NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Latest Outlook and 2014-15 Super Bowl Odds

The NFL teased that things would be different this season.

Key word being "teased" as things around the league are slowly morphing back to familiar territory. Cincinnati looked like a contender before getting eviscerated by a New England team on Sunday Night Football that appeared on its last gasps of contention.

Seattle and Denver both had brief hiccups before getting back to contention. Prolific offenses in New York and Philadelphia stumbled out of the gates but now look like California Chrome coming down the stretch. And not that New York team—Rex Ryan's team reverted to circus-sideshow form a few weeks into the season.

So it goes, but right now the league feels all too familiar. Is that a bad thing? Of course not.

2014-15 Super Bowl Odds

Team	Odds
Seattle Seahawks	9-2
Denver Broncos	5-1
Green Bay Packers	10-1
New England Patriots	12-1
San Diego Chargers	12-1
San Francisco 49ers	12-1
Cincinnati Bengals	15-1
Dallas Cowboys	18-1
Indianapolis Colts	18-1
New York Giants	25-1
Philadelphia Eagles	25-1
Arizona Cardinals	30-1
New Orleans Saints	30-1
Baltimore Ravens	35-1
Detroit Lions	35-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	40-1
Carolina Panthers	60-1
Chicago Bears	60-1
Atlanta Falcons	75-1
Buffalo Bills	75-1
Houston Texans	75-1
Kansas City Chiefs	80-1
Miami Dolphins	80-1
Cleveland Browns	90-1
Minnesota Vikings	160-1
Washington Redskins	200-1
New York Jets	500-1
St. Louis Rams	500-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers	650-1
Tennessee Titans	650-1
Oakland Raiders	2000-1
Jacksonville Jaguars	3000-1

Super Bowl odds via Vegas Insider as of Oct. 6 at noon ET.

Power Rankings

32. Jacksonville Jaguars, 0-5

Rock bottom is a tough pill to swallow.

After showing brief flashes in his debut, Blake Bortles hit a rookie wall Sunday against Pittsburgh, throwing for just 191 yards and a pair of interceptions. Gus Bradley elected to run the ball just 15 times and the defense had another miserable showing.

The rest of the season is simply about the development of Bortles and his young offensive weapons.

31. Oakland Raiders, 0-4

Times are changing in Oakland. The team used a bye this week to get healthy and make a few changes in the organization.

Chief among them is the health of upstart rookie quarterback Derek Carr, who told Steve Corkran of InsideBayArea.com that he expects to be back on the field soon:

Call that great news, because this is a developmental year for the Raiders, the organization with the most talent-deficient roster in the league.

30. New York Jets, 1-4

The circus is out in full force, folks.

Rex Ryan drafted Geno Smith in part to save his job. Smith got himself benched Sunday in San Diego, only to see veteran Michael Vick take the field and go 8-of-19 for 47 yards.

It seemed a matter of time before there was a ridiculous quarterback controversy in New York. Every facet of the team is playing at a horrible level right now, so a full-blown implosion seems on the horizon.

29. Tennessee Titans, 1-4

Jake Locker is hurt once again, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Charlie Whitehurst entered the team's Week 5 clash against Cleveland and threw for 194 yards and two scores.

Yet the team still lost.

Tennessee is a mess. A wideout (Kendall Wright) led the team in rushing and the defense gave up 175 rushing yards. A high draft pick appears to be in the future.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1-4

Not many teams can go to New Orleans and escape with a win, but few go up 31-20 in the fourth quarter and still lose.

Say hello to the 2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mike Glennon is an upgrade under center, but the team is still a mess defensively and production on the ground is rare at this point. Lovie Smith's first year has been a disaster.

27. St. Louis Rams, 1-3

At first glance, the St. Louis Rams appear to have something in quarterback Austin Davis.

Despite a loss, he did manage to throw for 375 yards and three touchdowns against Philadelphia on Sunday.

The only problem is that a large chunk of that production came in garbage time and any and every quarterback seems to find success against Chip Kelly's defense. St. Louis continues to put up a fight in each game, but it seems destined to be a close-but-no-cigar kind of season.

26. Washington, 1-3

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Washington has provided its fans with a roller coaster of emotions this season. 

Robert Griffin III went down, but backup Kirk Cousins played well and gave the team hope.

Then he imploded. Washington has lost two straight, and in that span Cousins has thrown five interceptions. Now he must somehow turn things around against Seattle on Monday Night Football.

25. Atlanta Falcons, 2-3

The Atlanta Falcons are in a free fall that seems to have no end at the moment. 

The team's Twitter account summed things up nicely: 

After a stunning loss to Minnesota, the miserable defense was no match for the New York Giants on Sunday in a 10-points loss. Things in no way get easier, either, with matchups against Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit before the bye.

24. Minnesota Vikings, 2-3

Credit goes to first-year coach Mike Zimmer—his team is not simply throwing in the towel on the season in the face of adversity.

Well, not every week, at least.

Minnesota pulled out a win over Atlanta in Week 4, but a short week for a Thursday Night Football contest in Green Bay would have done a healthy Vikings roster wrong. A hobbled one got thoroughly dismantled, 42-10.

23. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-3

Once again it is back to the drawing board for the Kansas City Chiefs.

After making a mockery of New England the week prior, the Chiefs went out and suffered a letdown in San Francisco en route to a 22-17 loss.

The previously dominant ground game got just 90 yards on the day and the defense allowed 171 yards on the ground. Kansas City heads into the bye a mixed bag, and better come out of it with a plan thanks to a trip to San Diego up next.

22. New Orleans Saints, 2-3

Sunday, the New Orleans Saints finally finished when it mattered.

After losing their first two games by a total of five points, the Saints pulled off a stunning fourth-quarter comeback and got an overtime win against Tampa Bay.

Now, it did come against lowly Tampa Bay. The team's only other win is against Minnesota. Those are negatives, but the offense continues to roll despite a weak defense. The Saints should hang around in the playoff discussion thanks to a miserable NFC South.

21. Miami Dolphins, 2-2

Few teams in the NFL needed a bye more than the .500 Dolphins. 

It is difficult to crack a smile over a win against Oakland before the bye, but as ESPN.com's James Walker points out, the bye was timely in regards to how the rest of the schedule shapes up:

Armed with a top-five rushing offense and a top-10 pass defense, Miami should at least be competitive going into a brutal stretch.

20. Cleveland Browns, 2-2

The Cleveland Browns did something very un-Cleveland-like Sunday—they came back from a large deficit in the second half and scored a win.

Granted, it came against Tennessee, but as the team's communications manager Dan Murphy pointed out, this has been somewhat of a thing this year:

Strange times, indeed. Cleveland is a threat to any team in the league at the moment thanks to a top-five rushing attack headed by a healthy Ben Tate.

19. Chicago Bears, 2-3

The Chicago Bears are fading.

A Week 4 loss against Green Bay is understandable, but now the losing streak is two in a row after a loss to Carolina, a team starting Darrin Reaves at running back.

It would be silly to write off the Bears so early in the season, but the team does no one thing elite. In this league, being just good enough in most areas is not good enough.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers, 3-2

How does one cure the pains of a last-second loss to a miserable team?

A game against Jacksonville, of course.

Then again, a 17-9 escape at home against the winless Jaguars is not all that encouraging. Ben Roethlisberger struggled against a woeful defense and the team failed to capitalize in a big way on two Jacksonville turnovers.

It seems forever ago now that the Steelers blew out Carolina.

17. Buffalo Bills, 3-2

Jose Juarez/Associated Press

Buffalo was able to snap a two-game losing streak Sunday with an upset win over Detroit on the road, although the credit goes more to Lions kicker Alex Henery than anything, as he missed three attempts, including a potential game-winning kick late in the contest.

Benching EJ Manuel in favor of Kyle Orton proved to be a mixed bag, too, as the veteran threw for 308 yards with a touchdown and interception in a so-so day.

An elite rush defense that tops the league is nice, but the offense needs a spark. Fast.

16. Houston Texans, 3-2

Thanks to a scrappy defense that applies plenty of pressure and a strong ground game, Houston continues to give each and every opponent problems.

An overtime loss to Dallas on Sunday stings, but Arian Foster was able to rumble for 157 yards. As expected, the weakness resides under center with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who managed all of 154 yards and an interception. 

That will be what holds the team back this season, as expected. Few better options are available on the roster or around the league.

15. Baltimore Ravens, 3-2

Baltimore came back down to Earth on Sunday after three consecutive wins.

A road trip to Indianapolis provided volatile, as the Colts were able to muster 117 rushing yards and hold Joe Flacco in check for just 235 yards and an interception.

It is safe to consider the performance an anomaly, as the Colts are certainly not known as a rushing team and the Ravens still rank in the top 10 against the rush. Should it happen again, though, it becomes time to flip open the cover on the panic button.

14. San Francisco 49ers, 3-2

Make that back-to-back wins for the San Francisco 49ers after Sunday's win against Kansas City. 

The 49ers obviously have something special going on in the backfield. Frank Gore rumbled for 107 yards on just 18 carries, while rookie Carlos Hyde got himself 43 on 10.

The passing game is still a mess, but with the defense starting to come around, San Francisco can begin to make some noise again in the division. A trip to St. Louis on prime time is up next.

13. Detroit Lions, 3-2

Believe it or not, Detroit is one of the best teams in the league and should be 4-1 right now.

Instead, the aforementioned Henery missed three kicks in a 17-14 loss and subsequently lost his job. The Lions broke the news on Twitter:

Detroit still touts a defense that ranks in the top five against the pass and rush, which is obviously complemented by a great offense. This latest setback should be but a bump in the road.

12. Carolina Panthers, 3-2

Carolina is one of the most difficult teams in the league to figure out at this point.

The team wins and loses with Cam Newton under center. It wins and loses without two of its top running backs. After getting absolutely steamrolled in Baltimore, 38-10, the team went out Sunday and beat Chicago, 31-24.

