NFL Power Rankings for Week 6, Drake Maye's arrival and 4 trades that should happen

Power Rankings, Trades and More NFL Ponderings

1. NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Chiefs and Ravens fall, Lions claim top spot
2. 4 NFL trades that I'd like to see happen, including A.J. Brown and Alvin Kamara
3. One thing I loved from Week 5
4. And one thing I definitely didn't love in Week 5

Drake Maye, take a bow, young man. When the then-rookie finally was handed the reins of the New England Patriots offense, there were flashes from the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, but the situation around him was, simply, dog-water. On Sunday Night Football in Week 5, though, we got a glimpse into what Maye can be now that the situation in New England has been made functional — and damn, it was beautiful to watch. And it should have everyone viewing these Pats in a new light, especially when it comes to our weekly NFL Power Rankings.

Stefon Diggs, Will Campbell, the offensive line, and many others deserve credit, but it's become clear through five games in year two for Maye that the signal-caller is the straw that stirs the drink for the Patriots. There was never any questioning his arm talent and athleticism. But Maye has made tremendous strides already under Josh McDaniels with his decision-making, navigation of the pocket, and even remaining controlled when he's creating outside of the pocket.

Maye led the Patriots to a 23-20 upset win over the Bills and, while he might not have thrown for a touchdown, it was arguably his best game as a pro. He was dotting balls at all levels of the field in perfect spots. He was a menace in creating more time, especially rolling to his right. He was as good, if not better, on Sunday night than Josh Allen, who he's often compared to in terms of what the Patriots quarterback's ceiling could be.

We're no longer waiting for Drake Maye to arrive. He's here. That doesn't mean it will always be perfect for him or the Patriots alike. After all, the kid just turned 23 years old in August. There's plenty of room to improve even further. And yet, with where he is now, the Patriots have to feel like they're already a factor now, and could return to glory sooner rather than later with this captain at the helm of the ship in New England.

And that will be reflected in our latest NFL Power Rankings before we dive into some potential NFL trades and more coming out of Week 5 and moving on into Week 6.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Chiefs and Ravens fall, Lions claim top spot

Biggest Winner: New England Patriots

If you were a believer in the New England Patriots coming into the season, what we're seeing should've been what we expected. The truth of the matter is that the Pats needed to make wholesale changes not just to the roster but culturally as well. While some of that could've been able to take in training camp and the preseason, getting the starters on the field together to face live, regular-season bullets was the last learning curve they needed to climb. So to see this team have a tepid start and now begin to heat up makes perfect sense.

Mike Vrabel will always have a believer in me when the front office of the team he's coaching actually puts meaningful investment into the roster. Throw in the Maye component of this with him elevating to potentially be a superstar in this league, and the Patriots might just be getting started.

Though they just beat the Bills, New England still is a game behind in the standings. It's hard to see this young team keeping pace with Buffalo for an AFC East title throughout the course of 17 games and 18 weeks of the regular season. With that being said, the arrow is pointing up for this team, and I'm at the point now where it feels like the Patriots aren't just a fun story, but are on the doorstep of making the playoffs in year one under this new coaching regime with Maye leading the charge.

Biggest Loser: Baltimore Ravens

While I understand the offense was behind the 8-ball as Cooper Rush started in place of the injured Lamar Jackson, the Ravens just look fundamentally broken right now. There are issues with the offense, sure, but the bigger problem is on the other side of the ball. The defensive decline in Baltimore has been staggering and, while injuries also play a role there, it also doesn't appear that the problems will be fixed just with the returns of Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith.

I'm never going to count out Lamar and John Harbaugh, but we're getting close to that point at 1-4. And in regard to the NFL Power Rankings, it's time to knock them down a ton after seeing how easily a limping Texans offense knifed through them on Sunday. We've been giving them the benefit of the doubt because of the supposed upside with this team, but the downside might simply be far greater than we realized through the first month.

We're sure as hell realizing now, though.

Team I'm Thoroughly Confused By: Minnesota Vikings

Frankly, the Vikings might be just as confused as I am with this team entering the bye week after a two-week stint in Europe. Carson Wentz has filled in admirably with J.J. McCarthy out due to injury, and that leaves Minnesota with an impossible task. On one hand, they've built this roster with handing the keys to McCarthy in mind, but his struggles prior to the injury make you wonder if there is serious consideration being given to leaving Wentz as the team's starter under center, even when McCarthy is back healthy.

What's clear, though, is that the Vikings have to weigh that option knowing that they're still very much a playoff threat in the AFC. With Wentz, we've seen more flashes of this offense's upside and, while the defense might've taken a step back, there's still no reason to have anything other than faith in what Brian Flores is able to cook up.

With the quarterback uncertainty, I'm left throwing my hands up when it comes to evaluating this team, which is only amplified by the up-and-down defensive stylings thus far. On the whole, though, I still believe this is a good football team — I just wonder how that opinion would be altered if McCarthy re-enters the fray and continues to display the same struggles.

