Week Five of the NFL saw the top teams begin to separate themselves from the pack as the season heads into Week Six of the 2022 NFL Power Rankings. his list was calculated by the averages of the three contributors and writers for this article. The contributors for Week Six are Xavier Santos, David Loaiza, and Dylan Hargis.
2022 NFL Power Rankings: Week Six
1. Philadelphia Eagles 5-0 (-)
You could copy and paste last week’s blurb and it would still ring true. Their run game is good. The passing game is good enough. The defense is deep and does a tremendous job of keeping players fresh throughout the game. This week against the Cowboys will stress test their continuity along the offensive line and should be wildly entertaining.
2. Buffalo Bills 4-1 (-)
Right now, the Bills and Chiefs are the top class of the AFC and this week’s game will likely shape the narrative moving forward. Should the Bills or Chiefs win convincingly, they’d have a great case for the number 1 spot next week in the 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
3. Kanas City Cheifs 4-1 (-)
Patrick Mahomes, like Thanos, is inevitable. Be honest, you assumed the Chiefs would come back against the Raiders after falling behind by 17. We did. All we could do was laugh as Mahomes had his way with the Raiders defense in the second half.
4. Minnesota Vikings 4-1 (+2)
Surprisingly, the Vikings appear to be the best team in the NFC North. Kirk Cousins is playing like a top-10 quarterback and the defense has held up well. As of now, they should be favored against the Packers on a neutral field.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-2 (+2)
Things got spooky against the Falcons for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. For them, it’s all about health. No other team in the division can challenge them for a postseason berth so as long as they continue to grind out ugly wins, they’ll have a chance to get hot come the postseason.
6. Dallas Cowboys 4-1 (+3)
Their front 7 continues to dominate. The offense isn’t pretty but with a defense like that, it doesn’t have to be. They’ve done a tremendous job of holding the fort and have afforded Dak Prescott the luxury of time. He doesn’t have to rush back and can make sure his thumb injury is behind him before taking the field again. Their upcoming game against the Eagles will be an absolute bloodbath in the trenches.
7. Baltimore Ravens 3-2 (+1)
The Ravens are winning but there’s something about them that seems off. Their best football is probably ahead of them and if they are intent on winning a ring, they better hope that’s the case. They climb one spot on the 2022 NFL Power Rankings this week.
8. New York Giants 4-1 (+7)
The Giants’ offense consists of Saquan Barkley and ten question marks. That being said, the team is grinding out wins and playing with a tremendous amount of heart. Brian Daboll is the front-runner for coach of the year and it’s not particularly close. Their schedule will get much tougher in the coming weeks but 4-1 is 4-1 no matter how you slice it.
9. Los Angeles Chargers 3-2 (+4)
Fire Brandon Staley into the sun. (KIDDING) His decision to go for it on 4th down was nothing short of baffling. They, of course, failed to convert and handed their opponent a makeable field goal. We assumed health was the only thing keeping this team back but their coaching staff is likely playing a part as well.
10. Green Bay Packers 3-2 (-6)
Even with a below-average wide receiver room, we expected the Packers to be better than this. Their defense, in particular, has been extremely disappointing. They haven’t been able to create a consistent pass rush and their secondary has failed to hold up on the back end. Could it be coaching? Have things simply run their course with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong but the defense is the first place to look.
11. San Francsico 49ers 3-2 (+1)
A complete defensive mastermind from the 49ers resulted in the Panthers firing their head coach after the weekend. The team just advanced the first position in their division but it came at a cost. Emmanuel Moseley, who got a pick-six in the game, tore his ACL, Nick Bosa left with an injury as well as kicker Robie Gould. Still, we have seen improvement with each week.
12. Cincinnati Bengals 2-3 (-2)
It was a tough loss for the Bengals against the Ravens. The offense keeps struggling with Ja’Marr Chase being limited in terms of yardage and the absence of Tee Higgins was felt. The Bengals still have a lot of issues with their game but they left the loss against the Ravens with optimism.
13. Miami Dolphins 3-2 (-8)
They were blown out against the Jets, Teddy Bridgewater left the game on their first drive because of a concussion and Head Coach Mike McDaniel announced that Skyler Thompson will have his first career start against the Vikings. So, for the moment, there’s not much to expect from the Dolphins and their offense. They slip on the 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
14. Tennessee Titans 3-2 (+2)
Looks like things are starting to look better for the Titans. The win over the Commanders gives them the lead in the AFC South. Derrick Henry is back with two rushing touchdowns on Sunday but, still, Ryan Tannehill suffered after being sacked five times.
