh ball and came out of their bye week with a winning record. As quarterback Justin Herbert gets healthier, I would expect his game-to-game production to go up. In the meantime, they can continue to rely on their run game and defense to help them win games. The AFC is not as advertised, so there’s a real shot at a playoff appearance if they continue to trend in the right direction.

16. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)

The start of the Mike MacDonald tenure couldn’t have gone much better with a (3-0) start. Especially with the 49ers struggling. Yet, three weeks later, they find themselves back at .500 and looking for answers. This is a quality team with a promising young head coach, but consistency is something they’ll need to find. Geno Smith might lead the league in passing yards but the turnovers need to come down if they are going to find wins consistently. Their next four games might define their season.

17. Indianapolis Colts (3-3)

Rough starts and the Colts seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. After an (0-2) start and losing Anthony Richardson for a few games, it would have been easy to write them off. They reeled off two in a row before splitting their last two games with Joe Flacco under center. The defense needs to continue to improve, but their season will be defined by Richardson’s Year 2 development. The good news: Flacco is a good option off the bench if things go poorly in Richardson’s return.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)

Full disclosure: The Bengals were my AFC Super Bowl pick this year. While that hasn’t looked very good after six games, they seem to be figuring it out. With a weaker-than-expected AFC, it’s not unrealistic to see them claw their way back into the playoff race. If the defense can continue to play the way they did on Sunday night, there’s no reason to believe they can’t real off a sustainable winning streak and get back into the race.

19. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)

Getting blown out at home is never a good thing. Doing it on your owner’s birthday? God bless Mike McCarthy. So far, the season has not gone as expected in Dallas. Their lack of action in free agency was expected but this is a team that has some glaring holes. It’s even worse with Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence not on the field. A 47-9 result should never happen, but they are still right in the mix. I’m just not convinced they can figure this out in enough time.

Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

20. Denver Broncos (3-3)

It hasn’t been pretty in Denver, but somehow, they find themselves at .500 with a rookie quarterback. A big reason for that: is a defensive resurgence. Fans can expect a rollercoaster on offense for the remainder of this season, but if their defense can consistently hold opponents to under 20 points per game, they should have a chance to win most of them. We’ll see how much of Bo Nix’s development is tied to the team’s overall success down the stretch.

21. New York Jets (2-4)

The return of Aaron Rodgers has not gone nearly as planned. After a disappointing loss in London, owner Woody Johnson opted to fire head coach Robert Saleh. Following another crushing loss, they chose to trade a third-round selection for Davante Adams. The two former Packers will reunite once again in New York but is it too little too late? For a two-win team, they sure are entertaining!

22. New Orleans Saints (2-4)

After the opening two weeks of the season, it would have been easy to crown the Saints as the best team in football. They had two blowout wins to their name and quarterback Derek Carr was playing some of the best football of his career. Since that point, they’ve lost four straight. Carr is week-to-week with an oblique injury and they just gave up 51 points to the Bucs. The ceiling was almost limited in New Orleans but I’m expecting the floor to drop out soon. On the bright side, this is a great opportunity to see what Spencer Rattler can do...

23. Arizona Cardinals (2-4)

Following a comeback win against the 49ers in Week 5, many felt like their bold predictions of the Cardinals being a surprise playoff team were on the verge of becoming a reality. That was until the Packers brought them back down to reality. Long-term, there’s a lot to like about Arizona. They are a young team and play hard. In the short term, it’s reasonable to expect more growing pains, with some flashes of excitement. They are probably still a year (or two) away, and that’s OK.

24. Los Angeles Rams (1-4)

Some might think I’m crazy for putting the Rams so high, but I think they’ve played better than most of the teams below them. Sure, they have one win, but they are also about to get back a few key offensive weapons. Their bad start will likely keep them out of the playoffs, but I don’t see many scenarios where they turn out to be an easy win for any team over the final 12 games of this season.

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

25. New York Giants (2-4)

Many Giants fans are still waiting for the magic of 2022 to return. Making the playoffs and riding that high might end up being the downfall of this current regime. In fairness to head coach Brian Daboll, he has his team playing better than I would have expected. After losing Andrew Thomas for the year and not playing consistently through six weeks, I’m just not sure how high this team’s ceiling can be. The next few weeks could be critical to how they choose to handle the trade deadline in early November.

26. Miami Dolphins (2-3)

Without a healthy Tua behind center, it’s hard to imagine the Dolphins winning many games down the stretch. They were able to beat up a bad Patriots team but if that game were a week later, I’m not sure the result would have been the same. They’re going to have to rely on their defense and run game to help them win games because the production from both backup quarterbacks has not been there. Barring a return to play soon for the team’s top quarterback, it’s hard to imagine things improving.

27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)

The quarterback situation is a mess. Christian Wilkins is done for the year. Adams shipped off to New York. The frustration surrounding the Raiders organization continues to grow, and understandably so. Their offseason approach didn’t make much sense. They failed to properly address the quarterback spot, which makes any other moves (including giving Wilkins huge money in free agency) null and void. Pierce was a great story last season, but this feels like a situation that could degrade very quickly with a few more ugly losses.

28. New England Patriots (1-5)

The Patriots might be in transition, but Drake Maye’s opening performance was one to get excited for. Sure, he had a pair of interceptions but he also had three touchdowns and some impressive throws in his first NFL start. The offensive line continues to be a primary concern, and the talent just isn’t there, but if Maye proves to be the answer by the end of 2024, this season will have been a success.

29. Tennessee Titans (1-4)

Chasing Mike Vrabel out the door, just to hand Will Levis the starting job at quarterback has already proven to be a questionable decision. Tennessee’s defense is legit. The problem: Their offense is not. A lot of that starts behind center. Levis has plenty of arm talent, but his decision-making can leave fans awestruck. With a better quarterback, this could be a .500 team or better. Considering their current situation, wins might be hard to come by.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)

With a loss on Sunday, it’s not hard to see head coach Doug Pederson being let go as soon as their flight touches down in Jacksonville on Monday. This team has far too much talent to be playing as poorly as they’ve shown. Pederson’s coordinator hires have been questionable at best, and the entire defense looks lost. Despite the owner’s words, this entire regime is skating on very thin ice. Don’t be surprised to see them be one of the bigger sellers at the deadline.

31. Carolina Panthers (1-5)

I debated putting them in the last spot, but quarterback Andy Dalton has brought their offense back to respectability. To be perfectly blunt, there’s not a lot of hope in Carolina. Canales was hired with “fixing” Bryce Young in mind. After two games, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick was benched. Derrick Brown was lost for the year, and despite better offensive production, they aren’t overly competitive. Part of me wonders if Canales is regretting taking the job, especially when owner David Tepper has shown to have a quick trigger finger when making sweeping decisions.

32. Cleveland Browns (1-5)

At this point, I refuse to believe that head coach Kevin Stefanski is the one wanting to stick with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Off-the-field issues aside, the Watson trade might end up going down as the worst in league history. Since coming over from Houston, he’s been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league by most metrics. The writing is on the wall in Cleveland, hence Amari Cooper being traded earlier on Tuesday. Don’t be surprised to see sweeping changes in the upcoming months. The biggest issue: Watson’s contract is fully guaranteed and cost them in a big way for the next three years. Good luck to whoever takes over that situation...