4 NFL trades that I'd like to see happen, including A.J. Brown and Alvin Kamara

Buffalo Bills trade for Eagles WR A.J. Brown

The Eagles have maintained that they won't be trading A.J. Brown and seem set on trying to figure out their offensive conundrum at this point. I wouldn't be so sure, though. Howie Roseman is always aggressive and perhaps getting a malcontent in Brown out of the building and making another swap to accompany that would do the trick. And should that be the case, then the Buffalo Bills make perfect sense.

Josh Allen and the Bills have obviously made it work with Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and their bevy of tight ends, in addition to James Cook. However, adding a true alpha No. 1 like Brown could take this offense to another level. That's what Alex Kay of Bleacher Report suggested earlier this week, with Buffalo sending a second-round pick this year and conditional third-round pick in 2027 to Philadelphia to facilitate such a deal.

Kansas City Chiefs trade for Saints RB Alvin Kamara

Despite the Week 5 loss to Jacksonville, the Chiefs offense is starting to display signs that it's returning to form — and that's before they even have Rashee Rice back in the fold. However, the biggest worry for me is the fact that the combination of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt has largely been lackluster out of the backfield. While I would turn to rookie Brashard Smith for at least some looks, they could also turn to a proven commodity such as Alvin Kamara.

Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano of SI suggested that the Chiefs send the Saints a fifth-round pick for the running back, and that could be enough to get it done. In terms of compensation, though, that could vary quite wildly depending on how much of Kamara's contract New Orleans would eat as he's due $9.7 million this season and $18.6 million next year, virtually all of which is guaranteed. If the Saints want Kansas City to take on the full deal, that compensation could be even a sixth- or seventh-round pick.

In any case, though, the Chiefs could use a player like Kamara to complete the offensive puzzle and reclaim control of the AFC West.

Dallas Cowboys trade for Dolphins EDGE Jaelan Phillips

Maybe you've heard, but the Cowboys somehow lost one of the best edge rushers in the NFL before Week 1. Wonder how that could've happened, Jerry Jones?

Regardless, Dallas has still been relevant with one of the NFL's best offenses through five weeks but a defense that, while making strides, still leaves quite a bit to be desired when it's all said and done. Acquiring someone like Jaelan Phillips could be just what the doctor ordered, too, and Josh Weil of Pro Football Sports Network suggested as much with the Cowboys sending a fourth-round pick to the Dolphins to get a deal done.

Phillips has been nothing short of dominant when healthy, but the health as been an issue. With Miami going nowhere fast, the draft capital should be enough to sway them to make such a trade.

Detroit Lions trade for Browns OG Joel Bitonio

There hasn't necessarily been a dire issue on the Lions offensive line so far this season, though Christian Mahogany has been little more than average opposite rookie Tate Ratledge at guard. What's far more concerning for that for the new No. 1 in my power rankings, however, is the lack of depth behind them. And that feels like it has a Detroit trade written all over it if they could pry Joel Bitonio from the Browns.

A deal that would send Bitonio to the Lions for a fourth-round pick and WR Dominic Lovett was suggested by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report in early September. Admittedly, Mahogany was struggling much more at the time. However, I'd like Mahogany more as a depth piece, which the veteran Bitonio would allow him to be, while upgrading the interior for Detroit at a non-prohibitive cost.

One thing I loved from Week 5

If you had to narrow down what's so great about the game of football into one idea, it would be the fact that we're always going to see something that we either haven't seen before, have seen shockingly few times, or that you simply had never thought about before. Jalen Hurts delivered one such moment in the waning seconds of the Philadelphia Eagles' first loss.

With the ball on the Denver 29-yard line with four seconds left, Hurts and the Eagles had one last heave to the end zone remaining. But instead of your typical, albeit shorter, Hail Mary, Hurts launched the ball high in the air and then took off in a dead sprint toward the throw, attempting to give himself and the Eagles another pass-catcher in the area in case the ball was up for grabs after a deflection.

It's one of the coolest things I've seen in recent memory.

Of course, he actually didn't make it to the play in time and the ball fell incomplete to give the Broncos a 21-17 win. However, the fact that he made that effort will be seared into my memory for a long time.

And frankly, any time I don't see a quarterback, particularly a mobile one, try and do this, I'm going to think less of that signal-caller. He obviously doesn't care about winning the same way that Hurts does.

And one thing I definitely didn't love in Week 5

Brother, we have lost the plot when it comes to penalties and roughing the passer. Let me be abundantly clear, the quarterback does need to be protected. Hits at the knees, unnecessary extracurriculars after a hit, and a variety of other things should draw a flag.

Saints defensive end Carl Granderson cleanly hitting Jaxson Dart, however, should not be a penalty. And yet it was.

There's always going to be bad calls, there are always going to be penalty-filled games, and the refs are just going to have a say in games. But get this type of stuff the hell off of my TV. I'm not trying to sit down on Sunday and watch the game of football get made into a mockery because a ref determined that a hit was... too hard? Too fast? Not to the ref's liking?

We need to start holding NFL refs (and MLB umpires, and so on) more accountable.