Week 6 of the NFL season taught us a lot about many different teams. We got to learn more about certain contenders and a lot of pretenders. Let’s stack up these teams 1-32 like we do every week.
1 – 
Chiefs (5-1) 
1
The Chiefs are back in a familiar ranking this week. Yes, there are 3 teams that don’t have a loss, and Kansas City is not one of them, but there’s still no doubt in my mind that this is the best team in the league. On a cold, rainy, ugly night in Orchard Park, they got the job done the old fashioned way: pound the ball on the ground, and let your QB pick apart the defense bit by bit. That’s what HC Andy Reid let QB Patrick Mahomes and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire do on Monday evening, and it worked to perfection. When they are clicking, they are impossible to stop. Their defense also looked very sharp and improved after a rough previous outing, with S Juan Thornhill making plays all over the secondary. This team had a slip up a couple weeks ago against Vegas, but that is not the norm at all with them. They will be fine. One loss does not define a team, as I will get into more later with another top team.
2 – 
Titans (5-0) 2
There is a legitimate argument for this team to be at 1. They have looked like one of the most complete teams in all of football week in and week out, and all they do is win. HC Mike Vrabel has his team playing elite football, and it’s in large part thanks to the sensational play of QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry. Tannehill has thrown 4 TDs in each of his last 2 games and is 3rd in the league in passer rating at 113.5. Henry leads the league in rushing despite playing 1 less game than most players with 588. His 214 yards on Sunday were enough to carry his team to an incredible, clutch overtime victory against Houston. There isn’t much this team doesn’t do well. They could do a better job of getting after quarterbacks, but even if they don’t, their secondary has played decently well this year, led by CB Malcolm Butler. Next up for this squad is one of their two fellow unbeatens: the Pittsburgh Steelers. If they can win that game the way they’ve been winning lately, then we should seriously consider talking about this team’s chances to reach Tampa in February.
3 – 
Packers (4-1) 
2
For the first time in 2020, the Packers slipped up. And it was embarrassing. After a fairly hot start in Tampa, including some Aaron Rodgers hip thrusts, Green Bay gave up 38 unanswered points and was ran out of the building. Like I said above, I will not judge a team based on one game. Yes, they played absolutely awfully, but I won’t punish them too much for it because I know how good they really are. I think they will be just fine. If not, then it’ll be a cause for concern, but one game isn’t enough to show us that. They have a very easy schedule, and will win many more games. This was probably their toughest game of the year, and they lost. It happens. They’ll be fine.
4 – 
Seahawks (5-0) 1
The Seahawks were off for the week, so there’s not much to get into with them. It came out today that they’ll be pursuing WR Antonio Brown, which is… questionable. If there’s anything this team doesn’t need, it’s a wide receiver. Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, David Moore, and others have been just fine. Maybe this team should get another good corner, or a pass rusher, so they can actually stop someone on defense. Regardless, this team will be fine and continue to win games as long as Russell Wilson is at QB. This week, they get a handful of a challenge in Kyler Murray’s Cardinals, a team that always gives them fits. I don’t expect Seattle to suffer their first loss, but anything can happen.
5 – 
Steelers (5-0) 1
Pittsburgh had one of the statement wins of 2020 thus far, and it was very impressive to see. Rookie WR Chase Claypool has emerged as an absolute star offensively, their run game is improving every week with RBs James Conner and Benny Snell putting up good numbers, and QB Ben Roethlisberger is having a spectacular start to his 17th season. The story of this team is their defense, as it has been for the whole year. They excel in every facet of their defense, with rushers like T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, and Cam Heyward attacking passers, and DBs like Minkah Fitzpatrick making huge plays in the secondary. This is another very complete team like the ones above them, but I need to see them win more big games before bumping them higher. This week, they get a fellow 5-0 team in the Tennessee Titans. That game will be a great benchmark for both teams.
