Power Ranking Each 5-1 Team in the NFL

Heading into Week 7 of the NFL season, the top five teams look a little different than pundits predicted. Preseason darlings including the Bengals have been inept offensively, the Bills dropped two winnable games, and the Cowboys came out flat against the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals in their lone win and got destroyed by the 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 5.

Right now, the five teams tied for the best record in football are the NFC’s San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Detroit Lions, while the AFC is represented by the Miami Dolphins and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Here are the power rankings of the NFL’s top dogs.

5. Miami Dolphins

It’s odd for the NFL’s top scoring offense to not crack a spot in the top three, especially when they are averaging an absurd 37.2 PTS/G. Mike McDaniel's offense has put on a clinic, producing points at a similar rate to which rabbits breed.

Tyreek Hill is on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yard record he set in 2012 with 1,964 yards. At this pace, Hill will have 2,306 yards. Raheem Mostert leads the NFL in touchdowns, scoring nine on the ground and two through the air. Their offense has looked like the best unit in football so far.

However, their defense has not. They are firmly in the bottom third of the NFL in most defensive categories. Vic Fangio’s defense has given up 26 points a game, which is 26th best. A week after embarrassing the Denver Broncos 70-20, they got outclassed and outworked by the Buffalo Bills 48-20. They are 20th in YDS/G at 343.7 and 27th in takeaways with 5.

Their strength of schedule has been poor as well. Miami has beaten five teams, who have combined for five wins. The Panthers are 0-6. The Broncos, Patriots and Giants all have one win each. The only team they have beaten with multiple wins at this point are the Los Angeles Chargers, who have two.

They have a chance on Sunday Night Football in Week 7 to show they can hang with the elite tier when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. Until then, they are behind the rest of the 5-1 teams.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs haven’t been winning in ways we expected before the season. We are used to a Mahomes led offense to be in the top five or top three in scoring, pantsing professional defenses in front of their wives and girlfriends the way Miami has through six weeks.

Despite not lighting the world on fire and being a little out of synch with the lackluster receiver performance outside of Travis Kelce, the offense is still good. Kansas City is scores 24.5 points per game, putting them at 9th in the NFL.

Carrying the load so far is the defense, to the surprise of many. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is only giving up 14.7 a contest, 2nd to only the San Francisco 49ers who let opponents score 14.5 a game.

Per Tankathon, the Chiefs remaining strength of schedule is 22nd. They have some challenging opponents left in the Eagles, Dolphins, and Bills but have some really easy opponents left in the Patriots, Broncos, Packers and Chargers twice. The Chiefs shouldn’t lose any of those games.

They have looked mortal through six games this season. What the Chiefs has going for them is a championship pedigree that can't be counted out until mathematically eliminated. Having Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, Andy Reid calling plays, and a defense that looks better than any the Chiefs have had over the last few years should guide them to handle their easier schedule for the rest of the season. Chiefs Kingdom is in good position to claim the top AFC seed yet again this season.

3. Detroit Lions

What a time to be alive for Lions fans. Finally the lowly Lions who are most known to the casual fan to be the team that gets stuffed harder than the turkey every Thanksgiving is now the undisputed best team in the NFC North that was owned by Green Bay for decades.

The Lions opened their season playing the first game on the NFL calendar at Arrowhead to take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, and they left with a gritty 21-20 win.

In Week 2, they lost a back and forth track meet against the scrappy Seattle Seahawks in overtime, but have been flawless since. They won ugly against the gritty Atlanta Falcons 20-6, punked the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field 34-20, handled the Panthers 42-24, and smothered Baker Mayfield’s plucky Buccaneers team 20-6.

Detroit’s balanced offensive attack has been marvelous, scoring the 4th most points per game at 28 and are 3rd in yards per game at 383.7 a game only behind the leading Miami Dolphin offense and the Philadelphia Eagles.

How have the notoriously awful Detroit Lions achieved this? Their elite offense has starred a rejuvenated and flourishing Jared Goff at quarterback averaging 259.5 yards a game which is 4th best, David Montgomery is having a career year leading the running back room to an 8th best 124 yards a game on the ground, Amon Ra St. Brown has taken a step forward from his breakout campaign last season and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has been phenomenal as a pass catcher.

Paired with an exciting offense, Dan Campbell’s defense has been biting kneecaps as a top ten unit. They are 9th in PTS/G (18.8), 7th in YDS/G (285.8), and are 12th in takeaways with 8. They have done nothing but take care of business so far this season. Detroit currently has the 2nd easiest remaining strength of schedule the rest of the way with their hardest tests being against the Ravens this week and the Cowboys in Week 17 that could have massive playoff implications.

