The Cleveland Browns bye week is over as they prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6. As fate would have it, the banged-up Browns will play host to the top team in our latest 2023 NFL Power Rankings.
Fresh off a huge — and convincing — win over the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco remains one of two undefeated teams in the NFL. On the other end of the spectrum, only one team remains winless as the Chicago Bears finally notched their first "W" on the year.
With all that being said, let's look ahead to Week 6 with the latest edition of our 2023 NFL Power Rankings.
32. Carolina Panthers (0-5)
With the Chicago Bears winning on Thursday, the Carolina Panthers were the final team left without a win heading into the weekend. That remains the case since they were handed a loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions.
31. Denver Broncos (1-4)
I've never understood trading for a coach, especially one that hasn't won a Super Bowl in nearly a decade and a half. But that's what the Denver Broncos did and now, they're one of the worst teams in the league. In these Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, they're the worst in the AFC and that was cemented when Payton was defeated by the Jets after he took aim at Nathaniel Hackett for no reason this offseason.
30. New York Giants (1-4)
Daniel Jones has been bad, there’s no arguing that. Even so, the Giants offensive line has been a mess. He was sacked six times against Miami and could miss time now. Last year’s surprise team is this year’s disappointment.
29. Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
The Giants impressive season wound up trumping the Vikings run in 2022 when they knocked them out of the playoffs. Minnesota hoped they could get back in 2023 and make another run but after five games, they’re 1-4 and things look ready to implode.
28. Arizona Cardinals (1-4)
Josh Dobbs finally started to struggle as he and the Arizona Cardinals fell to the Bengals. As a whole, the Cardinals roster isn’t great and they just lost James Conner for a bit. Perhaps it’s time to see if they can at least win the No. 1 overall pick.
27. Chicago Bears (1-4)
On Thursday Night Football, we all saw what the Chicago Bears offense could be. Justin Fields was electric with 282 yards passing and four touchdowns — to go along with 57 yards on the ground. Three of his touchdowns went to D.J. Moore, who had 230 yards on eight receptions. It was an exciting game but now the question is whether or not they can repeat it — because that's been the issue with Fields so far in his career.
26. New England Patriots (1-4)
This season is going to go down as one to forget for the New England Patriots. They started out losing but were at least competitive. Over the past two weeks, they've quickly fallen apart with two lopsided losses. Bill Belichick will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time but he might need to hang it up before tarnishing his reputation.
The Patriots have allowed 56 unanswered points over two games, and have been outscored 59-3 in their last six quarters. They've also gone eight consecutive quarters without a touchdown, and have been outscored in seven straight quarters.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 8, 2023
25. Washington Commanders (2-3)
The Washington Commanders were exposed by the Chicago Bears this past weekend as they fall farther behind in the NFC East. Eric Bieniemy headed to D.C. as an attempt to become a head coach and that could wind up coming on an interim basis if they don't improve.
24. Tennessee Titans (2-3)
The Tennessee Titans old school approach centered on the ground game and playing good defense. But we’re starting to see how tough it is for those teams to win when the rushing attack slows down.
23. New York Jets (2-3)
Sean Payton deserved this one. The Denver Broncos head coach headed to Denver this offseason after being traded by the Saints. He was — as expected — overly brash and took some unnecessary shots at his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett who is now the OC for the New York Jets. On Sunday, Hackett led the Jets offense to a 31-21 win and got a game ball after. Then, the Jets social media team had their turn with Payton.
when you lose to the "offseason champs" pic.twitter.com/FzNIqGWZks
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2023
22. Green Bay Packers (2-3)
Moving on from Aaron Rodgers wasn't an easy decision for the Green Bay Packers but it was the right one — even if this season hasn't been great. They needed to know what they had in Jordan Love, so they could have a plan going forward. That's better than being held hostage by Rodgers indefinitely as he constantly debates his future.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
Ahead of this game, Ja’Marr Chase proclaimed himself always open. Then he put up disgusting video game numbers as the Bengals improved to 2-3. They’re not dead yet with the AFC North all jumbled up and Joe Burrow finally started to look like himself again. Despite this, they need to prove it against better teams before we start truly believing they’re back.
20. Las Vegas Raiders (2-3)
It's still really hard to believe in Josh McDaniels as a head coach and the Las Vegas Raiders already have shown flaws under him. They had a narrow win over a really bad Denver team in Week 1 and since then, they've struggled to get anything done.
19. Cleveland Browns (2-2)
A Week 5 bye seemed way too early when the schedule was released but with Deshaun Watson ailing, it wound up being a blessing in disguise for the Cleveland Browns. They have a tough test in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers but thankfully after that, there are several winnable games coming up. The key will be getting back to full health, especially now that Joel Bitonio is also ailing.