6 – 
Ravens (5-1) 1
Baltimore looked great for most of the game in Philadelphia, but their struggle to close out the game and shut the door on the Eagles concerns me a bit. There’s no denying the talent and great coaching that this team has, but if they can’t close out a team like Philly, then what will happen if they get into that situation against teams like Pittsburgh and Tennessee? We’ve already seen them lose to Kansas City. I have a feeling that this team is just gonna beat up on bad teams all year long and eventually get exposed against great teams. We’ll find out soon enough, as their upcoming opponents are as follows: Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh again. It’s a very tough stretch that will teach us a lot about what this team is truly made of.
7 – 
Buccaneers (4-2) 2
Yes, the Bucs looked incredible on Sunday. Yes, I’ve been very high on this team all season long. I still am very high on this team, but I’m not gonna be super over-reactionary this week. They still need to prove a lot. I’m not surprised that they played a very inspired game on Sunday after an extremely uninspiring performance in their previous game against the Bears. Tom Brady does not lose back to back games very often. Every aspect of this team looked great against Green Bay, and it was the first time they played a truly complete game this season. If they continue to do that consistently, then there isn’t gonna be a lot standing between them and a Super Bowl berth. But I need to see it more often before I bump them up to the top of this list.
8 – 
Bears (5-1) 6
Like I said yesterday, I am done disrespecting this team. They are 5-1 for a reason. Their defense is one of the best in the league, and their offense is getting the job done against teams that are very solid defensively. QB Nick Foles isn’t anything special, but he is doing exactly what he needs to do to put his team in a position to win every week. WR Allen Robinson has been playing at a high level all year long, and RB David Montgomery has done nothing but produce in his second year. Their defense needs no introduction, as it as solid as ever led by their stars like LB Khalil Mack and DBs like Eddie Jackson. HC Matt Nagy has this team doing one thing: winning. And they’re doing it consistently against good teams. I’m excited to see them play more elite teams, because if they can win those games, then this team will go a lot farther than we might have expected.
9 – 
Saints (3-2) 3
The Saints were one of four teams who got the week off, so there’s not much to talk about with them. They welcome in the Carolina Panthers this week, who have had a better-than-expected season so far this year. New Orleans still might be without WR Michael Thomas this week, but they should be fine. They’re playing better football, despite having a porous secondary, and are trending in the right direction. If they drop this week’s game, then there will definitely be a lot of questions to be asked. But I don’t see that happening.
10 – 
Bills (4-2) 3
Buffalo lost their second game in two weeks, both of which coming to the top 2 teams in this week’s rankings. I don’t want to punish them too hard based on their opponents, but they simply did not look good in either game. They were outclassed by Tennessee and Kansas City, and quite frankly looked like they didn’t even belong on the same field as them. Most teams would go 0-2 in that stretch, but I’m not sure what to make of their back to back poor performances. This team will bounce back, but these last two games have to feel a bit demoralizing. QB Josh Allen needs to get back on track if he wants to stay confident and have this team winning like they were in September.
11 – 
Rams (4-2) 3
Another week, another loss for the Rams against a non-NFC East team. HC Sean McVay is now 0-4 against 49ers HC Kyle McVay, and Los Angeles, who has looked great against the worst division in football, put up another subpar performance against a real team. This team is very talented, but they are yet to show us anything really… substantive in 2020. I think that they’ll be fine, but they play in the toughest division in football by a longshot, and the schedule does not get any easier. If they continue to play the way they did last week, then it’ll be a long, uphill road for this team compete for a playoff spot.
12 – 
Raiders (3-2) 1
Las Vegas did not play this week, but are the beneficiary of teams above them losing, so they get temporarily bumped off. They got one of the biggest wins of the year two weeks ago in Kansas City, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can carry that momentum into their next few games. They get Tom Brady and the Bucs this week in primetime in what should be a great game that I cannot wait to watch.
13 – 
Colts (4-2) 2
Indianapolis looked like they were still on the team bus for the first 15 or so minutes on Sunday, but when they finally woke up, they were not going to be stopped. After falling behind 21-0 to the Bengals, the Colts ended the game on a 31-6 run. Once they tightened up on both sides of the ball, they were not losing that game. It’s a testament to HC Frank Reich’s coaching and the experience of this team. When they are down, they don’t give up. It’s one of the reasons I like this team so much. I can’t put them too high because of their loss to Cleveland, but this team will be up here for a while. They should be a playoff team in a couple of months.
