NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Lions rise, the Jets sink and parity rules

They all stink.

OK, so stink is a little harsh, but we’ve actually hit the point of the season where it’s time to ask the question: Is anybody any good?

There are no undefeated teams left after the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills lost games Sunday, which means the 1972 Miami Dolphins got an early jump on popping that champagne.

The NFL loves it this way, too. They love the parity. Even the good teams have flaws, and the uncertainty from week to week is what draws us all in to watch.

Then there’s the New York Jets. They are the last of the winless, the worst team in the league. So much for the idea that Aaron Glenn would instill a toughness in the defense, which has been the team’s weak spot all year long.

Even the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans won games Sunday, leaving the Jets to wallow in their own misery.

As for the top, the new No. 1 team is the Detroit Lions. After losing at Green Bay to open the season, the Lions have ripped off four straight as Jared Goff has played at an MVP level. They have some defensive flaws still, but which team doesn’t have issues? Oh, and they can score.

Now is the time for all these teams to fix those problems. The teams that do will be the ones playing come January.

The Eagles have to run the ball better. The Bills have to throw the deep ball more. The Bucs have to get healthy and play better on the back end.

Each week, we seem to rush to anoint teams as being the best in their divisions and maybe even conferences. Wasn’t it a short time ago when the Rams and Chargers were the toast of Los Angeles and threats to win it all?

Now the Chargers have lost two straight, the Rams lost to the undermanned 49ers on Thursday, and suddenly we have no idea if they are real contenders or not.

They might not all stink, but nobody in this league right now is that good — which is just the way the NFL likes it.

Biggest Movers

Rk

Teams

 

Chg

Rcrd

1
Lions
The offense is cooking right now, kicking aside the notion that Ben Johnson would be missed. They face a big one at Kansas City this week.  2 4-1-0 2
Eagles
It’s time to get Saquon Barkley involved in the offense. They can listen to all the moaning from the receivers, but he is the key to their offense.  1 4-1-0 3
Bills
They haven’t played as well as expected this season, despite the 4-1 record. The offense lacks the big plays down the field.  1 4-1-0 4
Buccaneers
Going to Seattle and winning with the offense rolling up big numbers speaks volumes about this team. Baker Mayfield is playing at an MVP level. — 4-1-0 5
Steelers
They come off their bye in command of the AFC North. The division isn’t good around them, which is why it seems to be theirs for the taking.  4 3-1-0 6
Colts
At 4-1, they bounced back from the loss to the Rams to blow out the Raiders. Daniel Jones continues to play good football.  5 4-1-0 7
Packers
Coming off their bye, the schedule gets a little soft the next few weeks, starting Sunday with the Bengals at home. The defense has to get back on track after getting abused by the Cowboys the last time out.  — 2-1-1 8
Jaguars
They are 4-1 and Liam Coen has done an outstanding job. Beating the Chiefs the way they did could really propel this team.  4 4-1-0 9
49ers
Winning the way they did on the road against the Rams with so many guys injured is a testament to the coaching of Kyle Shanahan. Mac Jones played well in place of Brock Purdy. 4 4-1-0 10
Broncos
That was a big-time road victory against the Eagles. They rallied from 17-3 down to win it. Bo Nix played well in the second half, which is a good sign going forward. 4 3-2-0 11
Rams
That was a bad stumble losing to the undermanned 49ers at home on Thursday. Now they face a long trip to play a desperate Ravens team.  6 3-2-0 12
Commanders
Coming from behind to beat the Chargers is a big-time victory. Jayden Daniels was cooking in the second half in his first game back after injuring his knee.  3 3-2-0 13
Patriots
Mike Vrabel has instilled a toughness on the defense and Drake Maye has arrived. They will be a tough battle every week and could push the Bills in the division. 5 3-2-0 14
Seahawks
I know they had some injury issues on defense against Tampa Bay, but there were too many open receivers. The good news is Sam Darnold keeps bombing away.  8 3-2-0 15
Chargers
This team has lost two straight to go from having a Super Bowl look to a team floundering. The injuries on the offensive line are hurting them in a big way.  7 3-2-0 16
Chiefs
At 2-3, they are floundering right now. Losing late to Jacksonville makes beating the Lions this week almost a must-win game.  6 2-3-0 17
Vikings
Rallying to beat the Browns and get a split of their two overseas games was big for this team. They now head to their bye. J.J. McCarthy should be back at quarterback when they play the Eagles in two weeks. — 3-2-0 18
Texans
The offense we saw against the Ravens gives this team hope. The defense continues to play at a high level.  3 2-3-0 19
Cowboys
Dak Prescott for MVP. It’s real. He is playing at a really high level as the Cowboys are now 2-2-1 and far from done.  4 2-2-1 20
Falcons
They come off their bye with a long road trip to play the 49ers. They have to hope the momentum they had in beating the Commanders didn’t get lost during the time off.  2 2-2-0 21
Bears
They come off their bye having won two straight with a tough road game against Washington. The offense has to hope it didn’t cool off on the bye week and continues to grow.  2 2-2-0 22
Ravens
Who is this team? The big, bad bullies are getting bullied on a weekly basis. Even with all the injuries, don’t they have to at least compete?  6 1-4-0 23
Cardinals
Getting over that Titans loss will be tough to handle. They had no business losing that game, but mental mistakes cost them in a game they let slip away.  3 2-3-0 24
Panthers
Coming back from 17 down to beat the Dolphins is a nice victory for this team. The run game was impressive with Rico Dowdle. 5 2-3-0 25
Bengals
OK, so can we all admit that Jake Browning can’t lead this team to the playoffs? Should they make a move?  1 2-3-0 26
Browns
The moment wasn’t too big for Dillon Gabriel in his first NFL start in the loss to the Vikings. But they can’t keep the handcuffs on for long if they want to win games and find out if he’s their long-term guy.  1 1-4-0 27
Raiders
Geno Smith isn’t playing well, which is a concern for now and the future. He has to pick it up or they will be quarterback hunting in the spring.  1 1-4-0 28
Giants
Beating the Chargers one week and then losing to the Saints the next is not a good look. They turned it over way too many times.  1 1-4-0 29
Titans
Somehow, they found a way to rally to beat Arizona in a weird game. But that’s big for head coach Brian Callahan, as he was firmly on the hot seat.  2 1-4-0 30
Saints
Getting the first victory for coach Kellen Moore was big for this team. Spencer Rattler played well in the victory over the Giants, and the defense took the ball away.  2 1-4-0 31
Dolphins
The defense is awful right now. The run defense is especially bad. Blowing a 17-point lead to the Panthers is a bad look for Mike McDaniel.  3 1-4-0 32
Jets
This team is a disaster right now. The defense is a mess, and they don’t tackle very well. It’s a bad start for Aaron Glenn.  2 0-5-0