Official r/NFL Week 7 Power Rankings

Welcome to the week 7 Official r/NFL Power Rankings! In an almost historic week of lopsided victories, the NFL saw a Mahomes-esque regression to the mean after a spoiled first quarter season of close games. Are the Lions tougher than their record? Have the Bengals finally done enough? Will the Falcons ever play a decent team? Discuss! 31/32 reporting

#		Team	Δ	Record	Comment
1.		Cardinals	--	7-0	The Cardinals handled business like they were supposed to on Sunday. This organization has bullied the Texans enough. Controversial opinion, but go ‘Stros! Time to prepare for another big test in Green Bay on Thursday night.
2.		Buccaneers	--	6-1	If Brady kryptonite Nick Foles had started, it may have led to a different outcome, but the Bucs picked up an overwhelmingly one-sided 38-3 victory over the Chicago Bears. Though Brady threw for 4 TD's, the defense was the real star of the show, notching 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles (with 3 recoveries), and an additional 3 INT's. The takeaways for the defense should serve as a fine practice for next week's matchup against the New Orleans Saints, where Jameis is likely to use the Bucs' DB's as an extra set of WR's.
3.		Rams	-1	6-1	Unlike Jared Goff, this win was ugly. The Lions wanted to win bigly and got off to a hot start, emptying out the bag of tricks early in the form of fake punts and an onside kick. Slow starts to both halves from the Rams kept the score close until the 4th quarter when they finally pulled away. Despite a decent looking box score, the Rams never really felt right: they were unprepared on special teams and failed the eye test defensively at times (yet again). So far, a porous looking defense hasn’t been a big storyline with the focus on the magic between Stafford and Kupp. Maybe it’s high expectations or finding things to nitpick about a 6-1 team, but there’s a small sense that despite solid defensive metrics on paper, this will be an issue at some point unless buttoned down. Derrick Henry in week 9 looms large. Until then, the Rams are massive favorites against Houston next week.
4.		Bills	--	4-2	The Bills checking up on the AFC after their bye week like
5.		Cowboys	+2	5-1	Collins is back from suspension, five IR/PUP guys are in their practice windows, and Dak seems to be good to go for Sunday night. As good as this team has been so far, they weren't even at full strength. Things are looking up.
6.		Packers	+1	6-1	The defense finally got a red zone stop! The Packers limited Washington to 3 points in four red zone trips! De'Vondre Campbell is really flashing the proverbial leather here, Even with allowing Taylor Heinicke to run wild they kept the points off the board. Sure we might get obliterated by the Cardinals in two days, but hey Aaron's done more with less in Arizona before
7.		Bengals	+5	5-2	All is good in Bengals world right now. The Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase connection looks unstoppable and the rebuilt Bengals defense was able to beat the Ravens for the first time in the Lamar Jackson era. The only thing between the Bengals and a 6-2 record right now is a visit with their old friend Joe Flacco.
8.		Titans	+1	5-2	The Titans seemed to have great execution on their game plan going in the first half of the week 7 game against the Chiefs. At halftime the Titans held a 27-0 lead, held the ball for 23:16 and ended every drive with a score. The Chiefs were held to 5 drives in the first half ending in 2 turnovers, 2 punts and the end of the half. This was the first time since week 9 of 2020 that the Titans won a game when Derrick Henry was held under 100 yards.
9.		Ravens	-4	5-2	A five game winning streak gets snapped by another Bengals QB to WR connection, one looking to annoy the crap out of the Ravens for years to come. Lots of worrying issues with the defense over-committing to blitzing QBs which are good against the blitz, putting Humphrey on an island against Ja'Marr Chase, and finally Jackson and the WRs were completely out of sync. Great time for a bye week.
10.		Chargers	-2	4-2	Early byes can be super useful to get injuries patched up and to have more time to correct mistakes before they get worse later in the season. The remaining schedule is another positive, as the Chargers appear to have passed the toughest stretch of teams they'll face. There should be no excuses for anything less than double-digit wins, as the Chargers now prepare for a Spoopyday game against the Patriots.
11.		Raiders	+2	5-2	After completing 31/34 passes for 323 yards against the Eagles this week, Derek Carr is on pace to throw for 5510 yards this season. Carr had a nearly perfect game, becoming the only player in NFL history to have multiple games with 90+ completion percentage with a minimum of 30 attempts. The Eagles defense could do nothing to stop or slow down the Raiders except for capitalize on an interception that was handed to them as Derek Carr threw a pass to a wide open Jalen Richard who decided to break outside instead of continue inside as Carr started his throwing motion which lead the pass to be behind Richard and for him to tip the ball up into the air. That was the only stop the Eagles got on the Raiders until garbage time started with about 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter after the Raiders scored 30 unanswered points to go up 30-7. They went on to win 33-22 but the game was not nearly as close as final score shows, the Raiders dominated the game in every aspect. The Raiders look to get healthy over the bye week and come back and grab a win out of the bye against the Giants next week.
