NFL Power Rankings: Breaking Down League Hierarchy for Week 6

The New Orleans Saints kicked off Week 6 with an upset of the previously undefeated Atlanta Falcons. It's just the latest result to shake up the NFL outlook in a season that's lacked much predictably outside of the New England Patriots' dominance.

Even if you look at the four unbeaten teams aside from the Pats, who are winning by an average of more than 18 points, their combined margin of victory is just a shade over nine points per game. So there's a lot of close games going on every week, and that's going to create a lot of drama as the year wears on.

With that in mind, let's check out a fresh set of power rankings heading into the weekend's action. That's followed by a closer look at some teams with something to prove in Week 6.

Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Record
1	New England Patriots	4-0
2	Green Bay Packers	5-0
3	Denver Broncos	5-0
4	Cincinnati Bengals	5-0
5	Arizona Cardinals	4-1
6	Carolina Panthers	4-0
7	Atlanta Falcons	5-1
8	Indianapolis Colts	3-2
9	New York Jets	3-1
10	Pittsburgh Steelers	3-2
11	New York Giants	3-2
12	Seattle Seahawks	2-3
13	Buffalo Bills	3-2
14	Minnesota Vikings	2-2
15	Dallas Cowboys	2-3
16	Philadelphia Eagles	2-3
17	New Orleans Saints	2-4
18	St. Louis Rams	2-3
19	San Diego Chargers	2-3
20	Chicago Bears	2-3
21	Kansas City Chiefs	1-4
22	Baltimore Ravens	1-4
23	Oakland Raiders	2-3
24	Miami Dolphins	1-3
25	Washington Redskins	2-3
26	Cleveland Browns	2-3
27	Tennessee Titans	1-3
28	Houston Texans	1-4
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-3
30	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-4
31	San Francisco 49ers	1-4
32	Detroit Lions	0-5

Playoff Contenders With Most to Gain in Week 6

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have managed to remain competitive while waiting for Ben Roethlisberger to return from a knee injury. Monday's comeback win over the San Diego Chargers was crucial as they start a tricky stretch against the Arizona Cardinals with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals looming.

It's a credit to defensive coordinator Keith Butler that the defense ranks seventh in points against per game. The secondary struggled so mightily during the preseason that it appeared the issue could derail the entire season. But it has managed to limit the big plays, at least so far.

That said, the Mike Vick and the offense will likely need a more productive game in order to keep pace with the high-powered Cardinals. The veteran backup admitted it's been a bit of a whirlwind since he was thrust into the starting lineup, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"I am still getting there," Vick said. "It's still only been like a month, month-and-a-half. We are always changing things. New plays are coming in and plays are going out. It's just a constant grind for me right now."

While Vick flashed some vintage playmaking ability to beat the Chargers, he must continue to become more comfortable in the passing game. That starts with getting Antonio Brown more involved after catching just eight passes for less than 90 yards over the past two weeks.

Beating Arizona without Roethlisberger would raise expectations considerably once the star quarterback is cleared to return.

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo is one of the league's toughest teams to figure out. Some weeks, they look like legitimate AFC contenders, and other weeks they look like, well, the usual Bills. Finding more consistency is essential to ending their 15-year playoff drought.

They will be tested once again this week against the unbeaten Bengals. Making matters worse, they have a long list of injury question marks that include Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin, though LeSean McCoy is listed as probable to return after missing a couple weeks with a hamstring injury.

Those are all offensive issues, though, and Buffalo is built on its defense. That unit will need to carry the load this week regardless, but even more so if Taylor is sidelined and EJ Manuel starts. But it's a situation where Rex Ryan's defenses have struggled, as noted by Colin J. Liotta of NFL.com:

Ultimately this is the kind of game that seems like everything is trending against the Bills. From the opponent's offensive numbers to the injuries, it doesn't set up well, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they continue their win-one, lose-one trend.

Thus, if they are able to find out a way to grind out a victory anyway, it would go a long way in having more confidence in their long-term prospects this season.

New York Giants

The NFC East tends to produce one of the most intriguing division races, and it doesn't appear this season will be any different. The Giants sit atop the standings through five weeks, but the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, this week's foe, are all one game back.

That's why going out on the road and getting a win over the Eagles is so important. In a race that's likely to get decided by a slim margin—perhaps without a wild card available, either—road victories within the division will probably be the different.

The problem for New York is it's struggled against Philadelphia since Chip Kelly took over. Unsurprisingly, the Eagles were quick to point that out on social media leading up to rivalry game:

If the Giants are going to pick up the win, the secondary must play better. They are giving up 304 yards per game through the air, the worst mark in the league. And the passing game finally seemed to click last week for the Eagles, as Sam Bradford threw for 333 yards to beat the New Orleans Saints.

All told, the NFC East is still looking for a clear favorite to emerge. New York can fill that void with a victory Monday night in Philadelphia.