Here we go folks, Week 6 of the NFL season is upon us. Every team is now officially a quarter of the way done with the season and bye weeks are now starting. We are coming off of a week that included a lot of drama, but on the whole didn’t reveal much to us in terms of the rest of the season.

However, we are getting a little more clarity on who are the contenders and pretenders. Preseason Super Bowl contenders are starting to show fatal flaws while teams we have overlooked suddenly are relevant out of the blue. Through it all only one team remains unbeaten, which is where we start with this week’s power rankings.

1) Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) – Last: 1

Another week and another win for the Chiefs as they kept pouring on the points against a battered Houston defense. We aren’t quite at the point where the Chiefs can absorb a loss and still remain on top, but we are close. This offense is on absolute fire right now with Alex Smith playing like the league MVP, and the defense is doing just enough to get the job done.

They may be without Travis Kelce this week, which could make things a little more difficult, but having weapons like Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt can soften the blow. Now we do need to be at least a little concerned about this defense going forward. This unit hasn’t looked dominant as of yet but more alarmingly, aren’t generating much of a pass rush or turning the ball over. This could be the week where Kansas City will need this defense to do so against a Steelers team that is desperate to get back on track.

2) Green Bay Packers (4-1) – Last: 4

Aaron Rodgers did it again on Sunday. The Cowboys left him with just over a minute and one timeout to go the length of the field to score a game-winning touchdown. When will teams ever learn no to do that. Nine times out of ten, Rodgers is ripping your heart out. So with another flourish of Rodgers being the best QB not named Tom Brady, the Packers find themselves just behind the Chiefs this week.

Possibly the biggest bit of news for the Packers from Sunday was the emergence of Aaron Jones in the backfield. Jones looked great running the football and could be a much-needed asset for this offense later in the season. Ty Montgomery isn’t going away but is more of a pass catching specialist, whereas Jones is an inside the tackles type of runner. Just what Rodgers needs, more weapons, right?

Green Bay will renew one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL this week as they head to Minnesota to play the Vikings. This will provide another test for Rodgers and this offense.

3) New England Patriots (3-2) – Last: 2

Could this be the wrong place to put the Pats? Maybe. Either way the Patriots kind of get here by default. This offense is too good to stop, unless they play Denver. Tom Brady is putting up great numbers and this is an offense where anyone can step up any given week.

The constant problem has been the defense, but they looked marginally better last Thursday against the Buccaneers. New England played a lot more zone and only asked the defense to prevent touchdowns. Thanks to Nick Folk’s kicking woes, it also meant that the Pats kept the Bucs in-check on the scoreboard.

At some point, the Pats will play like the team we have seen run the league for nearly two decades. A good spot for that to start would be against the “red-hot” Jets in New York this week.

4) Atlanta Falcons (3-1) – Last: 3

Unfortunately for the Falcons, the week off allowed for teams to jump them in the power rankings. However, the week off may have come at the perfect time for the Falcons as it allowed the team to nurse a couple of injuries to key players. Julio Jones is going to avoid missing games, while Mohamed Sanu and Vic Beasley could be back next week.

There is no time for a let down this week as the Falcons host Miami this week. Atlanta should be able to feast on this Miami defense. Hell just about any defense is looking great against Jay Cutler right now. So if you’re an Atlanta fan, this is not the week to lay an egg.

5) Denver Broncos (3-1) – Last: Watch List

Another bye week team from last week rounds out the power rankings for this week. Denver is still figuring out things on the offensive side of the ball, but no one can deny the Broncos defense is the best in the NFL right now. It makes Denver one of the most dangerous teams in the league due to the fact that they can effectively take your entire offense out of the ball game.

The real question regarding the Broncos is how the NFL and NBC didn’t make an emergency flex call for Sunday’s game against the Giants. That one will be ugly to watch especially after the entire New York receiving corps got injured this past weekend.

Watch List: Carolina (4-1), Philadelphia (4-1), Detroit (3-2), Seattle (3-2), Jacksonville (3-2), Houston (2-3)

Okay let’s quickly touch on tonight’s game featuring the Eagles and Panthers. The winner will be in a prime position in the NFC just before the halfway point in the season. Now this is likely more of a test for the Eagles than the Panthers.

The Panthers are at home on a short week against a Philly team that has struggled mightily to win on the road since the start of last season. Cam Newton and this offense have found a way to get things going after a poor performance a couple weeks ago against Buffalo.

More importantly for the Panthers, this defense is looking closer to the one that brought them to the Super Bowl two years ago. Luke Kuechly is manning the middle of the defense, which gives them an all-world playmaker to lead the way. Expect to see a lot of him tonight. Last game against Philadelphia, Kuechly and his linebacking partner Thomas Davis completely shut down the Eagles.

For the Eagles, they will have to overcome the absence of tackle Lane Johnson, who is in the concussion protocol for tonight. Without him last season, the Eagles went 2-8 while he served a ten-game suspension. Already not looking good for the Eagles. However, this is a team that has played well thus far offensively, especially in last week’s dismantling of Arizona’s defense.

The x-factor will have to be Carson Wentz in this game. He has been money on third down so far this season, piling up over 500 yards and six touchdowns in that situation. If he can keep that up, and avoid turnovers, the Birds might have a chance to score a huge road upset.

Defensively, the Eagles will have to keep up their solid play. They might have Fletcher Cox back to lead the defensive line, which would be huge. If not, Beau Allen has filled in admirably in Cox’s place. They will also have to find a way to neutralize Cam Newton’s running ability, which will come from a combination of the defensive line and likely Jordan Hicks.

The secondary will have to literally play big tonight as they face one of the biggest receiving corps in the league. Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess will have a clear size advantage against the Philly corners, and could be an interesting factor tonight. Also, lord knows how the Eagles will try to cover and stop Christian McCaffrey, who is the Swiss Army knife for the Panthers.

Overall, this is setting up for a Panthers win, possibly in convincing fashion. However, these Thursday night games tend to get a little weird and completely against how many think it should go. To get this week started, I’m going to go with Philadelphia (+3.5) tonight.

That’s it for me today. Be on the lookout for my Week 6 NFL Primer and Picks in “No Huddle” as well as a “Curtain Call” to check-in with the MLB Postseason. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.