National Football League

NFL Power Rankings Week 7

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Going into week seven the NFL Power Rankings are still led by the Minnesota Vikings. No one stepped up to knock the Vikings out of the top spot during their bye week. 

The NFL Power Rankings going into week seven have changed after the outcome of the week six games. Despite having a bye the Vikings will aim to remain the NFL’s top team this week.

With the conclusion of week six most of the teams are still bunched together at either 4-2 or 3-3. But there were some surprises. The Chargers were able to hold on to their lead over the Broncos and the Dolphins routed the Steelers.

Seattle was able to pull out the victory over the Atlanta Falcons and New England and Dallas continued to impress. Carson Wentz suffered a second straight loss while the Giants were able to make big plays on offense. Cam Newton was cleared to play and helped his team stage a 21 point come back only to fall short to the Saints.

Kansas City continued their streak of winning the game after a bye. LeSean McCoy scored three touchdowns against his former coach, silencing Colin Kapernick’s first start. Kurt Cousins led the Washington Redskins to their fourth straight win without their star tight end.

Cleveland is still looking for their first victory. Will this be the week they add one to the win column? Week seven kicks off with a long-standing rivalry in the NFC North, the Chicago Bears vs the Green Bay Packers. Despite either teams record this game is always a battle until the end.

Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

1. Minnesota Vikings – 5-0 – The Vikings hold on to their top spot during their bye week. They have yet to lose a game and will look to keep that streak going against the Philadelphia Eagles. The strength of this team is their defense and they are coming up against a rookie quarterback. This game can be a challenge but this defense will wreak havoc on the Eagles offense.

2. New England Patriots – 5-1- The Patriots were able to continue their winning ways against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a close game in the first half but the Patriots quickly took over. This week they face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Ben Roethlisberger sitting this one out the Patriots should have no problem getting their sixth win.

3. Dallas Cowboys – 5-1- The rookies continue to lead the Cowboys to victory. The Cowboys had no trouble with the Green Bay Packers. The way the Cowboys have been playing everyone is starting to question what will happen when Tony Romo returns. The Cowboys have a bye this week. Will week eight be when Romo makes his comeback?

4. Seattle Seahawks – 4-1- The Seahawks were able to pull out a 26-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. This victory moved them up four spots from last week. They were able to come from behind to pullout the victory. Up next the Seahawks will look to keep their lead in the division against the Arizona Cardinals.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

5. Atlanta Falcons – 4-2- The Falcons were unable to score in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks giving up their lead. The Falcons now have two losses but are still on top of their division. This loss dropped them three spots in the rankings. They will be looking to climb back to the top this week against the San Diego Chargers.

6. Denver Broncos – 4-2- The Broncos were unable to make a comeback against the Chargers loosing their second game on the season. They almost came back and crushed the Chargers but were unable to take over the lead.The defending Super Bowl Champs fell two spots in the rankings. This week they face off with the 4-2 Houston Texans. 

7. Buffalo Bills – 4-2- The Bills jumped up two spots from last week after beating the 49ers 45-16. LeSean McCoy ran all over the 49ers defense getting three touchdowns. Rex Ryan’s defense smothered Kapernick and the 49ers offense. Up next for the Bills is the Miami Dolphins.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers – 4-2- In the second quarter, Ben Roethlisberger tore the meniscus in his left knee. He sat out for one series but came back and played the entire second half. The Steelers fell 30-15 to the Dolphins. Roethlisberger will sit out this week. Landry Jones will start in his place against the Patriots.

9. Washington Redskins – 4-2- Kurt Cousins’ favorite receiver was sidelined this game with a concussion. Tight End Jordan Reed sat out against the Eagles. The Redskins still pulled out the victory over the Eagles winning four straight. They will look to make it five in a row against the Lions.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

10. Philadelphia Eagles – 3-2- Carson Wentz suffered his second straight loss against the Redskins. This week the Eagles will aim to do what no other team has been able to do, beat the Vikings. Wentz will have a tough task of trying to take a part the Vikings defense. 

11. Green Bay Packers – 3-2- The Packers were only able to score one touchdown against the Cowboys. The offense can’t seem to get into a rhythm. After loosing 30-16 the Packers have a short week. On Thursday they will clash with their long time rivals, the Bears.

12. New York Giants – 3-3- Eli Manning threw his 300th touchdown and OBJ had 222 receiving yards. The offense finally got back to the way they started the season. The Giants held off the Ravens in the final 1:24 to seal their victory. This week the Giants travel to London to play the St. Louis Rams.

13. Arizona Cardinals – 3-3- The Cardinals have won two in a row. Their defense held the Jets to three points while their offense put up 28 points. The Cardinals shut out the Jets offense for three quarters. The Cardinals will look to get back to the top of their division against the Seahawks this week.

