NFL Week 5 Power Rankings

Sorry for no Week 4 rankings! I was sick last week. Please share your thoughts for this week!

1.   Atlanta Falcons (5-0) – Matt Ryan is piecing together an MVP season and has shown he can lead this team in the clutch. His dominance should continue next week when the Raiders come to town. Fun Fact: the Falcons have more wins than the rest of their division combined.

2.   Houston Texans (5-0) – The Texans D not only tries to stop teams from scoring, but tries really hard to get points of their own. Combined with their potent offense, they are a very balanced team and are poised for a deep post-season. I would say the only thing that could derail this team is another injury to Schaub, but look what happened last year with T.J. Yates at the helm…

3.   San Francisco 49ers (4-1) – The ‘Niners tore through the AFC East with ease, outscoring the Jets and Bills 79-3 in consecutive weeks. This week’s game against the Giants will be their toughest game since week 1 against the Packers.

4.   Chicago Bears (4-1) – This defense is hot! They play well enough to cover Cutler’s butt when he throws his routine picks. If they can continue to bail out Cutler when things get rough, this will be a tough team to beat.

5.   New England Patriots (3-2) – I’ll probably catch heat for ranking the Pats ahead of four teams that are 4-1. Their offense the past two weeks has been something reminiscent of the 2007 Patriots, with the exception that they now have a potent run-game with Ridley and Bolden. Now that their offense is clicking, and with the immanent return of Hernandez, this team should avoid any more fluke losses.

6.   Baltimore Ravens (4-1) – The Ravens won their first game without scoring a touchdown since 2007. The fact that they couldn’t score one against the lowly Chiefs is a little concerning, but they are still a great team.

7.   New York Giants (3-2) – I was on the lookout for an upset when the Browns took an early lead in their game against the Giants this Sunday, but then Eli led the team to answer with a 40-burger. This team is scoring easily and often. Could we see a THIRD Super Bowl of Patriots vs. Giants? Not too big of a stretch at this point.

8.   Arizona Cardinals (4-1) – The Cardinals were bound to lose at some point. Just as the Titans did in ’08, the Broncos did in ’09, and the Bills did in ’11, I believe they will start to plummet. This team is not the “real deal.”

9.   Minnesota Vikings (4-1) – The Vikings in the top 10? Yea. Christian Ponder is quietly leading this team along with Adrian Peterson. The defense is clicking and doing more than just keeping them in games.

10.   San Diego Chargers (3-2) – The Chargers had a daunting task of trying to stop Brees setting the touchdown record in the Superdome with Sean Payton there in person. They kept it close and Ryan Matthews broke out with a monster game.

11.   Seattle Seahawks (3-2) – The Seahawks defense is allowing the fewest yards/game in the entire NFL. If Russell Wilson elevates his game this team is tough to beat each week. This stellar defense will have their hands full this week containing Tom Brady and the prolific Patriots offense.

12.   Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) – By far the best part of this team is Megatron Jr. in A.J Green. The Bengals need to improve on third down and their secondary could use some work.

13.   Denver Broncos (2-3) – When it appeared all hope was lost on Sunday, Peyton Manning rallied his team to come within 10 points of catching up to the Patriots. If it wasn’t for a costly fumble by McGahee, there’s no doubt in my mind they would have at least tied the game. Manning was nearly perfect, and despite the losing record, the Broncos are doing just fine.

14.   Green Bay Packers (2-3) – The Packers’ defense is really bad and it’s hard to ignore it any longer. Aaron Rodgers isn’t wowing the NFL again this year and he’ll have an even tougher time without Jermichael Finley and Cedric Benson. They need to be more consistent as a team.

15.   Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) – James Harrison had a solid return, but the defense will hurt again next week without Polamalu.

16.   Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) – Vick did, yet again, what he does best and turn over the football. The fumble in the end-zone is inexcusable.  They may only  be 2-3, but I would be worried if I were a Philly fan. Perhaps it’s time for a QB and/or coaching change.

17.   Washington Redskins (2-3) – Fear not ‘Skins fans, RGIII should be back next week if he passes the concussion tests. He needs to learn to slide or else his impressive rookie season is going to be cut short.

18.   St. Louis Rams (3-2) – The Rams are going to seriously struggle without their leading receiver, Amendola, for 6 weeks. We’ll see if they can maintain their first winning record they’ve had since ’06.

19.   Miami Dolphins (2-3) – Tannehill appears to be the real deal! I never would have guessed. This season may  not be fruitful but the future looks brighter in Miami.

20.   Dallas Cowboys (2-2) – Well, on the bright side… I don’t know. What’s the best part of this Cowboys team? Tony Romo has 5 TDs, 8 INTs, and a 78.5 Passer Rating. Perhaps his time in Dallas is running out.

21.   New Orleans Saints (1-3) – I guess it took an impending record and Sean Payton physically in the building in order for the Saints to close out a game. Will they ride momentum or stutter?

22.   Buffalo Bills (2-3) – Mario who? This defense was supposed to do great things this year but has flopped hardcore. Their only two wins came against the Chiefs and Browns. Not very promising.

23.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) – The Buccs beefed up their team through free agency last season and its slowly, very slowly going to pay off.

24.   Detroit Lions (1-3) – I don’t think there’s a more disappointing team than the Lions this year. Everyone had such high hopes for Detroit after last year’s stellar season, but everyone is still waiting to see the Stafford of last year. Oh, and their Special Teams couldn’t stop a runny nose.

25.   Carolina Panthers (1-4) – Cam Newton is costing this team wins instead of cementing them. Everyone over-estimated his maturity last season, and now we’re seeing a sophomore quarterback for who he really is.

26.   Tennessee Titans (1-4) – CJ2K rushed for a whopping 24 yards on 15 attempts. Remember back in the day when people were saying he was the best running back in the league?

27.   Indianapolis Colts (2-2) –  What a heartwarming win for the Colts this week for their coach Chuck Pagano, who is undergoing treatment for leukemia. Props to Andrew Luck for finishing the game strong, and I wish a speedy recovery to Coach Pagano.

28.   New York Jets (2-3) – “You thought the Jets were going to come back against the Texans, didn’t you, Squidward?” This team is a complete mess and shows no sign of getting any better.

29.   Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) – The fact that Chiefs fans cheered when Matt Cassel left the game with a concussion is absolutely disgusting. I understand that he was having an awful season, but what a disgrace the fans were. Personally, I’m really glad to see Brady Quinn get another shot at being a starter, but how well he’ll do remains to be seen.

30.   Oakland Raiders (1-3) – Al Davis would be turning over in his grave if he wasn’t so used to watching a terrible team when he was alive.

31.   Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) – “The Cubs, every locked-out NHL team, and Kim Kardashian.” What are things that score more often than the Jags?

32.   Cleveland Browns (0-5) – The Browns may have a promising future with Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson.; the rest of their team is so bad though.

Comment and share your thoughts!