Look for the Detroit Lions to continue winning games and to have a legitimate shot to jump the Eagles and or 49ers in seeding in the playoffs.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

In all honesty, it was hard putting Philadelphia at number two. The Eagles best win thus far was against maybe the Buccaneers? Possibly the Rams, or even the Commanders in Week 4. They haven’t played anybody. Detroit beat the Chiefs already. The only factors that keep Philly ahead is that they were the last undefeated team in the NFL, and that we are waiting for their offense to find the same rhythm it had last year on route to the Super Bowl.

As mentioned earlier, the 5-1 Dolphins will take on the Eagles in Philadelphia that will be a measuring stick game, revealing who is legit and who has hard questions to answer.

Criticism aside, the Eagles offense is 5th in PTS/G (25.8) and 2nd in YDS/G (395) despite Jalen Hurts looking shaky at times with a 7:7 touchdown to interception ratio. Hurts is tied with Mac Jones with the 2nd most interceptions this season, only trailing oft-injured Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

The positives that have been more than encouraging include AJ Brown’s utterly ridiculous play this season carrying the Eagles passing attack. He is 2nd in receiving yards only to Tyreek Hill who is projected to be the first 2,000 yard single-season receiver ever. D’Andre Swift has led the 2nd best rushing offense that racks up 150 yards a game. Their “Brotherly Shove” quarterback sneak formation is so unstoppable, fans have complained that it should be banned.

That’s what’s scary about this team. Their quarterback hasn’t played up to his standard and they are still dominating at the line of scrimmage behind their league best offensive line to find ways to win. They can win ugly, they can beat teams into the dirt, and they can comeback from a deficit like in Week 4 versus the Commanders.

Defensively, they have performed closer to the middle of the pack in terms of PTS/G, which is 16th (20.7). If they can use their blue collar toughness to limit the dynamic speed of the Dolphins and win that game, which I think they will, the Eagles will remind the league just how good they are.

This team went to the Super Bowl last season, and they will keep showing people why that wasn't a fluke.

1. San Francisco 49ers

The niners were also undefeated heading into Week 6, but struggled in a rainy game in Cleveland against Myles Garrett and the Browns best NFL defense. Injuries to All-Pros Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Trent Williams limited the 49ers offense allowing the Browns to raise their physicality against a limited unit.

Prior to playing the nasty Browns defense, the 49ers had scored at least 30 points a game, and even put up 42 against the Dallas Cowboys who were ranked the best defense in Week 5.

Since October 20th, 2022 when Christian McCaffrey was traded to San Francisco from the Carolina Panthers, he has scored a touchdown in every game after the first one against Kansas City. He currently has scored in 14 straight games, tying Emmitt Smith’s streak on the all-time list. McCaffrey’s versatility in the rushing and passing game and the gravity he commands from the defense has helped unlock Kyle Shanahan’s offense to spread the ball around more making it even easier to scheme guys open.

All the talk about the 49ers ascending to a top team is about how Shanahan is the best play-caller, or how their offense has an embarrassment of riches with the most loaded skill position players including the best overall offensive lineman, how the defense is a top five unit. What should be talked about more in earnest is Purdy’s vastly superior performance over his predecessor Jimmy Garoppolo has been crucial to the 49ers finally having a top offense.

Since Brock Purdy has taken over as the starting quarterback last year, the 49ers have averaged 30 points a game. This year Purdy is 1st in QBR (77.0), 2nd in average air yards per attempt (9.3), and is 8th in EPA despite being only 26th in quarterback plays per ESPN. The 49ers have failed to score 30 points in only two games since Purdy became the starter. The 2023 Divisional Round game against Dallas where they won 19-12, and last week abasing the Browns, both of which against top three NFL defenses. Purdy also was the last starting quarterback this year to throw an interception. Jimmy Garoppolo has led the league with eight.

Enough with the 49ers 2nd ranked offense. Let’s go to their top five defense. San Francisco ranks defensively 3rd in YDS/G, 1st is PTS/G, 7th in takeaways, and 1st in turnover differential. Teams have only scored 20 or more points agains the 49ers once this season. In Week 2, Sean McVay put up 23 at home in a loss to Shanahan’s niners.

San Francisco has been a juggernaut this season. With top five units on both sides of the ball, a quarterback that rarely makes mistakes, and one of if not the best play caller in the NFL, injuries represent the main obstacle in the 49ers path to getting over the top.

If you are a 49ers fan, this year presents the best opportunity since Harbaugh to end their quest for six.