14. Oakland Raiders – 4-2- The Raiders were only able to score 10 points against the Chiefs. They were held scoreless in the second half. Next up they are faced with the challenge of stopping the Jaguars wide receivers. This may prove to be a problem since the Raiders let up the most yards in the NFL. 

Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

15. Houston Texans – 3-3- The Texans came back from being down 23-9 to win in overtime against the Colts. Most of the Texans fans left thinking there was no hope only to miss a thrilling fourth quarter. The offense played bad in the first half but rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the game. The Colts received the ball first in overtime but the Texans forced them to punt. The Texans play on Monday night this week against the Broncos.

16. Detroit Lions – 3-3- The game against the Rams was even the whole game  until the fourth quarter. The Lions won with a field goal to get to .500. This week the Lions will look to stop the Redskins winning streak.

 17. St. Louis Rams – 3-3- The Rams kept it even the whole game with the Lions. The Lions were able to win on a field goal. This week the Rams travel to London to take on the high powered offense of the Giants. The Rams have hopes that Todd Gurley II break out and have a big game. 

18. Kansas City Chiefs – 3-2- Coming off their bye week the Chiefs handed the Raiders their second loss. The defense was able to hold the Raiders scoreless in the second half sealing a 26-10 victory. The Chiefs will look to build on their win this week against the Saints.

19. Carolina Panthers – 1-5- The Panthers stormed back from 21 down to tie the game at 38 in the fourth quarter. Cam Newton was cleared to play in this game and was a big reason for the come back. The Saints were able to kick a field goal with less than a minute remaining. The Panthers got the ball back but ran out of time. The Panthers bye week couldn’t come at better time. After loosing five games they need to regroup and come back ready to win. 

Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

20. Baltimore Ravens – 3-3- The Ravens went from winning three straight to loosing three straight. The Ravens fell 27-23 to the Giants. This week they come back to MetLife Stadium to face off with the struggling Jets.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2-3- Coming off a bye week the Buccaneers will look to gain their third victory against the struggling 49ers.Jameis Winston will try to get his team to .500 and keep them in second place in the division.  

22. San Diego Chargers – 2-4- The Chargers have been unlucky in the past few games blowing their lead. This week it came down to the last second but they were able to hold off a Broncos comeback. The Chargers gained their second win on the season and hope to build on their momentum this week. Their task won’t be easy playing against the Falcons.  

23. Cincinnati Bengals -2-4- Unfortunately the Bengals came up against the Patriots in week six. They have dropped two straight games. The Bengals should get the victory this week against the winless Browns.  

24. Miami Dolphins -2-4- The Dolphins always find a way to beat the top teams. This week they were able to route the Pittsburgh Steelers claiming a 30-15 victory. Will they be able to take down another top team this week when they play the Bills?   

Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

25. New Orleans Saints – 2-3- The Saints were able to jump out to a 21 point lead over the Carolina Panthers. They were unable to hold on to the lead letting the Panthers storm back to tie the game. On the final drive of the game the Saints were able to hold on for the victory with a game winning field goal. This week the Saints come up against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

26. Indianapolis Colts – 2-4- The Colts were holding on to a 23-9 lead before the Texans stormed back to force overtime. The Colts still had a chance to pull off the victory receiving the ball first in overtime. But Andrew Luck got sacked on third down forcing a punt. The Texans kicked a game winning field goal handing the Colts their fourth loss. They will look to rebound against the Titans this week. 

27. Tennessee Titans – 3-3- The Titans were able to pull out a two point victory over the winless Browns. Scoring one touchdown in each quarter while holding the Browns scoreless in the third sealing their victory. This week they will play against the Indianapolis Colts.  

28. New York Jets – 1-5- The Jets troubles seem to keep getting worse. They can’t seem to find a way to fix their mistakes on offense. In the fourth quarter they pulled Fitzpatrick and put in Geno Smith. The Jets hope to rebound against the Baltimore Ravens this week. Todd Bowles is sticking with Fitzpatrick as his starter despite pulling him in the fourth quarter.  

29. Jacksonville Jaguars -2-3- Coming off a bye week the Jaguars were able to pull off a one point victory over the Bears. They will try to get to .500 against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders give up the most yards in the NFL. The Jaguars will looks to take advantage of that with their star wide receivers.

Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

30. Chicago Bears – 1-5- The Bears suffered a one point loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a short week the Bears don’t have much time to develop a winning plan. On Thursday they will face off against their long time rival, the Green Bay Packers. No matter the teams records this game is always a battle until the end.

31. San Francisco 49ers – 1-5- Colin Kapernick made his first start of the season only to wish he didn’t. The 49ers lost 45-16 to the Buffalo Bills. The defense was unable to stop LeSean McCoy. It is uncertain if Kapernick will get the start this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

32. Cleveland Browns – 0-6- The Browns are still winless. They gave a good effort against the Tennessee Titans but fell by two points. The Browns will try to get their first win against the struggling Bengals.

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