NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Buccaneers Surge, Panthers Plummet

Week 7 delivered seismic shifts across the NFL power rankings, headlined by Tampa Bay's 43-13 road victory over Carolina that triggered a 14-spot rise for the Buccaneers and a 14-spot fall for the Panthers. Jacksonville claimed the top spot at No. 1 despite being on a bye week, while heavy movement reshaped both ends of the board. Breaking down the film and efficiency panels reveals exactly how these rosters line up entering Week 8.

Analyzing the Top Five Leaders

Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 1, 4-2, +1.84 rating) Jacksonville climbed two places to capture the top spot, though the move occurred because rivals changed rather than from their own play while on a bye week. The Jaguars sport a +50 point differential backed by an offense ranking third in EPA per play (0.089) and a defense sitting 12th (-0.017).

Minnesota Vikings (No. 2, 6-0, +1.75 rating) Minnesota remained undefeated with a 16-10 home win over the No. 24 Indianapolis Colts, exceeding their pregame expected margin of 2.5 points by 3.5 points. The Vikings moved up two spots to No. 2 because rivals changed across the board. Their success is driven by a league-best defense ranking first in EPA allowed per play (-0.106), while running back Jordan Mason was listed as Questionable on the Week 7 injury report with a thumb injury, leaving his availability uncertain for that contest.

San Francisco 49ers (No. 3, 6-1, +1.70 rating) San Francisco dropped two spots to No. 3 following a 20-29 road defeat against the No. 17 Atlanta Falcons, falling 11.38 points short of their expected 2.38-point win margin. The 49ers still boast an offense ranking second in EPA per play (0.101) alongside a +58 point differential. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and linebacker Garret Wallow were listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report as confirmed absences.

Seattle Seahawks (No. 4, 4-3, +1.63 rating) Seattle jumped five spots to No. 4 after securing a 20-3 home win over the No. 7 Kansas City Chiefs, outperforming their pregame expectation by 17.9 points. The victory was anchored by a defense that ranks second in EPA allowed per play (-0.077). On the availability front, running back Zach Charbonnet and linebacker Chazz Surratt were listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report.

Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5, 4-2, +1.62 rating) Cincinnati vaulted seven spots to enter the top five after a dominant 35-13 road win over the No. 20 Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals rank fifth in offensive EPA per play (0.073) and carry a +41 point differential.

Key Risers and Fallers in Week 7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 10, 2-5, +0.82 rating) Tampa Bay posted the largest rise of the week, jumping 14 spots to No. 10 after defeating the No. 22 Carolina Panthers 43-13 on the road—beating their pregame expected margin by 31.73 points. The Buccaneers feature a defense ranking third in EPA allowed per play (-0.067). They accomplished the victory despite safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka being listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report as confirmed absences.

Dallas Cowboys (No. 16, 3-4, +0.22 rating) Dallas advanced six spots to No. 16 by earning a 38-21 road win over the No. 29 Philadelphia Eagles, beating their 0.54-point expected margin by 16.46 points. The Cowboys rank sixth in offensive EPA per play (0.073), while linebackers Dee Winters and Drew Shelton were listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report.

Carolina Panthers (No. 22, 3-3, -0.49 rating) Carolina endured the largest fall of the week, dropping 14 places to No. 22 after losing 13-43 at home to Tampa Bay, falling 31.73 points below their pregame expectation. Linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Thomas Incoom were listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report as confirmed absences.

Baltimore Ravens (No. 20, 4-3, -0.26 rating) Baltimore slipped 10 spots to No. 20 following a 13-35 home loss against Cincinnati, missing their pregame expected margin by 22.17 points. Quarterback Lamar Jackson and linebacker Tavius Robinson were listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report.

Kansas City Chiefs (No. 7, 5-1, +0.97 rating) Kansas City fell five places to No. 7 after a 3-20 road defeat against Seattle, finishing 17.9 points below pregame expectations. Wide receiver Rashee Rice and running back Brashard Smith were listed as Out on the Week 7 injury report.

The full rankings

Previous ranks are from our Week 6 edition.

Rank	Team	Record	Rating	Last	Move
1	Jacksonville Jaguars (bye)	4-2	+1.84	3	▲ 2
2	Minnesota Vikings	6-0	+1.75	4	▲ 2
3	San Francisco 49ers	6-1	+1.70	1	▼ 2
4	Seattle Seahawks	4-3	+1.63	9	▲ 5
5	Cincinnati Bengals	4-2	+1.62	12	▲ 7
6	Chicago Bears	5-2	+1.24	6	–
7	Kansas City Chiefs	5-1	+0.97	2	▼ 5
8	New England Patriots	4-3	+0.94	5	▼ 3
9	Buffalo Bills (bye)	5-1	+0.89	7	▼ 2
10	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-5	+0.82	24	▲ 14
11	Detroit Lions	4-2	+0.71	11	–
12	Pittsburgh Steelers	5-2	+0.69	13	▲ 1
13	Los Angeles Rams	3-4	+0.58	16	▲ 3
14	Denver Broncos	5-2	+0.42	17	▲ 3
15	Green Bay Packers	4-3	+0.37	14	▼ 1
16	Dallas Cowboys	3-4	+0.22	22	▲ 6
17	Atlanta Falcons	3-4	+0.21	18	▲ 1
18	Houston Texans	2-5	+0.10	15	▼ 3
19	New York Giants	4-2-1	−0.07	20	▲ 1
20	Baltimore Ravens	4-3	−0.26	10	▼ 10
21	Cleveland Browns	5-2	−0.38	19	▼ 2
22	Carolina Panthers	3-3	−0.49	8	▼ 14
23	New York Jets	2-5	−0.81	23	–
24	Indianapolis Colts	2-5	−1.00	25	▲ 1
25	Las Vegas Raiders	3-4	−1.03	21	▼ 4
26	New Orleans Saints	2-5	−1.06	26	–
27	Washington Commanders (bye)	1-4-1	−1.45	28	▲ 1
28	Tennessee Titans	1-6	−1.82	29	▲ 1
29	Philadelphia Eagles*	2-5	−1.84	27	▼ 2
30	Miami Dolphins*	1-5	−1.84	30	–
31	Los Angeles Chargers (bye)	0-6	−2.15	32	▲ 1
32	Arizona Cardinals	2-5	−2.52	31	▼ 1

* Tied on rating rounded to 0.01; ordered by recency-weighted scoring margin.

Ratings as of Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET, methodology version 1.0.0. Injury and roster context: NFL injury reports and weekly rosters via nflverse, checked Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 6:03 a.m. ET.

Previous editions

• Week 6, 2026
• Week 5, 2026
• Week 4, 2026