NFL Power Rankings Week 7

1. Los Angeles Rams (6-0)

Todd Gurley rushed for a career-high 208 yards as the Rams remained perfect on the season.

Todd Gurley leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns. (Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports)

2. New England Patriots (4-2)

The Patriots handed the Chiefs their first loss of the season in a 43-point scoring effort in which they did not punt or commit a single penalty—the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team played an entire game without punting or being charged a penalty.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)

The Chiefs were unstoppable on offense in the second half, scoring 31 of their 40 points after intermission. Tyreek Hill had 142 receiving yards with three touchdowns for the game and Kareem Hunt posted 185 yards from scrimmage with one receiving touchdown. Patrick Mahomes played well, recording 352 passing yards and four TDs, but he did throw two costly interceptions in the first half—one of which came in the redzone.

4. New Orleans Saints (4-1)

The idle Saints lead the NFC South by a full game after Carolina lost at Washington.

5. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)

The visiting Chargers destroyed the Browns behind Melvin Gordon and Tyrell Williams. Gordon rushed for 132 yards and scored a career-high three touchdowns. Williams caught two TDs and totaled 118 receiving yards.

6. Minnesota Vikings (3-2-1)

Adam Thielen leads the NFL in receiving yards (712) after collecting 11 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over Arizona. He also has the longest streak of 100-yard games (6) to start a season in the Super Bowl era (one shy of tying the NFL record) and has caught a league-high 58 passes, the most a player has recorded through the first six games in NFL history. He is on pace to grab 154 receptions for the season.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)

Carson Wentz completed 26 of 36 passes for 278 yards and three TDs in a commanding road win versus the division-rival Giants.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

The Ravens recorded a franchise-record 11 sacks and pitched a shutout on the road at Tennessee.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1)

The run defense remains elite, allowing only 62 rushing yards to the Bengals. On the other side of the ball, James Conner managed 111 rushing yards and two TDs on just 11 carries, continuing to look dominant in the absence of Le’Veon Bell.

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10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

The Bengals surrendered over 480 yards for the second time in the past three weeks, failing to record a sack as Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger won in Cincinnati for the third consecutive year.

11. Carolina Panthers (3-2)

Rookie D.J. Moore lost two fumbles in the first half, leading to 10 points for the Redskins. The Panthers’ comeback came up short as they fell to 0-2 on the road this season. Up next is a matchup against the defending champions in Philadelphia.

12. Miami Dolphins (4-2)

Brock Osweiler played terrific in place of injured starting QB Ryan Tannehill, throwing for 380 yards and three TDs against Chicago’s vaunted defense. Albert Wilson, a speedster and suddenly a big-play specialist, caught six passes for a career-best 155 yards with two touchdowns in the overtime win.

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13. Chicago Bears (3-2)

Losing to a backup quarterback off a bye week is unacceptable for the Bears, who looked flat defensively against the Dolphins despite the extra time off.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)

Blake Bortles is unwatchable right now and the defense looks soft, giving up 206 rushing yards in an embarrassing 40-7 loss at Dallas.

15. Tennessee Titans (3-3)

The Titans gave up more sacks (11) than Marcus Mariota had completions (10). They failed to score and have managed a mere 12 points in the past two contests.

Rest of the Pack

16. Washington Redskins (3-2)

17. Green Bay Packers (3-2-1)

18. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)

19. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)

20. Cleveland Browns (2-3-1)

21. Detroit Lions (2-3)

22. Houston Texans (3-3)

23. New York Jets (3-3)

24. Denver Broncos (2-4)

25. Atlanta Falcons (2-4)

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)

27. Buffalo Bills (2-4)

28. New York Giants (1-5)

29. Indianapolis Colts (1-5)

30. Arizona Cardinals (1-5)

31. San Francisco 49ers (1-5)

32. Oakland Raiders (1-5)

NFL Predictions 2018: AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers seek their third straight divisional title in 2018. The Cincinnati Bengals last won the AFC North in 2015, but have yet to win a playoff game since the 1990 season. The Baltimore Ravens have missed the postseason in each of the past three years and have not won the division since 2012—the year they hoisted their second Lombardi Trophy. The Cleveland Browns, winless in 2017, were busy in the offseason and hope to challenge their AFC North foes after a decade of incompetence. A preview of the AFC North is detailed below:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)

Le’Veon Bell, unhappy with his current contract, missed all of training camp for the second year in a row. He will eventually return, though, and help the Steelers secure their third consecutive AFC North crown. That said, this might be Bell's final season with the Steelers as the relationship between the two sides has strained significantly due to contract disputes over the past couple seasons.

The 36-year-old Ben Roethlisberger has Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and the elusive Bell at his disposal in what should be one of the league’s most dominant offenses.

his could be the final season the trio of Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown play together. — by AP Photo

2. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)

The Ravens augmented their receiving core in the offseason, signing Michael Crabtree and John Brown in an attempt to rejuvenate Joe Flacco’s slipping career.

The Ravens were strong defensively last year—particularly proficient in forcing turnovers—so the playoffs remain a possibility through the Wild Card, even if the division becomes unattainable.

But reviving Flacco’s quarterback play seems like a long shot, even with a revamped offensive cast. After all, there’s a reason they drafted Lamar Jackson in the first round.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)

It’s baffling that Marvin Lewis still coaches the Bengals. News broke last year that he was planning to leave the team at his own will at season’s end, but those plans fell through. Lewis has returned to coach the franchise for the 16th straight season. He has reached the playoffs in seven of his 15 seasons with Cincinnati, but has yet to win a single playoff contest. It begs the seemingly annual question: what will it take for owner Mike Brown to fire Lewis?

