NFL Power Rankings: Week 5 Expert Consensus from Around the Web

Now that Week 5 of the 2014 NFL regular season is approaching fast, it’s time to break down where every team stands in the latest installment of the power rankings.

Some of the top experts around the sport of football produce power rankings each week. It’s interesting to see what these NFL insiders believe and where they rank each team in the league as compared to the other experts.

Here are the latest expert power rankings from around the web and my full breakdown and rankings for every team.

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

*Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings via CBSSports.com.

*Frank Schwab’s Power Rankings via Yahoo.com.

*Matt Miller’s Power Rankings via BleacherReport.com.

Donald Wood’s Power Rankings

32. Oakland Raiders

There are few teams who need a bye more than the Oakland Raiders. After firing head coach Dennis Allen, via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, the time off will be spent making on-the-fly changes. It will only get worse in Oakland over the coming weeks.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars were once again destroyed Sunday. The team has allowed at least 33 points in each game this season and has not scored more than 17 points yet in 2014. With Pittsburgh’s offense hitting its stride and the defense needing a confidence boost, this will be a lopsided beatdown for the Jaguars.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Josh McCown was forced to miss time with a thumb injury, last year’s breakout player Mike Glennon was given the chance to shine. He helped guide the team to a win over Pittsburgh, but it will be interesting to see whom the team plays when McCown is cleared to return.

29. New York Giants

After a blowout win against Washington on Thursday night, the New York Giants look to be finding their mojo once again. The Giants have a tough matchup against Atlanta in Week 5, and the result of the game will be a good indication of whether New York is a contender or a pretender.

28. St. Louis Rams

Injuries have plagued the St. Louis Rams, but an early bye week is exactly what the doctor ordered. With extra rest and time to strategize with Austin Davis as QB, the Rams must be prepared to play a talented Philadelphia team.

27. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings looked like a postseason contender during the Week 4 victory over Atlanta on Sunday, but the top storyline coming out of the game was the severity of the injury to rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s ankle. His status for Thursday’s game against Green Bay is unknown.

26. Tennessee Titans

After beating Kansas City in Week 1, the Tennessee Titans have been absolutely terrible. The Titans scored 26 points against the Chiefs and have only totaled 34 points over the last three games combined.

25. Washington Redskins

For the Washington Redskins fans quick to crown Kirk Cousins as the future of the franchise, he was dominated by the New York Giants. With his confidence shaken and a matchup on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks, this could get ugly fast for the Washington offense.

24. New York Jets

To head coach Rex Ryan’s credit, the New York Jets have one of the most underrated defensive units in the NFL. On the other hand, the Geno Smith-led offense has been inconsistent and unreliable. The calls for Michael Vick have begun.

23. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are coming off a bye week and heading toward a favorable matchup against Tennessee. If the team can build confidence and momentum, the Browns have a chance to win at least seven games this season.

22. Houston Texans

One of the most impressive defensive units in the NFL has been Houston’s, and J.J. Watt is an early favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. The Texans offensive unit has not lived up to the hype, but the team is still finding a rhythm under new head coach Bill O’Brien.

21. Miami Dolphins

A win in the NFL is never easy to achieve, but the Miami Dolphins shouldn’t gain too much confidence after beating Oakland in London. The team must use the bye week to recover and prepare for a long second half of the season.

20. Atlanta Falcons

It’s hard to tell who the Atlanta Falcons are. One week, the team will dominate its opponent, and the following week, Atlanta loses to Minnesota. The lack of consistency on both sides of the ball has been alarming.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, but the Steelers have found the perfect remedy. With a matchup against the lowly Jaguars, expect the offensive and defensive units to work out the issues by beating Jacksonville.

18. Dallas Cowboys

To the credit of the Dallas Cowboys, they have developed a run-first game plan and are executing it to perfection. The team has looked far from perfect, though, and has taken advantage of a favorable early schedule. It will only get tougher as the season progresses.