14 – 
Cardinals (4-2) 3
Arizona continues to be streaky in 2020. 2 wins to open the year, 2 losses, and now 2 more wins. I’m still gonna keep them a peg down because they’ve beaten Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton in their last two games, but they sure have looked great doing it. The offense is back on track after a couple of down games, and their defense has stiffened up greatly, thanks to stellar play from S Budda Baker and others. QB Kyler Murray has also returned to form, and WR Christian Kirk is emerging as a star in their offense. Next up for the Cards is the rival Seahawks in their toughest game of 2020 so far. Perhaps the momentum of the last two games will propel them to a W, but I doubt it.
15 – 
Patriots (2-3) 4
One word: ugly. That is what the New England Patriots were on Sunday afternoon against Denver. QB Cam Newton and the offense looked absolutely putrid from start to finish. Both the run game and the passing game, which have looked pretty good through their first 4 games, were lifeless and stagnant against a Broncos defense that is definitely good, but nothing special. They are depleted at WR and their committee of RBs has refused to show up in a big way this year outside of one big game from Rex Burkehead. The Patriots defense did its job, not allowing a touchdown, so to lose the game is definitely a back breaker. The rest of the schedule is nothing easy, and this offense needs to figure itself out quickly if the Patriots want to keep up in a competitive AFC.
16 – 
49ers (3-3) 3
The Niners got back on track with a resounding victory in a seemingly must-win game against Los Angeles. Had they lost and dropped to 2-4 in the league’s toughest division, it would’ve been a long road back to the playoff hunt. Now they sit comfortably at .500 and trending upwards as the schedule gets even tougher. I trust the experience and coaching of this team to carry them, but the question is: how far? I still feel like this team will be limited against the league’s best. They are starting to get healthy again, but their fully healthy squad couldn’t even beat Arizona. We’ll find out soon enough what this team truly is, but for now, I’ll keep them right in the middle of the pack.
17 – 
Browns (4-2) 7
Ok, I know what you’re thinking. “You being WAY too harsh to the Browns!” Maybe. But this team got flat out exposed. There is no other way to put it. Yes, they beat Indy in a good win in Week 5, but they racked up Mickey Mouse wins the rest of the year en route to their “impressive” 4-1 record going into Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. We thought they were legit, and we found out that they aren’t very close. Many teams have the decency to put up fights and show up to their games against elite teams. The Browns did not. QB Baker Mayfield did that thing he always does where he folds under the brightest lights. He was never built for the moment in college or the pros, and he has proven that he still is not. We saw that in Week 1, and we saw it again on Sunday. After their loss to Baltimore, Cleveland was able to get by on asking Baker to do minimal work on the field and win on the backs of their stellar RBs, but without Nick Chubb in the lineup, they have to ask Baker to be a real QB. Spoiler alert: he can’t do that. Not against good teams at least. Cleveland will still win games this year, yes, but the next time they play an elite team, they’ll fold once again. It’s in their DNA.
18 – 
Dolphins (3-3) 
Miami has now won 3 of their last 4 games, all of which coming in pretty impressive fashion. Even in their one loss, they put up a very good fight. Their recent success has been in large part due to the surprisingly great play of veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has been one of the more pleasant surprises of 2020 so far. The defense has also stepped up in a big way, especially on Sunday, not allowing a single point to the Jets. Heading into the bye, I imagined this team would just regroup and keep on fighting towards a potential wild card spot. But they have made the decision to bench Fitzpatrick for rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa, who the Dolphins took with the 5th overall pick in this year’s draft. It’s a decision that was inevitable, but I’m not sure if anyone expected them to make it this early, especially with the way Fitz has been playing. I’m excited to see what the kid from Alabama has to offer, but I can’t help but feel perplexed, and honestly sad for Fitz. Let’s see if it pays off for Miami.
