Tom Henigan
The NFL season is in full swing, and after six weeks we are starting to see which teams will be real contenders this year. Impact’s Tom Henigan has ranked the top five NFL teams after six game weeks.
Number 5 – Houston Texans (5-1)
In the 2023 season, the Houston Texans shocked everyone. This was a team that won three games in the whole of the 2022 season, but everything changed when they drafted CJ Stroud. The California-born quarterback led his team to a 10-7 record and a division title last season and also won a playoff game all in his rookie year. This season, though, the Texans will want to go even further. Head coach DeMeco Ryans was also a rookie in his role last season, being the leader of a team for the first time. Ryans and Stroud have formed a strong relationship and carried it into this season, leading their team to five wins in the first six games of the season.
The Texans started off with two close wins against the Colts and the Bears, followed by a big loss to the Vikings. After they beat the Vikings, they beat the now 1-5 Jaguars by four points, another unconvincing victory. The last two weeks, though, the Texans have shown they are contenders this season. A 23-20 win against a Bills team that will be in and around the playoff picture come late December proved the Texans’ status as a top team. Then, this past week, they cruised past the Patriots 41-21, with Stroud throwing three touchdown passes.
They might not have been as high flying as some would have thought so far this season, but the Patriots game was an indicator of things to come, despite the opposition. Without their number one receiver in Nico Collins, the offense put up 41 points. The weapons they have in Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Dalton Schultz at receiver, as well as Joe Mixon at running back, show the Texans can survive without Collins. Having said that, Stroud will want his top target back soon, although it won’t be for at least another three weeks.
Against the Bills, they allowed Josh Allen to only complete nine of his thirty passes
In terms of their defense, Houston has been strong against the pass this season, giving up the fourth least pass yards per game. Against the Bills, they allowed Josh Allen to only complete nine of his thirty passes. Overall, though, as a defensive coach Ryans will want the unit to step up as the team is giving up 22.5 points per game, and they rank in the middle of the pack in the league in takeaways.
Houston still needs to play other AFC contenders in the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens this season, and those late season games could be key for the playoff seeding. If Ryans’ team wants a chance at the one seed, they will need to clean up some of their play by then but for now 5-1 is a great start for an exciting team.
Number 4 – Minnesota Vikings (5-0)
This is probably the most controversial ranking on the list. The Vikings have been sensational to start their season. They have had arguably the toughest schedule in the league to start the year but have come away undefeated. Minnesota has defeated the 49ers, who many have picked to go to the Super Bowl, as well as the Texans who I have already mentioned. They also had a big division win over the Green Bay Packers to move to 4-0 before they defeated the Jets in London
On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings have dominated
On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings have dominated. They have given up the third fewest points per game this season and also taken the ball away the second most out of any defense. As well as this, the team’s 20 sacks so far are also ranked third in the NFL with Pat Jones II leading the team with 5.
But it is not the defensive side of the ball that is the reason this team is ‘low’ in my rankings.
Sam Darnold, the quarterback, has had a great start to the season. Darnold struggled in his first six seasons in the NFL, being at four different teams but has found new life in Minnesota. My worry with Darnold is that, while new systems can often change a player, this season is a small sample size compared to the six years we have already seen. I am not denying that Darnold has played well this season, no one can deny that. He has the fourth most touchdown passes so far, and the three players ranked above him have all played an extra game.
He has also been without TJ Hockenson, the team’s first choice tight end, who will hopefully return in week 7. As the season progresses, though, more tape will come out of Darnold in this offense, and while he will likely still play at an average level at worst for the rest of the year, I don’t see him playing well enough to keep this team as the number one seed in their conference, or in their division. That is despite a great defense and the fact that Darnold is throwing to Justin Jefferson, the best wide receiver in the NFL.
I am still putting this team as the fourth best side in the NFL, and Darnold is a massive reason for that. Head coach, Kevin O’Connell, has also done a tremendous job but given that Darnold was likely not even meant to be the starter before rookie J.J. McCarthy’s injury, I struggle to see this team continuing their dominance.