What is strange is that Newton and Co. tout a top-12 passing attack and a shaky defense. In other words, the exact opposite of how the team has found success over the course of the past few years.

For now, it seems to be slightly working.

11. New England Patriots, 3-2

After being on the wrong end of a blowout and a silly media firestorm, Tom Brady and the Patriots went out and exorcised a week's worth of demons against Cincinnati.

Brady was back to his usual self with 292 yards and a pair of scores while the ground game took care of business with 220 yards against a defense without its best linebacker, Vontaze Burfict.

Still, New England's only wins have come against Minnesota, Oakland and a Cincinnati team that folds under pressure. More consistency is needed before this rating takes a jump.

10. Green Bay Packers, 3-2

Green Bay Packers fans can rest easy. The rest of the league can stop overreacting, too.

Aaron Rodgers and Co. have two losses, but one came in Seattle and the other came in Detroit.

What a travesty, right?

The Green Bay defense ranks in the top 10 against the pass with an average of just 208.8 yards allowed per game. Star back Eddie Lacy is beginning to get more comfortable against lesser defenses, going for 105 yards and two scores against Minnesota.

The Packers are just fine, folks.

9. New York Giants, 3-2

Albeit quietly, the Giants are one of the league's most dangerous teams.

Things are suddenly beginning to click for the new offense, led by quarterback Eli Manning. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post recorded, his stellar play has been of the utmost importance in the three-game winning streak:

It helps that the defense touts one of the league's top rushes and is strong against the run. Just how far these Giants can go will be quite entertaining to see in the coming weeks.

8. Philadelphia Eagles, 4-1

On one hand, Kelly's team has only lost a single game this year.

On the other, this is a team that beat Indianapolis and Washington by just three points apiece and Sunday failed to slam the door shut on a miserable St. Louis team after jumping out to a 27-7 advantage.

Look, the Eagles are still getting healthy. The ground game was better this week thanks to the return of Lane Johnson. But a stunning lack of consistency continues to plague the roster and sooner or later will catch up to the team against great opposition.

7. Dallas Cowboys, 4-1

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys happen to ride one of the NFL's longest win streaks, believe it or not.

Winners of four in a row, the Cowboys continue to be the top rushing team in the league thanks to DeMarco Murray, whose latest exploits were 136 yards on a 4.4 per-carry average against Houston.

In turn, this has helped Romo to step up his game, as NFL on ESPN illustrated:

Defense is still a major issue for the Cowboys, but as long as the backfield stays healthy, this team is going places.

6. Arizona Cardinals, 3-1

Bruce Arians' team is no longer among the realm of the undefeated after a trip to Denver resulted in a lopsided affair.

The lack of Carson Palmer under center finally caught up to the team as Drew Stanton threw for just 118 yards. Logan Thomas went 1-of-8 for 81 yards and a score.

With no ground game to speak of and facing the most prolific offense in the league, the Cardinals never really stood a chance.

5. Cincinnati Bengals, 3-1

The Cincinnati Bengals are who we thought they were.

Three straight wins to start the season was nice, but many had circled Sunday Night Football as the true proving ground for a team that continues to struggle when it actually matters.

In the back of the minds of most, a stumble was expected. Cincinnati, for one reason or another, simply folds when the pressure is on—which includes the playoffs. Despite a continued addition of talent, the team simply regresses in every way under the bright lights. A 43-17 smackdown in Foxborough tells the whole story.

4. Indianapolis Colts, 3-2

It has been so easy to discredit the Indianapolis Colts to this point in the season.

Andrew Luck and Co. started with two straight losses and then rattled off as many wins against lowly teams such as Jacksonville and Tennessee.

Sunday, it all came together, though. As mentioned above, the team got a strange rushing output during a down day from Luck, and the defense held a unit to a season-low 13 points. It is now impossible to sleep on the Colts.

3. San Diego Chargers, 4-1

The San Diego Chargers are quite easily one of the best teams in the NFL.

That much could be gleaned from a Week 2 win over Seattle, but let's pump the breaks just a tad. Wins over Buffalo, Jacksonville and the Jets are not something to write home about just yet.

The offense is great thanks to Philip Rivers and the defense is unexpectedly stout. Best of all, the team gets to beat up on Oakland next week.

Soon, though, the schedule will actually get tough and we will find out what these Chargers are really about.

2. Denver Broncos, 3-1

Surely angry after a loss to the No. 1 team on this list and a bye week to fume about it, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos went out and took care of business against previously undefeated Arizona.

By "taking care of business," that means setting franchise records, of course. The team's Twitter had the scoop:

Few teams can play with the Broncos. As long as the defense continues to improve, only one team remains better from a rankings standpoint.

1. Seattle Seahawks, 2-1

Like it or not, Seattle remains the best team in the league as it heads into a Monday Night Football showdown in Washington.

A hiccup against San Diego a few weeks back will be the argument many point to in regards to a No. 1 rank for the defending champs, but every team has its ups and downs. A mere week later, Russell Wilson and Co. overcame Denver in overtime.

Now, if Seattle goes to Washington and takes a dive, then things get a major shake-up again.

Statistics courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required).