Jaguars, Titans, Bengals Fall In Power Rankings
In Week 6 of the NFL season we continued on with the tradition of having at least one game determined in overtime.
That game would be in South Florida as the Miami Dolphins edged the Chicago Bears 31-28 on a 47-yard kick by Jason Sanders.
For all of the ridicule that kickers have faced this season for missing kicks, kickers positively played a big role in Week 6.
Sanders was joined by Stephen Gostkowski and Mason Crosby as kickers who too hit game-winning field goals as time expired.
Gostkowski hit a huge 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter vs the Kansas City Chiefs with a little over three minutes to play to give New England a touchdown lead.
How critical was Gostkowski’s field goal? Kansas City scored on their very first play from scrimmage on the next possession to tie the game but not take the lead.
Mason Crosby rebounded from missing five field goals last week by going 4-for-4. His 51-yard field goal in the third quarter may not have seemed like a big deal, but considering Green Bay’s offense scored one touchdown after the first quarter, Crosby’s ability to hit from distance was critical in the win.
This is all to say, leave our kickers alone and let’s pay a little more attention to the punters instead.
Here are my NFL Week 7 Power Rankings!
1. Los Angeles Rams (6-0)
The Rams did exactly what a warm weather team coming into a hostile environment with frigid temperatures should do. They ran the football down Denver’s throats with Todd Gurley rushing for a career-high 208 rushing yards.
2. New England Patriots (4-2)
The Patriots dominate teams in the first halves of games this season while at home. New England has now outscored their first four opponents at home 93-18 in the first half, a staggering +75 differential.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)
Kansas City scored 40 points vs the New England Patriots for the third consecutive time in the regular-season. No team has ever accomplished doing it more than twice in the Bill Belichick era.
4. New Orleans Saints (4-1)
The Saints offense had a week off to prepare for the Baltimore Ravens defense. It’ll be strength against strength as the No. 1 scoring offense (36 PPG) faces the No. 1 scoring defense (12.8 PPG).
5. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
The Ravens recorded a franchise-record 11 sacks in a 21-0 shutout over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. They lead the NFL in sacks with 26 and points allowed (12.8 PPG).
6. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
The Los Angeles Chargers dominated the Cleveland Browns last Sunday 38-14 as Melvin Gordon continued his stellar 2018. Gordon already has 9 TDs through six games after scoring three more vs Cleveland. He had 12 TDs all of last season.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)
Philadelphia took care of business on the road vs the free-falling Giants 34-13 last Thursday. Its the first time Philadelphia has scored more than 23 points this season as they last did it in Week 15 vs the Giants last season when they scored 34 points in a 34-29 win.
8. Chicago Bears (3-2)
The Chicago Bears two redzone turnovers cost them dearly last Sunday in Miami, but so did their defense which allowed over 500 yards of offense to a Dolphins team ranked as one of the worst in that category coming into the game.
9. Carolina Panthers (3-2)
The Carolina Panthers fell behind 17-0 but made a late run, ultimately coming up short 23-17. Carolina has yet to win on the road this season.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1)
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense couldn’t hold a late lead in Cincinnati, but were bailed out by their offense in a 28-21 victory. Still, Pittsburgh defense has allowed 19 PPG over the last two games, an improvement over what we saw during the first four games of the season.
11. Minnesota Vikings (3-2-1)
Teams know that Kirk Cousins’ favorite target is wide receiver Adam Thielen, but there’s been little teams have been able to do to stop Thielen from a record-setting pace. Adam Thielen leads the NFL in receiving yards with 712 and has extended his record consecutive 100-yard games to begin the season to six in a 27-17 win over Arizona last Sunday.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
The Cincinnati Bengals can’t get over their hex against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but if there’s an encouraging sign for Cincinnati, Andy Dalton played a clean game. Dalton’s seven interceptions this season are tied for the second most this season.
13. Green Bay Packers (3-2-1)
The Green Bay Packers needed an improbable rally over the final two minutes of Monday night’s 33-30 win over San Francisco 49ers just to avoid going to overtime. The numbers will say Rodgers put up 425 passing yards and 2 TDs, but if Green Bay wants to go anywhere this season the run game has to play some factor.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the NFL’s worst team … over the past two weeks. Their -49 point differential over the last two weeks — both losses — is the worst in the NFL.
