Which NFL coaches will be in the spotlight after Week 6?
Brian Callahan’s absence will further heat up the NFL hot seat for Mike McDaniel, Aaron Glenn and Kevin Stefanksi.
- Three weeks later, three different teams held the number one spot.
- The Lions’ second loss leaves them well out of first place, but this is partly due to circumstance, given how crowded the field is.
- Do you seek stability? Look in the basement.
NFL power rankings entering Week 7 of the 2025 season (previous rankings in parentheses):
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4): If the season ended today, which it doesn’t, they would have home field advantage and a bye in the NFC playoff field. If the season ended today, it’s very likely that QB Baker Mayfield would be worthy of the league MVP, even though it actually isn’t. Mayfield & Co., which scored its first game-ending kneedown of the season on Sunday, has consistently shown it can win even without all of its top players. Still not convinced? Maybe you will, too, if the Bucks pass their next test — in prime time against an injured Lions team at Motown.
2. Green Bay Packers (5): If this seems lofty for a team that hadn’t won in the month leading up to Sunday, that’s fine, but it’s partly a reflection of other clubs failing to pack up their boards. But there’s no denying the talent that exists here and the fact that they got healthier during the bye. And what about when your best offensive player is upchucking down the field… racking up 150 total yards and 2 TDs? It’s legal.
3. Los Angeles Rams (8): WR Puka Nacua’s ankle sprain comes at a less-than-ideal time, forcing the team to park in Baltimore before heading east to London. The glass is half full, and the team’s bye week arrives after this weekend’s matchup with the Jags in UK.
4. Seattle Seahawks (12): A team of road warriors that is philosophically built to play nasty defense (check) and run the ball, and has perhaps, and surprisingly, probably the strongest quarterback-receiver duo in the league at the moment. WR Jackson Smith-Njiba has surpassed Nacua to lead the league in receiving yards (696) and is within touching distance of the elusive 2,000-yard pace. Sam Darnold continues to be incredibly efficient (116.0 QB rating) while making the most of his opportunities with a league-best 13.5 yards per attempt.
5. Indianapolis Colts (9): If the season ended today – which it doesn’t – they would have home field advantage and a bye in the AFC playoff field. If the season ended today — which it doesn’t — QB Daniel Jones could very well be the well-deserved Comeback Player of the Year. Still, I can’t help but feel a little skeptical. Indy’s only win in Week 2 against Denver remains against an opponent that currently has at least two wins.
6. Denver Broncos (10): A week after beating an undefeated team, they almost lost to an undefeated team. Still, this defense may be the single most dominant unit in the league, with 90 sacks since the start of last season, 28 more than any other team. With a league-high 30 wins in 2025, the Broncos are on pace to break the Bears’ 1984 single-season record (72 wins).
7. Buffalo Bills (2): To be fair, they are missing a lot of key players at the moment. And to be fair, their four wins were against clubs with a combined 3-21 record.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (3): Is a team with RB Saquon Barkley and QB Jalen Hurts in the backfield expected to rush for nearly 400 fewer yards than Barkley alone did in 2024? What? teeth? Happening? here?
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (6): A talented young team is easily disappointed as they are six days away from defeating a reigning dynasty. Let’s see how the Jags bounce back against a potentially debilitating Rams and end their three-game “homestand” in London.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (14): The talented, old-school team was six days removed from facing an up-and-coming nation, but they responded with a decidedly nimble effort, scoring four touchdowns, no penalties, and no turnovers against a powerhouse in the same league. And reinforcements are in the works, as WR Laci Rice is no longer suspended and LT Josh Simmons is scheduled to return from a one-game absence.
11. Detroit Lions (1): This is a good place to pause for a moment and ask whether it’s appropriate to drop a team from 1st to 11th overall just because a dominant four-game winning streak has ended. Maybe so? But it’s hard to differentiate between the teams currently assembled, as 1) the Lions suffer from poor competition and their losses were clearly handled by the best teams they’ve ever faced (Packers, Chiefs), and 2) the league’s apparent teams are so densely packed that there are 14 teams with a winning percentage of .667 or higher (and three more teams with a 3-2 record). The Bucks will likely testify. DB Brian Branch’s own suspension doesn’t help much either.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (13): Mike Tomlin went into full-on boring mode and made plays that hurt opponents abnormally, which led to Cleveland trading QB Joe Flacco to the Bengals, leaving Pittsburgh facing Jake Browning on a short week. That shouldn’t be a problem, considering the Steelers are based right next to the river in Cincy and have won 10 of their last 12 games.
13. New England Patriots (15): Mike Vrabel will next take a burgeoning team to Nashville, starting at least 4-2 for the first time since Tom Brady’s final year in Foxboro (2019)…where he won’t even have the satisfaction of beating the coach hired to replace him.
