With the conclusion of Week 6, we are inching closer and closer to the midway point of the season. While the league’s elite and bottom-feeders have started to identify themselves, there’s still plenty to be learned in the coming weeks and months about how the NFL’s playoff picture will start to take shape. With six weeks in the books, it’s time to take a stock-watch approach to each team’s season so far and see how it’s trending against preseason expectations—and more in our Week 7 installment of WCG
NFL Power Rankings.
1. San Francisco 49ers (6-0)
Trending: Up
Whew, what a game on Monday night, huh? The only thing stopping some from fully buying into this team is their rash of injuries that just won’t stop. That said, they’ve kept winning, and usually have done so convincingly. This is a very well-rounded team, albeit one of the oldest rosters in the league. With a three-game lead in the division, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the 49ers aren’t at least in the NFC Championship game, barring a major step back.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
Trending: Up
Six weeks and five games in, it’s safe to say t025 was the outlier and the Chiefs’ window hasn’t closed. While many expected a bounce-back, few saw a perfect 5-0 start coming. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has looked good coming off a torn ACL, and running back Kenneth Walker has been a game-changer. With the Raiders fading and the Broncos’ offensive issues, the AFC West looks like theirs for the taking.
3. Buffalo Bills (5-1)
Trending: Up
It hasn’t always been pretty, and there are still plenty of questions remaining on the defensive side of the ball, but the Bills continue to find ways to win games. Even though the Patriots have rebounded from a slow start, the Bills look like the perennial contender that they are, especially if they can get the defense playing at a higher level. One thing is for sure: having an MVP-caliber quarterback in Josh Allen helps, and he continues to make mind-boggling plays for his team each week.
4. Minnesota Vikings (5-0)
Trending: Up
No matter how the offense has performed to this point, a 5-0 start is about as much of a dream come true as anything Vikings fans could have asked for. Their defense under Brian Flores continues to play at an elite level. If they can become more productive and consistent offensively, this will be a very dangerous team. Their schedule is about to tighten up, so we’ll see how “for real” their undefeated start proves to be.
5. New England Patriots (4-2)
Trending: Up
At 1-2 and Drake Maye struggling, it must have felt like the sky was falling in New England. A three-game winning streak later, and the Patriots are just one game out of first place heading into a Thursday night showdown in Chicago. The talent is there, but health has been an issue. We’ll see if they can keep building on their current streak or come back down to earth in the coming weeks.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
Trending: Up
Overall, the Jaguars have been one of the league’s more impressive teams. That said, they tend to play down to their competition, which has led to a few tight games. The talent is there, even if the defense isn’t as good as they showed last year. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has picked up where they left off, but it’s hard not to feel like they blew an opportunity to really run away with the NFC South on Sunday in London.
7. Green Bay Packers (4-2)
Trending: Up
After a shaky 1-2 start, the Packers have found their stride over the past two weeks, dominating both the Bears and Cowboys at home. Their schedule tightens with matchups against the Lions, Panthers, Patriots, Vikings, and Rams over the next six weeks. If they continue to play as they have, there’s reason to believe they’ll come out of that stretch with a winning record.
8. Detroit Lions (3-2)
Trending: Up (if they can figure out their defense)
There’s no questioning the offense at this point, but will the return of Brian Branch be enough to get their defense back on the right track? The NFC North is a gauntlet, and Detroit is the only team that hasn’t played a divisional game yet. That changes over the next two weeks with games against the Packers and Vikings. Their matchup against Green Bay will challenge this defense. We’ll see how they respond.
9. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Trending: (Slightly) Up
The Ravens are an odd team to track. On paper, they should be much more dominant than they are, but because of an injury to quarterback Lamar Jackson and their defensive inconsistencies, they’ve produced an up-and-down product so far. On paper, they are the best team in the AFC North. So far, they haven’t consistently played like it. Once Jackson is back, I expect them to round into form.
10. Chicago Bears (4-2)
Trending: Up (Caleb Williams is back)
Chicago is now 2-1 with Caleb Williams as their starting quarterback, and 2-1 with their backups. Some might look at that as an indictment of Williams, but a deeper dive into the offensive numbers tells a much different story. Assuming he can stay healthy, the primary concern will be the defense. They’ve been about as Jekyll and Hyde as it gets through six weeks. The talent is there, but the consistency has lacked.
11. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
Trending: Up (With some questions)
The defense is clearly improved, and their two losses were against a pair of 4-2 teams. The issue is that their wins have come against teams with a combined 3-14 record. The talent is there, but so far, the weekly consistency hasn’t been. The Bengals remain one of the league’s more intriguing teams.
12. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
Trending: Down
Coming into the season, Seattle was one of the more overlooked Super Bowl winners in recent history. Despite a strong start to the season, quarterback Sam Darnold has been turning the ball over at a highly concerning rate. The defense also hasn’t been nearly as dominant. It’s clear they miss running back Kenneth Walker, but the offense needs to figure it out soon if they plan to keep pace with San Francisco in the NFC West.
13. Denver Broncos (4-2)
Trending: Teetering (without better QB play)
The Broncos were a Bo Nix injury away from making it to the Super Bowl and at least being competitive. That feels weird to say, especially given how this season has started, but the offense has been an issue in almost all six of their games. It starts with quarterback play, but the run game has left a lot to be desired. It’s quite remarkable that they’ve been able to win four games playing like this, but it goes to show just how well-rounded this roster is. If Nix can figure it out, they might ultimately be the favorites in the AFC.
14. Cleveland Browns (4-2)
Trending: Up (The league’s biggest surprise… So far)
As usual, a few teams are surprises, and a few weeks ago, my vote would have been for the Raiders. That said, the Browns defense has continued to play at a high level without Myles Garrett, and their offense is doing just enough to win them games. No matter how the season ends, sitting at 4-2 and in first place is an outstanding start to the Todd Monken era.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
Trending: Up (Somehow)
Even without Mike Tomlin, this team feels eerily similar to the last 10 Steelers teams we’ve seen. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to hang around and play well enough, and overall, they are getting enough from their aging roster to have a winning record. That said, I’m just not convinced this lasts over 17 games. We’ll see if they can last.
16. Carolina Panthers (3-2)
Trending: Up
Is Bryce Young a legitimate MVP candidate? It sure feels like it. In a weak NFC South, the Panthers are set up well to repeat. Really, the biggest question is whether the defense can improve enough to make them real contenders in the NFC playoff picture. Regardless, Young’s growth and overall turnaround over the last two seasons have been nothing short of miraculous.
17. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3)
Trending: Up (Even after a three-game losing streak)
Even in the most pessimistic view, the Raiders are still well ahead of schedule. Sure, they’ve lost three in a row after opening up 3-0, but two of those losses have been taking legitimate contenders down to the wire. Although Kirk Cousins is playing well, don’t be surprised to see Fernando Mendoza get a shot soon if the losing streak continues.
18. Los Angeles Rams (2-4)
Trending: Down (Bordering on concerning)
A 2-4 start is concerning enough, but with the Rams’ recent rash of injuries, we must be dangerously close to hitting the panic button. Davante Adams is out for six-to-10 weeks. Poona Ford is gone for the year. Garrett still isn’t back, and now Kobie Turner is lost for the next four-to-six weeks. Considering their struggles already, that’s a lot to overcome, even on the short side of those timelines. A Wild Card spot might be their only hope, and their margin for error is shrinking with each loss.
19. New York Giants (3-2-1)
Trending: Up (Even if it shouldn’t be)
Have the Giants been surprising, especially in place of Jaxson Dart and his season-ending knee injury? Yes. Are the Giants a good football team? Absolutely not. The good news for them is that the NFC East is a complete dumpster fire, and their fortunate start might be enough to keep them pacing the pack for the remainder of the season. Next up: J.J. McCarthy taking over as the starting quarterback.
20. Houston Texans (2-4)
Trending: Down (but slowly evening out)
Two weeks ago, the Texans looked down and all but out. Back-to-back wins have brought them back to life, and considering the top-heavy nature of the AFC South, Houston still has an outside shot to get back into the mix for the division. On the plus side, quarterback C.J. Stroud looks like he’s back to his rookie self. Now, if they can get the defense figured out, they can make a run over the final 11 games and make the playoffs yet again.
21. Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
Trending: Could go either way
Those first two games with Michael Penix felt extremely promising, didn’t they? Their Week 5 loss felt like a touch of bad luck, but Week 6’s home loss to the Bears was much more discouraging. On the plus-side– they are just a game and a half out of first place, but their margin for error shrinks with every loss, even in a bad division. The next few weeks will be very telling for the fate of their season.
