NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Latest Outlook and 2014-15 Super Bowl Odds
With only a Monday Night Football contest between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams remaining, Week 6 of the 2014 NFL season has almost reached its conclusion, and that means one thing: It's time for updated power rankings.
We already know power ranking all 32 NFL teams is a fluid process. Standings are generated by taking quality wins, current streaks, on-field performance and, to a lesser extent, team records into consideration. All of these factors change severely on a weekly basis, and, as a result, so do these rankings.
After another turbulent week filled with rather surprising results, where does your team land in the league's current pecking order? Before we get into the updated rankings, let's take a glance at how the Super Bowl odds have been affected.
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| Denver Broncos | 4-1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 10-1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 14-1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 14-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 16-1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 20-1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 25-1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 25-1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 28-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 33-1 |
| Chicago Bears | 33-1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 40-1 |
| New York Giants | 50-1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 66-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 66-1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 75-1 |
| Houston Texans | 100-1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 100-1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 100-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 100-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 250-1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 500-1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 500-1 |
| Washington Redskins | 500-1 |
| New York Jets | 750-1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccanneers | 1000-1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3000-1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3000-1 |
Super Bowl odds via Odds Shark.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars were given their best chance to generate a win on Sunday—and they couldn't get it done. The team managed only 14 points against a terrible Tennessee Titans defense, and while rookie running back Storm Johnson did score a touchdown, he averaged only 2.2 yards per carry. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports tweeted his thoughts on the team's lone bright spot:
Jacksonville has plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and after Sunday's showing, one burning question remains: Will this team win a game this season?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a couple solid showings, the Buccaneers returned to their old form on Sunday, getting trounced at home by the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Tampa Bay's defense gave up four passing touchdowns to Joe Flacco in the first quarter. This team was never in contention on Sunday and desperately needs to figure something out over its Week 7 bye.
30. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders took on arguably one of the best teams in the NFL on Sunday, and they didn't disappoint. Oakland hung tough with the San Diego Chargers, losing 31-28. Derek Carr was outstanding and Andre Holmes was nearly unstoppable against a good Chargers defense. If the Raiders keep playing like this, they could begin to move up the rankings.
29. Washington Redskins
Washington faced a difficult challenge on Sunday, as it traveled to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Carson Palmer. Kirk Cousins played well enough to get his team in contention to win late in the game, but a putrid interception quickly thwarted any chance for a comeback. This team must begin to wonder if either of its quarterbacks are the answer.
28. New York Jets
After a decent start to Sunday's contest against the Denver Broncos, the Jets fell apart. Suddenly, New York's defense can't stop much of anyone, allowing Ronnie Hillman to reach the century mark on the ground. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, New York is already experimenting with its rotation within the defensive front seven:
Making matters worse, the team's offensive line lost in the trenches as well, allowing its own ground game to average just 2.1 yards per carry. Rex Ryan can't be happy about that.
27. Tennessee Titans
The Titans barely notched a win against the hapless Jaguars on Sunday. Charlie Whitehurst looked average at quarterback, and Bishop Sankey didn't impress in a starting role out of the backfield. While the team's defense allowed only 14 points, rookie Blake Bortles still eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark. Tennessee did just enough to stay out of the AFC South's cellar.
26. Minnesota Vikings
It's almost easy to feel bad for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater after Sunday's game. The Vikings offensive line was simply atrocious, allowing the Detroit Lions to tally 12 quarterback hits and eight sacks while the pressure resulted in three interceptions. This team is quickly falling apart right in front of Mike Zimmer's eyes.
25. St. Louis Rams
This ranking is subject to change following Monday Night Football. Should St. Louis defeat San Francisco, a nice jump up the standings is in order. However, that probably won't be the case considering the Rams are ranked 31st in the league against the run and that happens to be the 49ers' bread and butter. A big game from Austin Davis will be necessary to keep pace.