15. Miami Dolphins (4-2)
The Miami Dolphins quarterback controversy is on! After two duds produced by Ryan Tannehill on the road, one has to wonder if Adam Gase is considering sticking with a quarterback he’s familiar with from his Broncos days in Brock Osweiler, who led the Dolphins to a 31-28 OT win over the Chicago Bears last Sunday.
16. Washington Redskins (3-2)
The Washington Redskins returned back to form vs a tough Carolina Panthers team in a 23-17 win at FedEx Field. Adrian Peterson continues to rewind the clock as he picked up 97 rushing yards on just 17 carries in the win.
17. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
The Dallas Cowboys may have discovered the key to masking their issues throwing the football is by using designed run plays for Dak Prescott. The Cowboys rushed for 206 rushing yards. Dak Prescott had 82 of them, a career-high.
18. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
The Seattle Seahawks have looked like a potential playoff team over their past four games, going 3-1 with their lone loss being a 33-31 loss to a undefeated Rams team. The schedule from here on out will not be easy as six of their final 10 opponents are all above .500, with two of those opponents being the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.
19. Tennessee Titans (3-3)
The Tennessee Titans won’t be able to survive the season trending where they are from an offensive standpoint. The defense is in the upper half in the league, but not elite. While getting shutout 21-0 at home by the Baltimore Ravens may be a personal low this season, it’s an indictment of how porous the unit actually is.
20. Detroit Lions (2-3)
The Detroit Lions enjoyed a bye week and are hoping to carry the momentum of a victory at home vs Green Bay to South Florida vs the Miami Dolphins this Sunday.
21. Houston Texans (3-3)
The Texans have won three consecutive games by a total of 13 points. While protecting Deshaun Watson has now become a weekly concern, the defense has turned in two straight stifling performances after a few rough patches to begin the season.
22. Cleveland Browns (2-3-1)
Hue Jackson’s Cleveland Browns for the first time this season had zero answers for their opposition as they were thoroughly dominated by the Los Angeles Chargers in a 38-14 beatdown. The 24-point loss is Cleveland’s worst loss since a 31-7 Week 4 loss vs the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
23. Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
The Atlanta Falcons received a much needed pick me up facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers horrendous defense in a 34-29 win at home last Sunday. Matt Ryan is on pace for career-highs in passing yards and touchdowns. He has 1,955 passing yards, 14 TDs and 2 INTs with a 113.6 Passer Rating.
24. New York Jets (3-3)
After three weeks of looking like a bottom five offense, the Jets have scored 76 points over the last two weeks. In other words, Kyrie Irving apologized weeks ago for claiming the Earth was flat.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)
The Buccaneers went with Jameis Winston coming out of their bye, and while Winston threw for 395 passing yards and 4 TDs, he turned the ball over twice and fumbled two other times. Not a winning formula for a team with one of the worst defenses ever … in my opinion.
26. Denver Broncos (2-4)
Denver rebounded with a respectable effort at home vs the Los Angeles Rams, but it’s clear that this Broncos defense can’t play well enough like in years past to bail out the offense. Two consecutive 200-yard rushers allowed expose that.
27. Buffalo Bills (2-4)
Nathan Peterman will get his ridicule on another the day, but how about the continued rebound by Buffalo’s defense? They continue to be among one of the best defensive units in the NFL since Week 3.
28. Indianapolis Colts (1-5)
The Colts are going to live and die with Andrew Luck’s productivity, and that’s simply not going to be a winning formula for a team that can’t get enough defensive stops in the redzone or on third down.
29. San Francisco 49ers (1-5)
The 49ers let a opportunity to snap their three game losing skid go by the wayside with a inability to close the game on offense or defense. Still, it’s nice to see C.J. Beathard recover from a rough performance vs the Arizona Cardinals the week before.
30. New York Giants (1-5)
Is it Eli Manning or the offensive line? It’s both. It’s hard to continually just blame the offensive line when coach Pat Shurmer is caught on the sidelines during last week’s game vs the Eagles imploring Eli to throw the ball down the field on a 2nd and long play.
31. Oakland Raiders (1-5)
The Oakland Raiders have followed scoring 45 in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns by sleepwalking to 13 points. Oakland is a mess right now, a disastrous start to the second era for Jon Gruden with the Raiders.
32. Arizona Cardinals (1-5)
Arizona hung tough on the road in what was Josh Rosen’s first career road game. If there’s a point of emphasis, it has to be their run defense as they allowed 195 rushing yards and are allowing 151.2 rushing yards per game, second worst in the NFL.
What are your thoughts in this week’s NFL Power Rankings? Leave your comments below!