Minnesota moves to the top of my NFL power ratings after Week 6, ahead of Kansas City and San Francisco. All three remain unbeaten: the Vikings and Chiefs are 5–0, while the 49ers are 6–0. New England climbs into fourth, with Denver holding fifth.
Like last week’s post, this overview includes the full power rankings, the Elo top 10 and quick top-five looks at wins above average, team offense, team defense, quarterbacks and skill players. These tables preserve the Week 6 snapshot from my October 20 ratings update; the linked ratings pages will continue to update during the season.
Power Ratings
Minnesota climbs from third to first at 107.435, despite having no additional game in this update. Changes in opponents’ ratings can move a team’s rating even when its own record stays the same. Kansas City holds second at 106.964, while San Francisco slips from first to third at 106.682. The gap between first and third is just 0.753.
New England moves from sixth to fourth at 103.624. Denver is only 0.048 behind the Patriots, and Jacksonville is another 0.009 back in sixth.
| Rank | Team | Won | Lost | Tied | PF | PA | Rating | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  MINNESOTA |
5 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 64 | 107.435 | 99.619 |
| 2 |  KANSAS CITY |
5 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 83 | 106.964 | 98.050 |
| 3 |  SAN FRANCISCO |
6 | 0 | 0 | 177 | 110 | 106.682 | 98.451 |
| 4 |  NEW ENGLAND |
4 | 2 | 0 | 136 | 113 | 103.624 | 101.544 |
| 5 |  DENVER |
4 | 2 | 0 | 114 | 125 | 103.576 | 101.755 |
| 6 |  JACKSONVILLE |
4 | 2 | 0 | 154 | 104 | 103.567 | 100.615 |
| 7 |  CHICAGO |
4 | 2 | 0 | 150 | 119 | 103.392 | 101.282 |
| 8 |  BUFFALO |
5 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 171 | 103.380 | 99.223 |
| 9 |  GREEN BAY |
4 | 2 | 0 | 127 | 125 | 102.572 | 100.579 |
| 10 |  CAROLINA |
3 | 2 | 0 | 146 | 123 | 102.411 | 100.558 |
| 11 |  CLEVELAND |
4 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 122 | 102.020 | 100.725 |
| 12 |  PITTSBURGH |
4 | 2 | 0 | 137 | 128 | 101.719 | 100.016 |
| 13 |  DETROIT |
3 | 2 | 0 | 164 | 148 | 101.359 | 100.096 |
| 14 |  CINCINNATI |
3 | 2 | 0 | 128 | 109 | 100.755 | 99.173 |
| 15 |  SEATTLE |
3 | 3 | 0 | 148 | 122 | 100.692 | 99.922 |
| 16 |  LAS VEGAS |
3 | 3 | 0 | 162 | 162 | 100.649 | 100.349 |
| 17 |  BALTIMORE |
4 | 2 | 0 | 156 | 132 | 99.615 | 97.633 |
| 18 |  ATLANTA |
2 | 4 | 0 | 142 | 153 | 99.387 | 101.391 |
| 19 |  NY JETS |
2 | 4 | 0 | 112 | 122 | 99.258 | 100.994 |
| 20 |  LA RAMS |
2 | 4 | 0 | 135 | 138 | 98.848 | 100.724 |
| 21 |  NEW ORLEANS |
2 | 4 | 0 | 152 | 178 | 98.637 | 100.955 |
| 22 |  TAMPA BAY |
1 | 5 | 0 | 119 | 138 | 97.779 | 101.788 |
| 23 |  NY GIANTS |
3 | 2 | 1 | 136 | 140 | 97.284 | 96.430 |
| 24 |  HOUSTON |
2 | 4 | 0 | 144 | 143 | 97.085 | 98.910 |
| 25 |  ARIZONA |
2 | 4 | 0 | 126 | 178 | 96.793 | 99.773 |
| 26 |  PHILADELPHIA |
2 | 4 | 0 | 106 | 137 | 96.631 | 99.383 |
| 27 |  INDIANAPOLIS |
2 | 4 | 0 | 144 | 164 | 96.534 | 98.910 |
| 28 |  DALLAS |
2 | 4 | 0 | 151 | 159 | 96.225 | 98.236 |
| 29 |  MIAMI |
0 | 5 | 0 | 70 | 132 | 95.714 | 104.497 |
| 30 |  WASHINGTON |
1 | 4 | 1 | 132 | 172 | 95.081 | 99.008 |
| 31 |  LA CHARGERS |
0 | 6 | 0 | 90 | 151 | 93.776 | 102.009 |
| 32 |  TENNESSEE |
1 | 5 | 0 | 84 | 129 | 92.998 | 97.734 |
Houston makes the biggest climb, rising six places from 30th to 24th. Arizona moves from 29th to 25th, and Detroit climbs from 17th to 13th. Indianapolis falls six spots to 27th, while the Rams drop five places to 20th.
