NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Lions leapfrog Bills and Eagles to claim No. 1 spot; Chargers keep falling

After the Eagles and Bills lost, it wasn’t hard to vault the Lions to the top spot, with Detroit having hit another gear since the thorough beating suffered in Week 1 at Green Bay. Sunday’s performance was great for three quarters, but then the Bengals went into turbo mode and almost made it a game again. All of the top teams have had games such as this, so I am not going to make too much of what happened in the fourth quarter. Knowing Dan Campbell, he’ll mine it as a source of inspiration. But there remains the question of just how good this defense is. The formula of containing the run and forcing turnovers worked until the Lions got overaggressive and less disciplined late in the game. We’ve seen far more good defensively than bad over the past three-plus games, but the true test will come against the Chiefs on Sunday night.

The Eagles held the lead from the mid-second quarter to the mid-fourth, and during that span, they turned around and handed the ball to Saquon Barkley one time, not counting plays negated by penalty. Once. Over a span of 25 plays. The Eagles now average fewer than 100 rush yards per game, and that includes what Jalen Hurts does with his legs. This team used to get a lead and put opponents in a sleeper hold with the run game, but no longer, it appears. Hurts and A.J. Brown also don't seem to be on the same page, missing on a few key connections, and you have to wonder what the future of this pairing is. The Eagles aren't suddenly in the toilet, but this loss underscored some of the issues that have bubbled up of late.

Having seen the Eagles lose earlier in the day, the Bills knew they had a chance to ascend to the pinnacle of the Edholm rankings. Likely talked about it pregame, too. But alas, playing with their food -- something the Bills began to do against Miami and New Orleans -- finally cost them. Two first-quarter fumbles and a rough Josh Allen interception ended up being quite harmful, as the Patriots converted those turnovers into 10 points. The Bills took a third-quarter lead, lost it and then tied the game up late, but Allen's three incomplete passes after cruising into New England territory on that game-tying drive really hurt. The defense couldn't stop Stefon Diggs in his return to Highmark, and Drake Maye stung the home team late. It was a grounding loss for a team with big dreams.

Is Baker Mayfield an MVP favorite? He might not be in the eyes of the general public, but I hereby endorse Mayfield's campaign after his finest showing of the season and yet another dramatic, hold-onto-your-butts victory, this one on the road against a good Seahawks team. That the Buccaneers won without several key offensive contributors makes it even more impressive. Emeka Egbuka carried a massive share of the load, and Rachaad White was big in place of the injured Bucky Irving. This game provided Divisional Round quality and excitement, and the Bucs played from ahead for a lot of it. The defense was dog tired by game's end, but it came up with the critical takeaway, and the special teams didn't cost Tampa. The Bucs are back, baby.

Sam Darnold's late interception essentially handed the Buccaneers a victory that the Seahawks had held a brief grasp on, but it's hard to blame the quarterback who threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, completing 82.4 percent of his passes. Darnold has given this team a lift as an improvement over Geno Smith, whose struggles in Las Vegas are worsening. So, big picture, things appear to be good, even after a tough loss at home to an evenly matched team. It was surprising Seattle's defense struggled as much as it did, with Tampa Bay receivers running free much of the afternoon. Two sneaky-good tests lie ahead in the Jaguars and Texans, so we'll find out if the 'Hawks can bounce back following another close home loss.

There's a fairly clear to-do list coming out of the bye. One key objective is fixing the offensive line, with the hope that the eventual returns of Zach Tom, Aaron Banks and Anthony Belton can contribute to that solution. Another one is reducing the penalties; the Packers have averaged nearly nine per game. There are also the matters of cleaning up special-teams operations, honing the coverage in the secondary and returning to the sort of three-phase execution we saw in Weeks 1 and 2. Coming off the 40-40 tie with Dallas, a lot of the talk centered on the surprising dip from the Packers' defense, and there are still plenty of Jordan Love doubters out there. But if Green Bay fixes some of those primary concerns, this is a Super Bowl-caliber team.

