POWER RANKINGS: NFL Week 5 - Lions, Bengals & Bears OH MY!
Biggest Risers and Fallers of the week
BigSlickOrr
··6 min read
NFL Power Rankings
Week 5
Number 1, San Francisco 49ersUp 1 from 2
San Francisco keeps rolling. The Niners handled Denver 24-14 behind another strong defensive performance, while Brock Purdy continues to take care of the football. Four games, four wins, and they've earned the top spot.Number 2, Kansas City ChiefsUp 1 from 3
The Chiefs survived their biggest test yet, going into Vegas and escaping with a 30-27 win. Kenneth Walker III exploded for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and when Kansas City needed a play late, Patrick Mahomes did Patrick Mahomes things. Still undefeated. Still terrifying.Number 3, Buffalo BillsDown 2 from 1
And there goes the undefeated season. Losing 29-26 at home to New England is enough to knock Buffalo off the throne, especially after the Bills failed to close the game late. Still an elite team — just no longer our No. 1.Number 4, Seattle SeahawksNo change, held at 4
It wasn't pretty — 30 penalties between the two teams — but Seattle bounced back with a 30-23 win over the Chargers. The Seahawks built a huge lead, nearly gave it away, and then Uchenna Nwosu slammed the door with a late strip-sack. Take the win and move on.Number 5, Jacksonville JaguarsUp 1 from 6
Jacksonville went into Cincinnati and walked out with a 22-17 win despite committing an absurd number of penalties. Trevor Lawrence was efficient, the defense picked off Joe Burrow twice, and the Jags continue looking like a legitimate AFC contender.Number 6, Minnesota VikingsUp 5 from 11
Are we ready to believe yet? Minnesota didn't exactly light up the scoreboard against Miami, but the Vikings are 4-0, and that's impossible to ignore. T.J. Hockenson went for 119 yards while the defense did the heavy lifting in a 15-10 win.Number 7, Baltimore RavensDown 2 from 5
Baltimore beat Tennessee 24-18, but nobody is talking about the win. Lamar Jackson left with an ankle injury after throwing two touchdowns in the first half, making his health significantly more important than the final score.Number 8, Los Angeles RamsNo change, held at 8
Now that's how you finish a game. One week after blowing leads against Denver, the Rams erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in Philadelphia and won 24-20. Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards, Puka Nacua went over 100, and Kyren Williams scored twice late.Number 9, Denver BroncosDown 2 from 7
Denver's trip to San Francisco showed there's still a gap between the Broncos and the league's elite. They managed just 82 rushing yards and lost 24-14. I still like this team, but they're not ready for the Top 10.Number 10, Chicago BearsNo change, held at 10
Chicago followed its Philadelphia beatdown by taking care of the Jets 23-12. More importantly, the Bears outgained New York 492-157. That's not squeaking by a bad team — that's domination.Number 11, Las Vegas RaidersDown 2 from 9
The Raiders finally lost, but I'm not punishing them much for taking Kansas City down to the wire. Kirk Cousins threw for 365 yards and Vegas had a chance late before his final interception. At 3-1, the Raiders have officially proven they're not a fluke.Number 12, Atlanta FalconsUp 8 from 20
FORTY-FIVE POINTS. Atlanta absolutely demolished New Orleans 45-24 on Monday night and suddenly looks like the team we thought could be dangerous entering the season. The Falcons are officially back on the radar.Number 13, New England PatriotsUp 8 from 21
Welcome back, New England. The Patriots went into Buffalo as major underdogs and stunned the Bills 29-26. Drake Maye delivered when it mattered, and the defense came up with the late turnover. That's the type of win that can change an entire season.Number 14, Cleveland BrownsUp 13 from 27
The biggest jump of the week belongs to Cleveland. The Browns beat Pittsburgh 27-24 on Thursday night and are suddenly sitting at 3-1. We had them buried at No. 27 last week. Apparently they took that personally.Number 15, Indianapolis ColtsNo change, held at 15
Indianapolis went to London, survived a sloppy start and eventually hammered Washington 30-13. Jonathan Taylor helped settle everything down, and the Colts looked like the much better football team once they stopped beating themselves.Number 16, Cincinnati BengalsDown 3 from 13
Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and Cincinnati still lost. That's the problem. Burrow also threw two interceptions, Jacksonville made the bigger plays, and Ja'Marr Chase left with concussion symptoms. There's too much talent here for 2-2 to feel acceptable.Number 17, Detroit LionsDown 5 from 12
