NFL Power Rankings – Week 7

1. New England Patriots (6-0): Defensive end Michael Bennett was suspended by the Patriots for one week for conduct detrimental to the team. Bennett said he got into a "philosophical disagreement" with his position coach. Don't be surprised if Bennett is traded in the next ten days. Next: -9.5 at New York Jets - Mon, Oct. 21

2. San Francisco 49ers (5-0): General Manager John Lynch has done an outstanding job of rebuilding the 49ers. The nine-time pro bowl safety has put together a roster of players that reflect the toughness he had as a player. The team's two leading rushers (Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert) are former undrafted free agents and another (Jeff Wilson Jr.) leads the team with four touchdowns. Next: -9.5 at Washington Redskins - Sun, Oct. 20

3. New Orleans Saints (5-1): The Saints have won four straight without Drew Brees, which is a good sign for the Saints when Brees does return. They are finding ways to win when the offense is struggling, which should help in the playoffs.Next: +3 at Chicago Bears - Sun, Oct. 20

4. Green Bay Packers (5-1): Aaron Rodgers is one of the great quarterbacks of all-time, but he needs help at wide receiver. With Devante Adams has missed the past two games due to a turf toe injury. Wide receiver Geronimo Allison left Monday night's game early with a concussion/chest injury. The depth at wide receiver is inexperienced, forcing Rodgers to hold on the ball longer than he would like to. Next: -5.5 vs Oakland Raiders - Sun, Oct. 20

5. Seattle Seahawks (5-1): Circle November 11th on the calendar. That is when the Seahawks will visit the 49ers in a game on Monday Night football. Next: -3.5 vs Baltimore Ravens - Sun, Oct. 20

6. Buffalo Bills (4-1): The Bills are 17-point favorites against the Dolphins this Sunday, which is a reflection of how bad the Dolphins are and a sign that the Bills are gaining some respect around the NFL. They have not been favored by that many points since a 1992 game against the Jets. Next: -17 vs Miami Dolphins - Sun, Oct. 20

7. Houston Texans (4-2) The Texans are the defending AFC South champions and Colts head Coach Frank Reich thinks "they are the class of the division." After the Texan victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City, he might be right. Then again, the Colts beat the Chiefs in Kansas City the week before. Next: +1 at Indianapolis Colts - Sun, Oct. 20

8. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2): The Chiefs welcomed the return of speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill on Sunday. Hill caught five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. They will need him at Denver Thursday Night. Next: -3 at Denver Broncos - Thu, Oct. 17

9. Minnesota Vikings (4-2): Kirk Cousins has reemerged as a viable NFL starting quarterback the last few weeks, which gives the Vikings some hope for making the playoffs. Against the Eagles, Cousins completed 22 of 29 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Next: -1.5 at Detroit Lions - Sun, Oct. 20

10. Oakland Raiders (3-2): The Raiders are suddenly a half a game behind the Chiefs and dreaming of a playoff run. The Raiders don't appear to have a playoff roster, but they are fun to watch and having Chucky back on the sidelines is returning hope to Raider Nation. Next: N/A at Green Bay Packers - Sun, Oct. 20

11. Indianapolis Colts (3-2): Marlon Mack, a 4th round draft pick out of South Florida, is slowly turning to a star at running back for the Colts. Mack is 5th in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 94 yards per game. He is also averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He is on a pace to rush for 1,500 yards this season. He has never gone over 1,000 yards in a season. Next: N/A vs Houston Texans - Sun, Oct. 20

12. Chicago Bears (3-2): The Bears have a terrific defense, but if they are going to make the playoffs, they need to find an offensive heartbeat. The Bears are ranked 26th in rushing offense, 30th in passing offense and 30th in total offense. There is not much to worry about if you are a defensive coordinator. Next: -3 vs New Orleans Saints - Sun, Oct. 20

13. Carolina Panthers (4-2): Quarterback Kyle Allen is 4-0 this season as a starter for the Panthers. Cam Newton has lost eight straight starts at quarterback. Yet it is likely that Newton will start when he is healthy enough to return. Allen isn't winning games by himself and so far, he hasn't lost one. Newton needs to learn that lesson. Next: N/A at San Francisco 49ers - Sun, Oct. 27

14. Baltimore Ravens (4-2): Lamar Jackson is on a pace to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards, a feat that has never been accomplished before in the NFL. He may want to talk with Cam Newton on the long-term health implications of being a quarterback and a running back in the NFL. Next: +3.5 at Seattle Seahawks - Sun, Oct. 20

15. Detroit Lions (2-2-1): The Lions have blown leads 4th quarter leads against the Cardinals, Chiefs and Packers. They could be 5-0. Head coach Matt Patricia has done a good job keeping this group competitive. He still needs more talent to become a playoff team. Next: +1.5 vs Minnesota Vikings - Sun, Oct. 20

