NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Plummeting Down the Ranks?

Only one team dropped precipitously after Week 6, which was a marked change from the trend in the league over the first five weeks.

The Washington Redskins, which I had ranked 13th last week, are now 23rd thanks to their 20-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. But it wasn't just the loss that dropped them; it was the way they lost the game.

The Redskins had just 14 first downs on the day, with only two coming via their usually sharp running game that was up against one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL. They converted just 1-of-10 third-down attempts as well and rushed for a dismal 42 total yards in the game.

But that's not even the worst of it. Quarterback Rex Grossman threw four interceptions, three to Eagles safety Kurt Coleman and one to fellow safety Nate Allen, before being benched in favor of backup John Beck.

Aside from the four interceptions, Grossman was playing poorly, completing nine of his 22 passes for 143 yards. Beck's statistics weren't much better, going 8-of-15 for 117 yards, but he threw no picks and rushed for a touchdown.

At the same time, the Washington defense did little to stop the Eagles' running game, with LeSean McCoy rushing 28 times for 126 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Michael Vick with seven runs for 54 on top of his 237 passing yards.

It was just a matter of time before the 3-1 Redskins were exposed as yet another inconsistent NFC East team, and it took the battered Eagles, looking for redemption, to do so.

Now the team has to deal with a quarterback controversy, a stalled running game and a weakened defense when they travel to Carolina to take on the actually-good-but-still-1-5 Panthers. Another loss to a one-win team would certainly drop Washington even farther.

For a team I've not been sold on at any point this season, their current ranking of 23rd sounds just about right to me.

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