Mike Johrendt’s Week 7 power rankings send the Cleveland Browns up 12 places to 11th, the largest gain on his board, and drop the Los Angeles Rams 12 to 16th, while the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills stay first and second.
Johrendt published before Monday night, so the 49ers and the Washington Commanders are ranked ahead of their game in Santa Clara, and the four clubs on bye in Week 6, Minnesota, Detroit, Cincinnati and Miami, are listed without a change.
Johrendt’s full Week 7 order
| Rank | Team | Record | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-0* | Monday night |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills | 5-1 | No change |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | 5-0 | +2 |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-2 | -1 |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | 4-2 | +6 |
| 6 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-0 | Bye week |
| 7 | Denver Broncos | 4-2 | +2 |
| 8 | New England Patriots | 4-2 | +4 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 4-2 | -2 |
| 10 | Detroit Lions | 3-2 | Bye week |
| 11 | Cleveland Browns | 4-2 | +12 |
| 12 | Green Bay Packers | 4-2 | +2 |
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | Bye week |
| 14 | Seattle Seahawks | 3-3 | -6 |
| 15 | Carolina Panthers | 3-2 | +2 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Rams | 2-4 | -12 |
| 17 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3-3 | -2 |
| 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-2 | +1 |
| 19 | New York Giants | 3-2-1 | -1 |
| 20 | New Orleans Saints | 2-4 | +1 |
| 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2-4 | -5 |
| 22 | Houston Texans | 2-4 | +2 |
| 23 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-4 | -3 |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts | 2-4 | -2 |
| 25 | Atlanta Falcons | 2-4 | -1 |
| 26 | New York Jets | 2-4 | No change |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | 2-4 | +3 |
| 28 | Washington Commanders | 1-3-1* | Monday night |
| 29 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-5 | -2 |
| 30 | Tennessee Titans | 1-5 | +1 |
| 31 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0-6 | -2 |
| 32 | Miami Dolphins | 0-5 | Bye week |
Records through Sunday, October 18. *The 49ers and Commanders play Monday night. Change is measured against Johrendt’s previous list as he marked it.
The top of the board
San Francisco is first again and can reach 6-0 against Washington. Buffalo stays second as the best of the AFC in his view after a 33-30 win at Las Vegas in which Josh Allen threw for 255 yards and two scores while Tyler Bass kicked four field goals for 15 points.
The Kansas City Chiefs climb two places to third after a 22-6 home win over the Chargers. Johrendt noted that Patrick Mahomes threw for 272 yards without a touchdown and that Kenneth Walker III did the scoring with two rushing touchdowns. The Jacksonville Jaguars slip one to fourth after losing to Houston in London on a field goal at the gun, a game in which Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes but connected with Parker Washington on only 4 of 11 targets.
The Chicago Bears rise six to fifth. Johrendt credited Caleb Williams’s return for an offense that spread the ball: Colston Loveland found the end zone for his first score of the year, and the tight end plus receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III caught 17 balls for 199 yards between them in the 31-23 win at Atlanta.
Cleveland’s climb
The Browns beat Baltimore 13-10 on Andre Szmyt’s late field goal to reach 4-2, stay unbeaten at home and sit in a share of first place in the AFC North. Johrendt was not dazzled by the offense, which needed only an Audric Estime touchdown run and two Szmyt kicks, but he liked a defense that produced three sacks and two forced fumbles, and he called the start a pleasant surprise for Todd Monken in his first season as a head coach.
ELECTRIC ANDRE SZMYT#BALvsCLE on Fox pic.twitter.com/j2so7EjRD9
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 18, 2026
The New England Patriots also moved up four to eighth after Drake Maye spread three touchdown passes among Hunter Henry, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas against the Jets, and the Arizona Cardinals gained three to 27th behind Chad Ryland’s six field goals, the last one as time expired.
The Rams’ fall, and Seattle’s
Johrendt described the 18-16 home loss to Arizona as one of the low points of Sean McVay’s time in Los Angeles, with Matthew Stafford sacked three times and the offense beaten in nearly every phase. The Rams fall from fourth to 16th.
The Seattle Seahawks drop six to 14th after an overtime loss at Denver, where Sam Darnold threw two interceptions even as Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 12 passes for 134 yards. The Philadelphia Eagles fall five to 21st after scoring 14 at home without Jalen Hurts and rushing for 35 yards, and the Dallas Cowboys lose three to 23rd after their 23-13 defeat at Green Bay.
What comes next
Week 7 starts Thursday with the Patriots at the Bears. The Browns play at Tennessee, the Rams visit Las Vegas and the Chiefs go to Seattle on Sunday night, while Buffalo is on its bye.
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