12.		Browns	-1	4-3	Browns fans were worried coming into last Thursday’s game. A national stage and a banged-up team had all the makings of a disaster. It was anything but. D'Ernest Johnson grabbed the start with both Hunt and Chubb sidelined due to injuries and gathered over 140 yards and a TD. Case Keenum took over for Baker and managed a TD as well, securing the win and keeping the Browns in playoff contention. The Browns will face the Steelers, who have gone 18-4-1 against Cleveland since 2010, at home on Halloween.
13.		Saints	+1	4-2
14.		Chiefs	-4	3-4	I wish Mahomes was playing like 2018 Dak Prescott.
15.		Vikings	--	3-3	The good news: advanced metrics really like the Vikings, who rank 12th in offensive DVOA, 6th in defensive DVOA, 5th in team PFF grade and 6th in opponent-adjusted EPA/play. The bad news: the upcoming schedule is brutal, with the Cowboys, Ravens, Chargers and Packers up next. The weird news: this team can beat anyone and lose to anyone, as they were both a chip shot away from beating the undefeated Cardinals but required a 54-yard field goal to beat the winless Lions.
16.		Colts	+7	3-4	The only thing more wet than the rain was me as the Colts racked up a second-straight victory over the 49ers. Overcoming monsoon weather conditions, Wentz and co. dropped thirty on an applauded San Francisco defense and reaffirmed their playoff aspirations. Although things were sloppy in the first quarter, the team picked up speed and essentially dominated the rest of the game. Most importantly, however, Frank Reich showed his ability to learn from his previous conservative mistakes by calling a passing play on 3rd and 10 late in the fourth quarter which led to a game-sealing touchdown. The offense has been playing good football over the past four weeks. Wentz and the o-line have been finding their rhythm, and the team as a whole seems to be getting healthier. Unfortunately, because Kansas City has an absolutely shit defense and Mahomes seems to be regressing to league average, the Colts will have to wait a little longer before getting a shot at leading the division. Next week is a true test against the Titans, but it's a match they definitely have the capability to win.
17.		Patriots	+5	3-4	Let this 54-14 win over the jets wash over you. let it seep into the deep cracks and crevices of your mind. It is a long season, we have a hill to climb in the division. Its important to take moments like this to admire a 50 burger on the Jets and practice some self care.
18.		Steelers	-1	3-3	Pittsburgh are 4-0 coming off of the bye week and are 3-0 against the Browns after the bye. With Browns star QB Baker Mayfield having no clear timetable to return from his shoulder injury, it only helps the Steelers if he's out. Pittsburgh could leapfrog ahead of Cleveland with a victory and try to keep pace with the Bengals and Ravens After Cincy's massive upset over the Ravens, they are both tied atop the AFC North. The Bengals will face a troubled Jets team and the same banged-up Browns before their bye and could really put some distance between them and the Steelers.
19.		49ers	-3	2-4	Both offenses struggled mightily in the atmospheric river conditions Sunday night. The SF secondary, a known weak point coming into the season, were called for long PI penalties on 3 Colts scoring drives, the difference in this game. As the losses pile up, the reason for starting Jimmy G decreases, and Shanahan's hand may be forced to seeing what Lance can do.
20.		Seahawks	+1	2-5	It would have been cool for DK to let us know that his house call in the first 5 minutes against the Saints would be the only part of the game worth watching. The defense did its job last night, but that seems like it could also be attributed to the Saints WR corps being not good, led by Marquez Callaway and his 32 yards on 7 targets. Geno looks abysmal. This team desperately needs a spark. They are too talented to be 2-5.
21.		Broncos	-1	3-4	The Broncos — if it is possible to believe — are back to having a losing record. A loss from Old Friend Case Keenum plus some vintage Shanahanigans by Kevin Stefanski put them back in the sewer. Uninspired offense with a defense that tries their hardest to overcome. Is this 2017, 2019, or 2021? Whatever the answer — it's all bad.
22.		Bears	-3	3-4	The opponents across the field were playoff contenders with championship aspirations. The week before was clouded with rumors of a coach in over his head and division in the locker room. The football team from Illinois were double-digit underdogs in a hostile road environment. But, somehow, it was Illinois - behind a power running game and a tireless defense - that emerged victorious over #7 Penn State in the universe's first ever 9OT football game. Weirdly, the universe ended that Saturday night and no more games of football were ever played. Possibly because existence had peaked.
