NFL Power Rankings: After top teams stumble, who is the NFL's best team?

Just six weeks into the NFL season, we can be pretty sure there are no great teams. There are certainly no unbeatable teams.

The San Francisco 49ers lost in an early game Sunday, and the Philadelphia Eagles lost in the late afternoon window, leaving the NFL with no undefeated teams two weeks before Halloween. It wasn't just the 49ers and Eagles losing. The Buffalo Bills looked bad but escaped with a win over the New York Giants. On Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs had a hard time putting away the Denver Broncos. It was not a good Week 6 for Super Bowl contenders.

It drove home the point that while we think there are a handful of very good teams, it's hard to trust any of them. Yet someone has to be the top team.

Let's break it down by separating the Super Bowl candidates (we see eight of them now, but other teams will enter the conversation as the season goes on) into categories:

The sneaky contender: Once you realize that every team in the NFL has had a bad game or a bad loss, the Ravens don't look so bad anymore. They lost to the Colts and a late loss to the Steelers wasn't ideal either, but they check a lot of boxes. They're going to get healthier and more comfortable with a new offense too. They're the best team nobody is talking about.

Recency bias teams: I assume a lot of power rankings will have the Dolphins or Lions at No. 1. The only reason is because of what happened most recently. Don't forget what happened before.

The Dolphins failed their one big test to date, losing to the Bills by 28. The Lions lost to the Seahawks at home. Miami's dud and Detroit's stumble didn't happen in Week 6 but it doesn't mean we can ignore them. That said, both teams have an argument to be No. 1. The Lions in particular have a great argument to top the rankings, but are you ready to live in a world where the Lions are the NFL's best team? That might be a sign of the apocalypse.

Ugly winners: The Chiefs are just getting by, like the Eagles were for a few weeks. Their offense doesn't seem nearly as good as past seasons. Their past three games are too close wins over the Jets, Vikings and Broncos. Not exactly a murderers' row. That home loss to the Lions is still on the résumé too.

The Bills are a strange team to figure out. In their best performances they look phenomenal. But how do you reconcile that with terrible outings against the Jets, Jaguars and Giants? Neither team should be No. 1 now, though they could get there by December.

There's also the Cowboys, who are 4-2 and have a playmaking defense, but the offense still hasn't gotten off the ground. It was a struggle for Dallas to move the ball Monday night against the Chargers, but they did enough to get a 20-17 win. The Cowboys are good, but the offense will need to be a lot better for them to get to the top of the league.

Week 6 losers: In college football and basketball polls, it's usually mechanical that when the No. 1 team loses it gets moved down. The context of the entire season doesn't matter, just what happened last. That's not a great way to judge teams. It won't happen in these power rankings.

The Eagles don't deserve to be considered for the top spot. They were probably a touch overrated based on being undefeated and their reputation from 2022. We haven't seen that dominant team from a season ago, and while they're still very good, the loss Sunday was overdue. Even Eagles fans would admit that. Philadelphia will be fine, but it's not dominant yet.

That leaves the 49ers. We'll see which power rankings knock down the 49ers for a two-point road loss on a missed field goal in the final seconds. It's not good to lose to a team quarterbacked by P.J. Walker, but every team in the NFL has already had a bad game. The 49ers' bad game was just the most recent. They also were by far the best team through five weeks. Sunday showed that they are more vulnerable with injuries — Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey departed the game early — but that's true for any team. If you had to pick one team to win the Super Bowl, it would still be the 49ers. That's why they're still the No. 1 team in our power rankings.

The only thing that changed Sunday is we found out the 49ers are beatable. Everyone else in the NFL can relate.

Here are the power rankings after Week 6 of the NFL season:

32. Carolina Panthers (0-6, Last Week: 32)

It's rare to see a team lead by 14 in a game and end up losing by 21. The Panthers even got a good game from rookie quarterback Bryce Young and still got blown out. The Panthers are bad. The one bit of good news for the one-win teams eyeing that first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is the Panthers won't consider tanking because they don't have their 2024 first-round selection. Good times in Carolina.

31. New England Patriots (1-5, LW: 28)

The Patriots' next two games are against the Bills and Dolphins. This could continue to spiral downward for New England. The next question is how long Mac Jones can keep his starting job if the Patriots continue to look this bad.

30. New York Giants (1-5, LW: 31)

The focus was on the Giants ending each half Sunday night on Buffalo's 1-yard line without scoring either time, but it's worth commending New York on its effort. For the first 20 quarters of the season, the Giants were horrible for 18 of them. They fought hard on Sunday night despite numerous injuries. There's something to be said for that.

