NFL Power Rankings 2016: Team Records and Standings Predictions for Week 7

We’re already a month-and-a-half into the 2016 NFL season. On Thursday, Week 7 will officially kick off with the Green Bay Packers hosting the Chicago Bears.

The NFL landscape continues to evolve as we approach Week 7. The Denver Broncos have dropped two in a row after initially looking like repeat contenders. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been blown out in two road games and lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a torn meniscus. The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, have defied expectations and appear to be one of the top teams in the NFL.

The big picture might look a lot different than it did a few weeks ago, but we’re finally beginning to get an idea of how the league’s 32 teams stack up. Now, we’re going to take a look ahead at how we think teams will sit after Week 7.

We’ll be providing power rankings based on what we think will happen in this week’s slate of games by projecting post-Week 7 records and analyzing some of the top upcoming matchups. First, though, let’s take a look at the league standings.

Projected Week 7 Power Rankings

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

Week 7 kicks off with a classic NFC North rivalry match between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. This should be intriguing because of the bad blood between these two teams, but it’s important because of what a loss would mean for the Packers.

Green Bay has been to the postseason in each of the past seven seasons. That impressive streak could come to an end this year if the team cannot find a way to turn things around. The Packers are sitting behind the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings in the division, and they aren’t exactly playing great football right now.

Much of the team’s struggles can be linked to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The former league MVP has been uncharacteristically inconsistent this season. He is completing just 60.2 percent of his passes, has turned the ball over six times and holds a subpar passer rating of 88.4.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, though, Rodgers doesn’t seem to believe the struggles are serious:

Aaron Rodgers: “I’m just a little bit off. We’ve been a little bit off collectively. I’m confident we’re gonna get it fixed …

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