NFL power rankings: Nick’s picks for how teams stack up before Week 7

NFL power rankings: Nick’s picks for how teams stack up before Week 7

Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Josh Allen of the Bills. | Getty Images Nick Falato Wed, October 21, 2026 at 10:56 AM UTC · 8 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No. 1 — San Francisco 49ers (6-0) | SAME San Francisco remains the NFL's hottest and most dangerous team. They play complementary football, and Brock Purdy is playing like one of the league's best quarterbacks right now.

Buffalo traveled across the country and defeated a good Raiders team. Josh Allen threw for 255 yards with two touchdowns, including a crucial one to Keon Coleman. The 49ers and Bills remain the top two teams in the league.

Kansas City came out of the BYE week and beat up the lifeless Los Angeles Chargers, 22-6. The rushing attack continues to spearhead the Chiefs offense; Kenneth Walker III ran for 128 yards and scored two touchdowns to help secure the win.

Caleb Williams returned and was efficient, completing 30 of 36 for 305 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta. The Falcons made it more interesting in the fourth quarter, but the Bears still escaped with a 31-23 victory.

New England defeated the Jets, 26-19. The game was tight, but Drake Maye — who has played much better the last three weeks — found victory.

It doesn't always look pretty — especially on offense — but a 17-14 victory against the Super Bowl champions is worth something. Sam Darnold threw two critical late interceptions that ended the Seahawks' chances for a comeback, despite Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 12 catches for 134 yards.

Liam Coen's offense dropped 31 points against the Texans in London. Cam Little kicked a go-ahead field goal with less than a minute in the game, but Texans' kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn matched it to win the game for Houston, 34-31.

Seattle is still a top team in the NFL despite its .500 record. Sam Darnold has to take care of the football to allow their dominant defense to thrive.

The Ravens will get Lamar Jackson back soon, which will be a welcome change after a13-10 loss to Cleveland.

Green Bay beat up the Cowboys, 23-13. Both Matthew Golden and Christian Watson were creating a bunch of separation, but their hands failed them multiple times; still, Golden went north of 100 yards on six catches, and Watson had 64 yards on three catches. The Packers' defense stifled the Cowboys; Dak Prescott threw 54 passes in the game, and the end result was just 13 points.

The Panthers went into Philadelphia and handled a very injured Eagles team, 25-14. Bryce Young threw for 281 yards with a pair of touchdowns, and Chuba Hubbard ran for 120 yards with a score.

The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped Tampa Bay with a 26-19 win, where the Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels had a last-minute drive that Pittsburgh's defense stopped. Aaron Rodgers threw for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, as rookie receiver Germie Bernard caught 11 passes for 87 yards with a score.

The Browns won a classic, low-scoring 13-10 game over the Tyler Huntley-led Baltimore Ravens. Audric Esteme — who was signed earlier that week off the Vikings' practice squad — ran in the go-ahead touchdown. Cleveland had two healthy backs and won with 164 passing yards; Jaleel McLaughlin led the rushing attack with just 41 yards.

The Rams were beaten by a six-field-goal effort off the foot of Chad Ryland. The Rams could not get much going against the Cardinals' defense. The Rams totaled just 286 yards. A game to forget for a now sub-.500 Rams.

The Texans defeated the Jaguars with a last-second field goal and are now on a two-game winning streak after starting 0-4. They host the Giants in Week 7.

Kirk Cousins threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw an interception. Tre Tucker had five catches for 97 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Michael Mayer led the tight ends with seven catches for 95 yards on nine targets. The Raiders have now lost three straight games — when will we see Francisco Mendoza?

The Giants are entertaining a QB question, but J.J. McCarthy sparked an impressive comeback effort that fell short. The Giants can't run the football at all, and their ability to stop the run failed them against the Saints in the third quarter. However, their defense has a clear identity, and Malik Nabers/Isaiah Likely are playing out of their mind. They're a resilient, competitive team, but they have serious question marks.

The Falcons mounted a comeback effort against the Bears with 16 points in the fourth quarter, but Chicago's 27-7 lead was too much to overcome in the end. Still, the Falcons have two losses with Cooper Rush as their quarterback.

I didn't find the Saints all that impressive in their win against the Giants, but a road victory with more than 30 points is nothing to scoff at. The Saints need Tyler Shough to get healthy, and they would benefit from the return of Travis Etienne.

The New York Jets lost in a competitive 26-19 game in Foxborough. Omar Cooper Jr. caught six passes for 103 yards with a long touchdown reception in his debut. Breece Hall should be returning from his quad injury soon.

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL world by defeating the Rams on the road. Arizona's defense stifled Matt Stafford and Sean McVay. Jeremiyah Love missed the game, but Bam Knight rushed for 80 yards, while Tyler Allgeier rushed for just 38 yards on 18 carries.

The Dallas Cowboys are broken on defense, and appear to be broken on offense. The Buccaneers stopped them for much of their Week 5 loss, and this Week 6 23-13 loss to Dallas was not much different. Dallas is struggling, as is the entire NFC East.

The Philadelphia Eagles are decimated by injuries, and Jalen Hurts was diagnosed with blood clots that will end his season. Tanner McKee is the quarterback, for now, and he threw for 215 yards with a touchdown. The offense could not do much in this 25-14 loss against Carolina. Philadelphia had just 222 yards on offense.

Washington started to mount a comeback against the 49ers after sacking Brock Purdy to end the third quarter, which came after Stefon Diggs' touchdown from Jayden Daniels. However, the 49ers — despite the injuries — held on and secured the win.

The Buccaneers made the game interesting against the Steelers, but they could not find a way to overcome their touchdown deficit, so the score ended 26-19. The Buccaneers turned the football over twice, and Jalon Daniels threw for 164 yards.

The Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard after their second consecutive loss. Daniel Jones threw for 269 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Jonathan Taylor did have 94 yards on 21 carries.

The Titans defeated the Colts — a Daboll vs. Daniel Jones matchup! Jones threw for 269 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Jonathan Taylor did have 94 yards on 21 carries. Cam Ward, however, threw for just 102 yards and completed 11 passes; it was the Titans' defense that forced three turnovers, and the Titans special teams that blocked a punt which helped Robert Saleh's team secure their first win.

The Chargers went down 19-3 and could not stop Kenneth Walker III on the ground. They remain the biggest disappointment in the NFL, as change might need ot happen soon.

The Titans won, and the Dolphins had their BYE in Week 6.


Source: Sports

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