NFL Power Rankings: Week 6 Expert Consensus from Around the Web

The 2014 NFL regular season is already heading into Week 6, and it appears the old adage about time flying when you’re having fun is ringing true once again. The season is moving too fast.

Before the games begin with Thursday Night Football, though, it’s time to take a look at the latest power rankings from the football prognosticators. With several upsets and close games, the Week 6 rankings have undergone a major overhaul.

Here are the latest expert power rankings from around the web and my full breakdown and rankings for every team.

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

*Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings via CBSSports.com.

*Frank Schwab’s Power Rankings via Yahoo.com.

*Matt Miller’s Power Rankings via BleacherReport.com.

Donald Wood’s Power Rankings

Ben Margot/Associated Press

32. Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders are a bad team. As if the lack of chemistry wasn’t damning enough, the decision to fire Dennis Allen during the bye week and replace him with interim head coach Tony Sparano will only make the loss to San Diego in Week 6 worse.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

There is a chance that the Jacksonville Jaguars lose every game this season. That’s how inconsistent the team is on both sides of the ball. Fortunately for the franchise, a meeting against the lackluster Tennessee Titans could be the chance for Jacksonville to earn a victory.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

30. St. Louis Rams

Injuries have plagued the St. Louis Rams this season. Despite a full effort from the majority of the team, St. Louis will continue to struggle. When the 2015 NFL draft arrives, St. Louis will likely have to decide whether it’s time to move on from injured quarterback Sam Bradford or not.

29. Minnesota Vikings

Watching Christian Ponder under center for the Minnesota Vikings was a painful experience. It’s abundantly clear that Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback on the roster and the future of the franchise.

28. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans regained the form the team possessed in a Week 1 win over Kansas City, but the team took its foot off the throttle, and the Cleveland Browns managed to come back and steal the one-point victory. This could be the final straw that breaks the Titans mentally.

27. New York Jets

Regardless of who is the starting quarterback for the New York Jets, the offensive game plan is not working. Geno Smith should be the starter to determine if he is the QB of the future, but he won’t succeed until the team simplifies its strategy and builds to the strength of the personnel.

26. Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins earned respect from many fans for playing the Seattle Seahawks tougher than most expected, but the franchise still lost and continues to slide each week in the power rankings.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

An overtime loss to New Orleans was tough to swallow, but another tough matchup against Baltimore could be the final nail in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coffin. Lovie Smith’s first season as head coach of the Bucs has been an utter disaster.

24. Cleveland Browns

Few experts expected the Cleveland Browns to be 2-2 at this point of the season, but after losing by just three points to Pittsburgh in Week 1, the franchise will be looking to avenge the loss and beat the Steelers in Week 6. After the way Pittsburgh played in Week 5, Cleveland has a legitimate shot.

23. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins had a Week 5 bye. The team should have spent every waking minute preparing for the Green Bay Packers, or this could be a lopsided loss for the Dolphins at home.

22. Houston Texans

A heartbreaking overtime loss to Dallas was a devastating blow to the Houston Texans, but a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Indianapolis Colts could take the situation from bad to worse.

21. Atlanta Falcons

The hardest team to decipher in 2014 has been the Atlanta Falcons. The team dominated Tampa Bay, 56-14, but managed to lose back-to-back games to the Vikings and the Giants. A matchup against the inconsistent Bears in Week 6 will be a perfect test.

20. New York Giants

Week by week, the New York Giants continue to climb the power rankings. After a dreadful preseason and an even worse start to the regular season, New York has remained focused, and the fruit of the team’s labor was on display in a win over Atlanta. Now the Giants prepare for Philadelphia in Week 6.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers

An ugly win over the Jacksonville Jaguars is not what Pittsburgh Steelers fans wanted to see, but the franchise will get a chance to prove itself against a tougher-than-expected Cleveland team in the rivals’ second matchup of the year.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

18. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have an incredible amount of talent on the roster, but inconsistency has plagued the team all year. With a matchup against an Atlanta roster dealing with the same issues, the Bears must win if they want to be considered postseason contenders.

