NFL Power Rankings: Week 5 Standings Based on Latest Super Bowl Odds

No one can accuse the NFL of being complacent, at least when it comes to the teams. When you think things are going to zig one way, they immediately zag the complete opposite direction to remind you that nothing is as it seems. 

That's good news for the oddsmakers, who thrive on the total lack of uncertainty in sports. Looking at the latest round of odds for the Super Bowl, you can tell that there is a method to Las Vegas' madness. The people setting these lines also deserve credit for not overreacting to every little thing the way we do. 

Two weeks ago, the Carolina Panthers were undefeated and looked like they might run away with the NFC South. Now, it appears no one wants to win that division. But even at 2-0, the Panthers never moved above the middle of the pack for Super Bowl odds. 

Maybe we can learn a lesson from these people. After all, they have a lot more at stake in the outcome than we do. Here are the latest power rankings based on Super Bowl odds. 

Note: Odds via Odds Shark.

No. 32 Oakland Raiders (2000-1)

How can you do anything but laugh at the Oakland Raiders right now? They fired Dennis Allen over the phone, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

Now, their next move to find a permanent head coach reportedly has owner Mark Davis ready to throw a truckload of money at Jon Gruden, via Marc Sessler of NFL.com:

"

NFL Media columnist Michael Silver told NFL Total Access on Tuesday that an "emotional connection" still exists between Gruden and the Raiders, with sources telling him "that there have been overtures, even before this, to Jon Gruden -- that Mark Davis is prepared to spend a lot of money, because that's what it would take to pry Jon out of the booth and back to Oakland."

"

All you can say is good luck, Raiders. They will need it. 

No. 31 Jacksonville Jaguars (2000-1)

Even though the Jaguars are the only team sitting with Oakland on the winless train, at least it feels like they are moving forward. Blake Bortles showed flashes in his first start against the San Diego Chargers, and a young nucleus gives Gus Bradley something to build around. 

It's going to be a long time before the Jaguars are relevant, but we can see some light finally shining through the cracks. 

No. 30 Tennessee Titans (500-1)

One area of the country where light is quickly fading is Tennessee. After a season-opening win against the Kansas City Chiefs, which is looking better now than it did at the time, the Titans have lost three straight by a combined score of 100-34. 

The good news is that Jacksonville is on the schedule in two weeks, so the losing should end for at least one day. 

No. 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (300-1)

How do you respond to a 56-14 beatdown on national television? By going to Pittsburgh and pulling off a last-second victory, of course. At least that's how Lovie Smith and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do it. 

Even though he only completed 50 percent of his passes, Mike Glennon deserves to be the starting quarterback for this team more than Josh McCown does. In addition to being younger with a higher ceiling, Glennon just looks more comfortable running the offense. 

Unfortunately, Smith seems inclined to stick with McCown when his thumb heals, via JoeBucsFan.com, based on his refusal to respond to a question about whether Glennon is still the starting quarterback. 

You wonder if that will be the case when the Buccaneers are out of the playoff race. With McCown under contract for next season, Smith would look dumb backing down on his word in November if he won't do it coming off a huge win in September. 

No. 28 St. Louis Rams (300-1)

St. Louis' strength on defense was supposed to be the defensive line, but Chris Long's injury has put a huge dent in that unit's production, with no one else picking up the slack. The Rams have one sack through three games and are allowing 155 rushing yards per game. 

That's not a good trend for a team that has to play the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers twice, the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City in the next five weeks. 

No. 27 Washington (200-1)

How quickly did Washington jump off the Kirk Cousins bandwagon? He was the savior of this offense, with stories surfacing after Robert Griffin III got hurt that Jay Gruden had wanted Cousins to lead the offense all along.

Whether or not you put all the blame on Cousins for the Week 4 loss to New York, it's time to face the reality that Washington isn't very good. The team has been poorly constructed for years, dipping too much into free agency and neglecting the draft. 

It's hard to build a team that way, not that Dan Snyder has shown any indication of changing his ways. 

No. 26 New York Jets (200-1)

Ron Antonelli/Getty Images

No one would say that Geno Smith is the answer at quarterback, but if Jets fans really think Michael Vick is the answer, with this receiving corps and his accuracy issues, they're sorely mistaken. 

That said, Smith has been a mess all season. When the Jets get in the red zone, they might as well not even attempt to throw, based on this number from ESPN Stats & Info:

The sad part for the Jets is that everything else has been working well. They rank first in run defense, second in rushing offense and 10th in pass defense. It just goes to show, once again, how vital the quarterback position is for success in the NFL.

