NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Biggest Winners and Losers

With a quarter of the 2013 NFL regular season nearly in the books, there's been no shortage of surprises and that will only continue throughout the campaign.

While the top few teams in the league have become apparent, it gets awfully tricky from that point as some teams sputter and give up chances to assert their status as elite contenders.

Let's take a look at where each team stands and highlight the biggest winners and losers through four weeks of the season.

Biggest Winners

Kansas City Chiefs

Five months ago, the Kansas City Chiefs owned the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft after securing the NFL's worst record.

After four weeks of the season, that same team is 4-0. No, that's not a typo.

Inserting quarterback Alex Smith has paid dividends for Kansas City, as new head coach Andy Reid has put him in ideal positions to avoid putting his offense in unfavorable situations and making it tough for defenses to generate turnovers.

Just as well, the secondary has been showing up some notable passers—from Eli Manning to Michael Vick. 

Sunday was arguably the Chiefs' biggest win yet, throttling the New York Giants 31-7. Smith threw for 288 yards and three scores, showing he can be much more than a game manager if he chooses.

New England Patriots

It was far from easy and came down to one play, but the Patriots are 4-0 after a big-time road win against one of the NFC's most talked about teams, the Atlanta Falcons.

After two ugly wins over the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets to start the season followed by a win over Tampa Bay last weekend that wasn't much prettier, New England's 3-0 record wasn't keeping anyone from acknowledging its problems at the receiver position and run defense.

But Tom Brady showed up in a big way on the road against Atlanta, getting two of his receivers to surpass 100 receiving yards. LeGarrette Blount helped the cause with a 47-yard touchdown scamper early in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots won much more than a game on Sunday Night Football. They proved that anyone forgoing the Pats' chances of making a Super Bowl run in 2013 is way too quick to judge.

Biggest Losers

New York Giants

With the way this season is going for the G-Men, they may end up on this list week after week.

One weekend removed from a 38-0 beatdown at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, the Giants didn't get any favors done by the schedule makers as they visited the unbeaten Chiefs. It was more of the same for Tom Coughlin and company, as they were ousted 31-7.

After starting the season off with promise in the passing game and a non-existent running game (and turnovers) at the root of their problems, Eli Manning has cooled off considerably—averaging 168 yards through the air in his last two defeats.

There needs to be a major face lift in New York if the Giants have any business in making a run toward a playoff spot.

St. Louis Rams

One year removed from being one of the only teams capable of giving the San Francisco 49ers trouble, the Rams were absolutely dominated by that same opponent on Thursday Night Football.

Jeff Fisher's squad ran for a whopping total of 18 yards on the ground in the loss, showing absolutely no ability to run the ball as Daryl Richardson notched 12 carries for just 16 yards. 

Meanwhile, Sam Bradford continues to regress. He boasted a 19-of-41 performance for 202 yards, but was sacked five times and pressured constantly.

The Rams showed huge strides of improvement in Fisher's first season at the helm in 2012, and all signs pointed to them being a sleeper pick for the playoffs. Now at 1-3 and looking more vulnerable than ever, things are sputtering out of control really quick.