NFL power rankings: Packers climbing, Cowboys falling after Week 6 action

There are levels to the NFL hierarchy. There are true Super Bowl contenders and then there are pretenders.

And then there’s the Dallas Cowboys.

It was a litmus test week for some of the league’s top teams, and while some proved themselves to be a worthy competitor, others, like the aforementioned organization, stunk up the joint against a formidable foe.

Here’s where the league stands leading into Monday Night Football.

32. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 32)

Record: 1-4

I don’t know what else to say about Will Levis at this point. The Titans signal-caller has the team destined for a rebuild, that’s for sure.

31. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 31)

Record: 1-5

More watchable football from Andy Dalton, and for that, I appreciate him.

30. New England Patriots (Last week: 30)

Record: 1-5

The offensive ceiling definitely is higher with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, and he should be starting, but they will have to live with the turnovers.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 27)

Record: 1-5

Have mercy on the poor Brits and stop sending the Jags to London. This can’t be good for diplomacy.

28. New York Giants (Last week: 28)

Record: 2-4

Daniel Jones is so back. Oh, not in a good way. He’s back to being himself. Which is bad. Don’t worry, he’ll cook again at some random point in the season. Not consistently enough to make New York look anything to close to resembling a contender.

27. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 29)

Record: 2-3 (Bye week)

The Dolphins can’t do much of anything offensively and this downward spiral has no end in sight as long as Tua Tagovailoa remains out.

26. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 26)

Record: 2-4

Come on, embrace the tank. You know you want to. Go draft yourself a quarterback.

25. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 25)

Record: 1-5

I could have copy-pasted the same blurb about this offense being unwatchable in each of the first six weeks and it would have been correct each time. Would you blame me if I did so moving forward?

24. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 24)

Record: 1-4 (Bye week)

Cooper Kupp could return next week and Puka Nacua won’t be far behind him. They need to stay healthy if they hope to turn their season around.

23. Denver Broncos (Last week: 22)

Record: 3-3

The bad Bo Nix games are really really hard to watch. The last two weeks might have been a mirage.

Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II left the game against the Chargers to be evaluated for a concussion.

22. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 21)

Record: 2-4

There has not been a more hot-and-cold offense in the league this season than Arizona’s. No miraculous second-half comeback this week.

21. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 23)

Record: 3-3

Joe Flacco, even at 39 years old, is capable of doing it all with his arm at times, but this offense needs Jonathan Taylor to fire on all cylinders.

20. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 17)

Record: 2-4

Spencer Rattler, probably at best, is a competent backup. The offense might be able to tread water for a couple weeks but it’s not like Derek Carr will take it to a much higher level when he returns. In the short term, the team has to focusing on finding ways to score against Denver’s stingy defense without star WR Chris Olave (concussion).

19. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 19)

Record: 2-4

After scoring 38, 34 and 33 points in each of the last three weeks, Joe Burrow and the high-powered Bengals offense scored 10 points in 58 minutes against the Giants before a last-minute touchdown. They just can’t make it easy on themselves.

18. New York Jets (Last week: 18)

Record: 2-3

Don’t be fooled by the interim coach debut bump. They might rally around Jeff Ulbrich and new offensive play-caller Todd Downing for a week, but there are serious issues here.

Early in the Chargers game against the Broncos, Jim Harbaugh left the sidelines and was ruled as questionable to return by the Chargers due to illness.

17. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 20)

Record: 3-2

Justin Herbert and his collection of ragtag dudes with funny names continue to find ways to win. Good quarterbacks always will do, but maybe look to add a true No. 1 receiver before the trade deadline?

16. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 14)

Record: 3-3

The league once wrote off Geno Smith. Two years ago he famously didn’t “write back.” The NFL just hit his inbox again with a “Hey! Circling back here :)”

15. Chicago Bears (Last week: 16)

Record: 4-2

Caleb Williams and the offense are taking off before our very eyes, but their four wins are against the Titans, Rams, Panthers and Jags. Let’s see if they can hang with the big boys before overreacting.

14. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 9)

Record: 3-3

It’s the same song and dance every year. They’re a good team until they look incompetent. Oh, but then they’re good again. Oh, nevermind the playoffs are here. Back to incompetence. Sure, they might win double-digit games again this year, but they are not a serious organization.

13. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 15)

Record: 4-2

It hasn’t been pretty, but Jordan Love has come out firing since the injury. He missed two games and still might lead the league in touchdowns this season.

12. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 13)

Record: 3-3

There was a moment when it looked like another humiliating second-half collapse to a division opponent was unfolding, but they finally figured out how to stop the bleeding. Brock Purdy continues to own Seattle, and just like that, San Francisco is back in business.

11. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 11)

Record: 4-2

Hey, a Bijan Robinson game! We knew one was coming eventfully. Do that more and take the load off Kirk Cousins’ shoulders.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 12)

Record: 3-2

One of the league’s most balanced offenses certainly looked the part in a whooping of the Saints. Baker Mayfield did his best Jameis Winston impression by throwing for over 300 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 10)

Record: 4-2

Even with Russell Wilson lurking over his shoulder, Justin Fields continues to play pretty well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

8. Washington Commanders (Last week: 8)

Record: 4-2

The NFL is a copycat league, and while Jayden Daniels played relatively well, he’s not quite Lamar Jackson … yet.

7. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 6)

Record: 3-2

Josh Allen can’t be Superman every week and the concerns many had about their offense are starting to materialize. It will be hard to quiet those concerns against the Jets’ defense on Monday night.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 7)

Record: 3-2

It wasn’t an offensive explosion by any means, but it’s clear how important A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are to this offense.

5. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 5)

Record: 4-2

The battle of Lamar Jackson vs. Lamar Jackson Jr. lived up to the hype, but it’s clear there still only is one true Lamar Jackson. And Derrick Henry.

4. Houston Texans (Last week: 4)

Record: 5-1

Joe Mixon and a competent running game is the secret sauce that makes this offense so dangerous. Full steam ahead in Houston.

3. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 2)

Record: 5-0 (Bye week)

Sam Darnold is coming back down to Earth but they’re still finding ways to win with their elite defense.

Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson left the Lions Week 6 game against the Cowboys after his leg collided with a teammate while sacking Dak Prescott.

2. Detroit Lions (Last week: 3)

Record: 4-1

They are who we thought they were: Really freaking good and worthy of all the preseason hype. Jared Goff has taken his game to a whole different level, but the Aidan Hutchinson injury is a devastating blow.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 1)

Record: 5-0 (Bye week)

No Rahsee Rice, no Isiah Pacheco … no problem? While Travis Kelce isn’t what he used to be, Patrick Mahomes can force feed ‘ol reliable whenever he needs to. A big test coming up against a 49ers team seeking revenge.