19 – 
Panthers (3-3) 3
Carolina’s three-game win streak was snapped on Sunday against a very good Bears team, so I didn’t want to punish them too much, but their ranking this week is simply a product of the movements of the teams around them. I still feel good about this team, as I very much believe in HC Matt Rhule and QB Teddy Bridgewater. RB Christian McCaffrey is also on the way back in just a matter of time. I think this team has many more games to win, but I’m not sure if they’re a playoff contender. The NFC is just too competitive.
20 – 
Chargers (1-4) 1
The Chargers were on a bye this week, which I’m sure their fans enjoyed since they didn’t have to see them blow another game. They have a very good chance to snap their 4-game skid (which should 100% be a 4-game win streak) this Sunday against Jacksonville, but I wouldn’t put it past this team to mess it up somehow.
21 – 
Cowboys (2-4) 1
Oh, brother. This team is baaaaaad. At least they had QB Dak Prescott to fall back on when their defense was porous. Now, they have Andy Dalton. And he does not look like the answer. Dalton had a very poor first start on Monday night, and it didn’t help that RB Ezekiel Elliott couldn’t hold onto the ball whatsoever. The defense also kept on playing like a JV unit, letting Kyler Murray, Kenyan Drake, and the Cardinals’ receivers have whatever they wanted all night long. This is a completely different offense with Dalton at the helm, and it is lifeless. You can’t help but feel like this team is completely dead without Prescott under center. If that’s the case, then this season is completely lost. But hey, at least they’re still in first place!
22 – 
Lions (2-3) 5
I always felt like this team was better than their record and performances thus far this season. Maybe they aren’t, but they certainly looked like it on Sunday in Jacksonville. It may have just been a product of playing the Jaguars, but this team looked very solid. They have been in many of their losses this year, so they could easily be above .500. QB Matt Stafford had a great day throwing to WR Kenny Golladay, and rookie RB D’Andre Swift had the best day of his young career. Their defense also looked very solid against a Jags offense that puts up a lot of yards. No, this team won’t be competing for anything anytime soon, but I’ll bump them up for the week because why the hell not?
23 – 
Texans (1-5)
The Texans did that thing they always do where they’re in position to win a game but then, because they’re the Houston Texans, blow it and take another devastating loss. Houston had everything going their way after coming back from an early double-digit deficit on Sunday, even after giving up big plays to the Titans. All they needed was a stop. And they couldn’t get one on back to back possessions to lose the game. So, the Texans, who I’ve given the benefit of the doubt to all year, lost another very winnable game. This team really should have more than just 1 win, but coaching and inability to perform in the clutch have them sitting at 1-5. I am officially sticking a fork in them. They are certainly better than the teams below them, but that doesn’t mean much anymore.
24 – 
Eagles (1-4-1)
By some grace of God, this team is just a half game out of first place in the NFC East. They have put up dud after dud this season, outside of one win in Santa Clara that was practically handed to them on a silver platter. Carson Wentz did play arguably his best game of the year on Sunday, and the Eagles almost came all the way back, but it wasn’t enough. This team is going to win the division in my opinion (which is the equivalent of beating toddlers in a race), but they need to start getting it together fast. They have a very important game tomorrow night against the Giants, and if they lose, then oh BOY they will be torn into next week.
25 – 
Falcons (1-5) 4
Atlanta pulled out their first W of the year in dominant fashion on Sunday in Minneapolis, much to the avail of me, someone whose team is now in much better position in the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™. I’ve been waiting for the Falcons to play a complete game without completely blowing it, and they finally did. This team should absolutely be .500 or better right now, so it was good to see them finally get in the win column. I’m not sure how much their fans liked it, but it was good for a team that is now looking to right the ship after the firing of HC Dan Quinn. I’m not sure how many more games this team will win this year, but I’m hoping it’s plenty.