22. Dallas Cowboys (2-4)
Trending: Down
Count me as someone who wasn’t buying this team’s yearly offseason hype. Even with an improved defense on paper, something hasn’t quite passed the smell test with this team in a while, and a lot of it has to do with ownership. Jerry Jones’ continued meddling in the team’s day-to-day activities has to wear on everyone in the building. Right now, this team looks poorly coached and has no answers. The talent is there, and they are in the right division for a slow start, but damn, man.
23. New Orleans Saints (2-4)
Trending: Down (With room to improve)
Some of these statuses will be objective, and this is one for me where I simply expected more. In fact, I picked the Saints to win the South this year, and while that is still possible, there’s been very little to write home about through six weeks. Quarterback Tyler Shough is proving to be worthy enough as a franchise quarterback, but they might still be a year or two away in their rebuilding process.
24. Indianapolis Colts (2-4)
Trending: Down
General manager Chris Ballard was relieved of his duties on Monday, and barring an unexpected turnaround, head coach Shane Steichen will likely follow him out the door after the season. Simply put, the Colts have been stuck in a similar spot since Ballard took over as GM. Since Andrew Luck retired, they haven’t found a quarterback solution that lasts longer than a year or two. At this point, they should focus on selling off what they can and bracing for a rough 2027 campaign.
25. New York Jets (2-4)
Trending: Holding Steady
The Jets are a tough team to read. On paper, they’re more talented than last year, and at times, that has shown up on the field. The issue is that they can’t consistently string together good performances, and coaching is still a big question mark. On the plus side, they’ll have three high first-round picks. The bigger issue, at least for the remainder of the season, is how many answers they can find before heading into the offseason.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5)
Trending: Down (and plummeting)
After handing out contract extensions to both Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea, there’s no way they could have expected this kind of start. To put it bluntly, this has been a team floating in space for long enough, and maybe this was the wake-up call they needed. What’s hard to swallow is that if they could have held onto Sunday’s game against the Steelers, they’d be right in the mix for the division. Instead, they are much closer to challenging for a Top 3 draft pick in April.
27. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
Trending: Down (and down bad)
Things were already trending in the wrong direction well before Jalen Hurts’ season-ending blood clot issue, but that feels like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Obviously, the primary (real-world) concern is Hurts’ health, but looking at what this team has done on the field since their unconvincing 2-0 start has been about as bad as it gets. Changes should be coming, and if things keep going downhill, I wouldn’t be surprised if a head-coaching change happens before the conclusion of Week 18.
28. Washington Commanders (1-4-1)
Trending: Down (But, amazingly, still not out)
I say that as someone who was about to tweet that the team looked like they’d given up on head coach Dan Quinn halfway through Monday night’s game, but then they forced a comeback and almost won. That said, they’ve experienced quite the fall from grace since they made the NFC Championship Game just two seasons ago. Jayden Daniels has looked much better so far this year, but overall, this group lacks a solid core of talent. Even though I don’t expect Quinn to get a third season as head coach, they are still far from out of the NFC East race based on the other three teams ahead of them.
29. Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
Trending: Holding Steady
Week 1’s win felt like the upset of the year, until it wasn’t. Hell, even their Week 6 win against the Rams felt like a big boost. There’s been a lot of ugly in between, but sometimes we forget in the heat of the moment that some teams were expected to be bad. That’s the Arizona Cardinals, yet they have won two games and have shown some serious growth on defense. The upcoming offseason will be key in getting them back on track for the long haul.
30. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6)
Trending: Down (Way down)
I’m not sure what the hell happened to the Chargers, but I don’t think anyone who follows the sport would have predicted such a poor start. I know they claim they aren’t ready to sell quite yet, but make no mistake: this team will be sellers once the deadline rolls around in a few weeks. The bigger question is whether or not Jim Harbaugh survives this season.
31. Tennessee Titans (1-5)
Trending: Down (But they got their first win)
The Robert Saleh-Cam Ward marriage could not be going much worse, but they finally got a much-needed win on Sunday. That said, the issues we’re seeing in Year 2 of Ward’s development were exactly my concern when they hired a defensive-minded head coach to foster his development. The Titans’ record post-Mike Vrabel has been brutal, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Here’s to hoping they can salvage Ward’s development.
32. Miami Dolphins (0-5)
Trending: Down (And that’s OK)
The Dolphins are awful, but that was expected. When they cleaned house and hired a new regime from Green Bay, ownership knew this rebuild would be a heavy lift. More importantly, they knew they would need to show patience and let this all play out. Even at 0-5 through six weeks, it’s hard to “hate” the “progress” being made. This is going to be a multi-year effort, but let’s see what things look like after another draft class or two.
