Top 5 NFL Power Rankings in Week 6
Top 5 NFL Power Rankings in Week 6 from the Saints News Network. Week 5 has ended with chaos, COVID-19, a Tuesday night game, six bye weeks rescheduled, nail-biting thrillers, and hurricanes. The Dallas Cowboys’ chance of making a run in the playoffs ended with a devastating injury. The NFC champions continued their fall from grace as with a defeat from the 1-2 Miami Dolphins. Even the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Las Vegas Raiders.
While the week has been exciting, stressful, eventful, and full of surprises, there’s a shakeup for number 1. The NFC takes the top two spots in this week’s rankings after continued success from their quarterbacks. The AFC North has two teams in the top 5. The Saints started rusty against the Chargers but shook it off and clawed their way to a win.
The Black and Gold’s 35-29 win against the Detroit Lions last week broke the two-game losing streak and brought the team to.500. The game Monday night eerily resembled the Detroit game, but the Saints turned things around in a nail-biting overtime win. Here are the Top 5 NFL Rankings entering Week 6:
Credit: Mark Hoffman
1. Green Bay Packers (4-0)
An early-season bye means a longer stretch to mid-season for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had a bye this week, but losses from last week’s top teams pushed Green Bay into the number 1 spot. Aaron Rodgers has been the catalyst to the Packers’ success so far this season.
Rodgers has thrown with no receptions, 13 touchdowns with a 128.4 passer rating. He leads the NFL’s best offense that averages 38 points per game. Green Bay seems unstoppable, and the Packers could ride this momentum to the Super Bowl.
Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
2. Seattle Seahawks (5-0)
Seattle continues to win! The Seahawks are one of the last remaining undefeated teams in the NFL after an exhilarating last second touchdown to beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-26. Seattle started the game rough without scoring in the first half. By the third quarter, Russell Wilson found his stride and racked up 21 points. Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf was sensational, hauling in 6 receptions for 93 yards with 2 touchdowns, one being the game-winning touchdown. Russell Wilson continues to put on an MVP-caliber season, leading Seattle as the second-best team in the NFL.
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)
The Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the NFL’s remaining undefeated teams after an impressive 38-29 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The biggest story from this game is the sudden emergence of rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool after he finished the game with 110 yards receiving and 4 total touchdowns (one rushing.) Big Ben also had a solid outing with 239 total passing yards. The Steelers have put up four good wins so far and look to keep the momentum going as one of the AFC's best teams.
Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY SPORTS
4. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
The 4-1 Chiefs continue to be the flagship of the AFC West. The first loss of the season against the Raiders was stunning for Patrick Mahomes. His team did not play well, and the result was a 40-32 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. While the outcome is unusual for Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs just could not overcome the Raiders’ defense.
Kansas City allowed Derek Carr to throw for 3 touchdowns, Josh Jacobs rushed for 2 touchdowns and the defense gave up 118 yards receiving yards, including a touchdown to Henry Ruggs. Mahomes was not that impressive either, only completing 51% of his passes and threw an interception. The Chiefs can’t win every game, but they should bounce back next week. Kansas City is still the most dangerous team in the NFL.
Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
5. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
The Baltimore Ravens gave Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals a rude awakening in a dominant 27-3 win. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson is usually the catalyst to Baltimore’s success, but the defense led the way against the Bengals. The Ravens defense only allowed 205 yards of total offense and forced 3 turnovers and 7 sacks. However, Jackson didn’t have his best, only throwing for 180 yards with only 3 yards rushing. Jackson has been in a slump recently, but the Ravens defense is just too good.
USA Today Sports
*8. New Orleans Saints (3-2)
The Saints started slow on Monday Night Football, falling behind early 20-3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. While defeat appeared imminent, the Saints rallied together and came out on top of 30-27 in overtime. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders led the Saints on offense with 12 receptions for 122 yards because of the continued absence of Michael Thomas.
The defense also stepped up late to seal the game with a tackle from cornerback Marshon Lattimore on 4th down. Five penalties for 60 yards continue to be a sore spot for the defense. The Saints are slowly starting to get their rhythm back but will have to improve much more before they are contenders.
Article Contributor Sam Lucio, Saints News Network Intern.
