Adam Pfeifer’s Week 6 power rankings: Seahawks hold at No. 3, Broncos slip to 11th before Thursday night, and the 5-0 Vikings are seventh

Adam Pfeifer’s Week 6 power rankings put eight spots between the two teams that open the week. His list keeps the Seattle Seahawks at No. 3 and has the Denver Broncos 11th, one spot lower than last week, before the two meet Thursday night in Denver.

Pfeifer opened his rankings by saying it feels like “there are only five or six truly great teams in the NFL right now.” His top six have not moved since last week: the 49ers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Bills, Jaguars and Ravens. The 5-0 Minnesota Vikings are seventh.

Pfeifer’s full Week 6 order

Rank	Team	Record	Change
1	San Francisco 49ers	5-0	No change
2	Kansas City Chiefs	4-0	No change
3	Seattle Seahawks	3-2	No change
4	Buffalo Bills	4-1	No change
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	4-1	No change
6	Baltimore Ravens	4-1	No change
7	Minnesota Vikings	5-0	+6
8	Los Angeles Rams	2-3	-1
9	New England Patriots	3-2	+8
10	Cincinnati Bengals	3-2	-1
11	Denver Broncos	3-2	-1
12	Detroit Lions	3-2	+3
13	Chicago Bears	3-2	-5
14	Carolina Panthers	2-2	Bye week
15	Green Bay Packers	3-2	+9
16	Pittsburgh Steelers	3-2	+7
17	Dallas Cowboys	2-3	-6
18	Atlanta Falcons	2-3	-2
19	Las Vegas Raiders	3-2	-7
20	New York Giants	3-1-1	-1
21	Philadelphia Eagles	2-3	-3
22	Houston Texans	1-4	+3
23	New York Jets	2-3	+4
24	Cleveland Browns	3-2	-3
25	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-4	+5
26	Indianapolis Colts	2-3	-6
27	Washington Commanders	1-3-1	+1
28	New Orleans Saints	1-4	-6
29	Miami Dolphins	0-5	+2
30	Los Angeles Chargers	0-5	-1
31	Arizona Cardinals	1-4	-5
32	Tennessee Titans	0-5	—

Why Seattle stays third after a loss

Seattle is 3-2 after a 32-29 home loss to San Francisco, but Pfeifer did not drop the Seahawks. “Losing to the top team in the league in a close game shouldn’t result in your ranking plummeting,” he wrote. He did add a warning: Sam Darnold “absolutely needs to start taking better care of the football” after five interceptions in his last three games.

Seattle will be short-handed in Denver. The Seahawks have ruled out linebacker Drake Thomas and running back Zach Charbonnet for Thursday’s game.

The case against Bo Nix

Pfeifer was much harder on Denver. Sean Payton took over play-calling against the Chargers, and Pfeifer wrote that “you wouldn’t have noticed.” The Broncos averaged 3.9 yards per play, and Bo Nix threw for 123 yards on 27 attempts. Pfeifer said Nix “continues to look like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league,” pointing to poor pocket presence and missed throws over the middle.

He still sees an opening for Denver. “A Thursday night test against the defending Super Bowl champions is the ideal time for a statement game,” he wrote. The Broncos will be without safety Talanoa Hufanga, who is expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury.

The 5-0 Vikings at No. 7, the 2-3 Rams at No. 8

Minnesota climbed six spots, but Pfeifer admitted he is “honestly not sure if the 5-0 Vikings are the seventh-best team in the league.” He called the defense elite and said Kyler Murray and the offense “just have to be competent” for the Vikings to have a chance each week.

The Rams are right behind them despite a losing record. Pfeifer said he trusts their coaching and talent more than teams with better records, and that they probably should have beaten the Bills in Monday’s overtime loss.

Packers and Patriots climb, Raiders fall

Green Bay had the biggest jump on the list, nine spots to 15th, after Jordan Love kept attacking downfield in the win over the Bears. New England moved up eight spots to ninth. Pfeifer said Drake Maye “looks like MVP candidate Drake Maye” again after wins in Buffalo and over the Raiders.

Las Vegas had the biggest drop, seven spots to 19th, after the 45-17 loss to the Patriots. The Cowboys, Colts and Saints each fell six spots. Pfeifer called the Cowboys’ home loss to the Buccaneers “unacceptable.”

The bottom four

The 0-5 Titans are last. Pfeifer noted they score touchdowns on 12.8 percent of drives, the lowest rate in the league. Arizona fell five spots to 31st. The winless Chargers are 30th, and Pfeifer told their fans to “start dreaming about Jeremiah Smith.” The winless Dolphins moved up two spots to 29th because, he wrote, they have been in every game except their Week 2 loss to San Francisco.

For how the other national lists compare, see our Week 6 power rankings roundup and Tom Brady’s Week 6 top 10, which has Seattle and Denver eighth and ninth.