2023 NFL Power Rankings: Week 6

Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season is officially in the books! The San Francisco 49ers now sit on top of our NFL Power Rankings -- which come via numberFire's nERD metric -- while the Denver Broncos remain at the bottom.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 17-10 upset win over the Baltimore Ravens sees them jump up 11 places, landing in 13th. Baltimore drops three spots to sixth.

After their disappointing 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the New England Patriots are in a freefall, down six spots from last week to 27th.

The Jacksonville Jaguars jump three spots after their 25-20 win over the Buffalo Bills and now reside in 8th.

The team with the largest increase in Super Bowl odds, per numberFire's model, after Week 5? The Miami Dolphins -- up 2.6 percentage points.

The teams with the largest decrease in Super Bowl odds? The Bills and Kansas City Chiefs -- down 4.8 percentage points.

These Power Rankings will continue to shift weekly as the story of the season is written.

Here's where things stand heading into Week 6.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 6)

Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd

Hope in Chicago? The Bears remain in 31st place, but their 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football earned them their first win of the season. Justin Fields produced his second positive performance in a row, and Chicago's defense stepped up for the first time this season. The Bears' offense now ranks 26th by numberFire's opponent-adjusted model, and their defense ranks 29th. They still have a long way to go, but this was a bright spot in what has been an otherwise terrible season. Next up for the Bears? The Minnesota Vikings in Week 6.

The Commanders' five-spot drop is the third highest of the week, and they are searching for answers after their loss to Chicago. In what was supposed to be an opportunity to dominate one of the worst teams in the league, Washington was thoroughly outplayed from start to finish. After a solid start to the season, their offense now ranks 29th, per numberFire, and their defense ranks 23rd. Washington has been oscillating between impressive performances and unimpressive ones. A Week 6 clash with the Atlanta Falcons provides an opportunity for a much-needed bounceback.

Is this rock bottom for New England? After back-to-back losses by a combined score of 72 to 3, the Patriots sit in 27th place. If not for a defense that ranks 10th, they would be much lower. New England's offense ranks last by a sizeable margin. Their rushing offense ranks 31st and their passing offense ranks 30th. There are few silver linings or positives available at the moment. Without a sudden turnaround, the Patriots seem likely to continue their slide down the rankings. A Week 6 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders provides a small opportunity for a positive result before games against Buffalo and Miami in Weeks 7 and 8.

Finally! The Cincinnati Bengals we have come to know over the past two years showed up for the first time this season in their 34-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Joe Burrow looked like Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase looked like Ja'Marr Chase. The result? A two-spot rise in the rankings to 24th place. The Bengals offense now ranks 28th, and their defense ranks 21st. With their season teetering on the brink of collapse, they got it together. Now they need to maintain it. In their next three games, they face the Seattle Seahawks, 49ers, and Bills.

Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th

The Falcons' narrow 21-19 win over an ascending Houston Texans' team resulted in a five-spot jump up the rankings, the second-highest move of the week. Atlanta's defense managed to slow down a Houston offense that had scored 30-plus points in back-to-back games. Another positive development was the play of Desmond Ridder, who had a career-best performance. The Falcons now sit in 21st and still have a murky outlook going forward. Their offense ranks 22nd, and their defense ranks 20th. Week 5 was a step in the right direction, but for Atlanta to be a factor come playoffs, they need to continue to improve on both sides of the ball.

After their 31-21 win over the Denver Broncos, the New York Jets fell nine spots to 19th. While they got the win, the hope entering this game was for the Jets to build off their impressive Week 4 performance and soundly defeat a bottom-of-the-league side in Denver. They did not. This game was in the balance until the very end and was closer than the final scoreline indicates. The bottom line is the Jets entered the week ranked 10th, and even in a victory, they did not do enough to maintain that ranking. A Week 6 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles provides them a chance to earn a win against a far more difficult opponent.

A team that did soundly defeat an inferior opponent in Week 5 was the Saints. New Orleans dominated the Patriots from start to finish, holding New England to 156 yards and 8 first downs while moving the ball at will on offense. The Saints now sit in 14th, up three spots from last week. New Orleans' defense ranks ninth and is supported by a pass defense that ranks fourth. To join the first tier, the Saints need to improve on offense. They rank 23rd in total offense and haven't been impressive in the run game (26th) or pass game (18th).

The Steelers may have saved their season with their fourth-quarter performance against the Ravens in Week 5. They turned a 10-5 deficit into a 17-10 win with a combination of a safety, two field goals, and a long touchdown connection from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens. The key divisional win results in a nine-spot jump, and the Steelers now sit in 13th place, just outside the top tier. That said, there is a decent margin (1.41 nERD) between Pittsburgh and the Eagles in 10th. The Steelers' defense ranks seventh, but their offense ranks 21st. As it stands, they have a "best-of-the-rest" profile but still need to improve dramatically on offense to compete with the teams inside the first tier.

Teams Ranked 12th to 1st

The 5-0 Eagles sitting in 10th looks a bit strange. The reason why is their defense, which ranks 26th. They have been vulnerable against the pass, where they rank 28th, but decent against the run (13th). On the other side of the ball, their offense ranks 1st in the run game and 13th through the air for a combined ranking of 8th. One of the issues for Philadelphia is the strength of the schedule they have faced. Through five weeks they have wins over the Rams, Commanders, Buccaneers, Vikings, and Patriots. They have not had the opportunity to earn a win over an elite opponent. That will change in Week 7 when they face the Dolphins. Despite their 10th-place ranking, Philadelphia does have the 2nd-best odds to win the Super Bowl (17.3%) behind only San Francisco.

Home field advantage? Possibly. The Jaguars' 25-20 win over the Bills saw them earn their second win in London in as many weeks and jump up two spots to eighth. After a 1-2 start, the Jaguars' two-week stay in London has resulted in a turnaround, and they are back on track to achieve the lofty goals they entered the season with. The Jaguars' offense still has a way to go (16th overall), but their performance against an excellent Bills defense was a step in the right direction. Their defense ranks fourth and continues to be a strength. With games against the Indianapolis Colts, Saints, and Steelers on deck, Jacksonville has a path to a five-game win streak before a showdown with the 49ers in Week 10.

The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to earn a signature win in Week 5 and failed in spectacular fashion, falling 42-10 to San Francisco. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The defense was decimated by Brock Purdy, allowing 421 total yards and 25 first downs. The offense was equally as ineffective, generating just 197 total yards with 4 turnovers, including 3 interceptions by Dak Prescott. Dallas' defense still ranks 5th, but their offense ranks 18th. Their decision to move on from Kellen Moore and have Mike McCarthy take over play-calling was supposed to result in fewer turnovers and more wins. Through five weeks, the turnovers are still there, and the offense as a whole looks worse. There is a long way to go, but Dallas needs to turn things around quickly with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Rams, and Eagles coming up.

After their destruction of Dallas, the 49ers moved into the top spot in the rankings. Regardless of what phase of the game you look at, San Francisco is elite. Their offense ranks first, with a rushing game that ranks ninth and a passing game that ranks first. Their defense ranks sixth overall, with a run defense that ranks 11th and a pass defense that ranks 7th. They have the best odds of winning the Super Bowl (20.5%), and Purdy's MVP odds (+700) are tied with Josh Allen for fourth-best. Next up is a Week 6 meeting with the Cleveland Browns.

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