NFL Power Rankings 2020: Predicting Post-Week 6 Standings

Kristopher KnoxOct 14, 2020

The Tennessee Titans closed out Week 5 with a dominant win over the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday night. Tennessee took the game 42-16 and at no point appeared in danger of losing to the previously unbeaten Bills.

Heading into Week 6, the Titans deserved to be considered one of the top teams in the AFC—and certainly the best in the AFC South. Tennessee has a bruising running back in Derrick Henry, an opportunistic defense and a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.

Through four games, Tannehill has completed 91 of 132 pass attempts (68.9 percent) for 1,004 yards, nine touchdowns and just one interception. He's also rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown.

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The only other undefeated team in the AFC is the Pittsburgh Steelers, a squad the Titans will see in Week 7.

How does the rest of the league shape up after five weeks? That's what we'll examine here. We'll also project the post-Week 6 standings using the favorites from DraftKings Sportsbook as a guide where favorites are available.

NFL Week 6 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Tennessee Titans

4. Seattle Seahawks

5. Baltimore Ravens

6. Buffalo Bills

7. Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Los Angeles Rams

9. New Orleans Saints

10. Cleveland Browns

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. Chicago Bears

13. New England Patriots

14. Las Vegas Raiders

15. Arizona Cardinals

16. Indianapolis Colts

17. Carolina Panthers

18. Miami Dolphins

19. Philadelphia Eagles

20. Los Angeles Chargers

21. San Francisco 49ers

22. Dallas Cowboys

23. Minnesota Vikings

24. Denver Broncos

25. Detroit Lions

26. Cincinnati Bengals

27. Houston Texans

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

29. Washington Football Team

30. Atlanta Falcons

31. New York Giants

32. New York Jets

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers were on bye in Week 5, but that doesn't stop them from taking the top spot. Green Bay has been balanced on offense, respectable on defense and is getting an MVP-caliber season out of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Running back Aaron Jones, who has 509 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns, is an early front-runner for offensive player of the year.

Similar statements could be said about the Seattle Seahawks, except for the fact that their pass defense is a massive liability. Seattle ranks dead-last in pass defense, allowing over 370 passing yards per game.

While Russell Wilson is also playing like an MVP candidate—1,502 yards, 19 touchdowns, three interceptions—he's had to. At some point, Seattle needs to show that it can win games with its defense.

The Kansas City Chiefs fall after being knocked around by the Las Vegas Raiders. Not only did Kansas City surrender 40 points to its division rival, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to be truly flustered for the first time all year.

The Chiefs also lost guard Kelechi Osemele, a devastating blow that will have season-long consequences.

Las Vegas, meanwhile, might have set the stage for a playoff run with its upset victory.

The Baltimore Ravens round out the top five after another convincing win. Since losing to the Chiefs in Week 3, Baltimore has outscored the Washington Football Team and the Cincinnati Bengals 58-20. A budding Ravens defense has been a big reason for the turnaround.

"Our defense is playing lights out," quarterback Lamar Jackson said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley.

Buffalo drops a few spots after Tuesday's loss to the Titans, though the Bills still look like a top-10 squad. The Pittsburgh Steelers may or may not be a top-10 team. They remain undefeated but have beaten up on the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.

Pittsburgh's opponents thus far are a combined 3-18-1. Pittsburgh will face its first true test in Week 6 against the upstart 4-1 Cleveland Browns.

Those Browns round out the top 10, along with the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints desperately need to get wideout Michael Thomas back on the field, but they still have a strong chance of winning the NFC South. The Rams have been overshadowed a bit by the Seahawks in the NFC West, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them step up and claim the division before season's end.

Projected Standings After Week 6

AFC East

Buffalo Bills 4-2

New England Patriots 3-2

Miami Dolphins 3-3

New York Jets 0-6

AFC South

Tennessee Titans 5-0

Indianapolis Colts 4-2

Houston Texans 1-5

Jacksonville Jaguars 1-5

AFC North