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It hasn’t been this competitive to be King in the North since “Game of Thrones” ended.
All four teams in the AFC North and all four teams in the NFC North have winning records coming out of Week 6.
Sure, the AFC North had all four of its teams finish above .500 in 2023. And, sure, the NFC North had all four of its teams finish above .500 in 2025.
But for it to happen in two divisions simultaneously would be unprecedented. Especially since the 2023 and 2025 examples represent the only times since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 that an entire division finished with winning records.
History suggests that at least one team in both jumbled North divisions will fall apart before season’s end. Until then, here are The Post’s messy NFL power rankings for Week 7:
1. 49ers 6-0 (1)
The 49ers nearly blew a 20-point lead over the final 16 minutes but made two defensive stands, including one in the red zone, in the final two minutes to secure a 23-17 victory against the Commanders. Christian McCaffrey rushed for two touchdowns but lost a fumble, and Mike Evans had 94 receiving yards before he left the game with an Achilles injury.
2. Chiefs 5-0 (2)
The Chiefs stayed unbeaten and the Chargers stayed winless as Patrick Mahomes threw for 272 yards and earned his 100th career win in a 22-6 victory. Kenneth Walker ran for 128 yards to up his league-leading total and added two touchdowns. The Chiefs’ offense still failed in short-yardage situations multiple times and Harrison Butker missed two kicks.
3. Vikings 5-0 (3)
Will Reichard will come out of the bye needing 10 more to chase down Adam Vinatieri’s all-time record of 44 straight field goals converted. With the way that coordinator Brian Flores’ defense is playing, three points a game might be enough. Dallas Turner (5.5 sacks) has answered the bell since the offseason departure of Jonathan Greenard.
4. Bills 5-1 (4)
Josh Allen tied Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s franchise record for career touchdown passes (258) when he shot-putted a pass to Keon Coleman in the third quarter of a 33-30 win against the Raiders. James Cook scored the tie-breaking touchdown with 4:43 remaining and Tyler Bass added what proved to be a big insurance field goal.
5. Broncos 4-2 (8)
J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey both rushed for touchdowns and Wil Lutz kicked a walk-off 53-yard field goal in a 17-14 overtime victory against the Seahawks. The defense is thriving – Ja’Quan McMillan’s interception set up Lutz’s kick – but the offense looks lost. The Broncos need more than change of play-caller to get Bo Nix (107 passing yards) throwing the ball down the field again.
6. Bears 4-2 (11)
Welcome back, Caleb Williams. In his return from a three-game absence, Williams completed his first 12 passes in a 31-23 victory against the Falcons that wasn’t as close as the score indicates until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. D’Andre Swift ran for two touchdowns. Kyler Gordon closed out a monster day with three sacks and two forced fumbles.
7. Patriots 4-2 (12)
Even with three starting offensive linemen sidelined by the end of the game, Drake Maye threw for three touchdowns in a 26-19 win against the Jets. Romeo Doubs (who has since gone on IR,) DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry all picked up the slack for A.J. Brown, who had three drops on 10 targets. The Patriots improved to 19-2 in their last 21 against the Jets.
8. Steelers 4-2 (16)
Aaron Rodgers shook off a slow start to engineer three fourth-quarter scoring drives that erased a 13-point deficit, and then he threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Germie Bernard in overtime of a 26-19 win against the Buccaneers. Chris Boswell connected on four field goals, including kicks from 52 and 58 yards. Jalen Ramsey sealed the victory with a fourth-down sack.
9. Packers 4-2 (17)
The Packers dropped three potential touchdown catches and still cruised to a 23-13 victory against the Cowboys. Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass and scored on a 1-yard keeper, which was enough for a defense that has allowed 14 points or fewer during each victory of a three-game winning streak. Evan Williams and Brandon Cisse intercepted passes with the Cowboys in field-goal range.
10 Jaguars 4-2 (5)
Travis Hunter became the fifth player in the Super Bowl era (including the playoffs) to both score a touchdown and intercept a pass in the same game, but the Jaguars fell to the Texans, 34-31, on Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 49-yard field goal as time expired. Cam Little’s 60-yard field goal tied the score at 31-31 but the Jaguars couldn’t get a defensive stop.
11. Bengals 3-2 (11)
12. Ravens 4-2 (6)
13. Seahawks 3-3 (7)
14. Browns 4-2 (20)
15. Lions 3-2 (15)
16. Panthers 3-2 (19)
17. Rams 2-4 (9)
18. Texans 2-4 (26)
19. Giants 3-2-1 (13)
This is hard to do: The Giants scored the first 10 points and the last 17 points and still lost, 34-27, to the Saints by giving up 34 consecutive points. It was like they slept until J.J. McCarthy replaced Jameis Winston (two interceptions) and threw for 243 fourth-quarter yards and led three scoring drives. The defense allowed 175 rushing yards.
20. Raiders 3-3 (14)
21. Eagles 2-4 (18)
22. Saints 2-4 (25)
23. Cowboys 2-4 (23)
24. Cardinals 2-4 (29)
25. Falcons 2-4 (22)
26. Colts 2-4 (21)
27. Jets 2-4 (24)
The Jets moved the ball across midfield eight times but scored just one touchdown – a 48-yard strike – in the loss to the Patriots. Jason Sanders put four field goals on the board. Geno Smith threw his first interception of the season but helped get rookie Omar Cooper Jr. (103 yards) going in the right direction. No sacks against an ailing offensive line.