Elo Ratings Top 10
Seattle remains first in Elo at 1612.229, with San Francisco moving ahead of Jacksonville into second. New England rises to third, Jacksonville falls to fourth, and Buffalo holds fifth. Kansas City returns to the top 10 as Baltimore drops out.
Seattle is 15th in power but first in Elo. Elo carries forward from the previous season, so it brings a longer history into the rankings than the current-season power ratings.
| Rank | Team | Record | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEATTLE |
3–3 | 1612.229 |
| 2 | SAN FRANCISCO |
6–0 | 1587.818 |
| 3 | NEW ENGLAND |
4–2 | 1582.112 |
| 4 | JACKSONVILLE |
4–2 | 1580.088 |
| 5 | BUFFALO |
5–1 | 1577.610 |
| 6 | DENVER |
4–2 | 1553.243 |
| 7 | MINNESOTA |
5–0 | 1552.413 |
| 8 | LA RAMS |
2–4 | 1551.343 |
| 9 | HOUSTON |
2–4 | 1541.888 |
| 10 | KANSAS CITY |
5–0 | 1536.144 |
Wins Above Average Top 5
Wins above average compares actual wins with the wins a league-average team would be expected to earn against the same opponents. Ties count as half a win. These rankings use the version with home-field advantage included.
San Francisco takes first at +2.471, ahead of Minnesota at +2.405. Kansas City remains third, Buffalo moves into fourth, and Denver holds fifth. Jacksonville falls from fourth to ninth.
| Rank | Team | Wins | Expected Wins (HFA) | WAA (HFA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAN FRANCISCO |
6.0 | 3.529 | +2.471 |
| 2 | MINNESOTA |
5.0 | 2.595 | +2.405 |
| 3 | KANSAS CITY |
5.0 | 2.998 | +2.002 |
| 4 | BUFFALO |
5.0 | 3.232 | +1.768 |
| 5 | DENVER |
4.0 | 2.540 | +1.460 |
Full wins above average rankings
Team Offense Top 5
Scoring Average
Buffalo edges ahead of Detroit in scoring average, 32.83 to 32.80 points per game. San Francisco is third at 29.50, followed by Carolina and Kansas City. Scoring average is total points scored divided by games played, without an opponent adjustment.
| Rank | Team | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUF |
32.83 |
| 2 | DET |
32.80 |
| 3 | SF |
29.50 |
| 4 | CAR |
29.20 |
| 5 | KC |
28.00 |
Adjusted Scoring
Buffalo stays first in adjusted scoring at +10.01. Detroit rises to second, followed by Carolina, San Francisco and Jacksonville. Adjusted scoring measures production relative to the defenses each team has faced; higher values are better. Buffalo is scoring 10.01 points per game above its opponents’ defensive benchmark.
| Rank | Team | Points Per Game | Adjusted Scoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUF |
32.83 | +10.01 |
| 2 | DET |
32.80 | +7.51 |
| 3 | CAR |
29.20 | +6.72 |
| 4 | SF |
29.50 | +5.69 |
| 5 | JAX |
25.67 | +5.11 |
Team Defense Top 5
Scoring Average Allowed
Minnesota continues to allow the fewest points per game at 12.80. Kansas City moves into second at 16.60, followed by Jacksonville, San Francisco and New England. Lower averages are better here.
