Moorhead’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 7

Well we finally have a new team at the bottom of my power rankings. It only took seven weeks for it to happen. In other news, some teams have shifted around, and others that had byes are slowly coming back to take on the new week. Who is where, and why do you care? Let’s get into it!

#32

Detroit Lions (0-6)

Previous Rank – 31

The Lions had an opportunity to knock off the Bengals last week, but man oh man did they disappoint. Jared Goff looks terrible out there making bad decisions and bad throws. It also doesn’t help that Amon Ra-St. Brown is the best option besides Hockenson, but their defense has also stunk. They’ll try to break free from being the only team not to have a win this season, but to do that they’ll have to knock off the Rams.

#31

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)

Previous Rank – 32

Hooray for Jacksonville! They finally got a win under their belt at the expense of the Miami Dolphins in London. Does this change anything about them? Hell no. This team still has lightyears to go if they are going to be good this season, and I just don’t see it happening. They barely beat the Dolphins as it came down to a last second field goal. Luckily for them, they can’t lose this week because their team is on a bye.

#30

Houston Texans (1-5)

Previous Rank – 30

If there was a way I could put the Texans lower on this list than I would have, but they beat Jacksonville, and Detroit hasn’t won a game. This performance against the Colts was quite sad. Davis Mills honestly looked like Nathan Peterman out there throwing picks and making bad reads. This defense also gave up 31 points to the Colts. This team has its issues, and they need to start to get corrected as they’ll go up against the only team without a loss; the Arizona Cardinals.

#29

New York Jets (1-4)

Previous Rank – 29

If we are talking Nathan Peterman clones then my god we have Zach Wilson and the Jets. He is the very embodiment of Christmas folks. He likes giving more than receiving. That guy has thrown so many picks this season it is almost like he is trying to break Manning’s rookie interception record. He and the Jets will have another tough one this week as they face a team they already lost to; the New England Patriots. Don’t forget folks, Zach Wilson threw four interceptions in that contest.

#28

New York Giants (1-5)

Previous Rank – 28

The Giants are a mess man. Their whole team is injured, and Daniel Jones off a concussion probably played the worst game of his career. He got picked off three times, and he didn’t throw a single touchdown. Granted most of his top weapons are out, and even Kadarius Toney got hurt again in this one, but they have to be better man. Things are not gonna look any easier for them though as they will have to take on the Carolina Panthers this week.

#27

Miami Dolphins (1-5)

Previous Rank – 27

I would love to move these guys down, but honestly I still believe their team is better than those listed prior despite losing to one of them. That’s right people. The Dolphins were the ones to break the Jaguars losing streak as they suffered a close loss to them in London. I am not sure what’s wrong here, but the good news is that Tua is back. He looked good against the Jaguars, but again they are the Jaguars. The Dolphins will look to regain some momentum when they take on the Falcons this week.

#26

Indianapolis Colts (2-4)

Previous Rank – 26

The Colts made a statement win against the Texans last weekend not allowing them to score a single touchdown on the day. Carson looked good, and even T.Y. Hilton made a comeback before getting injured yet again. However, now they look to this week where they’ll be taking on the San Francisco 49ers who are fresh off a bye week.

#25

Atlanta Falcons (2-3)

Previous Rank – 25

The Falcons are fresh off a bye week and off of a win against the Jets two weeks ago in London. Now they get Calvin Ridley back from a personal issue, and it seems like they could have another good week this week as they take on the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins defense is a mess, and you can bet Matt Ryan and the Falcons will expose that defense when they take them on this week.

#24

Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)

Previous Rank – 24

The Eagles seem to not know how to run the ball anymore unless Hurts is doing the run. I have no idea what the coaching staff is doing here, but the Eagles need to run the ball in order to be successful. Their defense gave Brady a bit of an early Halloween scare last Thursday, but they still didn’t get the win. They’ll need to play twice as hard and run the damn ball hard if they expect to win this week because they take on the Las Vegas Raiders.

#23

Washington Football Team (2-4)

Previous Rank – 22

I didn’t expect the Football Team to beat the Chiefs, but dammit I wish they put up a little bit more of a fight. The offense really couldn’t get anything going, and now their running back Gibson had to have an MRI for his multiple injuries he is trying to play through. Heinicke was also not great in this one either. Their defense came alive for a bit, but Mahomes was still able to hit them where it counts. They’ll have another tough challenge this week when they go up against the Green Bay Packers.

