NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

The San Diego Chargers defeating the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football 21-13 hints at more upheaval in the rankings ahead.

It falls into the category of a Super Bowl hangover for the Broncos, sure. But also keep in mind it is about par for the course given this season's refusal to even out and be predictable, which isn't a bad thing.

Call it a possible foreshadowing for a weekend with heavyweight matchups such as encounters between the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, and Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

Indeed, the power-rankings realm continues to take longer to settle than usual. The rest of the week after the opener might continue the trend.

Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

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

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings have a much-deserved bye in Week 6. 

When the Vikings replaced the injured Teddy Bridgewater with Sam Bradford under center, most probably looked at this somewhat early bye as necessary for the team to figure things out on many levels. These feelings probably came up again once Adrian Peterson got sent to injured reserve.

Whoops.

Instead, the Vikings look like one of the best teams in the league and have yet to take a loss. The team captured a quote from Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman that provides plenty of fitting context:

Minnesota hasn't just bullied opposing offenses. Head coach Mike Zimmer has assembled and schemed a unit that has held the Green Bay Packers to 14 points and both the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants to 10. 

Not to suggest the offense hasn't looked solid. Bradford personifies consistent, sitting on six touchdowns to no interceptions and a 70.4 completion percentage. Nobody has impressed while replacing Peterson in the backfield, but it hasn't mattered much.

The Vikings will use the week off to heal and prepare for a road test against the Philadelphia Eagles. But there's no use in pretending that it is a prove-it game or something spelling the end of the season if the team can't pull out a win.

Bradford's Vikings (2016 is so weird) have done enough to stick around in the top five for a long time.

Carolina Panthers

About those Panthers. 

An NFC South shootout between the Panthers and New Orleans Saints sounds fun. But it will classify as anything but for the visitors, who sit dead last in the division at 1-4 and will have to hope Cam Newton's return provides a spark.

Newton sounds like a full go in practice this week, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. But he wasn't much of a spark to start the season when healthy, completing less than 60 percent of his passes with six touchdowns to five interceptions.

Despite this and the concussion suffered against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, it doesn't sound like Carolina's coaching staff has much in the way of concern, as captured by the Associated Press' Steve Reed:

Carolina went to New Orleans and won last year, so that bodes well for a team with its back against the wall. But with both Josh Norman and Bene' Benwikere long gone, containing Drew Brees might be more difficult than it has been in past years.

The Panthers continue to hold on to a somewhat respectable power-ranking slot by a thread, but a visit to New Orleans will decide if they keep hanging on for dear life or let it go and free-fall into the abyss.

Pittsburgh Steelers 

The rich only figure to get richer when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins over the weekend. 

With Le'Veon Bell back in the fold, NFL.com's Aditi Kinkhabwala hinted at what a lopsided encounter the game could become:

Outside of the odd blowout on the road against the Eagles in Week 3 that critics like to point out, the Steelers have easily looked like the best team in the league. Winning margins of 38-16, 24-16, 43-14 and 31-13 say that well enough.

So, yes, the Pittsburgh defense looks like its usual self. The offense deserves plenty of credit too, though. DeAngelo Williams held down the fort well with Bell out, Sammie Coates (421 yards, two scores) looks in line for a breakout season across from Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger already has 15 touchdowns with four interceptions.

What sets the Steelers apart from the rest of the league, though, is how well the team combats injuries. Despite being down four starters and losing defensive tackle Cam Heyward during a game against the New York Jets last week, the Steelers still put up the 31-13 outcome.

"It's the next man up," linebacker Jarvis Jones said, according to ESPN.com. "Coach Tomlin is really serious about it. Guys take pride when they're the next man up."

Most of the teams near the top of the power rankings impressively employ or have employed some sense of the next-man-up rule.

But no team has done it better.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.