NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 6

Undefeated teams are an endangered species, Tom Brady still looks like an all-time great and the Dallas Cowboys rookies are the real deal—welcome to Week 5 in the NFL.

Brady’s return from a four-game suspension was one of the marquee storylines of the entire season, and he delivered with 406 passing yards and three touchdowns in the New England Patriots’ 33-13 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Elsewhere, the Minnesota Vikings are the only undefeated team remaining after a 31-13 victory over the Houston Texans. The Atlanta Falcons handed the Denver Broncos their first loss, and the Detroit Lions shocked Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-23.

The Pittsburgh Steelers still look like juggernauts after a 31-13 win over the New York Jets, and Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott led the Cowboys to a commanding 28-14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Elliott posted 134 yards and two scores on the ground, while Prescott threw for 227 yards and a touchdown.

With all that in mind, here is a look at the updated power rankings before peeking ahead to a marquee Week 6 showdown.

Rank	Team	Record
1	New England Patriots	4-1
2	Minnesota Vikings	5-0
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	4-1
4	Seattle Seahawks	3-1
5	Atlanta Falcons	4-1
6	Denver Broncos	4-1
7	Green Bay Packers	3-1
8	Dallas Cowboys	4-1
9	Philadelphia Eagles	3-1
10	Oakland Raiders	4-1
11	Washington	3-2
12	Baltimore Ravens	3-2
13	Buffalo Bills	3-2
14	Carolina Panthers	1-3
15	Los Angeles Rams	3-2
16	Arizona Cardinals	2-3
17	Cincinnati Bengals	2-3
18	Houston Texans	3-2
19	Kansas City Chiefs	2-2
20	New York Giants	2-3
21	Detroit Lions	2-3
22	New York Jets	1-4
23	Tennessee Titans	2-3
24	Indianapolis Colts	2-3
25	San Diego Chargers	1-4
26	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-3
27	New Orleans Saints	1-3
28	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-3
29	Chicago Bears	1-4
30	San Francisco 49ers	1-4
31	Miami Dolphins	1-4
32	Cleveland Browns	0-5

Week 6 Game to Watch: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks

Atlanta's victory over the Broncos set up a Week 6 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks that is loaded with storylines, making this the game to watch on Sunday.

It may be early, but there are NFC playoff implications in this contest pitting two top-five teams from the power rankings against each other. The Seahawks lead the NFC West and the Falcons lead the NFC South, and it is not unrealistic to expect a postseason matchup between these squads in January. A head-to-head win would go a long way toward tiebreakers and home-field advantage down the road.

This is also a clash between a stout Seahawks defense and red-hot Atlanta offense in a raucous CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Seattle is a daunting place for any road team to play, but the Falcons shouldn’t be intimidated after winning 23-16 in Sports Authority Field against the previously undefeated and defending Super Bowl champion Broncos.

What's more, the Falcons are playing against recent history and have the chance to earn a statement win. They started 5-0 last year and plummeted to 8-8 thanks largely to a disastrous six-game losing streak in the middle of the season. A win in Seattle would help Atlanta prove to its fans that it is a legitimate contender and this year’s start isn’t another mirage.

As for the Seahawks, they had a bye in Week 5 and will need that additional preparation if the Falcons' start is any indication.

Atlanta is coming off four straight wins after a season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The offense is posting head-turning numbers behind several weapons and scored 35 points, 45 points, 48 points and 23 points in those four victories.

Quarterback Matt Ryan already has three games with more than 300 passing yards, including a 503-yard, four-touchdown outburst in a 48-33 victory over the Carolina Panthers. In all, he has 12 touchdown passes to just two interceptions and is a legitimate MVP candidate in the early portion of the season.

Wide receiver Julio Jones had 300 yards against the Panthers and is one of the best playmakers in the league, but this offense is far from just those two proven commodities. The two-headed running back monster of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman has opened up the attack.

Coleman is more of a pass-catching option who tallied 132 receiving yards during Sunday’s win over the Broncos. He has 313 yards through the air on the season.

Freeman is the runner with 410 yards on the ground. He makes the offense much more dynamic because opposing defenses cannot afford to devote additional secondary members to stopping Ryan with Freeman there to churn up yardage.

All those scoring threats will face a stiff test against the Seahawks, who were among the league’s best in a number of defensive categories entering Sunday’s action:

Category	Stat	League Rank (entering play Sunday)
Yards Allowed Per Game	264	2
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game	183.8	4
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game	80.3	6
Points Allowed Per Game	13.5	3

As those numbers indicate, Seattle will at least contain the Falcons offense. Linebacker Bobby Wagner will help counter that strong one-two punch of Atlanta running backs, and Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated pointed out how effective he has been this season:

The stingy defense will keep the Seahawks within striking distance, and the Seattle offense will prove to be the ultimate difference in the NFC clash. 

It struggled early with 12 points against the Miami Dolphins and a measly three in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but it bounced back with 37 against the San Francisco 49ers and 27 against the New York Jets. Quarterback Russell Wilson dealt with an ankle injury and a knee injury early in the season but had the bye week to heal.

Head coach Pete Carroll suggested that will help him after Seattle's last win, per Gregg Bell of the News Tribune: "He came out great. He’s thrilled about the way he got out of that thing. He got hit a couple times but nothing on the knees or ankles that bothered him. He’s already deep into the process of this week and we’re anticipating that he’s going to be in pretty good shape two weeks from now."

Wilson is fresh off his best game of the season (309 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Jets) and will have the chance to attack a Falcons defense that allowed at least 28 points in each of the first four games and more than 30 in three of those contests.

He hasn’t been a rushing threat this year because of the injuries (28 yards), but he will be against the Falcons after the week off. He also has running back Christine Michael to take the pressure off if Atlanta diverts too many defenders his way.

Michael is rolling with 100.5 total yards per game and three touchdowns in the last two contests, which will open up more of the field for Wilson to exploit through the air. Look for Wilson to find Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin on a critical fourth-quarter drive against a Falcons secondary that was an abysmal 31st in the league against the pass coming into Sunday’s game.

Atlanta was effective against untested rookie Paxton Lynch on Sunday, but it will be a different story against the three-time Pro Bowler Wilson.

Prediction: Seahawks 31, Falcons 24