Our much-delayed power rankings for this week:
| Ranking(Last Week) | Team | Commentary |
| 1(2) | New York Jets | Six weeks into the season and the Jets are 5-1, owners of the best record in the NFL; their 24-20 comeback win over Denver on the road might not have been pretty, but it was a win nonetheless. New York has their “Bye” week next week, allowing them a week off before they play the Packers in Week 8. |
| 2(3) | Pittsburgh Steelers | The Steelers won their first game with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. They look to be one of the elite teams, but haven’t proven much with their schedule thus far. Real tests for them are coming though with games at Miami, at Baltimore, at New Orleans and against the Jets and Patriots. |
| 3(5) | New England Patriots | When Randy Moss left the Patriots, many thought the team would be lost without their deep-threat receiver. Enter former Patriot Deion Branch, whose 9 catches included key grabs in OT as New England came back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Baltimore. The Patriots travel cross-country next week to play a shaken Chargers team. |
| 4(1) | Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens got complacent in the 4th quarter Sunday and allowed the Patriots to come back in win a game that they led. A loss to the Patriots on the road coming of their bye is nothing to be ashamed of and a home game against Buffalo should help erase those bad memories. |
| 5(7) | Philadelphia Eagles | The Eagles continue to impress, no matter who plays at quarterback. Last weekend’s win over Atlanta puts them among the favorites in the NFC as long as the quarterback situation does not become an issue. |
| 6(6) | Indianapolis Colts | The Colts picked up another win on the season, but a 27-24 result over the Redskins isn’t exactly a confidence-booster, even on the road at FedExField. Indianapolis still has good pieces in place, but they haven’t looked as unbeatable this year as they have in the past. The Colts get next week off before a Week 8 rematch with the Texans. |
| 7(8) | Houston Texans | Going into the fourth quarter, it looked as though the Texans were on their way to an upset loss against Kansas City; then Houston rattled off 21 points to come back from 24-14 and win 35-31. The team is still schizophrenic, but they sit atop the AFC South for now. Next week is Houston’s “Bye” week; they’ll want to rest as much as they can with a road game against Indianapolis waiting in Week 8. |
| 8(9) | New Orleans Saints | The Saints up and down season continued with a win over the Bucs. They have, in essence, a bye week against Cleveland this week but then will face the Steelers the following week. |
| 9(11) | Tennessee Titans | Despite losing Vince Young early on in the game, the Titans were barely tested in a 30-3 drubbing of the Jaguars in prime-time football. The win puts Tennessee at second place in the AFC South as they prepare for a big game hosting the Eagles next week. |
| 10(12) | New York Giants | New York looks to have emerged from their early-season struggles. They’ve won three straight games and look to be one of the more complete teams in the NFC. |
| 11(4) | Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta and their four game win streak were brought to a screeching halt after the Eagles thumped them 31 – 17. New Orleans will likely stay right on their tail so Atlanta will have to bounce back this week. |
| 12(14) | Miami Dolphins | It took overtime to get it done, but the Dolphins came off their “Bye” week and won a big game against the Packers 23-20 to go to 3-2 for the year. Miami now has wins over two NFC playoff teams from last season as they prepare to host the Steelers next week. |
| 13(13) | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City had a chance to pick up their 4th win of the season in Houston against the Texans, taking a 24-14 lead into the final quarter. Unfortunately, the game unraveled for them at that point, ending in a 35-31 loss. The Chiefs host the Jaguars next week and must get another win under their belts to keep control of the AFC West. |
| 14(10) | Green Bay Packers | Green Bay lost it’s second consecutive over-time game and it is obvious that they are having trouble overcoming the recent rash of injuries they have faced. With three weeks to go until their bye week and games against the Vikings, Cowboys, and Jets, the Packers could easily fall behind the Vikings in the North. |
| 15(15) | Washington Redskins | The Redskins are 3-3, and with two 3-point losses already this season, they’ve show their ability to hang in there with teams that might be considered better. They’re still in the thick of things for the NFC East title. |
