1. Arizona Cardinals (6-0) +1

After six weeks of the NFL, the Cardinals are still undefeated and still have one of the strongest offenses. Now with a matchup against the Texans, they will be able to continue their success with an easy win over Davis Mills and one of the most poorly built rosters in the NFL.

2. Los Angeles Rams (5-1) +4

No team has met and exceeded their offseason expectations quite as well as the Rams, and this will continue against the worst offensive and defensive combo in the NFL in the Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford will finally be able to beat the team that trapped him in mediocrity for so long.

3. Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

A humming offense with a defense that features the league’s leader in interceptions and a possible defensive Rookie of the Year candidate is an excellent combination to have. Imagine how big a deal they would be had they been able to close out their week one matchup against the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

4. Baltimore Ravens (5-1) +4

No team has been better at closing out games than the Baltimore Ravens, their only loss coming against a white hot Las Vegas Raiders team that did get a little lucky in overtime. All credit should be given to Baltimore for an amazing coaching staff, and Lamar Jackson should be heralded for his ability to stump naysayers that claim he is a running back with 400 yards passing and a plethora of downfield plays. 

5. Buffalo Bills (4-2) -4

The weakness of Buffalo’s schedule finally caught up with them against Tennessee, and their reputation as an offense that is simply too tough to combat with will likely fall. I believe that Sean McDermott can learn from this error, and coach his team to beat powerhouse operations like the Ravens and Cowboys if it comes down to it. This is still an extremely powerful team.

6. Green Bay Packers (5-1) +3

Despite their dreadful performance in week one, the Packers look slated to be back where they are every single year. Flash forward to the NFC Championship where the Packers are facing a 14-2 Arizona Cardinals team, on their way to their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Rodgers throws two touchdown passes against one interception in their 28-17 loss, and the Packers once again miss out on the Super Bowl as Rodgers’s last year in Green Bay comes to a screeching halt.

7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) -3

The Chargers’ stunted offensive performance came out of nowhere after the strongest offensive performance of week five. Justin Herbert is simply too good to have these types of games on a regular basis, and it is only logical that Herbert’s next matchup will set the opposing team on fire.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) -2

Tampa Bay is still an extremely talented team, but their defense is not playing at the same high level than it was over the course of the 2020 season. In any matchup against one of the above mentioned teams, they would fall short barring amazing play from legendary Super Bowl quarterback Tom Brady.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) +1

An easy matchup against the Detroit Lions was exactly what Joe Burrow and the Bengals needed to prepare for a crucial matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. A Logan Wilson-led defense may not be enough to stop this Ravens offense, but if Burrow is playing to his full potential then it is possible for Cincinnati to keep up with the Ravens’ offense.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) +4

At their peak, the Chiefs are the best offense in the league with possibly the worst defense in the league. At their worst, they are an extremely flawed offense with a paper thin defense that even the Houston Texans would love to take a crack at. It’s no longer safe to assume that the peak Chiefs will show up in every matchup, but you can be sure that they will fight until the bitter end for a playoff spot.

11. Tennessee Titans (4-2) +1

Derrick Henry is the leading rusher by about 200 yards. That is the ultimate summation of the Titans’ 2021 success. Without Henry, the Titans’ horrible defense and flawed offensive line would be exposed and you could expect the Titans to look more like a 2-4 team rather than 4-2.

12. Las Vegas Raiders (4-2) -1

The Raiders got back on their feet after an ugly loss to the Chicago Bears in week four, but it is abundantly clear that they are not the same team, especially on offense. Even if the Raiders finish 11-6, that will be a mild disappointment based on how the beginning of the season looked. 

13. Cleveland Browns (3-3) -6

No Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Kareem Hunt is nothing short of a complete disaster for Cleveland. Chubb and Hunt make up the entirety of the Browns offensive firepower, and Mayfield while not dominant is still a clear upgrade over Case Keenum. 

14. Chicago Bears (3-3) +1

Some of the worst officiating of the season led to an atrocious Packers win, but had the officials not completely changed the momentum if this game we could be staring down a Bears team that was tied with the Packers in the North, and looking ready to showcase a rejuvenated Justin Fields.

15. Minnesota Vikings (3-3) +4

The Vikings’ defense and quarterback may be a total fruitcake, but their offensive skill position players are some of the best in the NFL and have carried the Vikings to the three wins that they have. These players may even be enough to carry the Vikings to a win on national television, but let’s not forget that their quarterback absolutely refuses to finish out a game that more than 5,000 people are watching.

