The Tennessee Titans have now beaten the Buffalo Bills…and lost to the New York Jets. The Miami Dolphins have beaten the New England Patriots…and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So it goes in the National Football League, with parity at such a point that just about every team goes through games in which they vastly underperform…and games in which they play out of their minds.
For our sports betting readers, we have this week’s NFL power rankings going into Week 7.
NFL News: Week 7 Power Rankings 2021
#1 Arizona Cardinals (6-0)
The Cardinals’ offense was never really a question for this season, but their 32.3 points per game are even more than we had expected. It’s the defense that has the Cardinals unbeaten, as they have gone from shutting down Derrick Henry to slowing down Matthew Stafford to taking apart the Browns in Cleveland.
#2 Buffalo Bills (4-2)
The Bills couldn’t stop Derrick Henry on Monday Night Football, but their offense was still terrific in the 34-31 loss. They’re not the first team to struggle with Henry, and if they can figure out those issues against the running game, they are still the top team in the AFC.
#3 L.A. Rams (5-1)
Some of the Rams’ wins have been convincing, as in the case of Tampa Bay. Some have been ugly, as in the case of Indianapolis and Seattle. They did have an eight-game winning streak against Arizona come to an embarrassing end for their only loss. Can Matthew Stafford keep this terrific run at the helm of the offense going?
#4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)
The Bucs famously returned all 22 starters from last season, but nine of those starters have missed 22 combined contest, and Antonio Brown had to miss one for COVID-19 protocols. Their pass rush remains elite, and their offense has kept rolling. Chicago and New Orleans, two teams with stout defenses, are next.
#5 Dallas Cowboys (5-1)
Dallas already has a three-game lead in the NFC East and enters their bye at just the right time, as Dak Prescott strained his calf throwing the game-winning touchdown in New England on Sunday. There are really only two games left against elite opposition: Kansas City and Arizona.
#6 Baltimore Ravens (5-1)
The Ravens have a 5-1 record despite having 16 players on injured reserve. However, they have not lost since that opening loss in Las Vegas. They needed a 66-yard field goal to win in Detroit, and they had to come back late against Kansas City and Indianapolis, but they finally had all pistons firing in that demolition of the Chargers this week.
#7 Green Bay Packers (5-1)
Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams continue to light up opposing defenses, and A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones are a bone-crushing duo carrying the ball. The Packers are seeing more and more names on the injury list, though. Luckily, they are in a division with two rebuilding teams and the glass-chinned Vikings.
#8 L.A. Chargers (4-2)
Baltimore exposed problems in the Chargers’ rushing defense in their 34-6 win, and we also saw that Justin Herbert is still finding his way in the NFL — which is no criticism of a second-year starting quarterback. Can the Chargers win the AFC West?
#9 Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
Kansas City leads the league with 14 turnovers, which is definitely a departure from the last two seasons. Their defense finally showed up last week — but they were playing a Washington team led by a backup quarterback. Will the defense show up again this week? We will see.
#10 Tennessee Titans (4-2)
Since the Week 1 debacle against Arizona, Derrick Henry has hit the 100-yard mark five weeks in a row, including a 143-yard night with three touchdowns against Buffalo. He has ten touchdowns through six games, tied for second most in NFL history.
#11 Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
Cincy bounced back from that overtime loss to Green Bay with a win in Detroit. The offense still needs some consistency, as they started the game with three consecutive three-and-outs against a winless Detroit team. The Bengals are a game out of first in the AFC North, though, and if they can build consistency, they could snag a wild card.
#12 Cleveland Browns (3-3)
Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb are injured. So are both offensive tackles. The defense, which was supposed to be a strength, has permitted 84 points in the last two games combined. Is this going to be another season when optimism on Lake Erie goes down the tube?
#13 Las Vegas Raiders (4-2)
The Raiders turned turmoil in the front office into a 34-24 win in Denver, which was an even more impressive performance than that comeback overtime win against Baltimore in Week 1. The challenge will be maintaining focus and balance with an interim coach.
#14 New Orleans Saints (3-2)
Jameis Winston should start trending upward as he gains more confidence in the Saints’ offensive system. They have eight starters out due to injury and suspension, including wideout Michael Thomas, who should be back in the lineup soon, which will only help matters.
