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    • Jets and Bills fly in opposite directions
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    Jets and Bills fly in opposite directions

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    NFL power rankings entering Week 7 of the 2024 season (previous rank in parentheses):

    1. Kansas City Chiefs (1): After the bye, four of their next six are on the road – starting with Sunday’s Super Bowl rematches against the Niners, who are 0-4 against Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Co. since Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017. The Chiefs have a total Won 11 times in a row.

    2. Baltimore Ravens (3): Lamar Jackson is now 449 yards away from breaking Michael Vick’s career record (6,109) for rushing yards by a quarterback, meaning he should break it sometime in Week 13. In the short term, Jackson can improve on his 22-1 mark against NFC teams, an interconference record winning percentage of .956 since the conferences in 1970, Monday night at Tampa Bay.

    3. Minnesota Vikings (2): Leading an NFC North that is off to a historically good start, the Vikes currently hold the division’s only win in 2024, but will get another chance to confirm their (undefeated) legitimacy when the Lions head into the playoffs on Sunday Twin Cities are coming.

    4.Detroit Lions (4): The league’s highest scoring team posted its first set of consecutive 40-burgers in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). Unfortunately, the offense may not have the luxury of slacking off at all given Sunday’s defensive slump when Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Aidan Hutchinson left with a broken tibia.

    5. Atlanta Falcons (5): After trailing their division opponents by three games, they are ready to host a Seattle team that appears unwilling to stop an ATL ground game that yielded a season-high 198 yards on Sunday.

    6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6): After Sunday’s win in New Orleans, they returned to their hurricane-ravaged homeland and faced a schedule that will serve Baltimore, Atlanta, Kansas City and San Francisco in consecutive weeks before the bye. But it sounds like the Bucs have found something more to play for. “Our hearts are meant for the city. “It’s a tough city,” HC Todd Bowles said after the win. “We don’t know what we’re coming back to, but for our part we wanted to get one for the city.”

    7. Green Bay Packers (10): With WR Romeo Doubs scoring two touchdowns on Sunday after being suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team, the Pack appears to be somewhat complete for the first time since Week 1. That should help since five of the next seven games are against 2023 playoff squads.

    8. Houston Texans (8): If there’s such a thing as a quiet 5:1, look no further. But after bringing back RB Joe Mixon and scoring 41 points, Houston’s most in a regular-season game in nearly three years, things could soon get loud.

    9. Washington Commanders (7): A defense that was mediocre at best could ill afford to lose longtime captain Jonathan Allen to a season-ending pectoral injury. The Commanders are particularly thin up front and will face two of the hottest runners in the league: Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard and Chicago’s D’Andre Swift.

    10. Buffalo Bills (11): Monday night’s win represents a pretty clear path to a fifth straight AFC East title – especially considering the schedule looks to be slowing down next month after three difficult road games in a row. And rookie RB Ray Davis’ breakout effort (152 yards from field) suggests there’s little reason for James Cook to recover from his toe injury. Personally, QB Josh Allen’s 233 combined touchdowns (passing and rushing) are the most by a player in his first seven seasons.

    11. Philadelphia Eagles (9): It’s never a good sign when your head coach becomes a chronic distraction, especially at a time when you’re struggling to beat arguably the worst team in the league. It’s worth keeping an eye on, even though Philly won’t play until November 14th against an opponent that currently has a winning record.

    12. San Francisco 49ers (13): They don’t set off again until November 10th. In the meantime? It might be a good idea to continue feeding wide back Deebo Samuel, the first wideout in league history with 20 career touchdowns, both rushing and receiving.

    13. Indianapolis Colts (15): Despite his myriad injuries, Indy shows grit and depth… and could soon find himself in the middle of a Joe Flacco-fueled quarterback controversy that Cleveland wanted no part of.

    14. Chicago Bears (19): How much are they buzzing with rookie QB Caleb Williams? Chicago’s offense scored five touchdowns in consecutive games for the first time in the Super Bowl era.