17. Kansas City Chiefs

The return of Jamaal Charles helped boost the Kansas City Chiefs to a huge win over New England on Monday night. If the team can show the same composure against San Francisco, Kansas City could be a postseason contender again.

16. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are only as good as quarterback Jay Cutler will let them be. With a history of turnovers when the situation gets tough, Cutler must do a better job protecting the football if the Bears want to contend in the NFC North.

15. Buffalo Bills

According to the Buffalo Bills’ official Twitter account, Kyle Orton will be the starting quarterback in Week 5 over EJ Manuel. Hopefully, this is the wake-up call Manuel needed and the shot in the arm to save Buffalo’s season.

14. Carolina Panthers

With the news that Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams is doubtful for Week 5, via David Newton of ESPN.com, the offensive unit has become one-dimensional. Add in the defensive struggles, and Carolina is not living up to its potential.

13. New Orleans Saints

What happened to the New Orleans Saints? From quarterback Drew Brees to tight end Jimmy Graham, the entire offensive unit has looked out of sorts all season. The defense is the biggest issue, though, and Rob Ryan must get his unit playing well, or he will likely find himself out of a job.

12. Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions continue to climb the rankings via hard-fought victories. The team isn’t winning pretty, but Detroit is showing the mental toughness that had been missing over the last several years.

11. New England Patriots

Many football fans are hitting the panic button for the New England Patriots, but it’s not time yet. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are too good to go out like this. Now that the team's back is against the wall, how it handles the adversity will determine whether the Patriots are through as legitimate contenders.

10. San Francisco 49ers

A win over Philadelphia was a huge confidence boost for the San Francisco 49ers, but the clock mismanagement from Colin Kaepernick was tough to watch. The team better have an intervention on the topic as soon as possible, or it's going to cost the team in a crucial moment.

9. Baltimore Ravens

Led by the play of wide receiver Steve Smith, the Baltimore Ravens dominated the Carolina Panthers and have emerged as serious contenders in the AFC again. A matchup against the Indianapolis Colts is a potential postseason preview NFL fans can’t miss.

8. Green Bay Packers

Consistency. If the Green Bay Packers could show the ability to consistently perform at a high level offensively and defensively, the franchise could be a Super Bowl threat. Green Bay is close to figuring it all out.

7. Arizona Cardinals

Injuries plagued the Arizona Cardinals through the training camp and into the regular season, but the early bye week will get the team healthy and ready for a tough Week 5 matchup against Denver. If Arizona pulls out the win, there will be no doubting the power of head coach Bruce Arians.

6. Philadelphia Eagles

A loss to San Francisco is tough to swallow, but the Philadelphia Eagles could have easily won the game if the offensive line was not ravaged by injuries. Luckily enough for the Eagles, suspended tackle Lane Johnson returns in Week 5 and will be a welcome addition.

5. San Diego Chargers

Despite the injury to star running back Ryan Mathews, the San Diego Chargers have rallied around Philip Rivers on offense and have been lights out. Add in the elite play of the defensive unit, and watch out for San Diego this season.

4. Indianapolis Colts

After starting the season with two heartbreaking losses to Denver and Philadelphia, the Indianapolis Colts dominated the lesser foes of the last two weeks by a combined score of 85-34. The Week 5 matchup with Baltimore will be much tougher but nothing quarterback Andrew Luck can’t handle.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Many experts believed the Cincinnati Bengals were the best team in the league through three weeks. After having time to rest and prepare for New England, the Bengals could come out Sunday night against a vulnerable opponent and make a statement to the entire NFL.

2. Denver Broncos

A loss to Seattle was tough to swallow, but losing to Arizona would be an even worse blow for the Denver Broncos. If Denver takes Arizona lightly or has a bye-week hangover, the Broncos could easily lose. With Peyton Manning under center, the team will be ready.

1. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have a favorable matchup against Washington following the team’s bye week, and the defending Super Bowl champions are looking to capitalize on the momentum they created in Week 3 with another win.

*Stats via NFL.com.

Follow @Donald_Wood