29. Chicago Bears (1-5, LW: 29)

There has been a strange excitement in Chicago for undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent ever since the preseason. It looks like he'll get his chance to start with Justin Fields healing from a dislocated thumb. The reality is Bagent is probably going to help only the Bears' 2024 draft position, which isn't the worst outcome.

28. Denver Broncos (1-5, LW: 30)

Thursday night was a big win for the "Russell Wilson is the problem" crowd. You're going to hear a lot about how Wilson has another $37 million that becomes guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year. There's no good solution to the Wilson situation, other than him completely turning things around the rest of the season. Which seems unlikely.

27. Arizona Cardinals (1-5, LW: 27)

Well, maybe the Cardinals are as bad as we thought they'd be before the season. They were feisty for the first four games, and even got a win over the Cowboys. Then the past two weeks they've lost to the Bengals and Rams by 31 combined points and generally have looked a lot worse.

26. Tennessee Titans (2-4, LW: 26)

After Sunday's loss in London, the Titans sounded like they're questioning everything. Head coach Mike Vrabel couldn't say the Titans' issues are correctable. Jeffery Simmons wondered which of his teammates wanted to be there. After a bye week, the Titans have a winnable home game against the Falcons. That's two days before the NFL trade deadline. If they lose that game, it might be time to trade some veterans.

25. Green Bay Packers (2-3, LW: 20)

The Packers' next four games are winnable: at Broncos, vs. Vikings, vs. Rams, at Steelers. If the Packers are going to be any good this season, we'll find out over the next four games. Based on how they've looked the past couple weeks, maybe none of those games is winnable. (OK, anyone playing the 2023 Broncos should win.)

24. Washington Commanders (3-3, LW: 25)

The Commanders are a weird 3-3 team. They seem much worse than their record. On Sunday they were outgained by the Falcons 402-193 and somehow won. It's not the time to buy the Commanders as a team that can slide into the playoffs.

23. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3, LW: 24)

Part of head coach Josh McDaniels needing to get former Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo should have been accounting for Garoppolo's lengthy injury history. It's just Week 6 and Garoppolo has dealt with a foot ailment, a concussion and now a back injury that caused him to be taken to the hospital. Garoppolo might miss time with the back injury. That might derail the Raiders' little bit of momentum.

22. Minnesota Vikings (2-4, LW: 23)

The Vikings' season was possibly saved by Creed. That might be the ultimate "desperate times call for desperate measures" story.

21. Atlanta Falcons (3-3, LW: 18)

Bijan Robinson has 80 carries this season. Tyler Allgeier has 75. Robinson is averaging 5 yards per carry. Allgeier is at 3.2. During a key goal-to-go sequence in the fourth quarter that ended with Desmond Ridder throwing an interception, it was Allgeier, not Robinson, who got a first-down carry. Allgeier gained just 1 yard. We all know head coach Arthur Smith has a weird hangup about getting his best players the ball consistently, but why draft Robinson eighth overall if he's going to be just a committee back? You can find that on the third day of the draft.

20. Indianapolis Colts (3-3, LW: 17)

The explanation for why the Colts passed nearly every down on Sunday, via center Ryan Kelly, was that the Jaguars were in their base defensive personnel and the Colts wanted to pass them out of it. That didn't happen. Then the game script got bad, and Gardner Minshew II threw it 55 times. The Colts better get used to teams loading up the box. They should be an elite running team, but opponents understand that too.

19. New Orleans Saints (3-3, LW: 14)

The Saints have had multiple games this season in which they've put up a ton of yards and not many points. On Sunday they had 430 yards but scored just 13 points in a loss to Houston. You have to assume the scoring will catch up to the yards, but perhaps the inability to finish drives will be the Saints' downfall this season.

18. Houston Texans (3-3, LW: 21)

It's hard to proclaim anything six games into a season or career, but I feel confident in this: C.J. Stroud is a future star. He might already be a star. It's very, very rare to see a rookie quarterback look this polished. Something good is cooking in Houston.

17. Los Angeles Rams (3-3, LW: 19)

Here's the argument against Cooper Kupp as a Hall of Fame candidate: He has just two 1,000-yard seasons and he's already 30 years old. Here's the argument for Kupp getting some consideration for the Hall of Fame: just watch him play. Only a few receivers in NFL history can get open practically whenever they want like Kupp can.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2, LW: 16)

Diontae Johnson is returning to practice this week. Pat Freiermuth said he'll play this weekend. We can finally see how the Steelers' offense looks with a mostly healthy lineup. If the offense still looks terrible, then it's time to panic.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2, LW: 12)

Baker Mayfield was fed up after Sunday's loss to the Lions, ripping himself and the offense's production as a whole. Tampa Bay was stuck at less than 200 yards before its final drive of the game, with the outcome practically determined. Tampa Bay has two losses and they are to Philadelphia and Detroit, so not all is lost. We've just learned the Buccaneers can't beat elite teams, that's all.