The Rams had ample opportunities to win last Thursday night's division game against San Francisco, despite playing poorly for most of it. They made a slew of major mistakes, including two missed kicks and Kyren Williams' fumble on the doorstep of the end zone. How much trust does Sean McVay have in his kicker and his backfield? Those are pretty big questions for a team that's a few plays away from being 5-0. McVay knows all about kicking trouble, and Williams had a rash of fumbles last year. The Rams are catching the Ravens at a pretty good time this Sunday in Baltimore; Lamar Jackson's status obviously looms large. But last Thursday's home loss to an injury-riddled San Francisco team served as a stark reminder that Los Angeles needs to clean up a few things.

Even if it came against a down-and-out Las Vegas team, this was exactly the kind of performance you wanted to see from Indianapolis. Coming off the loss to the Rams in which the Colts truly beat themselves, they took control of Sunday's game and never let up. The entire arc of this season has changed in such short order, with Daniel Jones commanding the offense and no one talking about pressure on Shane Steichen. The defense and special teams have given Jones and the offense excellent field position and extra possessions, and Jonathan Taylor remains an elite back. The way things are going, Indy legitimately could -- and perhaps should -- be 6-2 or 7-1 heading into Pittsburgh in Week 9.

If you're a Commanders fan, this was exactly the kind of performance you wanted to see from Jayden Daniels after the face of the franchise missed two games. It was also the kind of defense I wasn't sure Washington was capable of playing, but by golly, from the Quentin Johnston fumble on, that unit was locked in. Furthermore, this was a breakout game for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who went from contributor to undisputed RB1. Even after the rookie's fourth-quarter fumble, the Commanders kept feeding him, which told me they believe in the 24-year-old who goes by Bill. There have been some bumpy parts to the road so far this season, but the Commanders are sitting at 3-2 and suddenly in good shape again after their first road triumph of the season. A tough pack of games is in front of them, but it feels like they're back on the upswing after a statement win.

Sean Payton insisted he had a good team after the close losses to the Colts and Chargers, and the Broncos proved him right in arguably the biggest win of the Payton-Bo Nix era. Slow starts remain a huge issue; asking the defense to hold teams down while the offense figures things out feels like a shaky roadmap for success. But it worked Sunday in Philadelphia, with Nix and the attack roundly struggling prior to the fourth quarter. The second-year QB completed nine of his 10 passes in the final period for 127 yards and a touchdown (adding another completion on a two-point conversion) to deliver the rousing victory. And now, with this Sunday's London tilt coming against the winless Jets, there's a golden opportunity to exorcise some of those slow-start demons. Fair warning: If the Broncos can't do that, I might take back my "good team" assessment of Denver.

They’ll be talking about Monday night for a while down in Duval. The Jaguars roared back from the slow start and mounted one of the more important drives of Trevor Lawrence’s career to win it. We got the entire Lawrence experience on that drive alone. The former No. 1 overall pick was up and down Monday, with his legs bailing him out of some bad spots, but he also had two critical turnovers. Even on the game-winning drive, Lawrence took a bad sack and a delay of game penalty, and things weren’t looking pretty. Nor did his TD run, which started with Lawrence on his keister. What an incredible and absurd play. The Jaguars are just a fun team right now, with Devin Lloyd’s 99-yard pick-six completely shifting momentum their way. Without it, I doubt Lawrence gets his glory drive to win it.

The Chiefs controlled Monday night's game early, and they were seemingly regaining control late in the third quarter on the doorstep of the Jaguars’ end zone. That’s when Patrick Mahomes threw only his second pick of the season and only the fifth pick-six of his career -- 99 yards back the other way for a shocking Jags touchdown. The Chiefs took the lead late, but Jacksonville drove 60 yards for the game-winning score, dropping K.C. below .500 again. It was the kind of game that we’re used to seeing the Chiefs find a way to pull out, but it was very un-Chiefs-like in a few ways. It was a rough night on special teams with four penalties, including two critical ones in the final two minutes. There were 13 Kansas City flags all told, including a pair of third-down pass-interference calls. The last one came in the end zone, right before Jacksonville's go-ahead score. Just an unclean night all around.

