NFL Power Rankings: Week 7 Expert Consensus from Around the Web

The NFL is a punishing, brutal, unpredictable league, making power rankings a fairly difficult proposition with so many teams putting up Jekyll and Hyde performances week in and week out—looking at you, New York Giants.

There are a few teams that are obviously the cream of the crop, such as the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys, and of course a few sad franchises are all set to be mired in misery for the 2014 season. However, there are plenty of mixed bags, and it's interesting to see after a decent sample size of games whether current expert perceptions of teams will translate to postseason reality.

Here is a look at some of the expert lists from around the Internet, followed by my own take on the league at large.

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

Note: Miller's power rankings courtesy of Bleacher Report.

Note: Schwab's rankings can be found at Yahoo Sports.

Note: Rodger's rankings via MLive.com.

Nate Loop's Power Rankings

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have yet to score more than 17 points in a game this season. Blake Bortles can really sling the ball around, but he's making too many mistakes thus far. Not a knock on his potential, which has a vaulted ceiling, but seven interceptions in four games isn't going to cut it on a team this thirsty for talent.

They've managed to avoid blowout losses the past two weeks, but until they get a "W" or at the very least come close to beating an elite opponent, the Jags stays locked in the cellar.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Glennon is clearly an improvement over Josh McCown, and it was nice to see rookie wideout Mike Evans get a touchdown in his first game back from injury. Still, the Ravens absolutely crushed this team 48-17, and that makes two lopsided scorelines for the Bucs this season. Outside linebacker Lavonte David is essentially doing everything on his own on defense. Lovie Smith is a fine head coach, but there isn't much he can do with this group.

30. Oakland Raiders

The Raiders showed some definite signs of life in Week 6 against the Chargers, but they couldn't pull out a victory and thus can't pull away too far from the bottom of the power rankings. Derek Carr tossed four touchdowns, two of them to 6'4" Andre Holmes, who could become a very good wide receiver, but they wilted in the final moments and are still winless.

29. Tennessee Titans

The Titans barely escaped with a win over the hapless Jaguars, and that Week 1 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs is starting to look more and more like an aberration. Charlie Whitehurst has played adequately in place of Jake Locker, but it's not enough to get this team anywhere worthwhile.

If there is a bright spot, it's the improved play of wide receiver Justin Hunter. He's still yet to record more than three catches in a game, but he's getting open downfield, with receptions of 75 and 38 yards in the past two weeks and his first touchdown of the season against Browns in Week 5.

28. Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins isn't quite the savior many fans expected him to be after stepping in for an injured Robert Griffin III. He threw for five touchdowns against just one interception in his first two games but has put up three- and four-interception nights since then. This team will ebb and flow along with his performances, but the 'Skins have too many holes on both sides of the ball to do anything meaningful this season.

27. St. Louis Rams

Scott Kane/Associated Press

Just when you think the Rams might be able to get it done, they find a way to disappoint. Up 14-3 with just seconds to go in the first half, the Rams lost any and all of that mystical, magical and possibly nonexistent tonic called momentum when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd burned 'em deep for an 80-yard touchdown reception. Tough home loss for a team that continues to put up a fight week in and week out.

26. New York Jets

The New York Jets recovered somewhat after getting shut out by the San Diego Chargers, but the offense is still a big problem. Running backs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson are inconsistent and quarterback Geno Smith is getting closer and closer to bearing a permanent "work in progress" label. The defense is good but it can't hold up when the offense is stalling out so often.

25. Minnesota Vikings

Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is in the midst of a lost season, posting just two receptions for 15 yards in the Vikings' Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions. He hasn't scored since his long touchdown run in Week 1, and offensive coordinator Norv Turner can't get him worked into the offense. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater struggled under constant pressure from the Lions' front, tossing three interceptions on the night. Not very much to look forward to with this squad.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are 3-3 and a very difficult team to peg. They beat the Browns by three points in Week 1, then got crushed by the very same squad in Week 6. Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are all great players, and yet this team just can't get the job done some weeks. They have a winnable game against the Houston Texans coming up but then face two tough opponents in the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, the latter of which will determine if this team has a chance at keeping up in the AFC North.

23. New York Giants

Also a very difficult team to peg. They got absolutely manhandled by the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, a demoralizing end to a three-game win streak. Eli Manning is running hot and cold, and with star wideout Victor Cruz likely out for quite some time with a torn patellar tendon, per ESPN.com's Dan Graziano, the offense is in trouble. Oh, and the Giants' next five games go like this: Cowboys, Colts, Seahawks, 49ers and Cowboys again. The future is dark.

22. Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a surprising 3-3 despite having already moved on to their second quarterback of the season in Kyle Orton. They got trounced by a fired-up New England Patriots squad in Week 6 but managed to best the Detroit Lions the previous week. This will be an interesting team to watch, as they could very well finish second in the division over the Jets and Dolphins. However, they likely can't rely on strong performances from Robert Woods (touchdown reception and a two-point conversion in Week 6) and tight end Scott Chandler (six receptions, 105 yards versus the Pats) every week.

21. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were three seconds from scoring a huge upset win over the Green Bay Packers, only to be bested by the wonderful Aaron Rodgers. Still, it's an encouraging sign for this young team. Lamar Miller has looked better with each passing week, and Knowshon Moreno played against the Packers but isn't anywhere near full strength yet. Ryan Tannehill is still a mediocre quarterback, but he has shown flashes of improvement this season.

20. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons could be in trouble, as Matt Ryan's statistics are trending downward this season. After posting seven touchdowns and three interceptions in the team's first three games, he's thrown for just five scores and four picks in the last three tilts. The defense isn't strong enough to make up for a bad offensive performance—they're giving up a staggering 419 yards per game. 

19. Houston Texans

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

What more can anyone say about J.J. Watt? It almost feels like he's singlehandedly saving the Texans' season. Watt has four sacks, one interception returned for a touchdown, a receiving touchdown, six passes defensed and two fumble recoveries. He's a legitimate MVP candidate, and it's going to be interesting to see what this defense can do when Jadeveon Clowney returns to the lineup.

18. New Orleans Saints

The 2-3 New Orleans Saints got to watch the carnage unfold around them during their Week 6 bye, which didn't help or hurt them too much in most power rankings. It's tough to see them defeating either the Lions in Week 7 or the Packers in Week 8 without tight end Jimmy Graham, who is expected to miss two to three games, per the NFL Network (h/t Katherine Terrell of the The Times-Picayune).

17. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs also had a week off to rest and relax in anticipation of a crucial Week 7 contest against the San Diego Chargers. If this team—which has one masterclass of a performance this season, a 41-14 win over the Patriots—wants to have any chance of keeping pace in the AFC West, they need to pull out a shocking victory at Qualcomm Stadium.

16. Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler hasn't played this well since he donned a Broncos uniform. With huge targets in Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and tight end Martellus Bennett, it's a wonder when this guy misses at all. Unfortunately, the defense has been plagued by injuries and is the reason for this team's inconsistent start to the season.

15. Cleveland Browns

Maybe it takes a home-state guy to turn things around for this cursed franchise in a cursed city. Quarterback Brian Hoyer is an Ohio native and is playing at a high level, throwing seven touchdowns against just one interception with a quarterback rating of 99.5 on the year. He's also throwing the deep ball quite well, completing nine of 19 passes for 327 yards on passes traveling greater than 21 yards downfield. The Browns are 3-2 and have a cupcake schedule coming up with the Jaguars, Raiders and Buccaneers on the calendar for the next three weeks.

14. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers played the Bengals to a 37-37 tie, which of course has its positives and negatives. Cam Newton looked like a hero out on the gridiron, but one has to wonder what happened to this defense that gave up so many points to an offense missing wide receivers A.J. Green and Marvin Jones. It's rather unsettling, but this team has the goods and could get even better with a healthy Jerricho Cotchery rounding into form.

13. San Francisco 49ers

Colin Kaepernick had a superb game against the Rams on Monday night, throwing for over 300 yards and hitting three different receivers for touchdowns. The defense is holding up its end of the bargain in most contests. Cornerback Perrish Cox has been quite busy this year but has made opposing signal-callers pay, racking up 12 passes defensed and three interceptions.

12. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are surely happy to have Carson Palmer back on the field, as the Logan Thomas era was shaping up to be a complete disaster. They did enough to beat the Redskins in Week 6, and it's a good sign to see both Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald score in the same week. A healthy Palmer gives them a chance in the ultra-tough NFC West.

11. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers almost let one get away against the Dolphins in Week 6 but managed to pull out a last-second victory to save face. Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson is perhaps the most exciting quarterback-wide receiver combination in the league, and it's also a winning combo to boot.

