Week 7 NFL Power Rankings: SCARY Good/Bad Trends for Each Team

 With week 7 falling a week before Halloween, I figured why not mix our weekly power rankings with some spooky spirit. Today on the weekly ranks, instead of just summarizing each team's game/week, I will instead point out a scary GOOD trend or player for the team or a scary BAD trend or player. Here we go!

1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)
Last Time: #1

Scary GOOD: The defense. The reason these Eagles continue to win games and stay the only unbeaten in the league is due to that defense. Man are they good. They picked off Cooper Rush three times on SNF all whilst creating pressure and stopping the run when absolutely necessary. The addition of CB James Bradberry was clearly their best get of the off-season.

2. Buffalo Bills (5-1)
Last Time: #3 +

Scary GOOD: QB Josh Allen. This shouldn't surprise anyone, but Josh Allen is more than just scary good. He has really taken his already elite game up another level this season. He's more decisive, more accurate, less turnover heavy, and a better runner too. The monumental win over KC proved that he's the best QB in the NFL right now and the early MVP front-runner. 

3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-2)
Last Time: #2 -

Scary GOOD: TE Travis Kelce. Just like Josh Allen, another fairly obvious one, but it too feels like Kelce has picked up some slack and taken his already generational talents to the next level in his age 33 season. The rest of KC's receivers have been mostly "scary BAD" but thank god they have Killa Trav who is either spurning you for 4 TDs or working you for 100+ yards on 8+ catches in a game. There's no winning against that guy.

4. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
Last Time: #11 +

Scary GOOD: HC Kevin O'Connell. While I really felt like putting scary AVERAGE for this team as a whole, HC Kevin O'Connnell has been awesome. His play calling for this offense has given the unit new life and has this team looking like a true playoff contender as they are tied for the second best record in the entire NFL through 6 weeks. Still, as a team I'm going to need to see them beat some high quality opponents soundly before I can fully trust them.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
Last Time: #7 +

Scary GOOD: The Defense. Everyone applauds these Bengals for their offense and its elite talent that it possesses as to why they are one of the better teams in football. However, no one seems to give the credit to how damn good their defense is as a major reason. Teams have been keying in more on some of the Bengal top targets like Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Mixon this year, but the defense is keeping this team afloat. Guys like Trey Hendrickson, DJ Reader, and more are underrated as hell. 

6. Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
Last Time: #4 -

Scary GOOD: OLB Micah Parsons. The early frontrunner for DPOY Parsons has been the definition of scary good to start this year for Dallas. While they fell to Philly on SNF, they put up a good fight, and Parsons was once again everywhere. With Dak Prescott returning and this defense playing well as a whole, Parsons is only going to keep making a bigger and bigger impact by the week!

7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
Last Time: #8 +

Scary BAD: HC Brandon Staley. It is getting ridiculous with this guy. The Chargers narrowly beat the lowly Broncos on MNF and a good reason for some of it was again HC Brandon Staley and his bizarre calls. He elected to play for OT when he had multiple timeouts and could have played to get the Charger O into FG range or at worst turn it over on downs with under 10 seconds left and no TOs for Denver. For the second straight week, the Chargers found a way to win despite his antics but he is truly holding back what is a Super Bowl caliber roster.

8. New York Giants (5-1)
Last Time: #18 +

Scary GOOD: HC Brian Daboll. I cannot believe the Giants continue to win! Their resilience is simply hard to believe with how little talent they have on their roster. This is a testament to how truly good rookie HC Brian Daboll has been. He has revitalized this offense while the defense has been better as well under new DC Wink Martindale. I keep looking for reasons to rank the Giants lowly but I'm starting to run out. 

9. Tennessee Titans (3-2)
Last Time: #10 +

Scary GOOD: RB Derrick Henry. King Henry continues to be the ultimate equalizer. This Tennessee team is not very deep and did not inspire a lot of confidence in anyone heading into this season. Doubters said their best player (Henry) was also washed and would not be able to carry this team like he once was able to. Boy have they been wrong, as Henry has completely turned it up for the Titans following two average weeks to start the year. The Titans gave him some extra rest with their bye this past week but are right in the thick of the AFC South title race.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3)
Last Time: #9 -

Scary BAD: Tom Brady's mental state. This is my nice way of saying Tom Brady has not been himself. While I wouldn't say Brady is some awful QB all of the sudden, it is clear that his off the field issues have been catching up to him and his head does not seem fully in the game. It is effecting Tampa as a whole and when you are losing to the Steelers it should be a wakeup call. Let's hope Brady can get it together because it would if he went out like this it would leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth after his GOAT career...

