2024 NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 6

Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season was capped up with vintage performances from JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kareem Hunt -- just as we all expected.

In what has been an up-and-down season, the fifth week was easily the most boisterous. Kirk Cousins threw for 500 yards on TNF, helping the Atlanta Falcons overtake an NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in overtime. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals went touchdown-for-touchdown in their Sunday bout, but the Ravens eventually prevailed with a 41-38 OT win. The Bengals move to 1-4, so time is starting to run out on that comeback we've all been waiting for.

The Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) and Minnesota Vikings (5-0) are the only teams left with clean records. Both groups will get a bye this week -- along with the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins -- so they'll be gliding into Week 7 with an undefeated status. Only two other teams -- the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders -- leave Week 5 with at least four wins.

With that, let's dive into our NFL Power rankings -- which are powered by numberFire's nERD-based rankings -- as we look ahead to Week 6.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 6)

Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd

Was there ever any doubt the Carolina Panthers would be the league's punching bag, even with Andy Dalton entering the fold? The Chicago Bears stomped on Carolina by a score of 36-10 on Sunday. The Panthers have surrendered 33.0 points per game this season. The Falcons will visit them this weekend, so you know where to look for player props or DFS plays on Sunday.

The Rams (1-4) and Dolphins (2-3) will be gifted byes when they need it most. Los Angeles is planning for Cooper Kupp to return by the time they next take the field while Miami will have a free week for both Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) and De'Von Achane (concussion) to recover from their ailments.

Miami ranks 31st in numberFire's schedule-adjusted offense metrics and have scored just 60 points (fewest in the NFL) through five games, good for an average of 12.0 points per game. It's been very ugly and with Tua's status up in the air, numberFire gives the Fins a whopping 87.5% chance to miss the playoffs. However, the team has -210 odds to miss the postseason, which correlates to just a 67.7% probability.

If you don't want to lay these -210 odds straight up, you could parlay the Dolphins (-210) and the Arizona Cardinals (-290) in this market at +100 combined odds. The NFC is absolutely loaded, making it very hard to picture Arizona and their 26th-ranked defense nabbing a Wild Card spot.

Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th

Following an ugly start to the season, the Dallas Cowboys (3-2) have picked up two straight wins, though neither dub was particularly convincing, and they've been outscored by four points heading into Week 6. The bigger problem here is the Washington Commanders (4-1), a team that looks primed to compete for the NFC East. Currently, the Philadelphia Eagles (+130), Commanders (+200), and Cowboys (+260) are pretty neck-and-neck in the NFC East market. Dallas will have a sizable test this weekend hosting a Detroit Lions team that is fresh off a bye.

Joe Flacco's backup heroics have continued into 2024. He's thrown for 527 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions through two games, but that didn't save the Indianapolis Colts (2-3) from handing the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) their first dub of the season on Sunday. The Colts will visit the Tennessee Titans (1-3) this week and are at risk of an 0-3 record within the AFC South. Indy has -116 odds on their moneyline, and they'll need to take advantage of Tennessee and an upcoming date against the Dolphins before their schedule gets brutal.

Houston's 15th ranking might seem a bit funky. After all, they are one of just four teams to win four games this season and own -450 odds to win the AFC South. With that said, all of their games have been won by six points or fewer, and they actually have a -12 point differential. The Texans are essentially the anti-Bengals. Cincy has lost all four of their games by six points or fewer and own just a -5 point differential despite a 1-4 record. Luckily, Joe Burrow and company will draw a date with the New York Giants this weekend.

Teams Ranked 12th to 1st

It didn't take long for people to start losing their jobs, though it's a bit surprising to see the victim was at the helm of one of our top-ranked teams. Earlier this morning, the New York Jets announced the firing of head coach Robert Salah. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as the team's interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Can they fire Aaron Rodgers, too? Rodgers has posted a 55.2% completion rate across his last two games and checks in with -0.03 net expected points added per pass, the seventh-worst mark among eligible QBs. He also threw three interceptions during Sunday's loss to Minnesota. The vibes are low in New York, and it'll be interesting to see how this team shapes up for a Week 6 Monday Night Football date with the Buffalo Bills.

Baltimore's 25th-ranked defense has been disappointing, but a second-ranked offense has helped shed some of that sting. The Steelers have dropped two straight and the Bengals are treading water, so the Ravens look to be in the driver's seat in the AFC North.

Save for perhaps that Bills-Jets matchup, the most anticipated Week 6 game will come on Thursday with the San Francisco 49ers (2-3) visiting the Seattle Seahawks (3-2). The Niners have encountered their fair share of injuries, but they might not be getting enough flack for dropping games against the Cardinals and Rams. They're favored by 3.5 points versus Seattle. If you like the 'Hawks this week, you may want to consider betting them to win the NFC West, as the outcome of Thursday will shake up the market big time. Currently, the Niners have -115 odds while the Seahawks have +220 odds to win the NFC West.

Let's end on a high note by checking in on Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. Daniels and company have won four straight games and the rookie's stellar play has earned him +1100 NFL MVP odds, the fifth-shortest. Washington will visit the Ravens this Sunday for a game that is in some sense a win-win for the Commanders.

No one's expecting any team to walk out of Ravens territory with a win right now, but if Daniels can carry his team to an underdog road victory against one of the hottest teams in the league, we have every right to engage in an MVP conversation with him.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.