NFL Power Rankings after Week 5: no more undefeateds, Lions new top dogs, Jags send statement

1) Detroit Lions (4-1), last week 3

In typical Dan Campbell fashion, the Lions went into Cincy and made sure to take care of business early. With their patented blend of devastating defense and insatiable offense this is the new top team in the NFL. It was a bumpy start to the season, but the Lions did some self reflecting and since then it’s been smooth sailing for the boys from the Motor City.

2) Philadelphia Eagles (4-1), last week 1

I don’t want to hear about a potential pass interference flag that would have set up a go ahead TD late in the game. You can’t moan and groan about one call when you give up a 14 point 4th quarter lead. When you are the reigning champs, teams are going to give you all they have for 60 minutes, and when you can’t put together a complete game like the Eagles have shown they can’t, these sort of things are bound to happen.

3) Buffalo Bills (4-1), last week 2

You could feel it coming for a few weeks now couldn’t you? The Bills may have been undefeated but their opposition over the first month was nothing but fluff. A combined opponent record of 2-14 coming into Sunday night’s game and they squeaked by the Dolphins and the Saints before taking on the Pats. In the end it was the self inflicted mistakes that cost Buffalo the game, and now we have to track back and really ask ourselves, how good are the Bills actually?

4) Indianapolis Colts (4-1), last week 5

If there were any doubts about the legitimacy of the Colts’ start to the season after they lost to the Rams last week, those were calmed with a 40-6 bludgeoning of the Raiders. They used Las Vegas as a sharpening stone to polish every all three facets of the game. They forced two INTs on Geno Smith and scored on all but the first and the last drives of the game. Jones didn’t have to be great but he was, and Taylor scored 3 TDs to continue his reconquista of the NFL after being stuck in a QB less purgatory for the last few years. I know it seems too soon to have Indy so high up the rankings, but they have proven themselves week after week.

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1), last week 6

Baker and the Bucs are on a historic run to start the season, and they have turned into must see TV. It’s not just because of their high flying offense or their 4-1 record, but each of their five games have come down to the wire and Baker has carried his team to wins in four of those five games. You’d like to have a couple of cupcake games sprinkled through out the schedule, but that won’t be happening any time soon. They have the Niners and Lions coming up in the next two weeks. This is a fun team to watch. Baker is in the MVP conversation. It’s been a good story so far but the next couple games are going to tell us if they are for real or not.

6) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) last week 12

The Jags waited until they were under the bright Monday Night lights to make a statement to the rest of the AFC. The statement: we are here and were coming for the throne. There were plenty of times the Jags could have threw in the towel and said, tonight’s not our night. They battled back from 14 down early only to give up the lead with less than 2:00 left. For the first time this season Trevor Lawrence took over and won the game for his team. The defense had carried the load until Monday night, and they had some big plays, but this was what they needed to see from their QB. This could be a franchise turning moment fo the Jags, but I feel like we’ve said that before and they flopped.

7) San Francisco 49ers (4-1), last week 13

The return of the Mac might just be giving coach Shannahan something to think about once Brock Purdy is ready to come back. The good/bad news is he may have some time to ponder that decision because Purdy could be out for a few more weeks. In the meantime Mac Jones has shown he is more than capable of running this offense. He led his team to an OT win on a short week in the house of a division rival with a banged up team on both sides of the ball. While Mac looked great, this team is backed by their defense. A forced fumble at the 1 and a 4th and 1 stop in OT sealed the fourth win out of five games for San Fran. That was a huge victory for the Niners who take control of the NFC West with that win and if we are being honest they have looked their best with their back up QB in under center.

8) Los Angeles Rams (3-2), last week 3

You can’t be fumbling on the one yard line with a few minutes to go and expect to win games. Even still, the Rams had a chance to pull off the division victory on Thursday night, but Kyren Williams was stopped on 4th and 1 to end what was a night he will want to forget as soon as possible. Hard to blame Sean McVay and the play calling for the failed 4th and 1 conversion, but when your QB throws for almost 400 yards, you might want to think about putting the ball in his hands and let him decide the game in OT. Their two losses have come in a second half collapse against the 4-1 defending Super Bowl champs and a OT loss to a 4-1 division rival. LA will be fine. No need to panic after a couple of Ls in the last few weeks.

9) Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) last week 7

If it wasn’t the Chiefs that gave up a 14-0 point lead, and if it wasn’t Patrick Mahomes who threw a pick six on the one yard line, and if it wasn’t the Chiefs D that let the Jags drive down the field to put the go ahead TD on the board I’d say they there’s something to be worried about. But it’s the Chiefs, and what we need to see from them we have seen over the last couple weeks. The offense is looking like the KC juggernaut circa 2022, now everyone else has to step up. If the defense can get its swag back and the special teams can avoid committing four penalties in the handful of plays they are on the field then KC is going to be okay.

10) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1), last week 8

BYE

11) Green Bay Packers (2-1-1), last week 10

BYE

12) Denver Broncos (3-2), last week 14

Is it time we have this conversation? Could the Broncos be one of the best teams in the league? With a couple of fortunate bounces here or there this team could be 5-0. Their two losses came on late field goals and a combined four points and they just made an incredible comeback to beat the Super Bowl champs in Philly. I’m not all in on the Broncos just yet but that was the most impressive win of the weekend.

13) Washington Commanders (3-2), last week 18

Order has been restored in the nation’s capital. At least in Northwest Stadium as Jayden Daniels returned under center and all of the sudden the Commanders went back to looking like a playoff contender. Marcus Mariotta did a nice job filling in, beating the Raiders and nearly beating the Falcons, but Daniels being back makes this team better on both sides of the ball. Obviously the pass game is more fluid, which mean Jacory Croskey-Merritt had more room to operate out of the backfield and with the offense building drives, the defense was able to lock down the banged up Chargers.

14) Seattle Seahawks (3-2), last week 11

The game against the Buccaneers could have gone either way. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, they didn’t have the ball last and in games like their one against the Bucs, that’s usually what decides the winner. The fact that they played the Bucs so close should be no surprise. They are basically the same team as the Bucs. They have a revived QB, a defense that is capable of shutting teams down, although they don’t always play that way, and seem to find themselves in tight games late in the 4th quarter. Their two losses have come to the Bucs and the Niners in the final moments of games. That should give you an idea of just how tight things are at the top of the NFC.

15) New England Patriots (3-2), last week 16

With a second year QB and a newly revamped defense this wasn’t the typical Pats Bills game that we have grown used to seeing since Tom Brady left Foxborough. It had a different feel to it coming into the game, and it had a different look to it from Orchard Park. The Pats took advantage of some mistakes made by Buffalo but Maye and Diggs put the team on their shoulders when New England needed them to and they send a message to the rest of the league, letting everyone know they are ready to compete with the big boys now.

16) Houston Texans (2-3), last week 24

Last week’s shutout win over the Titans seemed to be that little push that the Texans needed in the right direction. They whooped up on Tennessee as CJ Stroud and his guys finally came to life and on Sunday they posted 44 on a depleted Ravens team. The offense starting to click is only going to help Houston’s top rated defense over the course of the year. Can Stroud and his guys keep up the scoring up when the competition gets a little tougher? They have a week off to figure that out before playing the Seahawks in a few weeks time.

17) Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1), last week 22

Maybe all is not wrong in Dallas after all. I mean, they beat the Jets so let’s not crown them just yet, but for the first time all year the Cowboys defense stepped up and took some of the pressure off Dak Prescott and the offense. It was 30-3 before the Cowboys took their foot off the pedal and let NY give a more respectable scoreline, but this is a team that has bounced back from their embarrassing loss to the Bears a few weeks ago. Now Dallas needs to prove they can put up a fight against good teams.

18) Minnesota Vikings (3-2), last week 19

Going overseas to play is never easy, but for the few teams that go to Europe and stay there for more than just a week, it seems to get easier. Having said that, the Vikings still needed a late game winning drive from Carson Wentz to beat the Browns. They took care of business and now head back to the States above .500. Thats the good news. The better news is they have a week to rest and recover and on the other side of the BYE they should have their QB1 back under center.

19) Los Angeles Chargers (3-2), last week 9

This team went from cloud nine to six feet under in a matter of weeks. OK, it may not be that drastic for the Chargers who many thought were going to challenge the Chiefs for the AFC West title. That may have been the case after a couple weeks, but the reality is things change quick in the NFL, especially if you’re O line is banged up and can’t run block or pass protect. That’s what LA is going through at the moment, and it has made scoring TDs nearly impossible for Justin Herbert and the offense. Now Omarion Hampton is on the IR, and Najee Harris is gone for the season. Things are trending downward for the Chargers.

20) Atlanta Falcons (2-2), last week 17

BYE

21) Baltimore Ravens (1-4), last week 15

No Jackson, no hope. It’s as simple as that. If the banged up Ravens weren’t winning with Lamar Jackson in under center before his injury, they surely have no shot without him. That’s what we saw on Sunday in Houston in a battle of 1-3 teams. Only one team finished that game looking like they could save their season, and it wasn’t the Ravens. They need to get healthy in a hurry, and even then they are going to have a steep uphill climb.