Mac Jones’ gutsy Week 5 performance, without most of the team’s best receiving weapons not named Christian McCaffrey, was a massive victory and a statement that the Niners aren’t going anywhere. Yes, they’re extremely banged up, and we already know they won’t be fully healthy, with several players done for the season, but they’re 3-0 in the division with wins over every NFC West opponent, and they’re going to get some reinforcements. I’ll be watching how they handle Brock Purdy’s injury and whether there’ll suddenly be a QB controversy, but for now, my trust is in what Kyle Shanahan has been able to do with what he has left.

The Chargers started their season 3-0 and were making a case for being potential top-spotters on the rankings with the way they were playing. Justin Herbert was dealing at an MVP level, the defense was doing its job, and life was good. Then the last two weeks happened. Two humbling losses -- along with mounting injuries across the offensive line and in the backfield -- have sunk this team's vector something fierce. Herbert has been taking hits at an alarming rate lately, so it's no shock his play has leveled off. The defense also has been taken down a few pegs, with the Commanders ringing up 389 yards and 27 straight points on Sunday. This thing could spiral quickly, especially if the Bolts don't keep Herbert safe.

The Steelers have been the beneficiaries of unexpectedly poor starts by the Ravens and Bengals, but they must take advantage of the situation in their first two divisional games in Weeks 6 and 7. The non-divisional schedule is tough, and who knows how long the North will be down? The good news is that Pittsburgh’s defense has made some strides, especially in the turnover department, and the offensive line is arguably coming off its best outing of the season. And yeah, so far Aaron Rodgers looks pretty terrific. We’ll see if the early bye helps or hurts the 41-year-old quarterback, but the Steelers find themselves in respectable shape right now.

The Vikings earned a split on their two-game British Isles jaunt, with Carson Wentz turning in a gutsy effort -- and a potentially season-saving one -- against the Browns. They hit the bye at 3-2, and since 1990, teams with that record have made the playoffs 50.3 percent of the time (compared to 22.3% for 2-3 teams). That’s a heck of a lot better postseason outlook than I imagined the Vikes would have even a few weeks ago. Fumbling and missing a field goal in the fourth quarter is not the ideal path to victory, but Wentz made some big throws late, and Justin Jefferson took over when called upon. Jordan Addison also responded to his benching to catch three straight passes, including the go-ahead score, in the fourth quarter. Minnesota can still be dangerous, even if there’s plenty of work to do.

Houston is 2-3 but has the third-best point differential on the season at plus-47, making this a trickier team to project. But if we can assume the Texans are starting to find some offensive solutions based on how the past two games have gone, they might be able to find themselves back in the upper reaches of the Power Rankings once again. Losing by a combined 13 points to the Rams, Bucs and Jaguars doesn’t look so bad now, and Sunday’s blowout of the Ravens in Baltimore -- no matter how badly beat up that team is -- rings even more positively. The past two games have been three-phase victories, and Houston has the bye to prep for a tricky stretch coming up.

The Patriots’ win over the Bills was Mike Vrabel’s clarion-call victory and the biggest one in New England in quite some time. The Pats went to Buffalo and dictated the style of play, even with an ugly beginning. Drake Maye overcame some first-half jitters and shaky pocket awareness to deliver an impressive second half, outdueling Josh Allen in the fourth quarter. Stefon Diggs delivered his dose of revenge, with more catches and yards than the next three busiest Patriots pass catchers. It was a heck of a game plan by the Patriots’ semi-maligned defense, too, and New England got a clutch kick from rookie Andy Borregales. The Pats’ next three games are against teams with one win apiece.

Pulling into the bye at 2-2 with two straight victories helped give Chicago some steadiness with three of the next four games (and six of the next nine) away from Soldier Field. The bye-week checklist included firming up the offensive line. Last we saw the Bears, they had two inexperienced players manning the OT spots -- and holding their own -- although Darnell Wright is expected back soon. Caleb Williams still has more room to grow, but the protection must be more consistent. Chicago also needs to clean up the penalty frequency (especially on offense) and continue to get healthier on defense. Kyler Gordon and T.J. Edwards could be nearing returns soon. In Week 6, the Bears will have a chance at revenge against the resurgent Commanders, who beat them in heartbreaking fashion a year ago.

