NFL Power Rankings 2016: Predicting Post-Week 6 Standings

The 2016 NFL season is now more than a month old, and we've had five full weeks to evaluate each of the 32 teams.

While we still cannot be certain which teams are true contenders and which are simply playing the role, we have seen some trends begin to develop as the year has moved along. Teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have rebounded from tough losses to show what they are fully capable of doing on the field.

Teams such as the San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns have shown that they are good at finding ways to lose.

We're going to look ahead to Week 6, which kicks off with the Chargers and Denver Broncos on Thursday night. We'll try to predict where each team stands after Week 6 and make our rankings accordingly.

We'll also take a look at some notable projected rankings from the week ahead.

Rank	Team	Projected Record
1	Minnesota Vikings	5-0
2	New England Patriots	5-1
3	Atlanta Falcons	5-1
4	Denver Broncos	5-1
5	Pittsburgh Steelers	5-1
6	Dallas Cowboys	5-1
7	Seattle Seahawks	4-2
8	Philadelphia Eagles	4-1
9	Oakland Raiders	5-1
10	Green Bay Packers	3-2
11	Buffalo Bills	4-2
12	Arizona Cardinals	3-3
13	Washington Redskins	3-3
14	Detroit Lions	3-3
15	Indianapolis Colts	3-3
16	Houston Texans	3-3
17	Los Angeles Rams	3-3
18	Kansas City Chiefs	2-3
19	New York Giants	3-3
20	Baltimore Ravens	3-3
21	Cincinnati Bengals	2-4
22	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-3
23	New Orleans Saints	2-3
24	Carolina Panthers	1-5
25	New York Jets	1-5
26	Tennessee Titans	2-4
27	Chicago Bears	2-4
28	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-4
29	San Diego Chargers	1-5
30	San Francisco 49ers	1-5
31	Cleveland Browns	1-5
32	Miami Dolphins	1-5

Notable Rankings

The Denver Broncos lost this past week to the Atlanta Falcons. The Minnesota Vikings battered the Houston Texans to remain the league's lone undefeated team and to move into the top spot of most power rankings.

What's truly impressive about the Vikings this season is how efficiently they operate as a team. Quarterback Sam Bradford is playing well, as is the defense. However, this is a team that is much, much bigger than the sum of its parts.

Just consider the fact that Minnesota is the worst running team in football (an average of 70.6 yards per game on the ground) and is still able to win with a focus on defense. That defense, though, is ranked first in points allowed (12.6 per game) and is rated eighth overall by Pro Football Focus.

Bradford and Co. are doing enough to keep the offense afloat. The defense is doing enough to keep opponents out of the end zone. The Minnesota defense has been especially good at minimizing big plays.

According to Craig Peters of the team's official website, the Vikings have allowed an opposing passer rating of just 18.9 on passes of 21 yards or longer. This means opponents are forced into methodical drives, which create more opportunities for defensive playmaking.

"Obviously, your goal as a defense is to keep the top on the defense and keep things in front of you," Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo said, per Peters. "We’ve been doing a good job of executing the game plan and keeping receivers in front of us, not letting them get behind us. We’ll try to continue to do that and not give up big plays."

If Minnesota can find a way to spark its running game, it could be one of the toughest teams to knock off come playoff time.

The Vikings are on bye in Week 6, and they will remain atop the rankings afterward.

3. Atlanta Falcons

Uncredited/Associated Press

The Vikings might not be so great at running the ball, but the Falcons have figured out how to dominate the competition with their backfield.

Atlanta went into Denver to face the previously undefeated Broncos in Week 5 and used running backs Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman to keep that championship defense off balance. The duo combined for 119 yards rushing, 167 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

This is an offense that also boasts the great Julio Jones at receiver and a refreshed Matt Ryan at quarterback. The Falcons are rated second in overall offense by Pro Football Focus and are playing well enough on that side of the ball to match up with any team.

This week, the Falcons have to travel to Seattle to face another strong defense in the Seahawks. It's another daunting challenge, but it's one Atlanta has a realistic chance of overcoming.

What makes this Falcons team different than the offensive-driven teams we've seen in Atlanta in years past is its pass rush. The Falcons are rated eighth in pass rush by Pro Football Focus, and the team's ability to get after the quarterback gives it a chance in Seattle.

A leaky offensive line is one of the few weaknesses on this Seattle team. It is rated 26th in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus. Atlanta's offense is good enough to score in Seattle. If the defense can force some mistakes from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, the Falcons can steal this road game.

This is a team reminiscent of Peyton Manning's old Indianapolis Colts squads. It's virtually unstoppable on offense and features just enough defense to be dangerous down the stretch.

22. Cincinnati Bengals

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The Vikings and Falcons appear to be teams on the rise. The Cincinnati Bengals look to be the exact opposite. The Bengals have lost in the opening round of the playoffs in each of the past five years, and now it's looking like they won't even get the chance to do it again.

Cincinnati is coming off an embarrassing loss to the upstart Dallas Cowboys. Cincinnati surged back to score 14 fourth-quarter points, and that made the final score a more respectable 28-14. Make no mistake, though, the Bengals were dominated in the game, especially on defense.

As Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer explained during the game, the Bengals don't even seem sure of what has happened:

A season ago, Cincinnati boasted the league's second-best scoring defense (17.4 points per game allowed). This season, that ranking has dropped to 16th (22.0 points per game allowed). Offensively, the team has hit a major snag. The Bengals are averaging just 18.4 points per game, 25th in the NFL.

Letting offensive coordinator Hue Jackson walk in the offseason may have something to do with Cincinnati's offensive regression, but a lot of the blame has to be put on a run game that is stalling.

Cincinnati is averaging just 83.8 yards per game on the ground.

An unbalanced offense makes it easier for opponents to key in on what the Bengals do well, which is pass the football. That's not good with the Bengals heading into Foxborough to face the Patriots in Week 6.

New England is very, very good at taking away an opponent's strengths.

Toss in the fact that Tom Brady has returned to lead a deadly Patriots offense, and the Bengals are likely staring a 2-4 record right in the face. Bouncing back to earn a playoff spot will be incredibly difficult from here.