For those with a glass-half-full mindset for the Bengals, it was encouraging to see Andy Dalton play so well in the preseason. The veteran QB and A.J. Green must carry the Bengals offense, which could also get a boost from second-year wideout John Ross if he builds off his preseason success.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12)

The Browns are certainly an entertaining team and proved to be a terrific choice for HBO’s Hard Knocks. Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor could turn around this anemic offense (before Baker Mayfield likely takes over in 2019), which features receivers Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, rookie Antonio Calloway and a capable backfield trio of Carlos Hyde, rookie Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson.

But the NFL is a coaching league, and as long as Hue Jackson—owner of a 1-31 record with Cleveland—is making the final calls for the franchise, the playoffs are a pipe dream.

Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time: Nos. 25-21

      In selecting the 25 greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, I took into account QB stats, accolades (Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, Offensive Player of the Year honors, MVP's, etc.), as well as regular season and postseason success--making note of the era the quarterback played in and how the game operated at that time. In this post, I rank QBs Nos. 25-21 in NFL history.
25. Ben Roethlisberger

 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2004-Present

*Active Player; This post was written before the 2014 season.

    Roethlisberger has thrived since entering the league in 2004, earning the NFL Rookie of the Year honors and setting an NFL-record with 13 wins in his rookie campaign. He became the first QB to start Conference Championship games in each of his first two seasons in the NFL—losing at home in the AFC title game to the New England Patriots in 2004—then beating the visiting Denver Broncos for the Conference title in 2005. After defeating Denver, the Steelers ousted the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, making the 23-year-old “Big Ben” the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He won another championship three years later in Super Bowl XLIII versus the Arizona Cardinals, engineering a come-from-behind eight-play, 88-yard drive capitalized by a Santonio Holmes six-yard TD reception. Holmes’ TD gave the Steelers a 27-23 lead with 35 seconds remaining in what turned out to be one of the most dramatic Super Bowl contests in league history. Big Ben guided the Steelers to another Super Bowl game two years later, but fell short to the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV...One of the most efficient passers in league history, Big Ben ranks 9^th all-time in passer rating (92.6). Among QBs with at least 100 starts, Big Ben ranks sixth in winning percentage (.710) all-time in regular season contests.

  24. Dan Fouts

San Diego Chargers, 1973-1987

   Spearheading the “Air Coryell”, Fouts directed a dynamic passing attack for a decade-plus for San Diego. The Chargers led the league in passing yards an NFL-record five consecutive years (1979-1983) under Fout’s tutelage. They also led the league in total yards in offense from 1978–83 and again in 1985. A six-time Pro Bowler, Fouts became the first QB to surpass 4,000 passing yards in three consecutive seasons (1979–81). He ranks 11th all-time in passing yards and 14th in TD passes with 254.

  23. Warren Moon

Houston Oilers, 1984-1993; Minnesota Vikings, 1994-1996; Seattle Seahawks, 1997-1998; Kansas City Chiefs, 1999-2000

After spending the first six years of his professional career north of the border in the Canadian Football League, Moon became the star quarterback of the Oilers for a decade. The highly athletic gunslinger threw for an Oilers franchise record 3,338 yards in his rookie season in 1984. He led the league in passing in 1990, earning him the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, though he placed second in MVP voting behind Joe Montana. Moon led the NFL in passing the follow season as well. He made nine Pro Bowl appearances—six with the Oilers (1988-1993), twice with the Minnesota Vikings (1994,1995) and once with the Seattle Seahawks (1997). He ranks eighth in league history with 291 TDs and 11^th overall in regular season wins with 102.

  22. Jim Kelly

Buffalo Bills, 1986–1996

    After being drafted in 1983 by the Buffalo Bills, he sat out for a season—before joining the United States Football League’s Houston Gamblers for two years. Finally joining the Bills in 1986, Kelly made an immediate impact, jumpstarting a decade of dominance in Buffalo. He made the Pro Bowl five times in a six-year span (1987-1988, 1990, 1991-1992) and earned an All-Pro selection in 1991. Kelly took the Bills to the Super Bowl four straight years (1990-1993). Though he lost all four of those contests, he remains the only QB in NFL history to lead a team to four consecutive Super Bowls. The most painful loss for Kelly and the Bills was their first defeat with the Lombardi Trophy on the line, falling to the New York Giants 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV as kicker Scott Norwood missed a last-second 47-yard field goal attempt wide right of the uprights. Kelly holds the Bills franchise record for passing yards with 35,467 (18th in NFL history). He tossed 237 TD passes in his career, placing him 19th all-time.

  21. Sid Luckman

Chicago Bears, 1939-1950

Luckman registered 11 winning seasons in 12 years with the Chicago Bears. Overall, he won 83 % of his regular season contests. Luckman steered the Bears to five NFL championships contests, winning the title four times (1940, 1941, 1943 and 1946). In his career-year of 1943, he became the first QB to throw seven touchdown passes in one game—a feat that only six other QBs in league history have tied but still none have surpassed. That season, Luckman led the league in passing yards (for the third consecutive year), completing 110 of 202 passes for 2194 yards and 28 touchdowns. His 13.9% touchdown rate, 10.9 yards per completion rate, and his 19.9 yards per pass completion rate from 1943 all still rank No. 1 for a single season in NFL history. Luckman ranks second all-time in passing yards per attempt (8.4), trailing only Cleveland Browns legend Otto Graham (9.0). Luckman led the NFL in yards per attempt an NFL record seven times, including a record five consecutive years from 1939 to 1943. The four-time NFL Champion was also a five-time All-Pro selection.