As we enter week seven, teams are beginning to enter midseason form. With that being said, let’s see who has looked the best thus far on this week’s edition of Ray’s Ranks.
**F Tier:** Is the season over yet?
32 Miami Dolphins (0-5) -2
31\. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6)
30\. Tennessee Titans (1-5) +2
**D Tier:** Not quite there yet
29\. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5)
28\. Washington Commanders (1-4-1) -1
27\. Arizona Cardinals (2-4) +1
26\. New York Giants (3-2-1) -4
25\. New Orleans Saints (2-4)
**C Tier:** Wild Card Watch.
24\. Dallas Cowboys (2-4) -6
23\. New York Jets (3-3) +3
22\. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) -8
21\. Indianapolis Colts (2-4) -3
20\. Atlanta Falcons (2-4) -4
19\. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) +2
18\. Cleveland Browns (4-2) +5
17\. Detroit Lions (3-2) -1
16\. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) -3
**B Tier:** Dark Horse Contenders
15\. Green Bay Packers (4-2) +9
14\. Houston Texans (2-4) +6
13\. Carolina Panthers (3-2) +2
12\. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
11\. Los Angeles Rams (2-4) -5
**A Tier:** The Real Deal
Denver is now 4-2 after a big overtime win against the reigning Super Bowl Champs. While this is a big win for the Broncos, this matchup also exposed this unit’s biggest weakness.
Defensively, Vance Joseph’s squad may be one of the best in the league. Week in and week out they seem to bail out the offense, and that continued against Seattle. Joseph had Sam Darnold and company cornered, scheming up a ton of blitz packages to keep Darnold stressed, this worked in their favor, as Darnold threw two interceptions and zero touchdowns. The defense did all this without Pat Surtain II, a testament to just how deep their defense is.
Denver’s major problem lies in Bo Nix and the offense. Nix had possibly the worst game of his career against Seattle, missing multiple big opportunities, forcing the checkdown instead and posted a QBR of 28.8. While Sean Payton’s playcalling gave the offense some life, utilizing the screen game and quick plays, the offense is unable to create any sort of big plays or overall momentum with Nix under center.
The Broncos are still in the top ten for one reason: their defense. Denver’s offense has proven that they can be effective before, but until then I can’t view them as a true contender. Joseph’s unit will win them a handful of games, but once they start facing the league’s best, I do not view them as a true threat.
1. **New England Patriots (4-2) +2**
New England is back in the top ten for the first time since week two. It was a rocky start for the Pat’s, yet they have picked up some momentum in their three game win streak.
Drake Maye’s play has been the leading factor in New England’s turnaround. The gunslinger flipped a light switch, throwing for ten touchdowns and one interception in his last three games, a night and day change from his one touchdown and six interception start to the season. The offense as a whole has turned it up in this recent stretch. DeMario Douglas has been a big target for Maye, along with Romeo Doubs. Doubs did just hit the injury reserve after an injury against the Jets, yet A.J. Brown made his return this week, filling in nicely to that wide receiver one role. Brown did have a few hiccups in his return, but the volume was there, as long as he can gain his confidence back, the Maye to Brown connection looks to be elite.
Defensively this unit is exactly as we saw last year. While they are not the highlight of the team, they get the job done. The Pats defense is No. 6 overall on the season, per [Fox Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2026-nfl-defense-rankings-team-pass-rush-stats). With star Christian Gonzales and a strong supporting staff behind him in Gabe Jacas, Robert Spillane, and others. As long as the defense does its job and the offense continues to play at an elite level, New England is a surefire top ten team week in week out.
The Vikings are coming off a much deserved week six bye. It is often easy to forget about the momentum a team has after their bye, yet let’s not forget how good this Minnesota squad is looking.
The headliner for the Vikings has been Brian Flores’ defense. Flores has proved in the past he is a defensive mastermind, but it is all coming together this season. Flores has his unit blitzing at the highest rate in the league, and has managed to make that aggressiveness work with athletes like Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner showcasing their ability to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
Despite Kevin O’Connell being viewed as one of the best offensive minds in football, the offense has struggled through six weeks. Kyler Murray and company have struggled to find their rhythm and have not been the explosive offense we would expect. We did begin to see some life in their week five matchup against the Saints, as Murray led the team to a 23-13 win against the Saints.
I do believe the Vikings have a lot left to prove. Yet 5-0 is 5-0, and it is hard to discredit a team playing strong football.
1. **Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)**
Jacksonville took their second loss of the season Sunday in a close 34-31 loss against the Texans. While a divisional loss is always tough, this loss was more about Houston than it was the Jags.
Jacksonville’s offense was far from the problem in this one. Liam Cohen’s offense put up 31 points against Houston’s defense, and got everyone involved. Travis Hunter got his first taste of true two way play, racking up four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, while also snagging an interception on defense. Trevor Lawrence continued his dominant season, throwing for four touchdowns and 306 yards.
Defensively is where this team struggled. Jacksonville came into this game one of the best run defenses in the league, yet the run game was the difference between these two teams. It was a big air raid day for both offenses, yet Houston managed to get into the endzone on the ground and had the biggest rushing play of the day, with a 25-yard burst from Jawhar Jordan.
C.J. Stroud and the Texan’s comeback seems inevitable, which is why I do not discredit the Jaguars too much for this loss. Ultimately we have seen what this unit can do, and I still see them as one of the best teams in football.
Is it cold in here or is it me? The Iceman is back as Caleb Williams made his return and looked to have not missed a step since returning from injury. Williams popped off against Atlanta, throwing for 305 yards and a touchdown, with only six incompletions on 36 dropbacks. Williams’ presence elevated the offense as well, as Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III all had strong showings.