Number 3 – Detroit Lions (4-1)
The Lions had a 17-point lead at halftime of the NFC Championship game last season. Unfortunately, though, that lead was gone by the end of the 3rd quarter, and they were sent home by the 49ers. But this season they may be even better. Detroit’s offense has been the best in the league this season, scoring over 30 points per game with their latest triumph being a 47-9 demolition of the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Jared Goff has had back-to-back elite games, combing for 5 touchdown passes, 607 yards, 0 interceptions, and a completion average of 86%. While Goff has been very good this season, and receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta always pose a threat, the run game is what makes this offense so scary.
Their safeties have been playing at an elite level
Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have 351 and 348 rushing yards respectively. That run game allows for play action (faking the run and then passing) as defenses are so terrified of the running backs, meaning more space opens up downfield for Goff to hit his receivers.
Detroit’s defense is a top ten unit in terms of points allowed per game. They have also forced ten takeaways this season, with only six teams forcing more. Their safeties have been playing at an elite level, with Kerby Joseph already racking up four interceptions this season and Brian Branch with three.
The Lions may well have been higher on this list had it not been for the unfortunate injury of Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who leads the league in sacks with 7.5 in just five games, left the game against the Cowboys with a broken leg and is already confirmed to be out for the season. The hometown kid who also went to college at Michigan has accounted for half of Detroit’s sacks this season and has been arguably the best defensive player in the NFL this season. This loss cannot be overstated and the only way the Lions can replace their star pass rusher is if they make a big trade for someone like Maxx Crosby, which has been rumoured.Either way, the Lions are certainly contenders this season.
My ranking of the Lions over the Vikings will be put to the test in week 7 when the two face off, their first of two meetings this season.
Number 2 – Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
This is maybe another controversial ranking. The Ravens started the season 0-2 after they lost to the Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders. Since then, though, the Ravens have had big wins over four good teams. Their three-point win over the Cowboys was more dominant than the scoreline suggests, then they made light work of the Bills before beating their divisional rivals, the Bengals, in an overtime thriller. In their latest game, Baltimore beat a red-hot Commanders team by a score of 30-23.
Henry and Jackson’s combined dominance has their rushing offense number one in the league
Lamar Jackson is playing at a level which could secure him back-to-back MVPs and his third in his career. He has twelve total touchdowns so far on the season and has thrown just two interceptions. His 403 rushing yards this season ranks him eighth in the NFL amongst all players. Number one on that list is a fellow MVP candidate on the Ravens. Derrick Henry already has 704 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns this season. Henry and Jackson’s combined dominance has their rushing offense ranked number one in the league by a long way, with over 205 yards per game (the next best is 167).
One thing that will concern Ravens fans is their defensive performances. While they have the best rushing defense in the league, their pass defense is the second worst, and they are ranked 24th in points against per game. This is the effect of losing key pieces on defense such as linebacker Patrick Queen and also losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who is now the Seahawks head coach. It is unlikely that the Ravens defense reaches the heights of being the best in the league like last season but with a slightly lighter schedule coming up they will improve as the year goes on.
Number 1 – Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
The Chiefs haven’t necessarily been the most impressive team this season, but they are undefeated and recent history plays its part in these rankings. Kansas City are back-to-back champions and have been in the AFC Championship every season Patrick Mahomes has been the starting quarterback. Mahomes’ start to this season has been his worst ever. He has thrown just six touchdowns and also six interceptions in five games.
That being said, the Chiefs have already beaten the Ravens and the Bengals, two teams that were seen as serious contenders at the start of the season, and while Kansas City haven’t looked sensational in the three games since then, their defense is ranked sixth in points against per game, and it is a group that proved last season they are elite. They also rank high in points against despite playing three of the top ten scoring offenses in the NFL.
The Chiefs have areas they need to improve in. For example, their turnover differential of -4 is a major flaw. However, they have the best coach in the NFL in Andy Reid and despite his poor start to the season, the best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. Anyone who denies those facts should ask themselves, if they had to pick any team to win the Super Bowl right now, who would they pick? The Chiefs are the obvious answer. It may not be pretty, but the Chiefs haven’t lost a game since Christmas 2023.
Tom Henigan
Featured image courtesy of Anushka Srivastav via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @detroitlionsnfl via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @ravens via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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