    15. Dallas Cowboys (14): They’re back home this week, but the Cowboys habit This time they’re getting kicked out… if only because it’s their bye, which at least – apparently – HC Mike McCarthy can relax about. At the moment. After that, the next two games won’t be at Jerry World, although the trip to San Francisco and Atlanta hardly means traveling.

    16. Pittsburgh Steelers (16): Another win, another injured offensive lineman (rookie C Zach Frazier). It is not a sustainable formula.

    17. Los Angeles Chargers (18): After Sunday’s win in Denver, HC Jim Harbaugh triumphantly declared that he was “2-0 with cardiac arrhythmia” after another irregular heartbeat forced him to miss the start of the game. Sorry, Coach, but not a sustainable formula either.

    18.Cincinnati Bengals (20): An unwanted league-record streak of 75 consecutive games that allowed at least double-digit point wins ended on Sunday evening with a 17-7 victory over the Giants. Imagine if Cincy finally managed to get a full 60 minutes together…

    19. Denver Broncos (17): RB Javonte Williams has the most touches in the league (79) without scoring a touchdown, and only four teams have fewer trips to the end zone than Denver’s 10.

    All players and plays: Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletters for NFL news.

    20. Arizona Cardinals (12): They started Sunday with a league-low 19 penalties … and then committed 13 and three errors, leading to a 21-point loss at Lambeau.

    21. New York Jets (21): I cannot blame Robert Saleh for this loss. Or actually Aaron Rodgers, who perhaps had his best game as a Jet. Or even a running game that ranked last in the league in Week 6 but managed 121 yards. Aside from the entire operation being less than the sum of its parts for various reasons, perhaps it would help if Rodgers had someone other than struggling WR Mike Williams to fall back on in crucial moments?

    22. New York Giants (22): They don’t have many “key players”, but almost all of them were not in the squad due to injuries. A tribute to HC Brian Daboll – and, frankly, QB Daniel Jones – that the G-Men have remained competitive.

    23. Seattle Seahawks (23): On Monday, they made a trade for DT Roy Robertson-Harris…which is notable mostly because you’d think they’d want one offensive Lineman.

    24. Los Angeles Rams (24): The Raiders could be a cure for their worst run defense in the league. But even with the bye now in the rearview, it’s unclear when WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua will return to fill a passing offense with the fewest touchdowns (3) in the NFC.

    25. New Orleans Saints (25): Sean Payton, the winningest coach of all time, will be in the Superdome on Thursday night. If he (and his Broncos) pull off another win in The Big Easy, the Saints, currently sitting at an NFC-worst four-game deficit, could be finished.

    26. Carolina Panthers (26): Demoted QB Bryce Young may be a symbol of this club’s problems… but it’s the defense that has already given up 25 more points than any other team.

    27. Las Vegas Raiders (27): They trailed by at least ten points in all six games, the first time in franchise history that the Silver and Black have started a season this way.

    28. Tennessee Titans (28): They are scheduled to face a team, New England, that has a losing record through Week 13 – so there should be plenty of opportunities to target WR Calvin Ridley.

    29. Miami Dolphins (29): HC Mike McDaniel announced that QB Tua Tagovailoa will return to action this season, but did not know when. Tagovailoa is eligible to come off IR before the Oct. 27 date against Arizona. The season appears salvageable if Miami can stay within a game of .500 until he’s ready.

    30. New England Patriots (31): They have a guy they’re building something special with – Bryce Baringer with a league-best streak of 23 consecutive games and a punt of at least 50 yards. Oh, and rookie quarterback Drake Maye showed promise in his starting debut — as inconsistent as you’d expect.

    31. Cleveland Browns (32): S Rodney McLeod Jr. is tied for the team lead with two touchdowns, both off returns. Sums up the state of an offense that has yet to score 19 points in a game this season.

    32. Jacksonville Jaguars (30): They bring some momentum into Sunday after winning their last game in London…on being named the home team…in 2023. Oh nonsense, they’re a bloody mess.

    ***

    Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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