https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-6-packers-claim-no-1-browns-crack-top-10The Cleveland Browns have cracked the top 10 of the NFL Power Rankings. I repeat: The Cleveland Browns are in the top 10 of the NFL Power Rankings. According to my research (I didn't actually do any research), this is the first Browns team to achieve that feat since 1947.
Yep, we live in strange times and everything is in play. Unless your favorite team plays at the Meadowlands.
Let's get to it.
Rank 1
Green Bay Packers
4-0
Previous rank: No. 2
Hitting No. 1 in the Power Rankings during your bye week -- everything's coming up Packers these days. This nugget, from The Athletic's Bob McGinn, says a lot: Green Bay is the first team in NFL history to score at least 150 points without a turnover in its first four games. That speaks, of course, to the tremendous play of the resurgent Aaron Rodgers, but excellence is everywhere for the Packers during their 4-0 start. Za'Darius Smith entered Week 5 tied for the league lead in sacks. Aaron Jones is on a 1,500-yard rushing pace. Allen Lazard emerged as a playmaker before going down with an injury. Mason Crosby hasn't missed a field goal. We saw teams enter this pandemic-altered season looking ragged and unready for the challenge. The Packers were the opposite.
Rank 2
Kansas City Chiefs
4-1
Previous rank: No. 1
The Chiefs were eventually going to lose. It hadn't happened since last November, so really, they were overdue. But it was how Kansas City lost that makes you wonder. Derek Carr and the Raiders piled up nearly 500 yards of total offense -- with five plays of at least 40 yards -- and Patrick Mahomes was regularly running for his life against a Vegas pass rush that had been lifeless before Sunday. Mahomes was pressured 16 times on Sunday, the second-most pressures he has faced in an NFL game, per Next Gen Stats. Mahomes' first interception of the season, a huge turnover midway through the fourth quarter, came on a throw made from a crumbling pocket. Was this merely a bad week … or a sign of bigger issues?
Rank 3
Baltimore Ravens
4-1
Previous rank: No. 3
The Ravens' defense threw a party on Sunday. Seven sacks, each one by a different player, and 15 quarterback hits in a 27-3 win over the Bengals. Baltimore's front seven made Joe Burrow look like a rookie, holding the No. 1 overall pick to just 183 yards passing with two turnovers (one INT, one fumble). The Bengals managed just 205 total yards in a game that felt like it was over by the second quarter. The defensive dominance provided cover for a pedestrian performance by Lamar Jackson, who will need a hellacious run in the final 11 games to repeat as league MVP. Eye-popping stat of the day: Jackson finished the game with three rushing yards. The offense exists as a work in progress, a surprise through five weeks.
Rank 4
Pittsburgh Steelers
4-0
Previous rank: No. 5
The Steelers are 4-0 for the first time in 41 years (how is this possible?) and Chase Claypool has officially arrived as the organization's latest bull's-eye hit at wide receiver. Claypool, the second-round pick out of Notre Dame, flashed his playmaking ability in Pittsburgh's first three wins, but he exploded on Sunday with four touchdowns in a 38-29 win over the Eagles. Like Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Diontae Johnson before him, Claypool's arrival shows off Pittsburgh’s uncanny ability to find first-round-caliber talent outside the top 32 picks of every draft class. It's no coincidence why certain teams remain competitive year after year.
Rank 5
Tennessee Titans
4-0
Previous rank: No. 7
The Titans refuse to let COVID-19-related challenges derail their season. Mike Vrabel’s team stepped on the field Tuesday night and made the Bills look like they were the short-handed squad coming off an endless layoff in a 42-16 win. Malcolm Butler was the star on defense with two interceptions, the second punctuated by a brilliant return that set up what was essentially the clinching touchdown. Ryan Tannehill continues to run the offense with deadly precision in the red zone. Tennessee scored touchdowns on all six of their trips inside the Buffalo 20-yard line, including a pair of Derrick Henry scores and a Tannehill scamper where he damn near blew out his knee during a celebratory skip across the goal line. This was the Titans’ first complete performance of the year, and it serves as a reminder they should be considered a legit contender in the AFC.
Rank 6
Seattle Seahawks
5-0
Previous rank: No. 6
Pete Carroll is the perfect coach for this Seahawks team. At halftime, with Seattle facing a 13-0 deficit, Carroll told NBC's Michele Tafoya the scoreboard was irrelevant midway through the game. "We haven't even started yet," he said. The Seahawks proceeded to score three touchdowns in a 1:53 span of the third quarter, got a game-saving fourth-and-1 stop deep in their own end, then Let Russ Cook on a 13-play, 94-yard drive in the final two minutes to steal a win from the desperate Vikings. Minnesota held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and outplayed Seattle for about 55 minutes of game time. And yet, it was Carroll and the Seahawks celebrating in the end. This is a team that believes.
Rank 7
Buffalo Bills
4-1
Previous rank: No. 4
The Bills had been so stellar this season that it was jarring to watch them struggle so mightily on Tuesday night in Nashville. Ill-timed penalties, killer turnovers, defensive lapses; Buffalo was not nearly sound enough against a Tennessee team that played crisp football despite a long layoff. Josh Allen made his usual collection of big throws, but was held back by accuracy issues that recalled his first two seasons. The defense struggled mightily in the red zone, playing without starters Tre'Davious White, Matt Milano and Levi Wallace. The Titans scored a touchdown all six times they entered inside Buffalo’s 20-yard line. A night to forget.
Rank 8
Los Angeles Rams
4-1
Previous rank: No. 9
After an ugly win over the Giants in Week 4, the Rams were back to looking like a balanced, high-functioning unit in a 30-10 win over Washington. Jared Goff started the game 13 of 14 for 194 yards and two total TDs (one rushing), and the incomparable Aaron Donald had a monster day, finishing with four sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. The DT leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks and is on pace for 24 this season. (Make the Sack Record Great Again!) Donald led a stifling Rams defense that allowed just 108 total yards, the fewest they’ve given up since holding Archie Manning and the Saints to 96 in a Week 12 conquest in 1980. If only the Rams could play an NFC East team every week -- L.A. swept the division before the arrival of sweater weather.
Rank 9
Cleveland Browns
4-1
Previous rank: No. 13
The Browns are 4-1 for the first time since 1994 after they once again got key contributions from both sides of the ball. Indy entered the game with the league's stingiest defense, but the Browns piled up more yardage in one half than the Colts had been allowing all season to a slate of lesser opponents. Baker Mayfield played extremely well in those first two quarters, and when the offense cooled off after the intermission, the defense closed the game out with big plays, including a pick-six by Ronnie Harrison Jr. Cleveland's fierce pass rush also forced a frazzled Philip Rivers into a crucial intentional grounding penalty that created a safety. A fascinating showdown looms this week in Pittsburgh.
Rank 10
New Orleans Saints
3-2
Previous rank: No. 11
Can we officially pause the funeral procession on the career of Drew Brees now? The early portion of this season has featured endless hand-wringing over the veteran QB and his inability to attack defenses with deep throws (as if that was ever the heartbeat of his game), but on Monday night, we saw how Brees can still move an offense when it matters. Brees went over 300 yards passing and accounted for two touchdowns as New Orleans wiped out a 17-point second-quarter deficit en route to a 30-27 overtime win over the Chargers. Brees has found his rhythm with Emmanuel Sanders, and the eventual return ofMichael Thomas (assuming he can cease punching teammates in the face) will make the Saints' attack that much stronger.