NFL Power Rankings: New York Football on the Rise in Week 7

The Buffalo Bills are still the best team in the NFL, but the rest of the league is mired in parity. Both the New York Giants and New York Jets are two of the eight teams with at least four wins this season, and have catapulted up the rankings, from 27th and 28th, respectively, in my preseason power rankings to the top half of the league. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers continue their freefall after back-to-back losses against both aforementioned New York teams.

1. Buffalo Bills (5-1, last week’s ranking: 1)

I said this two weeks ago and I’ll say it again: Josh Allen is the NFL’s best player and should be a runaway favorite for league MVP. After a stunning, otherworldly display in the Bills’ 24-20 win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Allen ranks first among all qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per dropback (0.30) and is tied for first in passing touchdowns (17). On Sunday he was the best quarterback on a field that included Patrick Mahomes—a true alien.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0, last week: 3)

Jalen Hurts ranks just 15th in EPA per dropback (-0.01) and 15th in yards per attempt (6.95) over the last three weeks, but mediocre passing numbers haven’t mattered. Starting offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata have both missed time due to injuries, but that hasn’t mattered. The team ranks 24th in point differential in second halves (minus-22) and 29th in the fourth quarter alone (minus-25), but, again, it hasn’t mattered.

When Hurts does miss throws, Miles Sanders and the running game can pick up the slack. If the offense can’t create explosives downfield, Dallas Goedert and A.J. Brown can make plays after the catch. The run defense ranks just 27th in yards per carry allowed (4.99), but the pass defense ranks second in opponent net yards per attempt (4.93). It’s complementary, undefeated football in a league where no one else can claim such a feat.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2, last week: 2)

Bills cornerback Taron Johnson secured a game-clinching interception to prevent any final-minute heroics from Patrick Mahomes and hand the Chiefs their second loss of the season, but Kansas City is still a clear no. 2 in the AFC. Mahomes is 1B to Allen’s 1A among quarterbacks right now, and that will keep the teams on a trajectory to the AFC championship game regardless of the supporting cast. Still, if Mahomes is tasked with beating the Bills in Buffalo come late January, he’ll have a tough time doing so—especially when the rest of the team isn’t giving him a ton of help. Kansas City’s offensive line ranks 28th in pressure rate allowed (36.5 percent), and the defense ranks 29th in success rate (52.9 percent) through Week 6.

4. Minnesota Vikings (5-1, last week: 8)

I have no idea what to do with the Vikings right now. The offense and defense are middle-of-the-pack in terms of efficiency. Kirk Cousins ranks 21st in EPA per dropback (-0.04) and still hasn’t rid himself of the can’t-get-it-done-in-prime-time label after his disastrous Week 2 performance against the Eagles on Monday Night Football. But Minnesota is 5-1 in a parity-ridden league where 63 percent…