Nick Shook’s Week 7 power rankings drop the Los Angeles Rams 12 places to 24th, the biggest fall on his board, and lift the Houston Texans 11 places to 14th, while the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers stay No. 1 after surviving Washington on Monday night.
“San Francisco flirted with an epic collapse,” Shook wrote, but the 49ers’ defensive line sacked Jayden Daniels to finish off a 23-17 win. “Kyle Shanahan’s propensity for letting things get a little too close for comfort reared its unwelcome head again, but San Francisco finished the job like a proven winner usually does,” he added. “They’re undefeated and keeping the throne.”
Shook’s full Week 7 order
| Rank | Team | Record | Last week | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers | 6-0 | 1 | No change |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | 5-0 | 2 | No change |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | 5-1 | 6 | +3 |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-0 | 7 | +3 |
| 5 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-2 | 5 | No change |
| 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | 9 | +3 |
| 7 | New England Patriots | 4-2 | 10 | +3 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | 4-2 | 4 | -4 |
| 9 | Denver Broncos | 4-2 | 8 | -1 |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 3-3 | 3 | -7 |
| 11 | Chicago Bears | 4-2 | 13 | +2 |
| 12 | Detroit Lions | 3-2 | 11 | -1 |
| 13 | Carolina Panthers | 3-2 | 14 | +1 |
| 14 | Houston Texans | 2-4 | 25 | +11 |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers | 4-2 | 16 | +1 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | 4-2 | 21 | +5 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-2 | 22 | +5 |
| 18 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3-3 | 19 | +1 |
| 19 | Atlanta Falcons | 2-4 | 15 | -4 |
| 20 | New Orleans Saints | 2-4 | 27 | +7 |
| 21 | New York Giants | 3-2-1 | 17 | -4 |
| 22 | Arizona Cardinals | 2-4 | 31 | +9 |
| 23 | Washington Commanders | 1-4-1 | 28 | +5 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Rams | 2-4 | 12 | -12 |
| 25 | New York Jets | 2-4 | 20 | -5 |
| 26 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-4 | 18 | -8 |
| 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-5 | 23 | -4 |
| 28 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2-4 | 26 | -2 |
| 29 | Tennessee Titans | 1-5 | 32 | +3 |
| 30 | Indianapolis Colts | 2-4 | 24 | -6 |
| 31 | Miami Dolphins | 0-5 | 29 | -2 |
| 32 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0-6 | 30 | -2 |
“Last week” is worked out from the movement Shook marked beside each team.
“A mess that Sean McVay needs to start to clean up”
The Rams were 12th a week ago. After the 18-16 home loss to Arizona, Shook listed the damage: Davante Adams out for more than a month, Myles Garrett still not back, two defensive tackles lost on Sunday, and a team already “in need of a third kicker in 2026.” He also noted that they “looked evenly matched against a team I ranked 31st last week.”
The Cardinals, that 31st-ranked team, jump nine places to 22nd. “Perhaps the Cardinals should just become the third tenant at SoFi Stadium. It’s where they play their best football,” Shook wrote, pointing out that Arizona won in Inglewood for the second time this season without scoring a touchdown or having its starting running back.
Texans, Saints and Steelers on the rise
Houston’s 11-place climb follows its win over Jacksonville at Wembley. Shook says the defense has moved closer to its old form since DeMeco Ryans took over the play calling, and that C.J. Stroud’s London performance was “simply exquisite” apart from a late interception in the end zone. “If the Texans can sustain their turnaround, he’ll force his way into the MVP conversation,” he wrote.
The New Orleans Saints rise seven to 20th after coming back from 10-0 down to win 34-27 at MetLife Stadium with five straight scoring drives. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns each climb five, to 17th and 16th. Pittsburgh “finally found enough offensive production to win a game in an even-numbered week,” Shook joked, after Aaron Rodgers led a 12-play, 70-yard overtime drive that ended with rookie Germie Bernard’s 6-yard touchdown catch. Of Cleveland, first in the AFC North at the latest point of a season since 2014, he wrote: “we must respect this team even if it doesn’t make perfect sense.”
The Washington Commanders also move up five, to 23rd, despite the loss. Shook said the second half in Santa Clara showed “this team has fight in it,” even after Terry McLaurin was carted off with a knee injury.
The top 10
Behind the 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings each move up three, to third and fourth. Shook called Buffalo’s narrow win over the Raiders “not a trustworthy brand of football, but it’s working,” and said Minnesota’s defense “is elite and on a path toward claiming a place in history.” Of Kenneth Walker III he wrote that the Chiefs back “remains one of the most valuable players in the NFL” and possibly the most valuable.
The Cincinnati Bengals climb three places to sixth during their bye, tied with Prisco for the highest spot any of the major Week 7 lists gives them. The Baltimore Ravens fall four to eighth after losing to the Browns, but Shook pushed back on the obvious complaint: they have played the last two games with a backup quarterback, and “I still believe they’d likely beat the collection of teams behind them.” The Seattle Seahawks drop seven to 10th. “Sam Darnold has a turnover problem, and the Seahawks rely too heavily on Jaxon Smith-Njigba,” he wrote.
Cowboys, Colts and the bottom
The Dallas Cowboys fall eight to 26th. “I’ve lost all faith in the Cowboys,” Shook wrote, adding that the NFC East “has never been more winnable” but that he does not see Dallas finishing on top. The New York Giants drop four to 21st after Jameis Winston’s two interceptions and benching, and Shook asked: “Is McCarthy going to replace Winston as starter? And why is John Harbaugh so combative with the media?”
The Indianapolis Colts fall six to 30th after the loss to Tennessee that cost general manager Chris Ballard his job. “Firing a GM midseason usually doesn’t produce sudden improvement,” Shook wrote, “meaning the Colts are what their record says they are.” The Philadelphia Eagles, now without Jalen Hurts for the season because of blood clots, are 28th, with one word to sum up the year: “Disaster.” The Titans move up three to 29th after their first win, while the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers fill the last two spots. Shook expects “staff changes are near” for the Chargers’ offense.
His list is one of eight in our Week 7 power rankings consensus, where only Smith matches him in putting the Rams as low as 24th.
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