NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: Bears trending up after win over Raiders |
Five weeks of the 2021 NFL season have come and gone and it has not been disappointing. This year may look a bit different with 17 games in 18 weeks, and seven teams in each league earning a playoff berth. Nonetheless, we won’t have a week without football until February 2022 and we couldn’t be more excited to cover another year of NFL football. We at Bears HQ decided to give our power rankings ahead of the NFL’s sixth week.
*We decided to explain the top 16 and the Bears* 1. Buffalo Bills 4-1 (up 4 spots) It may have surprised some people last year, but the Buffalo Bills being one of the league’s best teams this season should come as no surprise. Buffalo is led by superstar QB Josh Allen, and a brilliant coaching staff. The Steelers gave the Bills some trouble in week one, but after dominating the Dolphins, the Washington Football Team, the Texans, and the reigning AFC Champion Chiefs they are the top team in the NFL. 2. Arizona Cardinals 5-0 (down 1 spot) Five weeks into the NFL season and the Cardinals are 5-0, riding a potent pass rush and an electric offense to their success so far. They are in one of the hardest divisions in the NFL but have looked like a playoff team thus far beating the Titans, Vikings, Jaguars, Rams, and now 49ers this past week. 3. Los Angeles Rams 4-1 (down 1 spot) The LA Rams may be the most improved team of the offseason just because of their upgrade at QB. Instead of Jared Goff, the Rams have Matthew Stafford leading their speedy offense — and of course, still have Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald on the defensive side of the ball. The new-look Rams are 4-1 to show for it, losing to the Cardinals but also including an impressive beat down of the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers — earning our second spot. 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-1 (down 1 spot) It’s hard to not rank Tampa Bay in the top five in our rankings. First and foremost, the Bucs are our reigning Super Bowl Champion — and they did not lose a single starter over the offseason. The Bucs have a roster construction that could win another Super Bowl, and Tom Brady is never content. But after dropping to the LA Rams, the Bucs fell to number two. Despite winning against the Patriots in Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough and then the Dolphins, the Bucs fell one spot because of the Cardinals and Bills’ dominance. 5. Los Angeles Chargers 3-1 (up 3 spots) LA might have had the best offseason in the AFC. Justin Herbert is coming off of an impressive campaign in which he won Rookie of the Year, and the Chargers have added to his offensive line - while also making some key acquisitions to the defense, the weakness of the team in 2020. That plus some opt-outs and injuries back leave the Chargers with one of the most talented and intriguing rosters in 2021. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but the Chargers gutted out an impressive week one win and took a hard to swallow week two loss against Dallas, but handling the Kansas City Chiefs and earning a win in week three, beating the Las Vegas Raiders in prime time and winning a shootout over Cleveland solidifies LA as a top 5 team for me. 6. Green Bay Packers 4-1 (up 1 spot) For most of the offseason, the Packers were one of the most questionable teams — and it all depended on reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Well, he’s back… but the Packers were thumped by the Saints in week one, dropping the Packers out of the top 5. A dominating win on Monday Night Football over the Lions, a come from behind win over the 49ers, a dominating win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night, and a narrow win over the Bengals should be enough to defend the Packers being near the top 5. 7. Baltimore Ravens 4-1 (up 2 spots) The Ravens quietly have one of the league’s best rosters. Despite not winning the division in 2020 and being in one of the NFL’s hardest divisions, the Ravens boast a legit chance to win a Super Bowl behind a star quarterback in Lamar Jackson and a defense that consists of the best secondary in the sport. The Ravens lost a stunner in week one against the Vegas Raiders and the schedule won’t ease up for a while but they are certainly a top 10 team despite their injuries. Beating the Chiefs in primetime, defeating the Lions, handling the Broncos, and storming from behind to beat the Colts lock that in without a doubt. 8. Dallas Cowboys 4-1 (up 2 spots) Dallas is flying under the radar this offseason, but a healthy offensive line plus Dak Prescott back from injury leaves Dallas with one of the best offenses in the NFL (which includes Ezekiel Elliot, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup.) The defense is still the clear weakness of this team, but has been much better in 2021. The Cowboys gave the Bucs a tough fight in week one, and have not lost since, making them a top-10 team. 9. Kansas City Chiefs 2-3 (down 5 spots) It would be hard to imagine the Chiefs falling out of the top 5 this season so long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy. This team easily boasts the best offense in the league — while also adding to an offensive line that was exposed in the Super Bowl last year. Keep an eye on a motivated Chiefs team this season, especially after losing week two to the Ravens and in week three to the Chargers. The Chiefs got back on track Sunday against the Eagles but then suffered a blowout loss to the Bills in week five. Let’s see if the Chiefs can rebound. 