26 – 
Vikings (1-5) 4
It is very easy to say that Minnesota has a Kirk Cousins problem, but I think it’s much more fitting to say that they have a whole team problem. Yes, their QB was horrid in the first half against the Falcons with 3 INTs, but it didn’t help that their defense was getting torn apart. When you fall behind by 23 points so early in the game, it becomes nearly impossible to get the run game going, which is exactly what Minnesota needs to win games. When RB Dalvin Cook isn’t a big part of the offense, the offense can’t do much. Yes, Cousins garbage time statpadded his way to a respectable statline, but there is no denying or ignoring how poor this team has been. It’s hard to see the $86 million man coming back after this season. With every passing week, it looks more and more like this once-Super Bowl contender is heading into rebuild mode.
27 – 
Broncos (2-3) 1
I will give credit to the Denver Broncos. They walked into Foxboro and did not stand down to the Patriots. Yes, their offense had a pretty bad game, but QB Drew Lock and company did what they needed to do to put their defense in a position to lock up a win by stopping the Pats offense, and that’s exactly what happened. It was a good win for a team that certainly needed the morale boost. That being said, I don’t expect to see much more of that from Denver. They are facing too many injuries, and they are in a division that is stacked to the brim with offense, unlike the New England team they just faced. This team will still be a bottom-tier squad in 2020.
28 – 
Bengals (1-4-1) 3
The Bengals are back to being the Bungles: embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss, blowing games and doing nothing to help their stellar rookie QB Joe Burrow. Cincy came out firing on Sunday to the tune of a 21-0 second quarter lead, but they were completely lifeless after that. Nobody expected anything out of this team, so it’s nothing shocking or depressing, but you can’t help but feel for Burrow right now. Luckily for him, this team will be in position to draft an elite offensive line talent in April. That will help this team greatly.
29 – 
Jaguars (1-5) 3
Now this is a team that has angered me. After 2 weeks this season, I had very high hopes for the Jaguars. They looked like an inspiring, talented young group of players, led by QB Gardner Minshew II. But week after week, they have proven to me that I was very, very wrong. This team is awful and very uninspired. For each of the last 3 weeks, they looked like they didn’t even want to be on the field. It’s only a matter of time before HC Doug Marrone is ran out of town, and that time cannot come soon enough. And although I like Minshew, I’m not sure if he’s the answer as a franchise QB. I think it’s time to enter the Jaguars into the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes™.
30 – 
Giants (1-5) 1
Another formerly-winless team who got their first win of the year on Sunday. And thank God they did. They honestly should have gotten it two weeks ago in Arlington. Wrap your head around this: if they had won that game, the Giants would currently be in first place in the NFC East. Only in 2020. It was a good win for a Giants team that just looked like they wanted it more against Washington. Next up for them is a reeling Eagles team. If they win that game, and a few other things fall into place, the Giants will somehow find themselves in the playoff picture. Once again, only in 2020.
31 – 
Washington (1-5) 1
I… I really don’t want to talk about this team. They are a complete eye sore to watch. They are still dysfunctional from the top down. The coaching staff is an absolute disaster, especially offensively. QB Kyle Allen has done nothing to prove that he deserves to be the starting signal caller of this football team. HC Ron Rivera continues to send mixed signals about the way he leads this team and the way he expects his QBs to play. They continue to lose game after game in utterly embarrassing fashion. It is absolutely disgraceful and impossible to tolerate. Next up is an Andy Dalton-led Cowboys team, and yet this team will likely still find some way to lose in absolutely horrible fashion. In other words, the name might have changed, the coach might have changed, the “vIbE” might have changed, but this team has not changed one damn bit.
32 – 
Jets (0-6)
Once again, this one needs no explanation. The Jets are now the NFL’s lone winless team. Joe Flacco has started the last 2 games at QB and has looked horrible. The defense cannot do a thing to stop anybody. The offense cannot do anything even if they faced a college team. The unis are still awful. Oh, and Adam Gase is still employed. I’m sick of asking how things like this are possible, so I’ll just keep it at that for the week.
All stats taken from ESPN and Pro Football Reference.
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