NFL: Weekly Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Rams (6-0, +0): The Rams remained the only undefeated team in the league, following their 23-20 win over the Denver Broncos, for Los Angeles' second consecutive road victory. It's not easy to go to Seattle and Denver and in back-to-back weeks and come away unscathed, but the Rams did it. They allowed QB Case Keenum to go for 322 yards, which is somewhat alarming given the fact that LA has injuries piling up, but the offense was still able to score enough to stay unbeaten. RB Todd Gurley is looking more and more like an MVP candidate as the weeks go by, and he totaled 208 rushing yards against the Broncos. The Rams will keep the road trip going against the one-win San Francisco 49ers this weekend.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1, +0): The Chiefs were undefeated as well heading into their Sunday Night Football showdown with the defending AFC champions, New England Patriots. QB Patrick Mahomes looked mortal in the first half, throwing a pair of interceptions, but he bounced back in the second half to the tune of 352 yards for the game. He and WR Tyreek Hill have really found a connection in Kansas City, and Hill amassed 142 yards against the Patriots, including a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, their defense hasn't exactly been stellar, and it allowed QB Tom Brady to walk right down the field and win the game, 43-40. Kansas City will try to bounce back versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
3. New Orleans Saints (4-1, +0): The Saints had their bye week this past Sunday, so our most recent memory of them was a 43-19 beatdown over the Washington Redskins. Not a bad memory to leave us off on. The Saints have won four straight games following an 48-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. The defense has looked much better since then, only allowing 20+ points once since then, and that was a 43-37 win over the Atlanta Falcons on the road. QB Drew Brees has looked like the best player in the league, along with Goff and Mahomes, and he'll get an opportunity to prove it against one of the top defenses in the Baltimore Ravens. The Saints are 2-0 on the road this season, but the Ravens are favorited by 2.5 points.
4. New England Patriots (4-2, +1): The Patriots have looked very good over the past three weeks, after their confusing loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 3. New England stepped up since then, and that ended with a three-point win over the then-undefeated Chiefs. RB Sony Michel has been a key factor in this offense over the past month, and he totaled 106 rushing yards against Kansas City. If he can continue to damage opponents on the ground, then it'll make Brady's life easier in the pocket. We haven't seen an every down back in New England in quite some time, and Michel has the ability to turn into that. The Patriots can build on their three-game win steak, but it's not going to be easy. The Chicago Bears are 2-0 on their home field.
5. Baltimore Ravens (4-2, +1): The Ravens have certainly been a pleasant surprise thus far. We knew they would have a good defense, but the offense has looked pretty good for the most part. In their most recent outing, Baltimore went on the road and blew out the Tennessee Titans, 21-0, behind 238 passing yards from QB Joe Flacco. The Titans aren't a bad team and Baltimore made them look like one. RB Alex Collins has been a good back, helping to add another aspect to this team, and he totaled 54 yards against the Titans. WR Michael Crabtree had a game-high 93 receiving yards. The Ravens will head into Week 7 with a 4-2 record and will host a team ahead of them in the rankings, the Saints, with a chance to move up even more.
MVP Rankings:
1. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
2. Drew Brees (Saints)
3. Jared Goff (Rams)
4. Tom Brady (Patriots)
5. Joe Flacco (Ravens)
Photo Credit: CBS Sports.