No. 25 Cleveland Browns (200-1)

Everyone assumed the Browns would come out of their bye week with a horrible record and bad quarterback play, prompting an early-season change to bring in Johnny Manziel. 

Four weeks into the year, the Browns have a 1-2 record, and those losses come by a combined five points. Brian Hoyer has completed 64.2 percent of his passes, and there's not a peep about Manziel. The Browns are entering a soft spot on the schedule and could make a move in the AFC. Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Oakland and Tampa Bay are their next five opponents. 

While it may be a stretch for the Browns to win all five of those games, if they go 4-1 and enter the midway point at 5-3, who knows what will happen? Especially since Josh Gordon will be back after the 10th game. 

No. 24 Buffalo Bills (100-1)

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

While the Jets are finding it difficult to move on from their young quarterback, the Bills made the necessary decision to bench E.J. Manuel and go with veteran Kyle Orton before the season completely spirals out of control. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, there may be a reason for this decision other than just benching a young player who is not performing well:

Whatever Doug Marrone's reasons for benching Manuel, the Bills need to find a spark in a division that suddenly looks more winnable and vulnerable than it has been in more than a decade. If Orton is able to make Sammy Watkins a bigger part of the offense, no one will care about his neckbeard. 

No. 23 Minnesota Vikings (75-1)

Some teams collapse on themselves when faced with adversity. Credit the Vikings for not falling apart after losing their starting quarterback and running back for very different reasons. Teddy Bridgewater looked good in his first start, while Matt Asiata is growing into a serviceable running back. 

If the Vikings can find a way to use Cordarrelle Patterson more, they will be just fine on offense. Defensively, they have work to do, and that's not a good thing with Aaron Rodgers next up on the schedule. 

No. 22 Miami Dolphins (66-1)

Ryan Tannehill is going to get most of the blame for Miami's start this season. He hasn't played well, but the receivers also lead the league with 13 drops, according to Sporting Charts. Cameron Wake hasn't had a sack or a forced fumble since the New England game in Week 1. 

There are many more problems on South Beach than what's happening under center. 

No. 21 Houston Texans (66-1)

Who knows if the Texans are going to keep up this pace? They have three wins this season, already eclipsing their 2013 total, but how much credit does a team get for beating Washington, Oakland and Buffalo? The next three games against Dallas, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh will tell us a lot more about this team. 

No. 20 Carolina Panthers (66-1)

You can't blame Carolina's slow start on the new receiving corps. Kelvin Benjamin has 329 yards and three touchdowns in four games. Greg Olsen is his usual reliable self with 21 catches and 254 yards. 

The Panthers' issues are vast and show no signs of being fixed. Their depleted running back corps can't catch a break, the offensive line has already given up 10 sacks, and the run defense is atrocious, allowing nearly 141 yards per game. 

No. 19 Pittsburgh Steelers (50-1)

In a league with so little separation between the best playoff teams and a team that goes 8-8, the Steelers are going to look back on Week 4 with disgust. They might make the postseason, and they have an easy bounce-back game against Jacksonville on Sunday, but you can't give up 10 points to Tampa Bay at home in the fourth quarter. 

Of course, we keep looking for the Steelers defense of old. That unit is gone, as this one ranks 15th in run defense and 16th against the pass. The good news is the offense averages 406.3 yards per game to make up for deficiencies on the other side of the ball. 

No. 18 Kansas City Chiefs (50-1)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

In the first two games, Kansas City's offensive line was terrible and Alex Smith couldn't stop turning over the ball. Two weeks later, the Chiefs have won two straight games by a combined score of 75-29, and they did something against New England's defense that no one had ever done in the Bill Belichick era, via NFL.com's Gil Brandt:

They've also found their identity again, running for 381 yards in those victories over Miami and New England. That will be needed in Week 5 against a San Francisco defense that has allowed the second-fewest rushing yards. 

No. 17 Atlanta Falcons (50-1)

If you are charting things at home, the 2014 Falcons have essentially become what the 2012 New Orleans Saints were. They are going to score 400 points this season, but the defense is so bad that they might end up allowing 400 points as well. 

No team has allowed more than Atlanta's 113 points through four games, while only two teams have allowed more passing yards. One positive is the defense has allowed only three passing touchdowns, but only because it has allowed an NFL-high nine rushing touchdowns. 

No. 16 New York Giants (40-1)

The one thing we always knew about the Giants, even when they were winning Super Bowls, was that consistency was not a hallmark they were blessed with. Some teams are going to frustrate you endlessly because you can see the greatness shine through often enough to keep buying in. 

Tom Coughlin is a terrific coach who has gotten many great performances out of average talent. Now, he looks to be in complete control of things again. It helps when Eli Manning is completing 67 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns in four games. 