16. New Orleans Saints (3-2)

There is no way to analyze a Saints’ game short of throwing a dart at a dartboard to determine the outcome. Jameis Winston will transition from a five touchdown performance straight into a Bucs’ reminiscent effort full of ugly interceptions and failed deep passes.  

17. San Francisco 49ers (2-3)

The 49ers coming off of a bye week against a streaky Indianapolis Colts team is certainly a promising prospect for the 49ers, but injuries and a strong run by Carson Wentz could cause the 49ers to fail and ultimately send them into a cascading downward spiral toward the center of the Earth.

18. New England Patriots (2-4) +7

Mac Jones is starting to look like the real deal in New England. Had it not been for some amazing plays by Trevon Diggs and a completely blown pass interference call in overtime, it is plausible to argue that the Patriots should have won against the Dallas Cowboys.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) +2

No team got quite as lucky as the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s not every week you get the opportunity to face Geno Smith, one of the worst backup quarterbacks in the NFL, on your own turf. Steelers fans might be inclined to take this win and run with it, but let’s be honest, how much does this victory actually mean?

20 Carolina Panthers (3-3) -7

Sam Darnold is the leader of a list of players who fooled us with good play through the first weeks of the season, and back to back disappointing weeks filled with interceptions are the reason that Carolina is 3-3 instead of 5-1. Was San Darnold really an upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater?

21. Indianapolis Colts (2-4) +5

The Colts are certainly an upward trending team, but with the Titans’ surprise Monday Night win it seems unlikely that Indianapolis will be able to find a Wild Card spot amidst their successes.

22. Atlanta Falcons (2-3) +2

The surging Falcons might be able to find their first playoff berth in two seasons after a weak start to the season. The offense looks completely reborn, and the defense looks competent if not good. 

23. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) +3

Few groups have spiraled as far out of control as the Philadelphia Eagles defense. The Eagles have given up over 40 points to the Cowboys and Chiefs, and over 25 points to the Buccaneers. If any defense was to bring the Raiders back to early season form, it would be the Eagles.

24. Denver Broncos (3-3) -6

It’s amazing how much three 0-3 offenses can make a defense look amazing. The Broncos’ defense is perhaps the most overrated position group in the NFL and likely could not stunt the Panthers offense. The Broncos might be 3-3, but their remaining schedule is extremely tough and will likely result in their demise.

25. Washington Football Team (2-4) -2

Washington is completely out of contention by this point, and it is reasonable to expect Taylor Heinicke to be a glorified backup by the start of next season. One can only hope that the defense will be able to get going in a big way so as to not completely fall short of the sky high expectations to which they are set.

26. Seattle Seahawks (2-4) -4

The Seahawks are starting one of the worst backup quarterbacks in football, and it is killing them in games. The Seahawks have officially lost any ability to contend in the hyped competitive NFC West.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) +4

The Jaguars are visibly better offensively than they have been in the last four games, and Trevor Lawrence no longer looks like a disaster. With momentum on their side, hopefully the Jaguars will begin to have a stronger season and start knocking off some mid-level teams.

28. New York Jets (1-4) -1

No team is worse at developing talent than the New York Jets, and their eternally horrible team building is catching up to them in the form of a weak defense, an abysmal offensive line and recievers that couldn’t catch consistently if their lives depended on it. Zach Wilson has an uphill climb to succeed in this offense.

29. Houston Texans (1-5)  

The Texans losing Tyrod Taylor to injury after the most surprising strong start of 2020 has to be one of the most unlucky things to happen to this franchise. Even more unfortunate is the emergence of rookie quarterback Davis Mills as one of the worst starters of the 2021 season. All in all, bad luck and bad play have doomed the Texans to a losing season.

30. New York Giants (1-5) -2

New York’s most recent showing showed how much Daniel Jones is struggling to grasp this offense, although it should be mentioned that they were without running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Kenny Golladay.

31. Miami Dolphins (1-5) -1

Even with Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins are looking worse and worse as the season wears on. There is nothing exciting happening on either side of the ball, and the Dolphins have stooped as low as to lose a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

32. Detroit Lions (0-6)

The Lions are the unquestioned worst team in football. Jared Goff is in danger of seeing bench time, and a matchup against one of the best teams in the NFL is not going to help matters at all.