NFL power rankings Week 7: Bears inching up slowly but surely

1. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: No. 1)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: No. 2)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: No. 4)
4. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: No. 3)
5. Tennessee Titans (Last week: No. 6)

The Browns had averaged 37.5 points per game in their previous four contests. Cleveland then arrived in Pittsburgh for a key AFC North battle, and arguably the best defense in the NFL limited the Browns to just seven total points. We focused quite a bit last week on the emergence of Steelers receiver Chase Claypool, who looks like a legitimate star, but make no mistake, this is a team built around its defense. Losing Devin Bush to a season-ending ACL tear is unfortunate, but the Steelers are holding opponents to less than 19 points per game. Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick are part of a defensive unit that makes you believe that the Steelers have a chance to make a deep playoff run.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: No. 10)
7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: No. 4)
8. New Orleans Saints (Last week: No. 12)
9. Cleveland Browns (Last week: No. 7)
10. Buffalo Bills (Last week: No. 9)

In their four wins, the Browns have outscored opponents 150-111. In their two losses, the Browns have been outscored by an embarrassing total of 76-13. To make matters worse, the team's two losses came at the hands of division rivals in the Ravens and Steelers. As the Browns wait for Nick Chubb to return, it will be interesting to see how Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry and Kareem Hunt respond against the Bengals this week. Can they rebound from a second difficult divisional loss and regain that swagger?

11. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: No. 13)
12. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: No. 15)
13. Chicago Bears (Last week: No. 16)
14. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: No. 14)
15. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: No. 11)

Perhaps it's unfair to have a team that's 5-1 outside the top 10, but we're continuing to keep the Bears at bay at this point. The Bears have a plus-12 point differential after six weeks. By comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs, the sport's other 5-1 team, have a plus-48 point differential. The debate here isn't whether the Bears will contend for a playoff spot. It's whether they will continue to be in the mix for the top seed in the NFC. That seems unlikely, given the offense's limitations. Nick Foles and company are about to hit a difficult stretch in their schedule, as four of their next five opponents -- the Rams, Saints, Titans and Packers -- have winning records. If the Bears make it through that stretch at the top of the NFC North, they'll certainly jump into the top 10 and probably higher.

16. New England Patriots (Last week: No. 8)
17. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: No. 18)
18. Miami Dolphins (Last week: No. 23)
19. Carolina Panthers (Last week: No. 17)
20. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: No. 20)

Sunday brought a disastrous effort by the Patriots, who now find themselves in the unfamiliar spot of being 2-3 and under .500 in late October. It won't get easier for the Patriots either. They'll see old friend Jimmy Garoppolo and a resurgent 49ers team this week and have matchups against Bills and Ravens on tap in two of their next three games after that. In an AFC East in which no one is running away, it'll be interesting to see if Cam Newton can help to rally a team that has a negative point differential through its first five games.

21. Detroit Lions (Last week: No. 26)
22. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: No. 19)
23. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: No. 22)
24. Houston Texans (Last week: No. 24)
25. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: No. 21)

Never mind the NFC East, the Cowboys didn't look like a team that will win another game this season in their first game without Dak Prescott, getting shellacked by the Cardinals on Monday night. Andy Dalton really struggled in his first start, throwing two interceptions and looking rusty. The bigger concern might be that Ezekiel Elliott fumbled twice, upping his total on the season to five. What's more, the former All-Pro doesn't seem to run with the same explosion that he once did, a concerning sign for the Cowboys, who can't get out of his deal until after the 2022 season. It feels like a matter of when defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will be fired, not if. After an underwhelming finish in to his tenure in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy needs a much better showing the rest of the way out himself.