14. Chicago Bears (19): It’s currently three games in the heat, but the temperature could soar considering they play opponents who currently have two or fewer wins over the next four weeks. Rookie coach Ben Johnson knew it would take time for his system and culture to take root, but this could be the point where it sticks.
15. Commander Washington (11): They doubled their season total from three to six on Monday night. QB Jaden Daniels, who kept Chicago from losing until the end anyway, was able to get some of his weapons back.
16. San Francisco 49ers (7): We know, but they are still in first place with a sweep in the bag after passing through the division once. But how will an already middling defense survive the loss of Nick Bosa? and Fred Warner?
17. Los Angeles Chargers (20): We know, but they are still in first place with a sweep in the bag after passing through the division once. And they won on Sunday, with their third and fourth offensive tackles stopping all but one sack of QB Justin Herbert and running back Kimani Vidal gaining 138 yards and a TD. But even a two-point escape from a dysfunctional Dolphins team doesn’t bode well for the playoffs.
18. Houston Texans (17): How stingy is this defense? They are scoring a league-low 1.19 points per drive, and if they can maintain that number, Houston could eventually return to the top of the division.
19. Carolina Panthers (23): In case you’re wondering, RB1 Chuba Hubbard is in the first season of a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension, but only $4.5 million is guaranteed after 2025. It’s hard to say what that means for his revelatory replacement Rico Doodle, who is being paid $2.8 million this year, but it stands to reason that Hubbard will at least rejoin the team soon.
20. Atlanta Falcons (24): Manager Raheem Morris continues to say running back Bijan Robinson is “the best player in football.” After rushing for a career-best 238 yards, including an 81-yard TD Bolt, in a win over the Bills, who’s to say Morris is wrong?
21. Minnesota Vikings (18): QB1 JJ McCarthy’s return is still undetermined. That’s not the case with the Vikes’ schedule, as they will face four consecutive opponents who qualified for the playoffs last season. Interesting conundrum.
22. Dallas Cowboys (16): Owner Jerry Jones has received a lot of criticism (rightfully so?) for trading DE Micah Parsons, and he deserves more credit for failing to retain Dowdle, Dallas’ leading rusher, in 2024. But give Jones credit for acquiring WR George Pickens, who had 19 catches for 359 yards and four TDs in the three games the injured CeeDee Lamb missed. The next question, of course, is how Jones will handle Pickens, who is set to become a free agent in 2026, financially.
23. New York Giants (28): Interesting quarterback fun fact – Jackson Dart became only the third player in league history to gain at least 50 rushing yards in his first three starts (the others being Hurts and Lamar Jackson). It will be tough to keep that winning streak alive Sunday in Denver.
24. Baltimore Ravens (21): The 1-5 start is tied for the worst in team history. But with any luck, Jackson, and likely many of his currently injured teammates, will be back on the other side of a Week 7 bye.
25. Cincinnati Bengals (25): Their 2-4 start mirrors their start in 2024, when they narrowly missed making the playoffs. But with any luck, QB Joe Burrow, and perhaps the defense and run game, will be back…at some point this season.
26. Arizona Cardinals (22): Is this a sub-optimal scenario for a team that is struggling after four games with most of its top players faltering? Why not visit from Pakku? Still, those four losses combined for nine points are worth nothing. QB2 Jacoby Brissett led his team to 27 points (tied for a season high) and 400 yards (a season high) in a near miss at Indy on Sunday.
27. Las Vegas Raiders (29): Second-year DT Jonah Raul is off to a great start, tying Maxx Crosby for the team lead with four sacks. Raul trails Crosby in TFL (6 RBI) and QB hitting (5 RBI).
28. New Orleans Saints (27): Although there are few results in the win column, second-year QB Spencer Rattler has a very good opinion of himself.
29. Cleveland Browns (26): Is there a perfect remedy for an offense that hasn’t scored more than 17 points in the past 11 games? Visiting Miami defense that hasn’t allowed fewer than 21 points in the past seven games.
30. Miami Dolphins (30): Say this to Mike McDaniel, who is in a tough spot. He won’t be the first coach to be fired this season, as QB Tua Tagovailoa has claimed, both on and off the field.
31. Tennessee Titans (31): It’s been 47 games since they won back-to-back games…so fired HC Brian Callahan is only half the blame. But that ineptitude is likely to continue, with the Titans’ next three games coming against opponents who currently have at least four wins.
32. New York Jets (32): The Cigars appear to be nearing the halfway mark of winless NYJ’s six losses by two points. And considering the offense nearly won Sunday despite racking up 82 yards? There are no moral victories in the NFL, but there are reasons not to let morale slip away here.
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