NFL Power Rankings: Which Elite Teams Will Be on Upset Alert in Week 6?

It seems like every week in the NFL there are a couple results that force you to scratch your head and wonder how they happened. It's hard to imagine Week 6 being any different. Here are three elite teams that will be fighting to stay near the top of the power rankings on Sunday.

Detroit Lions

The 5-0 Lions will receive their biggest test of the season so far when they receive a visit from the San Francisco 49ers. Did anybody expect that sentence to be typed during training camp? Probably not and that's what makes the NFL so awesome—anything is possible.

Calvin Johnson has caught at least one touchdown in every game and crosses his fingers every time somebody mentions Matthew Stafford's injury history. Detroit is deep enough to overcome some injuries, which hasn't been true in recent years, but Johnson and Stafford must stay healthy.

Alex Smith ranks third in quarterback rating behind Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Although he doesn't have the gaudy numbers of those two elite signal callers, Smith has been doing exactly what he's asked to do and that's avoid big mistakes.

Bottom Line: Detroit is for real, now we find out if San Francisco can hang with the big boys.

New Orleans Saints

After a thrilling, but disappointing, opening week loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, New Orleans has won four straight games. The Saints as always, are led by Drew Brees, and have utilized Darren Sproles to perfection.

Their opponent in Week 6 will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who suffered a beatdown at the hands of San Francisco last week. The common response to a huge loss is an overreaction. Whether Tampa Bay lost 48-3 or 48-45 last week, it only counts as one loss and they've moved on.

These two teams split the season series last year and both sides will be trying to get a leg up in the NFC South race. With two playoffs spots likely locked up by NFC North powers Green Bay and Detroit, there is already one less spot available for the Saints and Buccaneers.

Bottom Line: New Orleans will need to bring its "A" game to get past Tampa Bay.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady's on pace to break passing records, Wes Welker is catching passes at an unmatched rate and Bill Belichick is working tirelessly to have his defense ready for playoff time. In other words, it's just another season in New England.

The Patriots only loss came on the road against a Buffalo Bills team playing with the intensity of a Super Bowl. They'll get a good test this week from the Dallas Cowboys, who had a week to heal a bunch of lingering injuries.

Tony Romo, whose been dealing with a rib injury, should have Miles Austin (hamstring) back from injury and Dez Bryant (quadriceps) should be closer to 100 percent than he's been in some time. It's a game that has shootout written all over it.

Bottom Line: Sunday's game should be closer than the betting line (Dallas +7.5) would predict.

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