Brad Biggs' Week 7 NFL rankings
Last week's ranking in parentheses.
1. Patriots 6-0 (1)
The Patriots have only played one team - the Bills - with a current winning record. They also have wins over the Giants, Redskins, Jets, Dolphins and Steelers, and those five teams have combined for six victories. In other words, as impressive as the Patriots have been and as thoroughly dominant as they've been defensively, keep in mind they've rolled through a bunch of teams in the mix for a top-five draft pick. Things don't get more difficult this week when they travel to the Jets on Monday night. Yawn. The schedule does pick up in November, when the Patriots have a stretch of better opponents - Ravens, at Eagles, Cowboys, at Texans and the Chiefs. That will provide a better idea of how good this team is.
2. Saints 5-1 (2)
The defense is the story in New Orleans as the Saints have held two of their last three opponents to 10 points or less. The unit has surged at the right time, even with quarterback Drew Brees still out with a right thumb injury. Marshon Lattimore has been playing as good as any cornerback in the league. After shutting down the Cowboys' Amari Cooper and Buccaneers' Mike Evans, he had an interception and three pass deflections in Sunday's win over the Jaguars.
3. 49ers 5-0 (5)
San Francisco is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1990, and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is being touted as a head-coaching candidate when this season ends.