18. Atlanta Falcons (3-2)
Suddenly it seemed to click for Desmond Ridder. The Falcons quarterback threw for 329 yards and a touchdown and ran one in as well helping lead his team to a win over Houston. At 3-2, they're better than expected at this point and still in the mix in the NFC South.
17. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
Brandon Staley is on the hot seat and the L.A. Chargers head coach needs to figure out how to close out games during the bye — otherwise, this could be his final season with the franchise. They had this past week off and will face off with Dallas who was humiliated in Week 5 and will want to stick it to their former offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore.
16. Los Angeles Rams (2-3)
It’s hard to watch the Rams now and think it was just two seasons ago they won it all. We can still see flashes from them but they’re not as explosive as they once were and it might be time for a full rebuild.
15. Houston Texans (2-3)
Former Ohio State standout C.J. Stroud still has not thrown a pick in his rookie campaign but the Houston Texans fell to 2-3 this weekend. The good news is, he seems like the guy they need under center. Now, they just have to add the right pieces around him to take the next step.
14. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
Signing Gardner Minshew this offseason has already paid dividends for the Indianapolis Colts. He was again pressed into action this weekend and helped secure a win. Now, he might be under center for another month, or more, with Anthony Richardson suffering a shoulder injury. They surely want Richardson back but Minshew is good enough to keep them contending in the AFC South.
13. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
Jon Harbaugh made a decision to go for it on fourth-down at the end of the first half despite being in field goal range. That decision meant they were up 10-3 instead of 13-3. They were also never able to score again and perhaps that move gave away all their momentum. This is one of those teams that often wins due to their coaching but still sometimes find ways to be truly held back by it.
12. New Orleans Saints (3-2)
After adding Derek Carr, the New Orleans Saints became the favorites in the NFC South. They started out with two close wins but lost to Green Bay followed by Tampa Bay. Now, they get back above .500 since they stopped playing 'bay' teams. An easy win over New England has them right behind the Bucs which could make their Week 17 re-match a lot of fun to watch.
11. Dallas Cowboys (3-2)
If the Dallas Cowboys want to be taken seriously, they need to figure out how to get it done against good teams. Year after year, they rack up impressive wins over subpar opponents only to get knocked down when it counts. This Sunday, that happened when the 49ers ran away with one on SNF against them.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
Somehow, they did it again. The Steelers found a way to win late as Kenny Pickett found George Pickens for a 41-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to upset the Ravens. Suddenly, the Steelers are in first place in the AFC North and the team no one was worried about again boasts a winning record.
9. Buffalo Bills (3-2)
At 3-2, the Buffalo Bills are still fine when it comes to standings in the AFC East — and the AFC as a whole. The problem is that they've been wildly inconsistent and at some point, Josh Allen has to start protecting the ball better.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
In 2022, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the division with a losing record but after five weeks in 2023, they've been impressive with a 3-2 record. Baker Mayfield had the impossible task of replacing Tom Brady and while he will never be the same as TB12, he's done well and has limited his mistakes. That might not be enough for a deep playoff run but it could be enough to win the NFC South and at least make an appearance.
7. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
Last year, Seattle made the playoffs at 9-8 and was second in the NFC West. They're now coming out of their bye with a record of 3-1 and have a favorable schedule overall. If they can find a way to beat San Francisco (who they still have to play twice), they could make a run.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)
Sometimes all you need is a little vacation. Or to go home. It's hard to tell at this point with the Jacksonville Jaguars since they spend so much time overseas. Still, this trip was really good to them as they went across the pond with a record of 1-2 and returned 3-2 with wins over the Falcons and Bills under their belt now.
5. Detroit Lions (4-1)
It's hard not to believe in the Detroit Lions at this point. They're on a roll once again and just won their fourth game of the season. They're in firm control of the NFC North and are one of the top three teams in the conference right now.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
It was closer than the Chiefs would have liked — and the internet is unhappy with how it went down — but they escaped Week 5 with another win. The defending champs are always a threat but they really need a wide receiver to step up and help out Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
3. Miami Dolphins (4-1)
The Chiefs are on their tail but the Miami Dolphins still appear to be the top team in the AFC right now. As long as Tua Tagovailoa stays healthy (sadly that’s never a given) they’re as dangerous as anyone. And they have one of the most entertaining coaches in the league as well, which helps.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (5-0)
One of two final unbeaten teams, the Philadelphia Eagles won by nine against the Rams this weekend. They have yet to truly put together 60 minutes of great football yet they still haven’t lost. That’s a scary thought.
1. San Francisco 49ers (5-0)
This weekend was a statement game for the 49ers. All week, there was talk of the Cowboys using them as a measuring stick but instead, San Francisco ran them out of town with a 42-10 win. What’s more impressive is that it could have actually been a much larger blowout.