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com made an astute point about Manning and how New York's new offense was starting to function after last week's impressive win against Washington:

"

But the biggest thing that has happened here is Coughlin and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo have accurately assessed their personnel and tailored an offense to fit it. Donnell isn't a great inline blocker, and he's not going to do anything after the catch. But man, he is tall. And he can jump. And his routes are clean. So you bet they're going to throw it high to him on third down and at the goal line. 

"

It's easy to say that you are going to implement a specific system for a team to follow, but the best coaches and coordinators are able to tinker with their plans in order to fit the personnel on the roster. Coughlin and McAdoo are figuring things out as they go, which makes the Giants more dangerous than they've been in two years. 

No. 15 Chicago Bears (50-1)

There are two big questions the Bears will face all year: When will Jay Cutler self-destruct, and what will the defense look like when it isn't getting turnovers? We found out the answer to both questions against Green Bay, and the results are dire. 

In the two games they have lost, the Bears allowed 718 total yards and 61 points and forced one turnover and Cutler threw four interceptions. In their two wins, the defense gave up 773 yards but forced seven turnovers and Cutler had six touchdowns with no interceptions. 

Defenses that live or die based on turnovers are going to get burned more often than not, so the Bears as currently constructed have 8-8 written all over them. 

No. 14 Dallas Cowboys (33-1)

No one wins awards at the quarter mark of a season, but DeMarco Murray has been the most valuable offensive player in the NFL so far. He's done something through four games that only three running backs in NFL history have ever done, via Gil Brandt of NFL.com:

The Cowboys' commitment to running the ball has opened up everything on the offense. Tony Romo is no longer making mistakes, because opposing defenses have to gear up for Murray. 

You wonder how much longer the defense holds up playing a bend-don't-break style, allowing 379.8 yards per game, but so far the results have been terrific, and the schedule isn't that bad with the exception of a Week 6 matchup at Seattle. 

No. 13 Baltimore Ravens (28-1)

If I were to tell you Cincinnati has the best point differential in football at plus-47, it wouldn't be a surprise, because the Bengals are undefeated and regarded as one of the best teams in football. If I told you the Ravens were No. 2 at plus-43, you might do a double-take to make sure that's right. 

John Harbaugh is doing some of his best work as a head coach with this team, and it turns out a 35-year-old Steve Smith Sr. is still a really good football player. 

No. 12 New Orleans Saints (25-1)

The Saints are one of two teams in the top 12 that baffle me. While the oddsmakers deserve credit for not overreacting, this is one case in which we have evidence dating back more than one year to suggest there's a bigger problem. 

New Orleans has gone 9-0 at home since the start of 2013 but just 3-8 on the road. That's not a slump the team will work its way out of; it's a sign of bigger problems. While the Saints can say the first two road losses this season were fluky, there was nothing fake about the way Dallas steamrolled the defense for 445 yards. 

It doesn't matter how good the offense is; you're not going to win a lot by allowing 396 yards and 27.5 points per game.

No. 11 Arizona Cardinals (25-1)

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

If the Cardinals are looking to get more respect early in the season, they have their opportunity this week going to Denver. Even better news for Arizona is the fact that Carson Palmer told ESPN.com's Ed Werder he's "definitely" going to play. 

Palmer's presence may not be a good thing for the Cardinals, however. He's got more upside than Drew Stanton, but ESPN's Numbers Never Lie tweeted out a stat about Palmer's knack for turnovers, which is not very encouraging:

This is a key measuring-stick game for the Cardinals—just as their win over San Francisco two weeks ago made us pay closer attention to what was happening in the desert. 

No. 10 Philadelphia Eagles (20-1)

After three weeks of flirting with disaster, the Eagles finally met their match in an ugly game against San Francisco. It was also an indictment of Chip Kelly's offensive philosophy of quick play calls. When you aren't in rhythm and are getting beat up by a big, physical defense, you need to find ways to control the clock. 

Instead, Kelly stuck with what he knows, and it resulted in the Eagles holding the ball for a total of 17 minutes, 43 seconds. All of a sudden, that Week 6 game against the Giants looks a lot more interesting in the NFC East race than it did when the season started. 

No. 9 Indianapolis Colts (20-1)

Here's the great thing about football. After losing to Philadelphia on Monday night two weeks ago, there were whispers about Andrew Luck and how he was performing in this offense. Some of it was justified, as he averaged 5.06 yards per attempt against an Eagles defense that doesn't intimidate anyone. 