11. San Francisco 49ers (3-3)
Last Time: #6 -

Scary GOOD: This defense (just not in week 6). The 49er defense has been the best in the league for 5 out of the first 6 weeks of the season. This week against Atlanta it seemed that nothing could go right for this team as a whole, so I won't pin it completely on the D or anything like that. I'm not super worried as it was just a trap game it seems like. Atlanta also isn't a bad team.

12. Baltimore Ravens (3-3)
Last Time: #5 -

Scary BAD: Offensive playcalling of late. I wouldn't have expected to be putting this down in any sort of exercise just three weeks ago. Lamar Jackson was playing like he would wind up the run-away MVP through the first three games, and this offense and team was humming. However, they have come crashing back down to earth in the past three games and now are back at .500 after blowing multiple late game leads. This blown lead this weekend might have been the worst yet as Jackson had two turnovers in the final minutes to choke away the game. It's a little spooky how bad they have been on O and they need to figure it out, hopefully the return of WR Rashod Bateman should help. 

13. Miami Dolphins (3-3)
Last Time: #12 -

Scary BAD: The injury situation. Not a ton that can be done about this, but the Dolphins have simply been hit harder than anyone by the injury bug this season, and at the most important position. They've gone from Tua to Teddy to Skylar back to Teddy and now (hopefully) back to Tua in week 7. I'm not super worried about this team, as once healthy again should be back to their winning ways of the early season.

14. New England Patriots (3-3)
Last Time: #16 +

Scary GOOD: The offense?! Everyone knows that the Patriots are going to play good defense. Under Bill Belichick that is a given. What has been scary good and honestly scary SHOCKING is how this offense has been arguably as good if not better, despite playing a mid round rookie third string QB. The Patriots might be BACK in business. Props to newly appointed OC Matt Patricia. Also I have to mention RB Rhammondre Stevenson who has taken a large second year jump and has been great on the ground for the O.

15. New York Jets (4-2)
Last Time: #22 +

Scary GOOD: This rookie class! Outside of maybe ONE another team (which I will get to in a second), the Jets look like they have a top rookie class. One potentially for the ages. Sitting at a shocking 4-2, the Jets have been buoyed by elite rookie contributions, starting with lockdown CB Sauce Gardner on the outside, electric RB Breece Hall in the backfield, and can't forget WR Garrett Wilson on the perimeter or even Jermaine Johnson making an impact off the edge. These young Jets might just be enough to cause a ruckus in a suddenly ultra-competitive AFC East.

16. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
Last Time: #21 +

Scary GOOD: The rookie class! The Jets rookie class is great, but the Seahawks have the best one I've seen in a long long time. While first rounder OT Charles Cross has been great in pass protection, the later round guys have come up HUGE so far for this team. 5th round CB Tariq Woolen is already looking like one of the best CBs in the entire NFL and easily the DROY early front-runner. He's tied for the most INTs in football with 4 and the most total takeaways with 5. 4th round CB Coby Bryant has come up huge as well, with a league leading 4 FFs. RB Ken Walker looks primed to burst onto the scene as well following the Rashaad Penny injury, he ran for over 110 yards and a TD in his first week as the starter in week 6. The future is bright in Seattle, scary bright.

17. Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1)
Last Time: #19 +

Scary BAD: The offense. I will say, the offense looked improved in week 6, but I'm not ready to say they are out of the woods yet. Through 5 games, the offense (which should be good on paper) did not show many signs of life. With RBs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines out in week 6, Matt Ryan was forced to throw the ball 52 times and only then did he finally deliver. Hopefully that was a sign of things to come for this offense which needs to be good if this team wants to contend in 2022.

18. Green Bay Packers (3-3)
Last Time: #13 -

Scary BAD: The WR core. To the surprise of few, the Packer offense has taken a major step backwards to begin the season (as many expected with the loss of star WR Davante Adams). Aaron Rodgers is doing the best he can, but this receiving core simply isn't good. They have potential, but outside of Allen Lazard, no one has proven they can be a consistent target week in and week out. This development might be the undoing of the back-t0-back NFC no. 1 seed Packers.

19. Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
Last Time: #17 -

Scary BAD: QB Matthew Stafford. I could have said 'the whole team' for this one, but I'm going to specify it on QB Matt Stafford. I always thought he got luckily carried to his team's Super Bowl win last season, and now that narrative is beginning to show. While he's a little banged up, it is no excuse for how bad he's been. He has just 6 TD passes through the first 6 games to go along with a whopping 8 INTs. The Rams are quickly being undone and look in danger of missing the playoffs completely a year after winning it all.

20. Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
Last Time: #26 +

Scary GOOD: This team's no-quit mentality. I don't really know how else to explain the fact that Atlanta has just been good. Like they don't really have much going for them yet they refuse to lose, and when they do lose it is just BARELY. No one has truly stood out on this roster but as a whole they are playing cohesive football that is translating to wins and competitive games. I'm excited to see how the rest of their season plays out. Props to HC Arthur Smith.

21. Cleveland Browns (2-4)
Last Time: #14 -

Scary GOOD: RB Nick Chubb. There has been a lot of scary bad for this team, but I think the dominance of RB Nick Chubb has been more significant than anything in the other direction for this team if that makes sense. Chubb feels like the early season favorite for OPOY. Aside from him, Cleveland needs to find a way to stay afloat while Deshaun Watson finishes out his suspension, because this team could make noise in the playoffs once he's back. 

22. Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)
Last Time: #23 +

Scary BAD: HC Josh McDaniels. There is no other way to explain how this talented of a roster finds itself at 1-4 through 6 games (bye week in week 6). They have been close, but there have been sloppy mistakes every game that causes them to lose. The Raiders have a very winnable three game stretch coming up to make it back to .500, but if they can't do that then I doubt McDaniels even lasts to Thanksgiving. Seriously.

23. New Orleans Saints (2-4)
Last Time: #15 -

Scary BAD: The injuries. Just like the Dolphins, there isn't much that can be done about this. The Saints have shown their flashes of being a very good team, but they can't keep it going with all of the injuries they have faced. QB, RB, WR have all been positions of major injury and the team cannot keep momentum with the revolving door at those key spots. With Jameis Winston close to a return, they will hope it can signify health for the rest of the year.

24. Denver Broncos (2-4)
Last Time: #24

Scary BAD: QB Russell Wilson & HC Nathaniel Hackett. Each week you think it cannot be worse than the last, and then it is. In the first half of the Charger game, Wilson finally looked like his old self. He was letting it fly a bit and moving in the pocket, making throws on the run. Denver was up 13-10 at half. In the second half Wilson totaled just THIRTEEN yards. That's it. Denver lost in OT as they were shutout completely the rest of the game (aside from a singular second half FG). Wilson and Hackett's brief tenure has been a disaster and it's starting to look like this thing might not turn around. 

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4)
Last Time: #20 -

Scary BAD: The defense. While guys like Devin Lloyd are exceptions, this Jag D has been pretty miserable all season and is holding the whole team back. Doug Pederson has this offense surely stepping forward to where it was last year, but they can't close games with an awful awful D like this. It looks like this will be another lost season in Duval county.

26. Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
Last Time: #22 -

Scary BAD: The offense. I can't blame this fully on Kyler Murray. Murray has been up and down, but he is not the reason this offense has floundered. HC Kliff Kingsbury has been bad in terms of play-calling. The RBs have been bad and injury prone. Outside of Marquise Brown (who is now out indefinitely with injury) and Zach Ertz, there has been no one getting open here. The Cardinal D is not good enough to keep this team afloat, they rely on this big play offense, which hasn't been around to begin this season. Putting up just 3 points against the 31st ranked Seattle D in week 6 is inexcusable for this team. Hopefully for them the return of DHOP from suspension and addition of Robbie Anderson via trade can spark something. Oh, and the O-line has been terrible too.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)
Last Time: #31 +

Scary BAD: RB Najee Harris. Harris is not the only thing going wrong for this Steeler team, but the fact that he has been able to really do nothing for them is a big reason as to why they suck. Sure, they got a big win over Tampa in week 6, but that felt fluky and won't distract me from what a liability the once amazing Najee Harris was for them. He's a good player and I'm confident he can turn it around, but as of now he's been one of their worst offensive players just one season removed from being one of the most productive RBs in football.

28. Washington Commanders (2-4)
Last Time: #28

Scary BAD: Everything offensive related on this team. From Ron Rivera to the now injured Carson Wentz to the OL to the receiving core, nothing has worked for this team on offense. In a slugfest 12-9 win over the Bears in week 6, things just seemed to get even worse for this O, even despite the win. Wentz will now be out 4-8 weeks with a finger injury, hopefully magician backup QB Taylor Heinicke can lead this team on another run. 

29. Chicago Bears (2-4)
Last Time: #30 +

Scary BAD: The offense around QB Justin Fields. I'll admit I haven't watched the Bears very closely much this season, however, them being on TNF gave me the chance to do so. After watching them play, I can see that Justin Fields actually is not a bad player at all. He simply has no help. The backfield of Montgomery and Herbert is good, but aside from that he has literally no help. The OL is miserable and the set of targets he has is even worse. There's no way he can succeed with what he has. Hopefully this staff is smart enough to see he isn't the issue, because if they can him first, they will be making a big mistake.

30. Houston Texans (1-3-1)
Last Time: #27 -

Scary GOOD: RB Dameon Pierce. While there are a ton of negatives with this one win team, I'm going to focus on the one positive that I just keep on seeing from this club. 4th round rookie RB Dameon Pierce has been electric. Going into week 6, Pierce was 5th in the entire NFL in rushing yards with 412. He was on bye this week. Pierce also led the NFL in forced missed tackles, which is a big deal for an RB. He gives me shades of a smaller and slightly less powerful Marshawn Lynch. I think the Texans have a franchise guy here with him and he is currently my *ever so slight* leader in the OROY race!

31. Detroit Lions (1-4)
Last Time: #29 -

Scary BAD: The defense. The 32nd ranked defense in the league. As good as this young offense has looked at times this year, it is not good enough to overcome how awful the D has been. This is clearly not the year for Detroit to break through with how bad they are on that side of the football.

32. Carolina Panthers (1-5)
Last Time: #32

Scary BAD: Everything! When HC Matt Rhule was fired last week, many thought things couldn't get any worse for this team. Oh but they could. WR Robbie Anderson got into it on the sideline with interim HC Steve Wilks on Sunday and was sent back to the locker room and then promptly traded to Arizona the next day. It is a trainwreck in Carolina...

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JKNFLFOOTBALL Week 6 Honors

Offensive Player of the Week: Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
Statline: 42-58 for 389 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs passing (42 completions is a Colts record)

Defensive Player of the Week: Quinnen Williams, Defensive Tackle, New York Jets
Statline: 5 total tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 blocked kick

Special Teams Player of the Week: Dustin Hopkins, Kicker, Los Angeles Chargers
Statline: 4/4 FGs (including game-winning FG in OT), 1/1 XPs, 39 LONG, 13 total pts

Rookie of the Week: Tariq Woolen, Cornerback, Seattle Seahawks
Statline: 5 total tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass deflection, 1 fumble recovery

Team of the Week: Buffalo Bills (5-1)
Beat Kansas City Chiefs 24-20

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Week 7 Official Game Picks
Last Week's Record: 7-7
2022 Season Overall: 44-33-1

Saints over Cardinals (23-19)
Packers over Commanders (24-10)
Ravens over Browns (33-26)
Buccaneers over Panthers (24-11)
Bengals over Falcons (29-27)
Cowboys over Lions (31-26)
Jaguars over Giants (23-20)
Colts over Titans (28-20)
Raiders over Texans (27-18)
Jets over Broncos (26-16)
49ers over Chiefs (28-27)
Seahawks over Chargers (24-20)
Dolphins over Steelers (29-20)
Patriots over Bears (30-14)