You have to give Brian Schottenheimer and Matt Eberflus some credit for getting the Cowboys back to playing competitive football. The outlook outside of Dallas might not have been particularly optimistic entering the season, and that was even before Micah Parsons was traded, but the effort and execution have been far better than I expected. Outside of the loss to the Bears, the Cowboys have played pretty darned well this season -- with CeeDee Lamb and multiple offensive linemen being out for chunks of it. Dak Prescott was great against the Jets, and Dallas’ defense came to play. Was it the stiffest challenge ever? No, but the Cowboys were rallying to the ball, with a much better defensive effort than they showed against Green Bay last time out.

Most of the bye-week questions, interestingly enough, were on the offensive side of the ball. The Falcons appear to have a more productive attack overall than they fielded in 2024, but the explosive plays remain a bit elusive. The optimistic outlook is that the Commanders game was a glimmer of hope for a unit that needs to push the ball downfield a bit more, and Atlanta might be wise to incorporate more play-action with the way Bijan Robinson is running the ball. Defensively, the Falcons have been good, not allowing more than 294 yards in a game, and they’re forcing more turnovers. With A.J. Terrell working his way back from injury, that group could be even stronger. Don’t forget about Atlanta.

How the mighty have fallen. The Ravens might be without Lamar Jackson again this week, with the talented Rams coming to town, and who knows what shape Baltimore's defense will be in? Since 1990, 1-4 teams have made the playoffs only 12 times in 174 opportunities, a not-so-nice success rate of 6.9 percent. There are some winnable games upcoming, and Baltimore is still unbeaten against the AFC North, with five division games remaining. In other words, there’s still hope, and the Ravens will get some players back soon. But with Derrick Henry struggling since the Buffalo fumble and the defense a long way from respectability, it will take some pretty special circumstances to fully turn this season around. 

I’ll admit my fairly soft handling of the Cardinals can’t go on. I’d kept them at the back end of the top 20 prior to Sunday’s debacle, but that charade ends now. After taking a 21-3 lead less than 20 minutes into the game, Arizona still had a 15-point lead with the ball in the fourth quarter -- and somehow couldn’t finish. All Emari Demercado had to do was not lose the ball on what should have been a 72-yard TD run and Arizona almost certainly wins. Like Indianapolis' Adonai Mitchell in Week 4, Demercado made a shocking mistake that cost his team dearly. Had Dadrion Taylor-Demerson hung on to his INT, Demercado might have been spared. Instead, everything collapsed, and the Titans shocked the Cardinals with 19 unanswered points to win it. This one deserves a spot alongside the “They are who we thought they were” game as one of the most crushing in franchise lore.

After they had run only seven offensive plays against the Dolphins, Bryce Young had two turnovers and the Panthers trailed 17-zip. It begged the question: Was Andy Dalton getting warmed in the bullpen? We might never know. Young rebounded from his nightmare start to deliver two much-needed scoring drives before the half, one on the first possession of the third quarter and two more TD drives in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback. Rico Dowdle’s career game also played a big part -- is he the new RB1? Carolina’s defense forced five straight punts, holding Miami to two first downs over a nearly-30-minute span and got a huge stop late to support the effort. The Panthers have vacillated in their effort and execution over the past several games, but they’re at least back on the upswing and still alive at 2-3. 

This was by no means a clean win, but the Saints gladly accepted their first victory. They deserve credit for fighting back from an early 14-3 hole, blanking the Giants for the final 43 minutes -- thanks to five turnovers forced -- and scoring 23 unanswered points to finish off the game. There are red-zone issues, kicking questions and the blocking for Spencer Rattler left something to be desired, even against a tough Giants pass rush. But Rattler deserves more praise than he has received for how he’s played this season amid the chaos. He’s turned the ball over only once in five games and has been completing passes at a 70 percent clip since Week 2.

For three quarters, it looked like the same old Titans, flailing away and appearing ready to lose another game by double digits. We won’t dismiss the luck that was needed to pull off the comeback, with the Cardinals coughing the ball up on the edge of the end zone and Cam Ward’s interception being fumbled and recovered in the end zone by Tyler Lockett. But both plays also proved Tennessee hasn’t quit, showing good hustle and focus by Brian Callahan’s team. It needed a win in the worst way, and Ward woke up with 193 fourth-quarter pass yards, tabling the talk of all that had gone wrong prior. The Titans remain a highly flawed operation all around, but Sunday was a feel-good oasis out in the desert. A sign of progress or a fluky win? We might find out this week when they visit a struggling Raiders outfit.