17. Kansas City Chiefs

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Kansas City Chiefs. With top stars like Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry both still recovering from injuries, the extra days of rest will help prepare the team for a difficult second half of the season.

16. Detroit Lions

The loss to the Buffalo Bills was tough to swallow, but the possible loss of Calvin Johnson for Week 6’s game against Minnesota, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, could be the most devastating blow of the day.

15. Buffalo Bills

Despite benching starter EJ Manuel and riding with Kyle Orton as quarterback, the Buffalo Bills still managed to pull out the victory and have been much better than many experts expected. If the offense could find any rhythm, the Bills would be dangerous.

14. Carolina Panthers

Even without a rushing attack, the Carolina Panthers still managed to win Sunday’s game against Chicago. With a tough matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6, Cam Newton and the entire team will have to play better in order to earn a victory.

13. Baltimore Ravens

The loss to Indianapolis won’t be easy to overcome, but a favorable matchup against Tampa Bay is exactly what the doctor ordered. Expect Steve Smith and the Ravens to have a huge offensive day against a struggling Tampa Bay defense.

12. New Orleans Saints

One of the hardest teams to place each week is the New Orleans Saints. The franchise boasts some of the most talented players in the league, but their inability to string together wins is alarming. The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for a roster that needs a shot in the arm.

11. Dallas Cowboys

Surprise, Surprise. The Dallas Cowboys have once again climbed in the rankings after an overtime win against Houston. We will see what Dallas is made of this week as the team prepares to play the Seahawks in Seattle.

10. Arizona Cardinals

A loss to the Denver Broncos is nothing to be ashamed of for the Arizona Cardinals, but the team is still one of the most dangerous in the league, even without a reliable starting quarterback. When Carson Palmer returns from his shoulder injury, the Cardinals will be a true NFC contender.

9. San Francisco 49ers

A tough win over the Chiefs is what the San Francisco 49ers needed to build confidence in the team and the game plan. With a favorable matchup against St. Louis on Monday Night Football, the team can continue building momentum this week as well.

8. New England Patriots

The media took the New England Patriots to task after getting blown out in Week 4, and Tom Brady and company responded with their best game of the year. If New England can play at that level for the remainder of the season, the Patriots will be Super Bowl contenders.

7. Green Bay Packers

One of the most exciting teams in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers. When the offensive unit is working well and the defense is getting pressure on the quarterback, there are few teams in the league that can go toe-to-toe with Green Bay.

6. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are winning ugly, but the team is still managing to win games. With a tough division matchup against the New York Giants, the Eagles will know exactly what they’re made of after Sunday’s battle.

5. Cincinnati Bengals

A loss to the New England Patriots was tough, but the Cincinnati Bengals ran into a buzzsaw. After pundits claimed New England was done as a playoff threat, the Bengals were forced to hold on as Tom Brady regained his elite form. Cincinnati should bounce back against Carolina.

4. Indianapolis Colts

Whether it’s an ugly win or an utter blowout, Andrew Luck almost always puts his team in the best position to win the game. Even when he struggles, Luck has the ability to put the team on his back and lead them to a victory. Sunday's win over Baltimore was a perfect example of his abilities.

3. San Diego Chargers

Led by quarterback Philip Rivers, the San Diego Chargers are one of the most complete teams in the NFL. Even without Ryan Mathews rushing the ball, the team has managed to find a balance on offense and have been dominant on defense. San Diego is a serious postseason contender.

2. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning continues to make his case as the greatest quarterback of all time, but it has been the defense that has been a real bright spot thus far. While the unit is still learning to play together on the fly, it has improved each week and will only get better as the season drags on.

1. Seattle Seahawks

It wasn’t easy, but the Seattle Seahawks victory over Washington on Monday night showcased the ability of the offensive unit to come through in big moments. With Russell Wilson under center for Seattle, the Seahawks will always have a chance to win.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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