14. Los Angeles Chargers (2-3, LW: 13)

Monday night's loss was the quintessential Chargers game. They had chances to win but somehow lost yet another close game. It's uncanny how all Chargers losses seem to go that way. The Chiefs are up next on the schedule and L.A. is in danger of digging itself a big hole by the end of October.

13. New York Jets (3-3, LW: 22)

Robert Saleh said his team has "embarrassed" the quarterbacks they've played. That caused a stir, but he's mostly not wrong, especially when it comes to elite QBs like Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. This defense is really good. Hate to go down this road, but if the Jets still had Aaron Rodgers they might be viewed as the best team in football right now.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3, LW: 15)

On the surface, Sunday's home win over the Seahawks that got the Bengals back to .500 was a sign Cincinnati is all the way back. I'm not convinced. The Bengals put up just 214 yards and got very little going downfield, which has been a problem in five of their six games this season. They won because the pass rush, and defensive end Sam Hubbard in particular, made huge plays. It's good to be .500 after an awful start, but don't assume the Bengals are back to being a contender yet.

11. Seattle Seahawks (3-2, LW: 8)

Seattle outplayed the Bengals. It had 381 yards to 214 for Cincinnati. But Geno Smith couldn't make the play he needed to get Seattle over the hump, and his two interceptions were the biggest difference in the Seahawks' loss. Seattle was very close to being 4-1, with road wins in Detroit and Cincinnati, and being one of the NFL's buzzy teams this week. The Seahawks are still a good team, just one that's not on the radar yet.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2, LW: 10)

The Jaguars are stacking wins and the path is wide open for them to run away with the AFC South. The knee injury to Trevor Lawrence, which makes him iffy for Thursday night's game against the Saints, is something to monitor though.

9. Cleveland Browns (3-2, LW: 11)

The Browns' defense isn't some secret. The NFL world has been clued into how good Cleveland's defenders are since Week 1. But shutting down the 49ers brings a lot more attention to a defense that has an argument as the best in football. It gives the Browns a foundation to be a really good team when Deshaun Watson returns, whenever that happens.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2, LW: 9)

If the Ravens are going to hit the top end of their range of outcomes, they probably need more out of the running back position. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill have been OK, but neither is scaring anyone. It would be fun to see the Ravens with a star running back. If Derrick Henry or another top running back is available before the deadline, the Ravens should be making a call.

7. Dallas Cowboys (4-2, LW: 7)

Seeing Brandin Cooks show up with a touchdown and a big third-down catch on Dallas' long drive to take the lead was a good sign. The Cowboys' offense has not been good this season, but if Cooks emerges that would help.

6. Miami Dolphins (5-1, LW: 5)

The Dolphins are averaging 6.5 yards per rushing attempt, which is unbelievable for a team that doesn't have a running quarterback. They also don't have a big name at running back, which probably won't help the "pay the running backs" crowd. It's an offense that can win in all ways.

5. Buffalo Bills (4-2, LW: 4)

The Bills are still an analytics darling. And they are 4-2, which is not a bad place to be. But their poor performances are hard to ignore, and there have been three of them in six games. The Bills are Super Bowl contenders, but they need to clean up things in a hurry.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-1, LW: 2)

It was a little odd to see the Eagles run 22 times and throw it 45 in a game they led until the final two minutes. The Jets aren't easy to run on, but they might be even better against the pass. It was just a bad day for the Eagles.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1, LW: 3)

The Chiefs need a receiver to step forward, and the one who keeps popping up is rookie Rashee Rice. He had 72 yards on Thursday night. The Chiefs' passing game hasn't been great yet. KC needs to expand Rice's role and see where it leads.

2. Detroit Lions (5-1, LW: 6)

The Lions got one big play out of Jameson Williams. But it was a huge one, a 45-yard touchdown on third-and-10 that put the Lions in control of the game. They're deep enough that they don't need anything else from Williams, a 2022 first-round draft pick. They need him to be a threat and make an occasional big play. If he can do that, the Lions' offense can go to an even higher level.

1. San Francisco 49ers (5-1, LW: 1)

Jake Moody missing a field goal that would have won the game led everyone to point out that Moody was the 99th pick of the NFL Draft, the highest-drafted kicker since the infamous Roberto Aguayo. It's unfair; Moody has been pretty good. He has hit 10 of 12 field-goal attempts. He hadn't missed a kick shorter than 50 yards all season. But he was drafted to hit big kicks like Sunday, not some 36-yarder in the fourth quarter of a blowout against the Giants.