#15 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
Don’t look now, but the Steelers have won two in a row going into tier bye week. The defense stood tall against Seattle in the fourth quarter and overtime. The question remains how consistently Ben Roethlisberger can lead the offense down the stretch.
#16 Minnesota Vikings (3-3)
Once again, we have a Vikings team that plays terrifically at times — and has zero attention span at other times. It’s frustrating for the fan base, and for sports bettors. However, this is Kirk Cousins’ career arc, and the Vikings seem to be made in his image right now.
#17 Carolina Panthers (3-3)
Remember when the Panthers were 3-0? Well, they lost tailback Christian McCaffrey (hamstring), and the offense has tanked as a result. They also lost two first-round picks on defense — linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback Jaycee Horn. The pass rush is suffering too. Without those players in the lineup, the team becomes a lot easier to solve.
#18 San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
Every game has been close for the 49ers this season — but they’ve lost three in a row, but all three have come against potential playoff teams. The team needs to build a cohesive identity with Trey Lance running things, which is hampering their consistency.
#19 Chicago Bears (3-3)
Chicago doesn’t have the offensive prowess to hang with top opponents, but they can beat the bottom-feeders.
#20 Denver Broncos (3-3)
Here’s another 3-0 team that has fallen off the table. To be fair, the Broncos’ first three opponents were dreadful. They’re turning the ball over more now, and their passing defense has gone down the tubes.
#21 New England Patriots (2-4)
Mac Jones continues to impress in his rookie campaign, as he bounced back from a pick-six against Dallas to throw a bomb that briefly put the Patriots ahead late in the fourth quarter. The defense and special teams have been inconsistent, though.
#22 Indianapolis Colts (2-4)
The Colts have beaten the Dolphins and the Texans — teams with a combined 2-10 record. However, T.Y. Hilton is back, and the rest of the team is getting healthier too. The team has opportunities coming against Tennessee and San Francisco soon.
#23 Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
Russell Wilson is on injured reserve with that sprained finger, which means Geno Smith is running the offense. However, the Seahawks did come back from a 14-0 deficit to force overtime against Pittsburgh. Sitting four games back in the NFC West means that the Seahawks are looking at a wild card, if they will make the postseason at all.
#24 Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
Jalen Hurts’ inconsistency has grown over the past few weeks, and the defense has not been there to bail out the offense. However, the Eagles have already played their toughest games this season, as the Giants, Washington, Lions and Jets loom ahead.
#25 Washington Football Team (2-4)
Washington’s defense was supposed to be elite this season, but they are dead last in points permitted and 31st in yards permitted. In 2020, that unit ranked fourth and second in those metrics, respectively. The offense has a nice guy running things in Taylor Heinicke, but he makes too many errors to be a starting quarterback in this league.
#26 Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
The Falcons are slowly becoming a better football team, which is what you want out of a rebuilding project. Of course, with Matt Ryan still at quarterback, the biggest piece of the rebuild is yet to be found.
#27 Miami Dolphins (1-5)
The Dolphins have already lost as many games this season as they lost in all of last year. They are 29th in both scoring offense and scoring defense, and it is last in third-down defense. The greatest indignity so far came in a loss to Jacksonville in London. In 2022, Miami does not have a first-round pick, so there’s no benefit in finishing in the basement.
#28 N.Y. Jets (1-4)
The Jets’ defense is fun to watch, thanks to a surprising front four, but the offense is struggling with Zach Wilson at the helm. Through five games, the team still has scored a total of zero points in the first quarter, which means that the Jets have to pull off a comeback each week.
#29 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
Trevor Lawrence posted a 22.4 Total QBR in Weeks 1-3. For Weeks 4-6, that number is 56.4. He turned the ball over nine times in those first three games; since then, he has coughed it up just twice. The Jaguars almost won in Cincinnati. The defense still has some gaping holes, but the offense is giving fans optimism.
#30 Houston Texans (1-5)
Since that opening win over Jacksonville, the Texans have dropped five in a row, and only two were somewhat competitive. They have no road wins, and they have lost their last two games out of town by an aggregate score of 71-3.
#31 N.Y. Giants (1-5)
The defense is ranked 27th in the league, and the offense has a ton of injuries. Daniel Jones had been playing well, but he turned the ball over four times in a 38-11 debacle against the Rams this past Sunday.
#32 Detroit Lions (0-6)
The Lions never had a lot of talent, but now that more and more starters are falling to injury, the season will get even uglier.
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