| Rank | Team | Points Allowed Per Game |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIN |
12.80 |
| 2 | KC |
16.60 |
| 3 | JAX |
17.33 |
| 4 | SF |
18.33 |
| 5 | NE |
18.83 |
Adjusted Scoring
Minnesota moves ahead of New England into first in adjusted defense at +9.96. Jacksonville remains third, Cleveland rises into fourth, and Denver holds fifth. Positive adjusted scoring means holding opponents below their usual scoring output; higher values are better. Minnesota is holding opponents 9.96 points per game below their scoring benchmark.
| Rank | Team | Points Allowed Per Game | Adjusted Scoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIN |
12.80 | +9.96 |
| 2 | NE |
18.83 | +7.73 |
| 3 | JAX |
17.33 | +4.59 |
| 4 | CLE |
20.33 | +4.13 |
| 5 | DEN |
20.83 | +4.04 |
Quarterback Ratings Top 5
Brock Purdy remains first in my Quarterback Efficiency Ratings (QER) at 94.9, with 1,460 passing yards, 14 touchdown passes and two interceptions. Lamar Jackson and Jared Goff hold second and third. Josh Allen moves ahead of Joe Burrow into fourth, while C.J. Stroud enters the top five.
QER combines passing efficiency and production with a bonus for qualifying rushing performance. The current minimum is 84 pass attempts.
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | QER | Pass Yards | Pass TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brock Purdy | |
94.9 | 1460 | 14 | 2 |
| 2 | Lamar Jackson | |
86.5 | 967 | 6 | 1 |
| 3 | Jared Goff | |
85.1 | 1485 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | Josh Allen | |
84.6 | 1504 | 9 | 4 |
| 5 | C.J. Stroud | |
76.9 | 1714 | 9 | 1 |
Full quarterback ratings and methodology
Skill Player Ratings Top 5
My Scrimmage Performance Ratings (SPR) compare players within their positions using production, per-game output, efficiency and ball security. Each position gets its own top five.
Jahmyr Gibbs stays first among running backs at 95.0, with Kenneth Walker III closing the gap at 92.5. James Cook and Jonathan Taylor enter the top five. Jaxon Smith-Njigba remains first among receivers with 733 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns. Brock Bowers holds the tight end lead, while Isaiah Likely moves into second.
Running Backs
| Rank | Player | Team | Scrimmage Yards | TD | SPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | |
747 | 9 | 95.0 |
| 2 | Kenneth Walker III | |
760 | 8 | 92.5 |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson | |
785 | 5 | 79.7 |
| 4 | James Cook | |
716 | 6 | 77.9 |
| 5 | Jonathan Taylor | |
655 | 7 | 74.2 |
Wide Receivers
| Rank | Player | Team | Scrimmage Yards | TD | SPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | |
733 | 7 | 95.9 |
| 2 | Christian Watson | |
538 | 6 | 75.1 |
| 3 | CeeDee Lamb | |
571 | 4 | 70.8 |
| 4 | Chris Olave | |
580 | 2 | 68.1 |
| 5 | Davante Adams | |
480 | 4 | 65.1 |
Tight Ends
| Rank | Player | Team | Scrimmage Yards | TD | SPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brock Bowers | |
382 | 3 | 87.7 |
| 2 | Isaiah Likely | |
383 | 5 | 84.9 |
| 3 | George Kittle | |
337 | 5 | 79.4 |
| 4 | Sam LaPorta | |
316 | 3 | 72.2 |
| 5 | Trey McBride | |
361 | 3 | 70.1 |
Full skill player ratings and methodology
Strength of Schedule
Miami has played the toughest schedule in my power ratings at 104.497, followed by the Chargers at 102.009. Tampa Bay, Denver and New England complete the top five.
The Giants have played the easiest schedule so far, followed by Baltimore, Tennessee, Kansas City and Dallas. These ratings describe games already played, not the remaining schedule. With teams having played five or six games, the rankings still have plenty of room to move as we learn more about each opponent.
All of the team and player rankings are available on the 2026 NFL rankings page.