NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Updated Standings After 'Thursday Night Football'

Little changes after the Green Bay Packers took a 26-10 decision against the Chicago Bears on the Week 7 edition of Thursday Night Football.

There, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers slapped away criticism and suggestions of the team's demise, though a win against a miserable opponent on a short week won't catapult them up the rankings.

Call it the norm for Thursday games so far this season, where little in the way of shocking developments have unfolded on a short week, meaning small adjustments in power rankings ahead of a weekend slate.

Before the weekend arrives and the league hierarchy truly takes a shift, let's review where things stand.

Week 7 NFL Power Rankings

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

Denver Broncos 

Though their status in power rankings isn't terrible right now, the Denver Broncos continue to flirt with a major drop. 

The Broncos have now lost two games in a row. Dropping a home contest to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 and possible MVP candidate Matt Ryan wasn't the biggest deal in the world. Turning around and losing on Thursday Night Football to the San Diego Chargers, though, was.

There, Trevor Siemian had a ho-hum day, completing 30 of his silly 50 attempts with one touchdown. The offense rushed the ball 16 times while the defense surrendered enough to lose the time-of-possession battle.

To avoid a third loss in a row and a further plunge down the rankings, the Broncos need to get back to the basics.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Head coach Gary Kubiak addressed the issues, according to ESPN.com: "The last two games for us looked a lot alike unfortunately. Very slow starting football games. We corrected ourselves. Defensively played well in the second half. Offensively we've been really struggling up front. We've got to play better."

Though he has impressed, Siemian isn't a 50-attempt quarterback. Look for Denver to commit back to a run-first approach in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. With rookie back Devontae Booker averaging a strong 4.7 yards per carry so far, he might see the majority of the workload.

The date with Houston might be the most important game of Denver's season—a rematch with San Diego and game against the Oakland Raiders await in the following weeks.

Buffalo Bills

On the other side of the momentum equation is the Buffalo Bills, winners of four straight.

The first two in the streak stand as the most impressive, as taking down the Arizona Cardinals 33-18 and the New England Patriots, Tom Brady or not, 16-0, register as important feats.

Yet the Bills remain only second in the AFC East, as New England's only loss remains the upset at the hands of the Bills.

Still, Buffalo has gone from an erratic team to a potent one in the blink of an eye. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has thrown eight touchdowns to two interceptions while running back LeSean McCoy has emerged as an MVP candidate after running for 110 yards or more in three of his last four games, totaling five touchdowns in those three games.

On the other side, head coach Rex Ryan's defense has only permitted three passing touchdowns and held opposing backs to less than four yards per carry.

As some might have guessed, there is a catch—a 4-2 record is great, but the mentioned pair of wins is where things cut off in terms of impressiveness. Beating the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers is shrug-worthy material, and losing to the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets is miserable.

All this means, though, is the Bills cannot afford to overlook the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. Yes, Brady and the Patriots await a week after, but McCoy and the team need to hit that encounter at 5-2, not 4-3.

Like the Broncos, these next couple of weeks are the most important of the season for the Bills.

Houston Texans

Complacency could crush the Houston Texans. 

Some might find it odd to see a division leader ranked so low, but thus is life in the AFC South. Houston leads at 4-2, with no other team in the division coming in above .500 and two boasting only a pair of wins apiece.

Included in the 4-2 record is a pair of wins within the division thanks to escapes of the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts.

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Like the Bills, though, there's a catch—Houston has been thoroughly stomped by the only real competition it has faced all year, New England and the Minnesota Vikings. Those contests went to the beat of 27-0 and 31-13 drums, respectively.

Redemption awaits in a prove-it contest in Week 7, though, as the Texans will hit the road on Monday Night Football to encounter the Broncos. There, quarterback Brock Osweiler has a chance to prove himself against his former team after disappointing to start the year (eight touchdowns and interceptions), and running back Lamar Miller can prove he was worth the offseason investment against an elite defense (one touchdown).

If the Texans roll over like they have in other games against top-tier competition, though, the power ranking goes absolutely nowhere and the team keeps its status as one dominating one of the worst divisions imaginable.

Houston could hit the postseason either way, but losing to a team like Denver would only further the discussion about needing to change the playoff format and automatic bids.

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

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.