24. Atlanta Falcons
A once-vaunted Falcons passing attack sputtered against a mediocre Chicago Bears secondary on Sunday. The team's prolific wide receivers were held in check, and Atlanta didn't even bother to attempt to establish the run. Meanwhile, the team's defense gave up a total of 478 yards to Jay Cutler and Co.—and all of this happened in the Georgia Dome. That doesn't bode well.
23. New Orleans Saints
The Saints may have had the week off, but that doesn't change their standing as one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season. After being dismantled by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, the Saints were pushed to the brink by the Buccaneers in Week 5. Let's hope Sean Payton, Drew Brees and Co. figured something out during the bye week.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of disappointing teams, the Steelers were simply awful in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. The team's only touchdown came in garbage time, and a once-stout defense was torched by Brian Hoyer, Jordan Cameron and Ben Tate. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted how Cleveland has dominated the Steelers on the ground this season:
Pittsburgh currently resides in the cellar of the AFC North, and the way things are looking it may not climb out any time soon.
21. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins put forth a valiant effort against the Green Bay Packers in Week 6, but their lead slipped away in the waning seconds of the game. Miami's defense couldn't contain Aaron Rodgers, the team's running game couldn't get going and committing three turnovers won't get the job done against a better NFL team.
20. Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City was afforded a week of rest on the heels of a loss to the 49ers in Week 5. This Chiefs team showed some nice improvement throughout the season, but must get Jamaal Charles involved more to compete in a tough division. We'll see if the Chiefs can right the ship in a difficult Week 7 contest against the Chargers.
19. Buffalo Bills
The Bills were torched by Tom Brady and the Patriots passing attack on Sunday. The quarterback accumulated 361 yards and four touchdowns in his best performance of the year. That's not a good sign for a Buffalo team that relies on good defense to win games. Kyle Orton may be better than EJ Manuel, but he's not the answer at quarterback.
18. New York Giants
New York was one of the hottest teams in the nation until it completely fell apart on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants offense totaled just 253 yards against an average Eagles defense, and New York afforded LeSean McCoy his biggest rushing game of the season. Making matters worse for the Giants, they may have lost Victor Cruz for an extended period of time, via SNF on NBC:
This is quickly becoming one of the league's most inconsistent teams.
17. Houston Texans
While the Texans forged a nice comeback bid on Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts, losing by just five points, we must keep one thing in mind: In order to attempt a comeback, a team must first fall behind by a big margin. Andrew Luck had a field day against a Texans defense that was supposed to be stout. If it weren't for the efforts of Arian Foster, the game would have been an utter debacle.
16. San Francisco 49ers
This ranking will be contingent on how the 49ers fare on Monday night against the Rams. San Francisco is a road favorite, and the team must commit to the run against a bad Rams rush defense. A close win keeps the 49ers in this position, a loss would drop them down the rankings severely, but better play from Colin Kaepernick along with a decisive win would move this team up a few spots.
15. Chicago Bears
The Bears are such a perplexing team this season. After countless mistakes over the last few weeks, this team's offense was suddenly balanced and mistake-free against the Falcons. Defensively, Chicago held up nicely against a very good passing offense. Now, the trick is to keep up this high level of play for several games at a time.
14. Cleveland Browns
Don't sleep on the Browns. This team absolutely dismantled the Steelers in Week 6 in every phase of the game. Hoyer remains efficient, and the team's ground game is formidable. Not only that, but Cleveland has drastically improved on defense. With upcoming games against Jacksonville, Oakland and Tampa Bay, the Browns may be 6-2 before we know it.
13. Seattle Seahawks
Yes, the Seahawks are ranked one spot ahead of the Browns. In fact, pitting those two teams against each other could provide a close contest. Seattle lost at home to Dallas on Sunday and, quite frankly, the game wasn't even as close as the score would suggest.
Russell Wilson and Co. managed just 206 yards of total offense, and for some odd reason, Pete Carroll decided to practically abandon the running game. Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated tweeted a telling stat from Peter King regarding Seattle's recent play:
Average, indeed.
12. Green Bay Packers
Rodgers continued his hot streak on Sunday, throwing for three touchdowns against the Dolphins. However, it took some last-second trickery to defeat a Miami team that should have been handled with relative ease. Still, a win is a win, and Green Bay is now 4-2. A big win against the Panthers in Week 7 will surely help this team climb up the standings.