The decision of whether to stick with Jake Browning was complicated a bit with his fourth-quarter theatrics (three TD passes) against the Lions, although it didn’t whitewash what he did in the first three quarters (three INTs), nor what the quarterback did prior to that. “I threw three picks that were just bad and there’s no hiding from that,” Browning told reporters after the game, much to his credit. He’s put Zac Taylor in an even tougher spot with his body of work since replacing Joe Burrow, and it might be two months before Burrow could be cleared to play -- if that’s even something worth considering then. The other option is Brett Rypien, with Sean Clifford on the practice squad. The Bengals remain on life support thanks to a 2-3 record, but Green Bay and Pittsburgh loom next.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: After publishing on Tuesday, the Bengals acquired quarterback Joe Flacco in a trade with the Browns and released Brett Rypien.

The Jaxson Dart fan club likely added a few members on Sunday after he hit Theo Johnson for a pair of TD passes, with the Giants leading 14-3 in his first road start. He was also buying time and picking up yards with his legs. Things were looking good. But the Giants’ secondary fell apart, and the offense did the same, turning it over on five straight possessions -- six if you count the fourth-down stop in the final minute. Four of the turnovers came in New Orleans territory, including Cam Skattebo’s giveaway that was run back for a game-sealing score. Dart was guilty of three turnovers, all in the second half. Malik Nabers isn’t out there, and the Giants know they must endure some growing pains from Dart, but it doesn’t make the loss easier to swallow. With their next 10 games coming against teams currently at .500 or better, it’s not obvious where the Giants’ next win will come.

Dillon Gabriel’s first NFL start was sullied by the Browns’ defense giving its worst showing of the year, even with two takeaways, and with the offense going into play-not-to-lose mode late. Gabriel represented an upgrade over Joe Flacco by not turning the ball over, getting rid of the ball in timely fashion and generally keeping the offense on schedule. It’s hard to lay too much blame on the defense breaking down late when you consider Cleveland has failed to top 17 points in 10 straight games, dating back to last season. Penalties were again a problem, with a Quinshon Judkins TD wiped out, two big third-down conversions gifted on defense and a silly 15-yard flag in the fourth quarter that hurt the team’s field position. The Browns have a fascinating formula and collection of young talent, but they don’t yet know how to consistently close out games.

The post-Tyreek Hill offense made a loud statement early on, driving for two TDs and a field goal to take a 17-0 lead against the Panthers. The Dolphins stressed balance and spread the ball around well. They weren’t afraid to feature Darren Waller. But the offense turned completely stale, with a non-existent run game a major factor, and Miami’s defense had trouble containing Carolina's ground attack. So, in spite of being plus-2 in turnovers and up three scores, the Dolphins watched as their lead withered away. Seven of their nine penalties occurred in the fourth quarter, and they punted five straight times from late in the second quarter to midway through the fourth. A win might have changed the calculus a bit, but at 1-4, Miami is in big trouble.

Things are getting dark around this team, with Geno Smith struggling again, throwing his eighth and ninth INTs of the season on Sunday. There was a blocked punt, several missed blocks and tackles, and Las Vegas was down 40-3 in the third quarter against the Colts. Even with four starters out, that’s rough. Ultimately, the Raiders again looked unprepared in what was their fourth loss, with the Week 1 vibes long gone. With two more turnovers and an 0-for-4 showing in the red zone, Smith’s starting job should be on the line. I’ve been a big supporter of his over the years, but Vegas can’t keep trotting him out without improved results. 

The Jets now have a dubious designation as the last remaining winless team. They completely cratered in the second quarter against Dallas, turning a 3-3 tie into a 23-3 halftime deficit. Even with some cosmetic points added late, there weren't many positives to take from this game if you’re Aaron Glenn. Bad tackling and another slew of penalties reared their ugly heads in this one, and that’s five straight games to start the season without a turnover forced. Now, the Jets must go to London to face the surging Broncos, with the bye still three weeks away.