The Week 6 2026 NFL power rankings opened with a familiar name back on top. The 49ers held the No. 1 spot after another week at 5-0, and the note attached to them was simple enough: plenty of other teams wish they’d made a run at signing Mike Evans.
Right behind them, the Chiefs stayed put at No. 2 and 4-0, with a chance to deliver the death blow to the Chargers’ season. The Jaguars followed at No. 3 after improving to 4-1, and their weekly lesson had nothing to do with scheme or star power. Jacksonville, on a Sunday packed with takeaways, underscored the value of having a backup long snapper.
The top five also included the Bills at No. 4 and 3-1, with Joe Brady not willing to eff around and find out by trying to get the game-winning field goal closer, and the Seahawks at No. 5 and 3-2, a team the rankings say is trying too hard to be something other than it was in 2025.
Minnesota made the biggest move near the top, climbing from No. 8 to No. 6 at 5-0. As the offense improves, the Vikings have gone from “contender” to “threat.”
The Broncos checked in at No. 7, one spot behind them, and their Thursday night meeting with Seattle is being treated as the kind of game that will tell everyone whether Denver is a true candidate to get to the Super Bowl. The Ravens sat at No. 8 at 4-1 and still looked like the Ravens despite a coaching change.
The Patriots landed at No. 9 at 3-2, helped along by the patriotic pigeons having a field day on Tom Brady’s statue. The Rams dropped to No. 10 at 2-3, but they still have five winnable games before the bye. If they lose any of them, things could get interesting down the stretch.
Green Bay was up at No. 11 after sitting at No. 23 last week, and the message there was to stay quiet and wait for the chance when your adversary keeps talking. The Browns, Steelers and Bengals were all tied at No. 12, with Cleveland first because it beat the Steelers, Pittsburgh second because it beat the Bengals, and Cincinnati third because the win over the Dolphins shouldn’t have come down to an onside kick.
After that came a heavy slide for Chicago, which fell to No. 15 after sitting at No. 9.
Tyson Bagent’s expiration date seems to have arrived. The Raiders were No. 16, and the question hanging over them was whether Fernando Mendoza becomes the better option to lead a run to a possible playoff berth.
The Giants moved to No. 17 at 3-1-1 after Dan Quinn saved John Harbaugh and Cam Skattebo from being the pin cushions of talk radio in New York. Carolina checked in at No. 18 and could win the division by default, again. Philadelphia fell to No. 19, with a bad week ending in the worst way possible.
Dallas was No. 20, where the arrival of Mike Pettine was described as both an acknowledgement that the defense needs help and a failure to acquire the kind of help it needs. The Lions were No. 21, helped by the simple fact that nothing helps a bad defense like playing a bad offense. Atlanta was No. 22, with Michael Penix Jr. still having a long way to go to show that he’s sufficiently durable to be a franchise quarterback.
The Colts sat at No. 23 and gave off the feeling that an overhaul is inevitable. The Texans were No. 24 and still have a long way to go to become the team that they were in 2025. The Saints were No. 25, and three straight home losses may be very hard to overcome.
The Jets were No. 26, and Geno Smith has gone from leading the league in interceptions to throwing none. Tampa Bay climbed to No. 27 and may have found something in Jalon Daniels.
Washington slid to No. 28, where the clock is still ticking on Dan Quinn. In more ways than one.
Arizona was No. 29, with the Week 1 win over the Chargers looking less impressive by the week. Los Angeles was No. 30 and 0-5, with the price for a potential Justin Herbert trade dropping by the week.
Tennessee remained No. 31, where the constant turnover in the organization feels like Game of Thrones meets the Island of Misfit Toys. And at No. 32, the Dolphins stayed last, with the thought that maybe Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley should have waited a year.
In Other News...
Harbaughs Latest Admission Puts Chargers 0-5 Start Under A Microscope
Jim Harbaugh spent the aftermath of the Chargers latest loss doing what the locker room needed most from its head coach: owning the moment. After the defeat to the Broncos, Harbaugh accepted full responsibility for a fourth-quarter decision that helped swing the game, a candid admission that only sharpened the pressure around a team that is now 0-5 and trying to stop a season from slipping away before October is even over.
The Chargers have had enough trouble on offense to make every choice feel magnified, and Justin Herbert has been dealing with those struggles as the losses pile up. Next comes Kansas City, which only raises the stakes for a group that has not found an early-season answer and now has its coach publicly placing the burden on himself rather than letting the conversation drift elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Collapse Is Putting Ownership Under A Brutal Spotlight
The Chargers 0-5 start has already turned every part of the organization into a talking point, from coaching decisions to the way the roster has been built. For a team with playoff expectations and a quarterback still expected to anchor the franchise, the frustration goes beyond the field. The results have only sharpened the focus on how aggressively the team has tried to compete, and whether the current formula was ever built to withstand real adversity.
Ownership is now feeling the heat in a way that goes well beyond a bad month of football. The spending habits around the roster have become part of the conversation, and so has the long-term future of the people tasked with fixing this mess. If the losing keeps piling up, the Chargers could be staring at a much bigger reset than a simple midseason correction. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Loss Fuels Bigger Questions About How Competitive This Team Is
The Chargers 23-17 loss to the Broncos left more than a bad taste in the mouth, it reopened the familiar debate about how far this roster can really go when the margin tightens. Nick Canepas postgame grades painted a blunt picture of the performance, with the quarterback and receiver groups taking the hardest hits while special teams and coaching decisions came under the microscope as well.
Injuries only made the picture murkier, especially up front, where the offensive line was already working around absences. With a trip to Kansas City next on the schedule, the questions around protection, execution and overall competitiveness are only getting louder, and this one feels less like a one-off stumble than another test of where the Chargers actually stand. [Read more 🡒]