Pete Prisco says there is a lot of mediocrity in the league through six weeks
• 1 min read
This NFL is nuts.
Period.
We are a third of the way through the NFL season, and it’s already a league where little makes sense.
Before the season, the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were considered three of the top teams in the NFC, if not the top three. Six weeks in, they are a combined 9-9 — or just three of the many mediocre teams in the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs have lived up to their preseason expectations, but the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins, three teams many tagged as playoff teams, are all 3-3.
Right now, there is a lot of mediocrity in the NFL.
We have 10 teams with winning records, 10 with 3-3 records and 12 with losing records. Among the teams with winning records are the New York Giants (5-1) and New York Jets (4-2), a parlay few saw coming.
This craziness makes doing Power Rankings as hard as it’s ever been. Try it before you scream and yell at mine.
The Giants are now up to fifth in my Power Rankings, while the Jets are up to seventh. Both beat good teams Sunday, with the Jets actually going into Lambeau Field and dominating the Packers. The Giants found a way against the Ravens in a game where they were actually outgained by 200 yards of offense.
The season is wacky enough, but now we have Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Lamar Jackson — star quarterbacks — all having issues at times throwing the football, with Brady, Rodgers and Jackson all having problems in Week 6.
The Philadelphia Eagles remain in the top spot this week as they head to their bye, but they need to figure out why they have second-half issues if they are truly going to be a Super Bowl team. They’ve scored just 22 points in the second halves of their games, yet they are 6-0.
At least in a league where most teams are hovering near .500, the Eagles have shown they are deserving of the top spot. That isn’t as shocking as some of the things we’ve seen so far.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Eagles |
One area they have to fix is their run defense. They are giving up 5.0 yards per rush, which isn’t a good thing when you are trying to win a division — and even more. | — | 6-0-0 |
| 2 |
 Bills |
Going to Kansas City and winning is big for down the road come playoff time. Von Miller made a big difference, which is why they paid him. | — | 5-1-0 |
| 3 |
 Vikings |
At 5-1, they lead the NFC North and have to be considered the favorite in the division now. They aren’t always pretty, but they find ways to win games. | 2 | 5-1-0 |
| 4 |
 Chiefs |
There is no shame in losing to the Bills, but they might be heading out on the road now in the postseason for a big game. The defense did limit the Bills to 24 points, which is a good sign going forward. | 1 | 4-2-0 |
| 5 |
 Giants |
Break up the Giants. At 5-1, they are the shock of the league right now. The defense came up big against the Ravens. | 3 | 5-1-0 |
| 6 |
 Cowboys |
They will be getting Dak Prescott back, which changes this team in a big way. Cooper Rush was OK, but he isn’t Prescott. | — | 4-2-0 |
| 7 |
 Jets |
Can you believe they are 4-2? Winning at Green Bay the way they did validates them as a potential playoff team. The defense is getting good. | 7 | 4-2-0 |
| 8 |
 Titans |
They come off their bye with a real chance to take hold of the AFC South if they can beat the Colts. They beat them a few weeks ago, so it would give them a big advantage. | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| 9 |
 Chargers |
They are 4-2, but they still don’t look right. The offense just isn’t what we expected it to be. | 4 | 4-2-0 |
| 10 |
 Bengals |
At 3-3, they have played four games on the road. Now the schedule softens some in the next month. The offense came alive against the Saints. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 11 |
 Patriots |
They seemed to have worked out the issues on offense, as they have won two straight. They can run the football, while the defense is improving. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 12 |
 Buccaneers |
They just haven’t looked right this season. Now at 3-3, they are showing all of their flaws. When does it turn around? | 8 | 3-3-0 |
| 13 |
 49ers |
That was a bad showing against the Falcons. The schedule was tough with two straight in the Eastern time zone, but they are better than that. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 14 |
 Packers |
They have a lot of issues, and Aaron Rodgers is one of them right now. They can’t score and the defense has run-game issues. | 5 | 3-3-0 |
| 15 |
 Colts |
They’ve won two straight as Matt Ryan rallied them against Jacksonville. They’ve also dealt with a lot of injuries, but some of those guys will be back soon. | 4 | 3-2-1 |
| 16 |
 Dolphins |
The quarterback mess has really impacted this team. They have lost three straight games as they wait for Tua Tagovailoa to get back under center this week. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 17 |
 Ravens |
The defense is finally playing well, but the offense didn’t do enough in the loss to the Giants. They are a tough team to figure out. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 18 |
 Rams |
They actually got the offense going in the second half against Carolina. That’s progress for a team that has struggled with it. | 3 | 3-3-0 |
| 19 |
 Falcons |
They are tied for the division lead in the NFC South. Beating the 49ers the way they did was impressive, but they face a tough game at Cincinnati this week. | 5 | 3-3-0 |
| 20 |
 Saints |
The defense let them down in the loss to the Bengals, but that’s been a story all season long. That unit has flopped. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 21 |
 Seahawks |
They are 3-3, which is a tribute to coach Pete Carroll. Who saw that coming? The defense played well against the Cardinals, which was a nice change. | 6 | 3-3-0 |
| 22 |
 Browns |
Their defense just isn’t good enough right now. It doesn’t help that Jacoby Brissett isn’t helping at quarterback. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 23 |
 Broncos |
The offense is horrible. It’s more than just Russell Wilson, but he’s a big part of the problem. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 24 |
 Cardinals |
This team is in big trouble. They gave out some big-money contract extensions, but they are 2-4 and struggling to score points. Ouch. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 25 |
 Raiders |
At 1-4, they come off their bye in desperation mode. They can’t lose many more in a competitive division and hope to be a playoff team. | 2 | 1-4-0 |
| 26 |
 Steelers |
The defense showed well in limiting Tom Brady in their upset of the Bucs. That’s the Steelers way. | 3 | 2-4-0 |
| 27 |
 Texans |
They come off their bye with a road game at Las Vegas against the Raiders. They need to get more out of their offense going forward. | 2 | 1-3-1 |
| 28 |
 Jaguars |
They have lost three straight games, all games they could have won. The defense let them down late against the Colts. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 29 |
 Commanders |
They will be without Carson Wentz for a while. That would mean it’s Taylor Heinicke at quarterback, starting this week against the Packers. | 3 | 2-4-0 |
| 30 |
 Bears |
They can’t score enough. It’s that simple. The passing game is too limited. | 2 | 2-4-0 |
| 31 |
 Lions |
They come off their bye with a tough game at Dallas against the Cowboys. They better hope they used the bye to find a defense. | 1 | 1-4-0 |
| 32 |
 Panthers |
The coaching change gave them some life early against the Rams, but they just aren’t good enough. They lack talent, so will they have a fire sale to get picks? | 1 | 1-5-0 |