11. Carolina Panthers
Watch out, Cam Newton is back. The dual-threat quarterback put his team on his back and torched the Cincinnati Bengals for 284 passing yards, 107 rushing yards and three total scores on Sunday. While the game resulted in a tie, the Panthers hung tough on the road with one of the NFL's best. Now, Carolina is on the brink of becoming a top-10 team once again.
10. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals rebounded nicely after being blown out by the Denver Broncos in Week 5. The return of Palmer was huge, as he showed very little rust, passing for 250 yards and two scores. With a well-balanced offense, and a stout run defense, this team is ready to get back on track and start piling up some wins.
9. Baltimore Ravens
Flacco was simply outstanding against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Throwing for more than 300 yards a total of five touchdowns doesn't happen all that often—even in today's NFL. Justin Forsett has been a revelation at running back, and this team is making a strong push to regain the AFC North.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals missed a golden opportunity to notch a quality win on Sunday, as kicker Mike Nugent whiffed on a 36-yard field-goal attempt as overtime expired. The result was a tie game, and according to a tweet from Fox Sports Ohio, cornerback Adam Jones wasn't too pleased with the kicker's effort:
Still, a tie keeps this team atop the AFC North; however, the Bengals must start notching wins again if they are to remain a top-10 squad.
7. Detroit Lions
Detroit's surging defense was all over the Vikings on Sunday. Eight sacks and three interceptions later, they gave Bridgewater a rather cruel taste of what life in the NFL can be like for a quarterback. The Lions offense didn't exactly light it up, but without Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush in the fold, that's not overly concerning at this point.
6. Indianapolis Colts
After a slow start to the season, the Colts have caught fire. Luck continues to torch every defense he comes across, and with the emergence of a decent running game, this offense suddenly has balance. Defense is still a bit of a concern, as the unit allowed Houston to climb back into the game on Thursday, but a big road division win is nothing to sneeze at.
5. New England Patriots
Are the Patriots back? It sure looks that way after back-to-back decisive wins. Brady was outstanding on Sunday, posting his best performance of the season—even without a viable running game. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the win was how well New England's defense held up in the trenches against Buffalo's running game. This was a quality road win.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles weren't the sexy pick on Sunday night after some sloppy performances, but the team really put the past behind them and came out with guns blazing. Philadelphia racked up 448 yards of offense while allowing just 253 in its shutout win over the Giants. Everything clicked for the Eagles in Week 6 and they showed the league just how dangerous they can be.
3. Denver Broncos
Denver took care of the Jets on Sunday despite its slow start to the game. Peyton Manning tossed another three touchdown passes, and now he is just two shy of Brett Favre's all-time record, according to Around the NFL:
On defense, the Broncos were just as efficient, holding the Jets to just 204 total yards and allowing an average of 2.1 yards per rush to opposing ball-carriers. Denver is firing on all cylinders, and the rest of the league is on notice.
2. San Diego Chargers
The Chargers still hold a share of the best record in the league, but allowing four passing touchdowns to a rookie signal-caller on Sunday isn't exactly comforting. Still, Philip Rivers and a surprising Branden Oliver took matters into their own hands and won the game, but more convincing wins will be necessary to maintain such a high ranking.
1. Dallas Cowboys
Following an overwhelmingly impressive win in Seattle on Sunday, the Cowboys are our new No. 1 squad. With an emphasis on a run-first offense, quarterback Tony Romo has become extremely efficient. He accumulated 250 yards and two scores against a good Seahawks secondary while DeMarco Murray continued his fantastic season with another 115 yards and a touchdown.
Also, wasn't the Dallas defense supposed to be bad? Well, don't tell them that after holding Seattle's offense to just 206 total yards and one offensive touchdown in Week 6. After the win, Numbers Never Lie tweeted how fans of the team should be feeling on Monday:
This is a very well-rounded team, and no matter how it looks on paper, it's playing like the league's best.
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