#22

Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

Previous Rank – 17

The Seahawks almost came away with a victory against Pittsburgh (plus some really bad officiating), but it wasn’t meant to be as they fell when Geno Smith fumbled the ball in a crucial situation. Man it really sucks not seeing Russell Wilson not out there for this team cause they desperately need him. This defense is still struggling, and while their running room is improving despite not having Chris Carson, I don’t see it getting better. They’ll face the New Orleans Saints Monday night!

#21

New England Patriots (2-4)

Previous Rank – 20

The Patriots went to overtime against the Cowboys which is a good thing. The bad thing is that they lost that game in overtime. They didn’t look too bad here, but the loss still hurts their chances at making a name for themselves this year. The defense has to get better though. I know it was the Cowboys, but Coach Bill doesn’t tolerate it anymore than I do. They’ll get an easier task this week as they’ll face the New York Jets who they have already beaten this year.

#20

Denver Broncos (3-3)

Previous Rank – 21

Hear me out. I know they lost to the Raiders and have lost every game since week three, but they looked decent out there. Teddy had some missteps, but overall I believe the Broncos will be better going down the road. They play early this week on Thursday as they might have an opportunity for some upset given the injury situations. They’ll face a beat up Browns team this week.

#19

Chicago Bears (3-3)

Previous Rank – 19

Chicago’s ownership apparently switched to Aaron Rodgers last weekend so you might be asking yourself why did they not move down in the rankings. Despite their loss, Justin Fields looked good last weekend against a depleted Green Bay secondary. He still needs to get on the same page with Allen Robinson, but his connection with Darnell Mooney is one to keep an eye on. Overall, it was an okay performance against a good team. They’ll get a much tougher challenge this week though as they’ll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

#18

Carolina Panthers (3-3)

Previous Rank – 14

The Panthers started off hot, but they have quickly fizzled out as they lost in overtime to the Vikings. Now granted, Sam Darnold dug them out of that hole to get them into overtime, but you could argue he put them there in the first place. I would for McCaffrey to come back this week for them although Chuba Hubbard has been doing pretty good for them. Their defense kinda crapped out though. They’ll look to get back into a winning mood this week when they face a crippled Giants team.

#17

Minnesota Vikings (3-3)

Previous Rank – 23

Figures. As soon as I start to talk smack about the Vikings and Kirk Cousins, they surprise me with an overtime win over the Panthers I’t just amazing sometimes so I am moving them up six spots because they actually looked really good. They get to follow up that nice overtime win with a bye week going into week seven so good for them!

#16

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)

Previous Rank – 18

There was a lot to like in last week’s game against the Seahawks. There was however just as much to dislike as well. In terms of good things, Johnson played well, Big Ben had some nice throws, and Najee did his thing once again. Don’t forget TJ Watt in that mix as well. The things I didn’t like however were as followed; The defense forgot how to stop the run, and the refs almost cost us this game (yet again). Overall, a good performance by the black and gold. They’ll get a nice rest this week as they’ll go on a bye week.

#15

San Francisco 49ers (2-3)

Previous Rank – 15

It’s not clear who we are going to see at quarterback this week with Garoppolo and Lance both carrying injury designations, but they are coming off a bye week in which they’ll face the Colts. It will be an interesting showdown between these two, but overall I do believe that the 49ers will come out with a win against them. Just as long as they get the ball to Deebo Samuel, they’ll be fine in my books.

#14

Cleveland Browns (3-3)

Previous Rank – 9

The Browns are in trouble people. They lost Baker for a period, Nick Chubb is out, Kareem Hunt is on injured reserve, their offensive tackles are hurt, their defense is having injury issues as well, and OBJ isn’t panning out again. Overall, the Browns are in for some tough games ahead including this one on Thursday as they’ll take on the Denver Broncos with Case Keenum at quarterback.

#13

New Orleans Saints (3-2)

Previous Rank – 13

The Saints stay at 13 despite their ups and downs. I really don’t know if they are a good team or a bad team honestly. However, they thrashed Washington before going on their bye week so they’ll stay for now. They have an interesting matchup this Monday night as they’ll take on a Seahawks team without Russell Wilson and Chris Carson. It’ll be a good one to say the least.

#12

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

Previous Rank – 16

The Bengals are in the top 15 people? Is this real life? I guess so because they have been playing some really good football in 2021. They thrashed a Lions team that many people thought would give them issues, but came away with a solid win. Burrow looks good throwing the ball, and man does Joe Mixon look great running behind that bad offensive line. Chase is the real story here though as that guy is lighting up stat boards. They’ll get their most challenging opponent yet this week though as they’ll take on the Baltimore Ravens.

