Week 7 NFL Power Rankings

A bunch of poor performances at the top means few changes, though the Lions are entering the picture as Super Bowl contenders

Dan Campbell the Lions have something special brewing in Detriot

You notice that some of the rankings shifts and movements in power rating don’t correspond exactly with intuition based solely on Week 6 results. The numbers still use some 2022 data, and prior weeks are having their effect sizes decayed, which can cause slight adjustments that look big. When lots of teams are bunched up in the middle and bottom of the NFL, even a marginal change in power rating can move a team 3-6 spots.

* The detailed information for power rankings are on the paid subscriber Google sheet (along with other site metrics). You can find previous Power Rankings write-ups on the landing page.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED IN 2023

First let’s look at the team offensive and defensive efficiencies so far in 2023, using my adjusted-score methodology to measure performance, and factoring in strength of schedule.

We have a top-2 tiers separating from the the rest of the NFL for 2023 performance, which include the teams I put in the Super Bowl mix, with one wild card. The Dolphins, Bills and 49ers are still the only teams in the top-tier, despite a loss for the 49ers to a weakened Browns team, and an uninspiring win for the Bills.