10. New England Patriots

Don't ever doubt Bill Belichick, don't ever doubt Tom Brady. Lesson learned. The Pats are 4-2 and don't really have any major threats coming from within the division, lest the Bills or Dolphins drastically improve in the coming weeks (which is not impossible, and it's more likely to be the Bills). Cue another playoff run for this vaunted franchise.

9. Baltimore Ravens

Five touchdowns from Joe Flacco is a sentence one doesn't really expect to type, but that's exactly what he did against the woeful Buccaneers in Week 6. Torrey Smith finally broke through with a big game, while Steve Smith once again proved age is just a number by burning Pro Bowl cornerback Alterraun Verner for a long touchdown. With a quality stable of running backs to choose from, this surprisingly potent offense has the Ravens in a good spot at 4-2 after six games.

8. Cincinnati Bengals

A missed field goal kept the Bengals from beating the Panthers, and with the Ravens and Browns hot on their heels, it will be interesting to see if that game haunts them down the line. Giovani Bernard is turning into a premier running back, while wide receiver Mohamed Sanu deserves a huge raise for giving Andy Dalton someone to throw to with Green and Jones missing.

7. Detroit Lions

If Matthew Stafford can get out of his funk—while getting some help from his offensive line, who've allowed him to be sacked 21 times already—and Calvin Johnson is given time to heal, this offense could become explosive once again. It doesn't even have to do too much for this team to truly become elite, not with a defense boasting a league-leading 20 sacks and allowing opponents to convert just 31.3 percent of their third downs. Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah is looking better with each passing week, a scary proposition for opposing quarterbacks.

6. Indianapolis Colts

The Lions may be tough on third down, but not as tough as the Colts, who are allowing opponents to convert a paltry 29.7 percent of the time. Combine that with an out-of-his-mind Andrew Luck, who has a league-leading 17 touchdown passes in just six games, and you have a very simple, delightful recipe for success.

5. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks' aura of invincibility is well and truly gone, but this is still a great football team. They are still the odds-on favorites to win the NFC West. Russell Wilson is as smooth an operator as they come, but he has a bit of trouble when his most reliable skill players aren't having good games. Big-play specialist Percy Harvin was held to zero yards on three receptions, and Marshawn Lynch only carried the ball 10 times.

Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse are solid wideouts, but they hardly strike fear in opposing defenses. When the Seahawks' own defense has a bad day at the office, it could be very tough for this team to keep up.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

If these are the Eagles that are going to show up every week from now on, the rest of the league better watch out. LeSean McCoy finally found room to run, racking up 149 yards on the ground to silence his detractors and appease his forlorn fantasy football owners. The defensive front seven was tenacious, led by a three-sack effort from linebacker Connor Barwin. The blowout win was all the sweeter in that it came against a division rival.

“I said when [the Giants] were talking all week that we would see what happened on Sunday,” linebacker Trent Cole said, via the New York Post's Bart Hubbuch. “Well, we saw what happened Sunday."

3. San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers is playing MVP-caliber football, and it's frightening to think about where this team might be with a league-average quarterback calling the shots with all of the injuries they've accrued. Rivers set an NFL record against the Raiders by completing his fifth straight game with a QB rating above 120, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.

They do have two tough games coming up: a home tilt against division-rival Chiefs and a Thursday night tango with the Denver Broncos. If Rivers can get the Bolts to their Week 9 bye with only a loss or two on their record, this team could finally get healthy and take over down the stretch.

2. Dallas Cowboys

The Chargers defeated the mighty Seahawks in the friendly confines of Qualcomm Stadium. Not too shabby. The Cowboys, on the other hand, went up to Seattle, stared down the "12th Man" and knocked his teeth out. DeMarco Murray is the best running back in the league—until McCoy gets another week or two with actual running room—and Tony Romo might've stacked all of his meltdown moments on top of each other in that horrific Week 1 because he's been superb since then. 

Linebacker Rolando McClain, who was out of the league in 2013, has played well beyond what many people expected (27 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, per NFL.com). This team is the real deal.

1. Denver Broncos

Honestly, the Chargers or Cowboys could have taken this spot, but the Broncos have the experience edge and the relative health to make good on their early run. Denver's defense has marginally outperformed Dallas', and as good as Rivers is, Peyton Manning is lucky to have more talent around him on offense.

Their experience with a Super Bowl run last year gives them a slight edge, and the team's relatively good health makes them a strong bet to follow through on their early season dominance. This script could get flipped when the Broncos take on the Chargers on Oct. 23, but until then they deserve top billing.

Stats via ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.