22) Chicago Bears (2-2) lat week 20

BYE

23) Arizona Cardinals (2-3), last week 21

They may have started 2-0 but wins against Carolina and New Orleans don’t really prove anything. A loss against Tennessee proves much more. It wasn’t just a loss it was the way they lost. A comedy of errors that included an unforced fumble at the 1 and an interception that somehow turned into a TD for the Titans looked more like a Three Stooges skit than a team trying to close out an NFL game.

24) Cleveland Browns (1-4), last week 23

Not exactly ideal circumstances for a rookie QB to make his debut, but Dillon Gabriel was ok in his first NFL start. He threw a couple TDs, didn’t make any mistakes that might have cost the Browns the game, and actually had Cleveland in the lead with 3:05 to go. Unfortunately that was too much time to give Minnesota who scored a late TD and spoiled the coming out party for the rookie QB.

25) Carolina Panthers (2-3), last week 29

If you’re a Panthers fan you just hope the team can come out and find a way to compete on a week to week basis. On Sunday they fed back up RB Rico Dowdle and let him run them to victory despite going down 17-0 in the first half. Twenty carries for over 200 yards was a sight for sore eyes in Charlotte, but what should really excite those in Charlotte is seeing Xavier Legette and Bryce Young start to understand each other on the field. Not sure about off the field because no one knows what Xavier is saying with that thick country accent.

26) Miami Dolphins (1-4), last week 26

It wasn’t going to be easy after losing Tyreek Hill for the season last week, but the Dolphins looked like they rebounded quickly going up 17-0 in the first half. Up by three scores, you need to run the ball and defend your lead but those are two of the Dolphins weak spots, and the Panthers exploited them. These are games you can not lose when you are on the hot seat, and this might have just been the boiling point for the Dolphins and coach McDaniels.

27) New Orleans Saints (1-4), last week 31

It was going to take something special for the Saints to get their first win of the season, and that’s exactly what the Giants gave them on Sunday in New Orleans. They were gifted the game by New York who made mistake after mistake to give those in the Big Easy something to cheer about for the first time in a long time. I’m not sure how many more causes for celebration are coming for Saints fans so savor this one for as long as you can.

28) New York Giants (1-4), last week 25

That pit in the bottom of Giants fans stomachs is an all too familiar feeling after watching their team gift wrap the game to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. After taking a 14-3 lead early in the 1st half, all the Giants had to do was avoid everything they did in the second half. On five straight possessions they went fumble, fumble, fumble return for a TD, interception and interception. It’s a gut check for those who were already planning to build a statue of Jaxon Dart next to lady liberty.

29) Las Vegas Raiders (1-4), last week 28

Something’s got to give in Sin City. Geno Smith can’t keep going like this. It’s kind of like the situation in Cincinnati, except that he is the Raiders starting QB and they splashed big bucks to bring him in this offseason. What do they get in return? Nine interceptions and one of the worst scoring offenses in the league. I’m betting there are more than a few people that are wishing the front office would have drafted Shedeur back in April. There’s no hope for this season, but at least with Shedeur there would be something to look forward to in Vegas.

30) Tennessee Titans (1-4), last week 32

It was just a week ago that Cam Ward went to the postgame presser and let reporters know just how sick of losing he was. Well, I’m not sure if his teammates listened up but the Arizona Cardinals certainly did, and they did him a couple of big favors in the 2nd half to allow Tennessee to somehow win that game. Don’t let the Cardinals’ blunders fool you, Ward had a couple of excellent throws that make you believe in his and the Titans future, and when he got the ball with a chance to build a game winning drive, that’s exactly what he did. It wasn’t how they drew it up, but they’ll take anything they can get.

31) New York Jets (0-5), last week 27

There was a time that the Jets seemed like a decent team that was just getting some bad breaks. But now they are the only winless team in the league, and that’s not by accident. Aaron Glenn’s defense has yet to show up in any game so far, and Justin Fields and the offense is never going to be capable of keeping pace with teams if they have to score more than their defense give up, which is 31.4 points per game.

32) Cincinnati Bengals (2-3), last week 30

The Bengals are under .500 and maybe that will be enough of a reason for them to go out and look for someone to replace Jake Browning. If that’s not enough of a reason then maybe the fact that at one point in the game against the Lions, Ja’Marr Chase had four catches and three tackles all on the back end of Jake Browning INTs. The Bengals gave Chase one of the richest contracts ever this summer with the intention of him catching touchdowns, not playing defensive back.

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