15. Los Angeles Rams 2-3 (-4)
There are big problems right now for the current NFL champions. Apart from Cooper Kupp the offense has struggled, the offensive line is not protecting Matthew Stafford at all and his shoulder is hurting him. On Sunday he was sacked five times, with one resulting in a fumble and a defensive touchdown for the Cowboys. There’s still a lot to fix for the Rams if they want to defend their title.
16. New York Jets 3-2 (+5)
The sun is shining in New York. Yes, they won against the third-string quarterback of the Dolphins but there were a lot of positive things for the Jets and their fans. The duo of Breece Hall and Michael Carter is doing damage. All of their young players from the recent drafts, especially the 2022 class, have been great to start the season and the project is looking hopeful for the future.
17. Arizona Cardinals 2-3 (-)
What can we say about the Cardinals? Once again, clock mismanagement and playcalling troubles ended with a loss against the Eagles. All of the things that they could do in wrong were done. At the end of the game, Kyler Murray got out of the pocket but ended up one yard short. They stay put on the 2022 NFL Power Rankings despite the loss.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-3 (-4)
This was the second game where Trevor Lawrence looked bad after some impressive performances from him. Last week it was the fumbles and this week two interceptions. The offense was limited to just two field goals against the last winless team in the league.
19. New England Patriots 2-3 (+5)
The Patriots doing Patriots things. The Lions arrived as the best offense in the league numerically and were held scoreless by Bill Bellichick and his team. Don’t count New England just yet on the 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
20. Atlanta Falcons 2-3 (-1)
It seemed that the Falcons had a chance when Grady Jarrett sacked Tom Brady to send the Buccaneers to a fourth down and Marcus Mariota was going to have a chance to go for a third score and win the game but there was a flag. A roughing the passer call gave the Buccaneers another chance to get the first down and that was all she wrote.
21. Indianapolis Colts 2-2-1 (+5)
The Colts are not a good football team, but luckily for them the Broncos couldn’t win a game with a wide receiver walking wide open into the end zone, literally! Matt Ryan is well beyond his prime, the offensive line has fallen apart and the defense looks like it is heading in the same direction.
22. Seattle Seahawks 2-3 (-)
Geno Smith and the offense have looked miles better than we expected, but the defense has perhaps been worse than even we expected. Still 2-3 is two more wins than we would have given them at this point at the start of the season.
23. Cleveland Browns 2-3 (-3)
Had the Browns not missed the victory the Chargers handed them this week, they could easily be much higher on the 2022 NFL Power Rankings. This is the Browns though and those fairy tales don’t happen in real life.
24. New Orelans Saints 2-3 (+4)
Taysom Hill dragged the Saints kicking and screaming to a much needed win this week. He will not be able to do that every week and we are struggling to see how this team wins games consistently.
25. Chicago Bears 2-3 (-2)
Watching the Chicago Bears play football is painful at the best of times this season. We actually question how they managed to win two games.
26. Las Vegas Raiders 1-4 (+1)
Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, and Maxx Crosby are all playing at elite levels to start the season. Despite that, the Raiders find themselves at 1-4 and near the bottom of the 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
27. Denver Broncos 2-3 (-9)
We are still disgusted with that abomination they called a football game on Thursday night. The Broncos do not deserve any benefit of the doubt and at this point, it may already be time for a change in the head coaching position.
28. Detroit Lions 1-4 (-3)
Most weeks this team shows a lot of fight without quite being able to pull out the win. This week against New England was not that. It reminded us exactly how far away this team is from being in a position to win football games.
29. Houston Texans 1-3-1 (+3)
A winless team no more! The Texans are not ready to win many games, but it is a good confidence booster for the young players on the team.
30. Washington Commanders 1-4 (-1)
Ron Rivera is not a good Head Coach and he compounded problems by throwing his quarterback under the bus in a moment of frustration. The Commanders are headed nowhere fast.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-4 (-1)
A rookie quarterback against the Buffalo Bills defense? That isn’t fair to him for his first career start. A lot needs to be fixed before this team returns to the NFL Playoffs.
32. Carolina Panthers 1-4 (-1)
It appears the Carolina Panthers will replace the Jacksonville Jaguars as our punching bag this year. They just aren’t a good football team and it is time to clean house completely. They are the bottom feeder of the 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
* The biggest movers of the week were the New York Giants (+7) and the Denver Broncos (-9)*