10. Cleveland Browns 3-2 (down 4 spots) Yes, you read that right. After years of being the NFL’s laughing stock, the Cleveland Browns have constructed a roster good enough to win a division and make a run in the playoffs. The Browns displayed dominance in their week two win over Houston and their week three win over the Bears and their week four win over Minnesota, and this team has all the makings of a top 10 team in the NFL. They lost a shootout to the Chargers in week five, but are a top 10 team nonetheless. 11. Tennessee Titans 3-2 (down 3 spots) The Titans are the reigning AFC South champion and have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons — oh and they’ve added Julio Jones to an offense that already had Ryan Tannehill, AJ Brown, and Derrick Henry who just ran for over 2,000 yards. In 2021, no team is going to be looking forward to playing the Titans. The Titans' 2021 season got off to a tough start though, getting blown out by the Cardinals, but they rebounded nicely with a come-from-behind win over the Seahawks and a solid win over the Colts before dropping to the New York Jets in week four. Beating the Jaguars in week 5 puts them back near the top 10. 12. Seattle Seahawks 2-3 (down 1 spot) The Seahawks have had a bumpy start to the season so far, beating the Colts and 49ers but falling to the Vikings, Titans and Rams. What separates the Seahawks from some of these other teams is the fact that they boast Russell Wilson, one of the league’s top quarterbacks — although an injury suffered in week 5 might derail the Seahawks. 13. Las Vegas Raiders 3-2 (down 1 spot) If you want to talk about the grittiest team in the NFL, the Raiders deserve to be in that conversation. The Raiders were touchdown underdogs in week one against the Raves and week two against the Steelers — two of the toughest teams in the sport. To everyone’s surprise, the Raiders pulled off wins. After starting 3-0 the team has unraveled a bit with losses to the Chargers and Bears. PLUS, head coach Jon Gruden has resigned due to emails of his past resurfacing. The Raiders are a mess at the moment. 14. San Francisco 49ers 2-3 (down 1 spot) It is important to remember that this is the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago. Last season the 49ers were decimated with injuries — but with those players back the 49ers are once again a force to be reckoned with in the NFC. While the NFC West is loaded, the 49ers should turn heads in 2021, like they did putting up 41 points in week one and beating the Eagles in week two. The 49ers have been hammered with injuries and have lost three games since, but still appear to be a top 15 team. 15. New Orleans Saints 3-2 (up 4 spots) The Saints are back in our top 16 after a nice win over the Washington Football Team. The team has a much different identity than they did with Drew Brees as quarterback, but the Saints have been able to win games. Jameis Winston and the offense has some explosiveness and the defense has been solid. Wins over the Packers, Patriots, and Football Team show why this team is top 15. 16. Cincinnati Bengals 3-2 (down 1 spot) Joe Burrow and the Bengals are off to a great start this season. In fact, their only loss was in a game that Burrow threw interceptions of three straight plays. The defense may have holes, but the offense is loaded with weapons — including Ja’Mar Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, a three-headed monster of receivers for Joe Burrow to throw to. Wins over the Steelers, Vikings, and Jaguars keep the Bengals as a top 16 team despite the last-second loss to Green Bay. 17. Carolina Panthers 3-2 (down 2 spots) 18. Denver Broncos 3-2 (down 1 spot) 19. New England Patriots 2-3 (no change) 20. Chicago Bears 3-2 (up one spot). The Bears have now won two in a row, with Justin Fields now 2-1 as the starter. It’s been up and down for the Bears, with ugly losses against the Rams and the Browns. But in week four, Matt Nagy handed over play-calling to Bill Lazor and the Bears looked like a much different/better team since. The key to victory for this Bears team is running the ball and the defense carrying its weight — the formula was there in week five. 21. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-3 (down one spot) 22. Indianapolis Colts 1-4 (no change) 23. Minnesota Vikings 2-3 (no change) 24. Philadelphia Eagles 2-3 (up 2 spots) 25. Atlanta Falcons 2-3 (up 2 spots) 26. Washington Football Team 1-4 (down 2 spots) 27. Miami Dolphins 1-4 (down 2 spots) 28. New York Giants 1-4 (no change) 29. Houston Texans 1-4 (no change) 30. New York Jets 1-4 (no change) 31.Detroit Lions 0-5 (no change) 32. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-5 (no change) Stay tuned as we update these rankings every week.