16. Los Angeles Rams (3-3): Wow. The Rams decided that they are all in on the 2019 season, with three trades on Tuesday. The biggest was the acquisition of cornerback Jalen Ramsey for two 1st round picks. Cornerback Marcus Peters was dealt to Baltimore for linebacker Kenny Young and a 5th round pick. The Rams also acquired Austin Corbett from Cleveland, an offensive lineman, for a 5th round draft pick. Next: -3 at Atlanta Falcons - Sun, Oct. 20

17. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3): The Eagles somehow beat the Packers on the road and lost to the Falcons, which is a reflection of their up-and-down performance this season. One thing that needs to improve for the Eagles is their pass defense, which is ranked 29th and was recently torched by Kirk Cousins. Next: +3 at Dallas Cowboys - Sun, Oct. 20

18. Dallas Cowboys (3-3): The Cowboys have lost three straight games after being upset by the Jets. The good news for the Cowboys is that they are in the NFC East, where no team has a winning record. Next: -3 vs Philadelphia Eagles - Sun, Oct. 20

19. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4): Rookie linebacker Devin Bush had a night to remember, scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead and intercepting a pass to setup another touchdown to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. For his efforts, Bush was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Next: N/A vs Miami Dolphins - Mon, Oct. 28

20. Denver Broncos (2-4): The Broncos have won two straight behind their defense and the running of Phillip Lindsay. They will lean on Lindsay when the run porous defense of the Chiefs comes to town this Thursday Night. Next: +3 vs Kansas City Chiefs - Thu, Oct. 17

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4): The Jalen Ramsey saga is over with the trade to the Rams. The Jags will receive a 2020 first-round pick, 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick. The move will give the Jags financial flexibility and three additional draft picks to strengthen the roster in the coming two seasons. Next: -3.5 at Cincinnati Bengals - Sun, Oct. 20

22. Los Angeles Chargers (2-4): The Chargers moved up from San Diego and adopted the mantra "Fight for LA." Yes, it was kind of corny, but they did show a lot of fight the first two seasons. This season, opposing teams are showing more fight than the Bolts. Coach Anthony Lynn needs to find a spark, because this team has been uninspiring. Next: +2 at Tennessee Titans - Sun, Oct. 20

23. Tennessee Titans (2-4): The Titans have decided to bench quarterback Marcus Mariota and to start veteran Ryan Tannehill. Mariota is an unrestricted free agent and is likely done in Nashville. He will not be missed by the Titan fans. Next: -2 vs Los Angeles Chargers - Sun, Oct. 20

24. New York Giants (2-4): Saquon Barkley is due to return this Sunday for the Giants. Strange as this might seem, the Giants with a healthy Barkley could win the weak NFC East. Wouldn't that be a shock? Next: -3 vs Arizona Cardinals - Sun, Oct. 20

25. Arizona Cardinals (2-3-1): Cornerback Patrick Peterson, who was suspended for the first six games of the season after violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, returns this week. Don't get your hopes up, Cardinal fans. You are still in the same division with the 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams. Next: +3 at New York Giants - Sun, Oct. 20

26. Cleveland Browns (2-4): Baker Mayfield is suffering through a sophomore slump. After a rookie season where he threw for 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games, completing 63% of his passes, the cocky Mayfield has noticeably regressed. Through six games this season, Mayfield has thrown for 5 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, completing 56% of his passes. Next: N/A at New England Patriots - Sun, Oct. 27

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) Jameis Winston threw five interceptions in the loss to Carolina. Coach Bruce Arians, the "Quarterback Whisperer," had a simple message: "Throw the damn ball away." Next: N/A at Tennessee Titans - Sun, Oct. 27

28. New York Jets (1-4): Sam Darnold came back from his illness to lead a stunning upset of the Cowboys. There may be hope for the Jets after all if Darnold can stay healthy. Next: +9.5 vs New England Patriots - Mon, Oct. 21

29. Washington Redskins (1-5): Offensive tackle Trent Williams is still holding out and has told people that he will not play for the Redskins again. That is understandable. The seven-time Pro Bowler has two years left on his contract. He could certainly help the Chargers. Next: +9.5 vs San Francisco 49ers – Sun, Oct. 20

30. Atlanta Falcons (1-5): The underachieving Falcons continue to find creative ways to break the hearts of their fans. While it would be difficult to ever top the Super Bowl choke to the Pats, this week's comeback fell one point short when Matt Bryant missed an extra point with less than two minutes remaining, giving the Cardinals a 34-33 win over the hapless Falcons. Next: +3 vs Los Angeles Rams - Sun, Oct. 20

31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-6): The Bengals would be the worst team in the NFL, if not for the Dolphins. The Bengals are last in the NFL in rushing, averaging 3.1 yards per carry and 56 yards per game. Their rushing defense is last in the NFL, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 184 yards per game. It is not very difficult to scout these guys. Next: +3 vs Jacksonville Jaguars - Sun, Oct. 20

32. Miami Dolphins (0-5): Dolphin head coach Brian Flores last week announced that Josh Rosen would be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. That lasted for about three quarters, when Flores decided to switch back to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who led the Dolphins to two 4th quarter touchdowns in their loss to the Redskins. Next: +17 at Buffalo Bills - Sun, Oct. 20