#11

Las Vegas Raiders (4-2)

Previous Rank – 12

Despite all their internal issues, the Raiders came away with a much needed divisional win against the Denver Broncos. I firmly believe the Raiders are going to use all the negative media attention from Gruden and the email scandal to better themselves. They seemed to be going in the right direction. Their opponent this weekend will be an interesting one if the team follows the right game script because this week they’ll face the Philadelphia Eagles.

#10

Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)

Previous Rank – 10

Did the Chiefs struggle at the beginning of this game? Absolutely. Did they figure it out and pull out a win? Yes they did. Yes, Mahomes isn’t playing his best football right now, but honestly as long as they have Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Patrick Mahomes, they’ll always be a contender. They do get a difficult challenge in my mind this week as they’ll face off against the Tennessee Titans who just knocked off the Buffalo Bills last Monday night.

#9

Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)

Previous Rank – 7

Not sure what happened last weekend, but the Chargers absolutely did not show up to this game. They got absolutely thrashed by the Ravens. Justin Herbert looked lost like a deer in the headlights, and continued to challenge corners that bested his receivers. It wasn’t a smart move by him to say the least. Their rush defense was most disappointing as well allowing a number of Ravens running backs to score. They’ll look to regroup on a bye this week.

#8

Tennessee Titans (4-2)

Previous Rank – 11

What a game this was. Surprisingly, the Titans came away with a victory without Tannehill throwing a single touchdown. That’s right, Derrick Henry had himself a hell of a game in this one. Also, we saw a return of AJ Brown and he looked really good as well. This was a statement game for the Titans, and they desperately needed it. This week will be an interesting one as they’ll take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

#7

Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Previous Rank – 4

This might seem like a harsh one given how close it was, but I dropped the Bills three spots here. Let’s think about it. Aside from the Steelers and Titans, the Bills haven’t faced a lot of good competition here. They beat the Dolphins, the Washington Football Team, and the Texans. So this might have been a reality check for them to say the least. Allen while doing well has also been a little more inconsistent. They’ll be fine. They’ll make the playoffs, but consider this a reality check for them. They’ll go on their bye week this week.

#6

Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

Previous Rank – 8

Dallas had a good challenge on their hand last week when they took on Coach Bill and the Pats. Their defense gave some scares in keeping this one close, but man does Diggs look like a candidate for defensive player of the year. Prescott did well connecting with Lamb on two touchdowns. He was seen in a boot after the game, but he should be ready to go for his next game. The Cowboys will be on a bye week this week to ease the injury scaries.

#5

Baltimore Ravens (5-1)

Previous Rank – 6

The Ravens came away with a win over the Chargers here. Their defense made mince meat of Herbert and the Los Angeles offense. Most of the damage came on the ground with Murray, Freeman, and Bell all scoring touchdowns. However, Lamar didn’t really do much which I was excited to see. Another name I am excited to see in this offense is rookie Rashod Bateman. He might be looking to be Lamar’s favorite target going further. Just speaking the truth. They’ll face the Bengals in a divisional match this week.

#4

Green Bay Packers (5-1)

Previous Rank – 5

That bad man is back once again. Rodgers in epic fashion made it known that he owns and continues to own the Chicago Bears. That was proven in this one as he scored through the air and on the ground. The Packers are doing all the right things, but the secondary just needs improvement. Fields was able rip off some passes down the field on them. Overall, a win is a win, and the Packers will look to get another one when they face the Washington Football Team this week.

#3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)

Previous Rank – 3

Brady was able to pull off a win against the Eagles despite not putting up his normal big boy points. I’ll tell you what though, Fournette has solidified himself as the number one back with a beautiful performance against Philly. The defense did well in pressuring Hurts, and even OJ Howard caught a touchdown. Things continue to look good for Tampa Bay. This week, they’ll face the Chicago Bears.

#2

Los Angeles Rams (5-1)

Previous Rank – 2

The Rams continue to shine here as they knocked off the Giants last weekend. Their defense looked back up in top form, both Cupp and Woods excelled, and Stafford looked good again throwing the ball. They will look to keep going on the winning path because this one is personal. Stafford will face his old team in the Detroit Lions this week with Goff also facing the Rams. Gonna be a beatdown for the Lions, I’ll tell you that.

#1

Arizona Cardinals (6-0)

Previous Rank – 1

The Cardinals got another win last week when they knocked off the Browns in amazing fashion. The run game was a bit worrisome, but Murray found Hopkins (twice), Green, and Kirk all for touchdowns against what most people thought was an elite defense of the Cleveland Browns. Arizona looks to stay undefeated going forward. In order to do that, the Cardinals will have to face the Houston Texans.

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