While the defense had shown flashes this season, they let up a big comeback against the Falcons, allowing 16 fourth-quarter points. Although this is an elite Atlanta offense, you would certainly like to see Dennis Allen’s squad hold up for all four quarters.
That being said, this Chicago team is on a different level when Williams is in. As long as the gunslinger is healthy, it seems this team may be true super bowl contenders.
**S Tier:** Super Bowl Contenders:
1. **Baltimore Ravens (4-2) -1**
Baltimore drops to No. 5 this week after a rough loss to the division rival Cleveland Browns. The loss was certainly preventable, but it is hard to be too harsh when the unit was without Lamar Jackson.
Surprisingly, the pass game was not the struggle for Baltimore. Backup Tyler Huntley continued to fill in well for Jackson, throwing for 165 yards and a touchdown and managing to keep the ball out of harm’s way. Derrick Henry and the run game was the biggest liability for Baltimore. Henry rushed for 58 yards and a fumble on 17 carries, his worst performance of the season.
Defensively it was a struggle for the Ravens. While they managed to hold Cleveland scoreless in the first half, they let up 13 in the second half, while also allowing yet another game winning drive from the Cleveland offense. This drive included multiple big passes downfield, plays that are not normally allowed by Baltimore’s secondary.
This was a very manageable loss for Baltimore, and one that you would like to have this back. Working on a backup quarterback with a failing run game is a recipe for disaster. While I do not think this will be a common performance, the Ravens will need to clean some things up if they want to contend with the best of the best.
1. **Seattle Seahawks (3-3) -2**
Seattle drops to .500 after a rough loss to Denver on Thursday Night Football. Seattle is still clearly one of the league’s best, but they have a lot to clean up if they want any chance of going back-to-back.
One thing is still clear, Mike McDonald’s defense is still a massive problem for the league. The Hawks had Bo Nix and company in a blender, as Nix played possibly the worst football of his career. Nix had no confidence throwing anything other than shallow routes and checkdowns, and was visibly uncomfortable all night.
The offense has become the burden of this team. What was once an elite unit has slowly begun to look like a liability. Sam Darnold has looked to revert to his old self these past few games, and threw two interceptions against the Broncos. Unfortunately Darnold was forced to throw the ball 51 times, as Seattle also can not rely on their run game. With Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet still injured the Hawks have been forced to rely on their running back depth, certainly making them miss the three down back presence they once had.
It is clear Seattle is still one of the best teams in football. Despite multiple games with constant turnover issues, this team has managed to stay within every one of their losses. However these turnovers will not fly against other Super Bowl contenders, and they have a lot to clean up if they want to contend for a championship once again.
Buffalo is 5-1 for the first time since 2022. While it has been clear that this team has its flaws, the proof is in the pudding for Joe Brady’s squad.
Josh Allen and the offense seem inevitable through six weeks. Managing to pull off high scoring wins in back-to-back games against the Rams and Raiders. While Allen did not show off his legs as much against Las Vegas, he did keep the pass game running at an elite level, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns, with zero interceptions. James Cook III continued his dominant season rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
The defense continued to disappoint against the Raiders. The offense that was embarrassed by the Patriots defense just a week ago had no problem scoring on Buffalo’s squad. Kirk Cousins had a bounceback game against the Bills secondary, throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Benford did look elite against Brock Bowers, holding him to just four receptions, a scheme choice led to Benford no longer shadowing him, which let up a few big plays.
Buffalo’s offense may just be the best in the league. Yet I struggle to put them above the top two without a serious defense. Between weak spots on the roster and poor scheme choices in big moments, this unit can never seem to get it right.
1. **Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) +1**
Kansas City came out of their week five bye and dominated the Chargers 22-6. Despite holding them to just six points, this was an ugly win for the Chiefs.
Kenneth Walker III continued to be the star on this team against the Chargers, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Surprisingly the pass game struggled against L.A. Although Patrick Mahomes threw for 272 yards, he failed to throw for a score, throwing just one interception. Even in a rough game for the pass game, this offense was still majorly effective, proving their ability to score in just about any situation.
While I will give Lou Spagnola and his unit their credit, this isn’t much of a defensive feat. The Chargers offensive woes continued against Kansas City. Justin Herbert threw an interception and zero touchdowns, while the team rushed for a total of just 73 yards, less than half of Walker’s rushing yards alone. Herbert and company have found more success against other defenses this season, so this was a true testament to Spanola’s defense.
The Chiefs may not have a few weaknesses still showing from last season. Yet now that Mahomes has a running back like Walker to lean on in tough moments, it seems this offense always has an answer.
1. **San Francisco 49ers (6-0)**
The 49ers are the only 6-0 team in football after their Monday night win against the Commanders. Anything is possible, but I am not sure who I see beating this unit.
The 49ers did deal with a few issues Monday night. Mike Evans left early with an injury and is looking to be out for a few weeks. However, that did not seem to affect the Niners’ offense. Depth receivers have done a great job stepping up for this unit, with guys like Brandin Cooks coming in and making an immediate impact. Brock Purdy has also continued to look flawless, depending on the stars around him in George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey.
The defense has been the biggest surprise for San Francisco. Raheem Morris has shaped this unit to be one of the strongest in the league, ranking No. 4 overall in total defense, per [Fox Sports](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2026-nfl-defense-rankings-team-pass-rush-stats). It is hard for them to not be successful with Fred Warner flying around on a defensive player of the year level. Malik Mustapha and Deommemodor Lenoir have also been key pieces, leading this unit atop the league.
I feel like a broken record with how I talk about the 49ers week in week out. I can’t state enough that Kyle Shannahan’s unit is cut and clear the best team in football.