| 16(17) | Chicago Bears | It was probably just a matter of time before Chicago came back to Earth from their hot start. Falling to Seattle, who has been awful on the road, and losing some cushion on the NFC North division lead isn’t what Bears fans were hoping to see. |
| 17(19) | Denver Broncos | Until the very end of their game at home against the Jets, Denver had the game in-hand. Unfortunately, another solid performance by Kyle Orton was wasted as a pass interference penalty allowed the Jets to take the 24-20 decision. The Broncos will host divisional rival Oakland next week hoping to get back in the “W” column. |
| 18(22) | Arizona Cardinals | The Cardinals had the week off and will now face the Seahawks and the winner of that game will move into first place in the NFL’s worst division. Hard to believe that a team with a -50 point differential could be tied for first place in their division, but this is a strange year. |
| 19(24) | Minnesota Vikings | While the phrase “must win game” is overused and cliche, the Vikings scored a huge win against the Cowboys and for all intensive purposes saved their season. A win this week over Green Bay would move them into second place in their division. |
| 20(25) | St. Louis Rams | The Rams have won three of their last four games and their offensive and defensive rankings place them basically in the middle of the pack. That’s probably an accurate reflection of the team, and considering where they have been the past few seasons, a definite improvement. |
| 21(18) | Jacksonville Jaguars | Jacksonville was unable to pick up another AFC South division victory on the Monday Night Football stage, managing only a field goal against the Titans. Worse, starting QB David Garrard was injured, leaving Trent Edwards to play the position. Next week gets no easier as the Jaguars travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs. |
| 22(26) | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle, who has played horribly on the road this year, managed to go into Soldier Field and take out the Bears. Not much to get excited about with this team though. |
| 23(20) | Tampa Bay Bucs | Tampa Bay took a beating from the Saints last week and lost the division lead and currently sit in third place. Dennis Green might say “they are who we thought they were”, and I’d agree. |
| 24(21) | Cincinnati Bengals | The Bengals have definitely regressed this year. With losses to Cleveland and Tampa Bay in back-to-back weeks, it’s hard to imagine them competing in a strong conference and a division with the Steelers and Ravens. |
| 25(16) | San Diego Chargers | It’s just been that kind of season for San Diego; what seemed like a sure-win game against the Rams turned into a 20-17 St. Louis victory, sending the Chargers into the basement of the AFC West. The poor quality of the division means that they aren’t out of the race yet, but a game against the Patriots next week won’t help things get any easier. |
| 26(23) | Dallas Cowboys | The Cowboys continue to struggle. They’ve fallen to 1-4, and barring a miracle, they will not be in the playoffs this season. Jerry Jones says he will not fire Wade Philips mid-season, but I’m a bit skeptical. |
| 27(27) | Detroit Lions | Once again, Detroit put up a good fight but didn’t have enough to win the game. Four out of their five losses have been by eight points or less. |
| 28(30) | San Francisco 49ers | Finally. A pre-season hot pick to make big moves this year, the 49ers are now at 1-5 but considering their division and their schedule, the playoffs aren’t impossible yet. |
| 29(29) | Oakland Raiders | The Raiders looked like the Oakland of recent past against the 49ers this week, falling 17-9 to give San Francisco their first win of the season. It was a dreadful day for the Raiders offense, and they will need to play better next week when they travel to Denver for a rivalry game. |
| 30(28) | Cleveland Browns | Browns fell to 1-5 and with their upcoming schedule, it might be a while before they win another game. |
| 31(31) | Buffalo Bills | The best part about Week 6 for Bills fans? Their team had a “Bye” week, guaranteeing their first week of the season without a loss. Next week Buffalo travels to Baltimore to fight a fired-up Ravens team; not a good return from vacation. |
| 32(32) | Carolina Panthers | For the first time in five weeks, Carolina didn’t record a loss…thanks to the bye week. Jimmy Clausen is showing that he isn’t ready to be a starting QB but the Panthers, unfortunately, don’t have a lot of other options. |
Commentary breakdown: Alex (AFC North, NFC East), Brian (AFC East/South/West), Pat (NFC North/South/West).
