NFL Power Rankings 2024 Week 7: Bears fly up in rankings

David Banks - USA Today Sports

by Anthony Pasquale - Staff Writer - Thu Oct 17 17:00:01 GMT-04:00 2024

Here are our power rankings as week seven approaches:

*We decided to explain the top 16 and the Bears*

1. Kansas City Chiefs 5-0 (BYE)

It will take some serious steps in the wrong direction to dethrone the Chiefs, who are firmly cemented as the NFL's newest dynasty. An offense led by Patrick Mahomes and an aging Travis Kelce had acquired some new toys for Andy Reid: speedsters Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown. Mix that with one of the league's best defenses, and you have the NFL's best teams. They could easily be 1-4, but you find a way when you have Patrick Mahomes and Harrison Butker. It feels inevitable. The Chiefs are dealing with some injuries, but they haven't lost.

2. Minnesota Vikings 5-0 (BYE)

It's time to start discussing Sam Darnold's career resurgence and Kevin O'Connell's Coach of the Year candidacy. The Vikings were widely expected to finish in last place in the NFC North, and that's before their rookie QB was out the year. Now, here they are, 4-0, after absolutely dismantling the Texans in week three and beating the Packers in week 4. The defense is schemed cleverly, and Darnold has been making plays. They are a tough team to beat.

3. Detroit Lions 4-1 (No change)

Seeing the Lions this high in our rankings is wild, but they've earned it. With elite playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Lions were a few different bounces away from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl a year ago. Dan Campbell has figured something out in the motor city, and the Lions are on the up and down. The Lions could have played be]er in week 1, but they beat a very talented Rams team and followed that up with a very tough loss to Tampa. Trust me, they're still good, and they beat the Cardinals and Seahawks and dismantled the Cowboys in weeks 3, 4, and 6.

4. Baltimore Ravens 4-2 (no change)

Led by Lamar Jackson, who now has two MVPs in his trophy case, the Ravens had a solid season a year ago. The only knock on Lamar's nearly perfect resume thus far is the fact that he hasn't been able to get over the hump in the playoffs quite yet. Nonetheless, this team has crushed the regular season since Jackson has been in the league, and I don't see any reason to expect anything different. The Ravens gave the Chiefs all they could handle in week one, but they lost and followed it up with an upset by Vegas – but they were pre]y clearly the league's best 0-2 team, and they answered the bell vs. the Cowboys in Dallas, vs. the Bills, vs. the Bengals, and vs. the Commanders.

5. Houston Texans 5-1 (no change)

Houston was last season's most surprising team, as CJ Stroud emerged as a top quarterback in the league in his rookie season. Take that highly-ranked offense from a year ago and add Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon to it, and you're looking at an All-Star team. Houston should be poised for another exciting year, and a 5-1 record is a good start for the Texans.

6. Buffalo Bills 4-2 (no change)

Buffalo may have lost Stefon Diggs, but any team with a healthy Josh Allen at quarterback deserves some respect in our rankings. They've been on top of a division that includes some very talented teams and won the first three games handily; for that reason, they're still top-10 in our eyes. Could this be the year Josh Allen wins his MVP? Losses vs. the Ravens and Texans won't help.

7. San Francisco 49ers 3-3 (up 2)

The 49ers once again represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last season. Despite coming up short, the 49ers returned almost the same team that had been dominant all season long. There are some question marks regarding an aging core, but this team remains a force to be reckoned with. Plus, they'll be on their revenge tour in 2024-2025 — which started with a thrashing of the Jets on Monday Night Football in week 1. However, this team is starting to get healthy and look very good on Thursday Night.

8. Atlanta Falcons 4-2 (no change)

[After a bumpy start to the Kirk Cousins era in Atlanta, the Falcons look like a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, the defense has been terrible, but the Falcons' offense is finally starting to click like anticipated, and they are on a hot streak lately.

9. Green Bay Packers 4-2 (up 1)

Thanks to an extremely strong close to the regular season, the Packers squeaked into the playoffs and had an impressive display. The Packers went into Dallas, destroyed the Cowboys, and then gave the 49ers all they could handle—leading Jordan Love to sign a contract that makes him the highest-paid quarterback in the league. They have balled through an early Jordan Love injury and look like one of the best teams in football through six weeks.

10. Washington Commanders 4-2 (down 3)

The Commanders have been fun to watch in 2024. Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Washington has done an excellent job of keeping him comfortable and ahead of schedule – and the rookie has made some fantastic plays. Washington's young playmakers are also holding up their end of the bargain. The Commanders are 4-2.

11. Tampa Bay Bucs 4-2 (no change)

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers have looked like one of the NFL's best teams. A balanced offensive a]ack led by Mayfield and Mike Evans and a solid defense leaves the Bucs as contenders in what should be an entertaining NFC South, even with their losses to Denver and Atlanta.

12. Chicago Bears 4-2 (up 6)

The Bears had some hype entering the season and won a game in week one that they didn't deserve to win. Then, in week 2, the Bears took on an extremely talented Houston Texans team, and the defense certainly looked like they belonged—the offense, not so much. Caleb Williams was pressured 36 times on 45 or so dropbacks and took seven sacks. But since then, Caleb has been looking like a deserving No. 1 pick, and the Bears have some momentum. The Bears have won three straight and have a top-3-point differential in football.

13. Philadelphia Eagles 3-2 (up 1)

You could easily argue that the Eagles have the best roster in football, and they added Saquon Barkley to it. However, the end of the Eagles season left a sour taste in its fans' mouths — causing Philly to hire new coordinators. We should know quickly if this Eagles team is a contender or a pretender, and they looked potent offensively against Green Bay in Brazil and ground out a win vs. the Saints in week 3. They were a dropped pass away from a 3-0 record but have not looked good lately. They beat the Browns because the Browns are bad, not because the Eagles are good.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers 4-2 (up 1)

Without an injured Russell Wilson, Justin Fields had the Steelers off to a perfect 3-0 start in arguably football's best division. Kudos, as always, have to be delivered to Mike Tomlin, who looks well on his way to avoiding a record below .500. TJ Watt and this defense are still a force to be reckoned with, but the Steelers have come back to Earth a bit, dropping two in a row before beating the Raiders on Sunday.

15. Cincinnati Bengals 2-4 (up 5)

The Bengals gutted out a win over the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, and it was just enough to move them back into our top-16 despite a 2-4 record. Here’s why. Their defense finally played well – if the Bengals can make that consistent thing, this team should be right back into the thick of things in the AFC in no time.

16. Seattle Seahawks 3-3 (down 3)

The Seattle Seahawks have dropped three in a row after winning their first three. However, they have looked like they belonged against the class of the NFC 49ers and Lions. It’ll be interesting to keep watching them as the season goes on, but they’re firmly in the race for a playoff spot in the NFC.

17. Arizona Cardinals 2-4 (down 1)

18. Dallas Cowboys 3-3 (down 6)

19. New Orleans Saints 2-4 (down 2)

20. LA Chargers 3-2 (down 1)

21. New York Jets 2-4 (no change)

22. Indianapolis Colts 3-3 (no change)

23. Los Angeles Rams 1-4 (BYE)

24. New York Giants 2-4 (no change)

25. Denver Broncos 3-3 (no change)

26. Las Vegas Raiders 2-4 (no change)

27. Tennessee Titans 1-4 (no change)

28. New England Patriots 1-4 (no change)