Two weeks later, Luck has thrown for 763 yards and eight touchdowns against Jacksonville and Tennessee. The third-year quarterback now leads the NFL in passing yards (1,305) and touchdowns (13). Granted, the Jaguars and the Titans aren't exactly measuring-stick games. That will come this week against Baltimore. 

No. 8 Detroit Lions (20-1)

Does anyone know how good the Lions are? Their wins over the Giants and the Packers look good in hindsight, but New York was still working out the kinks of its new offense, and Green Bay felt the need to try establishing the run against the strength of Detroit's defense. 

Matthew Stafford is a Jay Cutler clone, capable of great moments and others that will make you pull your hair out. As long as Detroit's front four remains intact all season, this defense is going to cause a lot of problems. 

No. 7 New England Patriots (16-1)

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Here's the other team in the top 12 that is only this high because of reputation. Nothing New England has done this season puts it among the seven best teams in the NFL. The pass defense has allowed the fewest yards per game but is tied for 12th with six passing touchdowns allowed. 

Tom Brady can't stay upright, having been sacked nine times in four games. The offensive line has allowed the quarterback to be pressured an NFL-high 55 times, according to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, and when he does have time to throw, Brady's accuracy isn't up to snuff:

"

On plays where Brady has felt no pressure this season he has a passer rating of just 83.0 and a PFF grade of -4.7.

You only need to look at the interceptions he threw against the Chiefs, both of which came from a clean pocket, to move past that excuse. The line isn’t helping him out, but there is more to his play than poor protection.

"

Even though the weapons around him aren't what they used to be, Brady isn't blameless in New England's offensive decline. Unless he finds his old self again, the Patriots are going to struggle. The offensive line isn't good enough to help the running game. 

No. 6 Green Bay Packers (14-1)

Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded that all you have to do is R-E-L-A-X. Aaron Rodgers took his frustrations from the first three weeks out against the Bears in grand fashion, with 302 yards and four touchdowns. 

As impressive as the Week 4 win was, it's not all sunshine and roses in Green Bay. Eddie Lacy still can't run the ball, even against a depleted Bears defensive line that was missing Jared Allen, and the Packers' can't stop the run (235 yards on 41 carries). 

But when you have Rodgers under center, even a mediocre team can look like a playoff contender. 

No. 5 San Francisco 49ers (12-1)

Did any team need to win more in Week 4 than San Francisco? The 49ers have been deemed a sinking ship due to their inept second-half performances in the first three weeks, so it was refreshing to see the team outscore Philadelphia 13-0 after halftime, get back to pounding the ball with Frank Gore and get a great defensive performance. 

But the game still came down to the final seconds because of two special teams blunders and dumb football plays out of Colin Kaepernick, who threw a pick-six and ran out of bounds for a four-yard loss on a play after scrambling to keep a play alive instead of throwing the ball away. 

All that matters is getting the win, but the 49ers are still searching for consistency on offense and from the quarterback. 

No. 4 San Diego Chargers (10-1)

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

As impressive as San Diego's climb up the rankings has been, I would argue the Chargers actually belong ahead of Cincinnati based on what they have done. While neither team has entered the rough part of its schedule yet, the Chargers' win over Seattle is better than anything the Bengals have done. 

The Chargers should end up at 6-1 before playing Denver on October 23 with games against the Jets, the Raiders and the Chiefs. Before the year, we all thought the AFC West was Denver's in a landslide. Now, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it come down to the final weeks. 

No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (9-1)

Even though I'm not as high on the Bengals as oddsmakers or most analysts, they are among the top contenders for the Super Bowl in the AFC. Andy Dalton is playing mistake-free football right now, which has always been the key for Cincinnati. 

You wonder, though, if this is a turning point in Dalton's career or just one of those streaks that every quarterback has. When you have A.J. Green averaging 19.4 yards per reception, the game plan shouldn't be that hard to put together. 

No. 2 Denver Broncos (9-2)

Coming off a tough, physical game like the one Denver had in Seattle, most teams wouldn't complain about having a bye in Week 4. However, I wonder if the Broncos would have preferred to play last week to put that rough loss behind them. 

That's not to say Denver is in trouble or in danger of missing out on the playoffs. If anything, that game against the Seahawks only makes you want to see what those two teams could do on a neutral field one more time. 

No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (4-1)

You know things are good when the only negative thing being said about your franchise involves losing a noise record to Kansas City on Monday night, via Sports Illustrated:

It's unfortunate that the Seahawks have to go on the road this week, because you wonder how their fans would respond to being called out by Chiefs fans. The good news is they get to play Washington, which just gave up 45 points to the Giants. 

Depending on what happens this week with both teams, that Week 6 matchup against Dallas looks far more compelling than anyone expected one month ago. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter.