NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Falling Fastest Down the Ranks?

The Week 7 NFL Power Rankings show four teams falling faster than the stock market:

No. 23 Washington Redskins (3-2); Last week: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles, 20-13

Perhaps the Redskins could have looked worse coming off a bye week, but it’s hard to see how. They fell behind 20-0 in the second quarter to a mediocre Eagles team, then sat back and watched quarterback Rex Grossman throw four interceptions before being benched.

Washington fell seven spots from 16 to 23 this week.

No. 18 Chicago Bears (3-3); Last week: Beat Minnesota Vikings, 39-10

It’s a measure of just how bad the Vikings are that the Bears could win by 29 points and still take a tumble in the rankings.

Chicago is in the hunt in the NFC North despite falling from 13^th to 18^th this week.

No. 29 Minnesota Vikings (1-5); Last week: lost to Chicago Bears, 39-10

It’s not so much that the Vikings have lost five of their six games; it’s that three of the losses have come against teams ranked in the bottom half of this week’s rankings.

The performance against the Bears was brutal, including a running game that got just 53 yards when quarterback Donovan McNabb, who was benched Tuesday, had to throw on almost every play in a hopeless comeback try.

The Vikings went from 25^th to 29^th this week.

No. 19 Dallas Cowboys (2-3); Last week: Lost to New England, 20-16

The Cowboys didn’t show much coming off a bye week, particularly the pass defense, which gave up 270 yards and saw New England QB Tom Brady shred them on 8-for-9 passing and 78 yards on the game-winning fourth quarter drive.

Dallas dropped four spots in the rankings from 15^th to 19^th.

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