Detroit just got punched in the mouth by Carolina. Jared Goff threw for 412 yards, but it didn't matter because the Panthers controlled the game and won 32-26. This is still a talented roster, but losing to Carolina earns you a drop.Number 18, Dallas CowboysUp 1 from 19
CeeDee Lamb went absolutely nuclear: 17 catches, 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown in a 34-30 comeback over Houston. Dallas scored touchdowns on four of its five second-half possessions. That's the Cowboys offense we've been waiting to see.Number 19, Carolina PanthersUp 10 from 29
Okay, Carolina. You have our attention. Bryce Young threw for 329 yards, Tetairoa McMillan exploded for 192 receiving yards and Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 in a 32-26 upset of Detroit. That's easily Carolina's most impressive performance of the season.Number 20, Philadelphia EaglesDown 2 from 18
Philadelphia's problems are officially becoming a trend. The Eagles blew a 20-10 lead against the Rams, went 0-for-12 on third down and produced just 172 yards of offense. After getting embarrassed by Chicago last week, Philly needs answers quickly.Number 21, New Orleans SaintsDown 7 from 14
Yikes. New Orleans had an opportunity to make a statement on Monday night and instead allowed Atlanta to hang 45 points on them. A 45-24 divisional loss earns you one of the biggest drops on the board.Number 22, Washington CommandersDown 6 from 16
One week after stunning Seattle, Washington came crashing back to Earth. Indianapolis beat the Commanders 30-13 in London, and injuries only made a bad afternoon worse. Last week's massive rise now looks a little premature.Number 23, Green Bay PackersUp 1 from 24
It wasn't spectacular, but Green Bay desperately needed a win and got one, beating Tampa Bay 17-14. Jordan Love threw two touchdowns and the Packers defense generated two interceptions. Sometimes you don't need style points — just get the W.Number 24, New York GiantsUp 1 from 25
Maybe it's time to start taking the Giants seriously. New York beat Arizona 36-24 and improved to 3-1, with the defense once again making plays when it mattered. They keep winNumber 25, New York JetsDown 2 from 23
The Jets didn't just lose to Chicago — they got obliterated statistically. Chicago outgained them 492 yards to 157 in a 23-12 loss. That's the type of performance that sends you straight toward the bottom of the rankings.Number 26, Houston TexansDown 4 from 22
C.J. Stroud threw for 347 yards and Houston actually took a late lead against Dallas. Then the defense gave it right back. The Texans are now 0-4 despite showing flashes of being significantly better than an 0-4 football team. At some point, flashes don't matter. Win.Number 27, Pittsburgh SteelersDown 10 from 17
Pittsburgh went into Cleveland as the favorite and left with a 27-24 loss. The Steelers are now 2-2, and the bigger concern is that a Cleveland offensive line we expected them to overwhelm did enough to win the game. Disappointing performance.Number 28, Arizona CardinalsDown 2 from 26
Arizona gave up 36 points to the Giants and dropped its third straight game. The Cardinals have enough offensive talent to make games interesting, but they're not making enough winning plays. The slide continues.Number 29, Tampa Bay BuccaneersDown 1 from 28
Tampa Bay actually hung around with Green Bay despite starting rookie Jalon Daniels for the injured Baker Mayfield, but another close loss still counts as a loss. The Bucs are 0-4 and officially running out of moral victories.Number 30, Los Angeles ChargersNo change, held at 30
The Chargers showed some fight after falling behind Seattle, but four turnovers and two Justin Herbert interceptions were too much to overcome. They've now lost four straight to open the season. We said it last week and we'll say it again: win a football game.Number 31, Tennessee TitansUp 1 from 32
Tennessee actually deserves a little credit. The Titans trailed Baltimore 24-7 at halftime and battled all the way back to make it 24-18. They're still winless, but there was enough fight here to move them out of the basement.Number 32, Miami DolphinsDown 1 from 31
Welcome to the basement, Miami. The Dolphins managed only 10 points against Minnesota and remain winless. Ollie Gordon gave them 100 rushing yards and a touchdown, but there simply isn't enough offense right now to trust this team.
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