Who Is the Best Team in the NFL After 6 Weeks? Making the Case for Every 5-1 Squad

Have you heard? There are no undefeated teams left in the NFL.

In fact, it's been an odd season in general when trying to decipher who belongs at the top in this parity-drenched league. Right now, though, there are a handful of one-loss teams entering Week 7.

How do the league's five 5-1 squads stack up? Let's rank the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers at the six-week mark.

Some might claim this position is unfair because the Detroit Lions truly are off to a special start.

The case for them: They've yet to lose a game in regulation and each of their last four wins has come by at least 14 points.

The problem is Detroit hasn't done enough just yet to earn the benefit of the doubt. Quarterback Jared Goff appears to have turned a corner and the bolstered defense ranks in the top 10 in terms of points allowed, but the team's body of work just isn't enough yet.

The Lions barely got past the limping Chiefs in the season opener, lost at home to the Seattle Seahawks on extra rest in Week 2, and the current four-game winning streak has come against opponents that are a combined 8-14.

Beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road this Sunday and we'll talk.

There's no case to be made for the Philadelphia Eagles right now.

Not only did they lose their first game on Sunday, but they also lost star offensive tackle Lane Johnson to an ankle injury. That's a big blow for a team that ranks fifth in points per game but hasn't been as crisp as it was in 2022 on either side of the ball.

The Eagles have won by double digits just once this season, despite possessing the fourth-easiest schedule in the NFC thus far.

Now, with Johnson's status in doubt, six of their next seven games come against the Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, 49ers and Cowboys again.

That could be a recipe for a collapse. A Super Bowl hangover is a possibility for a team that had no business losing to the shorthanded New York Jets in Week 6 and now has a minus-five turnover margin in the last three weeks.

Still, last year's success keeps Philadelphia ranked ahead of the Lions for now.

What's wrong with Patrick Mahomes? The two-time MVP has completed fewer air yards per pass attempt than all but a handful of qualified passers. He's thrown five interceptions and committed nearly twice as many turnover-worthy plays, according to Pro Football Focus.

The quarterback deserves the benefit of the doubt because he and the Chiefs have had so much success in recent years, but it's worth noting that Kansas City underwent some significant offensive personnel changes in the offseason.

It's possible it will take some time for Mahomes and Co. to get it together, but they're still 5-1 with the third-highest scoring margin in the AFC, so we won't overreact too much.

The Chiefs are less likely than the Eagles to be experiencing a post-Super Bowl off year, and it's encouraging that while the offense experiences some instability, the defense ranks second in points allowed per game. That, in addition to the fact that they won it all just eight months ago, provides us with a viable case that they're the team to beat.

There's room for plenty to come together here, and their next four home games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dolphins, Eagles and Bills present plenty of statement opportunities at Arrowhead.

In the first five weeks of the season, the San Francisco 49ers were practically perfect.

Against a quality schedule, they easily disposed of their first five opponents behind steady quarterback work from Brock Purdy, cementing a case for them to be viewed as No. 1 even after a tough Week 6 showing.

Those waiting for the sophomore seventh-round pick to finally be exposed may have been encouraged in their view by the fact that he completed just 12 of 27 passes in a horrendous outing against the Deshaun Watson-less Cleveland Browns in Week 6.

Maybe that was an anomaly, or maybe the league is finally figuring Purdy out. Throw in injuries (albeit not serious ones) to key offensive weapons Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, and it's fair to have reservations about a San Francisco squad that has the second-best team PFF grade but looked far from elite against the Browns.

The 49ers have lost the top spot here, at least until they can prove the 19-17 loss to Cleveland was a fluke.

The key for the Miami Dolphins: They're averaging a wild 8.0 yards per play, while nobody else in the NFL is even at the 6.0 mark in that category. The strength of schedule has been soft, but you can hardly hold that against them when they keep mowing over opponents.

Their explosiveness is undeniable as Tua Tagovailoa continues to make a case for MVP. He represents the most significant difference between Miami and San Francisco right now, as the Dolphins quarterback has a much more convincing body of work under his belt.

Beyond that, Miami's sometimes spotty defense has been stellar in its three home games thus far, and it's hard to argue that Mike McDaniel isn't a leading Coach of the Year candidate through six weeks.

This Dolphins team has a special feel to it, and that could be on full display in its next two road games against the Eagles and Chiefs.