23.		Panthers	-5	3-4	I know that I have said I'm committing to The_Darnold/GEQBUS bit, but honestly, I don't have it in me anymore after that outing versus the Giants. I cannot express how badly we performed. We scored 3 points on the opening drive, off of a doinked field goal, and scored 0 points the rest of the game. Actually, scratch that, Darnold decided to throw the ball directly into the ground while in the end zone and score 2 points for the Giants. Robby Anderson is playing historically bad. Our own LT is sacking Sam. Everyone's favorite wunderkind Joe Brady is on the verge of getting fired for being inept. This season has just been one giant mistake after another, and I'm not sure we have much longer until coaches are fired.
24.		Falcons	+2	3-3	On the Sunday the Falcons had a substitute teacher, and instead of playing elected to play a Mike Smith era rerun. The Falcons were off to a hot start against a weak team, up 20-7 in the 3rd and 27-14 in the 4th. Yada yada yada, Koo kicks the field goal as time expires to put Atlanta up by two. The box score alone is enough celebration for a .500 team, whether Koo's perfect game, Abe's blocked field goal, or Kyle Pitts' 163 yard day. The Panthers travel to Atlanta on a spooky Halloween weekend, as Sam Darnold will be trying to avoid a second benching in as many games.
25.		Washington FT	-1	2-5	There's not much new to say. WFT is utterly incompetent on and off the field and while the defense has been far from good they have stepped it up in recent weeks only to be let down by an offense putting up 13 points last week and 10 this week with multiple failed goal-line situations. Heinicke has been exciting to watch and made a few huge plays but he's unfortunately also made the case for why he isn't a long-term answer in the starting role. Chase Young also continues to have a massive sophomore slump. Even as the pass rush has seemingly improved in recent weeks his name is rarely being called. There's too much talent across the defensive line to be performing this poorly.
26.		Eagles	-1	2-5	This wasn’t just a loss, it was an organization-wide embarrassment. Every scout, player and coach in the NovaCare Complex ought to be flat-out embarrassed to be a part of a franchise that could play such a pitiful brand of football. - Reuben Frank
27.		Giants	--	2-5	Despite a cascade of injuries on both sides of the ball, the NY Giants managed their first and possibly only blowout win of the season against Carolina on Sunday. The defense came alive for the first time in a long time, shutting down the Panthers' O badly enough to spark a mid-game benching of Sam Darnold in favor of PJ Walker. Despite that, all eyes were on this magnificent, beautiful QB1/WR1/RB1 on Sunday, as Danny Dimes made the best one-handed catch for the Giants since... well, you know. DJ and his receivers had a great game altogether, despite the fact that some of those receivers were Practice Squad players at the beginning of the year. The Giants will hope to have more weapons for Monday when they take on the ailing Chiefs.
28.		Lions	+4	0-7	This was touted as a revenge game for both sides, with Goff vs Stafford both facing their old teams. This was suppose to decide who won the trade earlier in the offseason, but when one QB also required 2 first round picks to trade for them... how even was it? MCDC pulled out all the stops to keep possession of the football (two fake punts, onside kick), however it still wasn't enough to stop the Rams offense. If the Lions offense was more reliable, they had a real shot to win this game. This was the best coaching from the Lions this season, and the best defensive performance, but still not enough if the offense doesn't finish with more points (only finished more than 20 points once this season). This was still an incredibly exciting game, with r/detroitlions in a frenzy after all the trickery in the first drive. The Detroit Lions are turning around faster than imagined, and a win here would have won the season for the new coaching staff.
29.		Jaguars	-1	1-5	The Jaguars spent the Bye week swapping kickers, releasing Josh Lambo in favor of Matthew Wright. They take on the Seahawks next, with woes of their own, in a game that hopefully is closer than most expect. Everybody knows how well Urban does after time to rest.
30.		Dolphins	-1	1-6	Kyle Pitts, Mike Gesicki, and Jaylen Waddle all had 8 targets for 7 receptions, and yet Pitts turned that into 163 yards, while Gesicki and Waddle turned it into only 168 combined. Even if the offense is performing, it just doesn't matter if the defense keeps allowing the other team to march downfield and score at will. Tua once again shows up big, and despite some youthful blunders, looks like he can be a QB for a team, hopefully that team is the Dolphins and the front office doesn't make a stupid decision to move on from him.
31.		Texans	--	1-6	The only recent positive developments with the Texans are that the horrible loss against the Cardinals was a scoragami, and that maybe Watson will be off the roster soon. This team is who we thought they were. The coach is just as bumbling as everyone expected. Jack "Wormtongue" Easterby continues to hang out on the sidelines, totally not involved in making decisions about the game (he promises!). At least fans can all hope the Watson trade brings in a boatload of picks that the FO can squander in the future. In the meantime, Houstonians will return to caring about the sport where we have a winning team (even if they cheated).
32.		Jets	-2	1-5	We're on to Cincinnati (Take the Bengals in survivor).