NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

Week 5 of the NFL season kicked off with a dud that probably even had Green Bay Packers fans bored by the second half. 

The Minnesota Vikings were absolutely destroyed on the road as an injured Teddy Bridgewater watched from the sidelines. However, there promises to be plenty of competitive games on deck that will shape up the power rankings accordingly.

For now, let's take a look at the Week 5 rankings after Thursday's blowout.

32. Oakland Raiders

We can only sing the future praises of Derek Carr and Khalil Mack so many times in these power rankings.

Yes, it is nice to have two potential cornerstones to build the franchise around, especially since there is one on each side of the ball, but the Oakland Raiders are on the bottom here after firing their coach and a blowout loss overseas. The offensive line was terrible, and the defense couldn’t stop the Miami Dolphins. 

Maybe things will be better next year.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

ESPN.com had some positive words for those who believe in Blake Bortles, “Blake Bortles completed 78.4 percent of passes in his debut. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's the highest completion percentage in any first career start since 1960 (minimum 30 attempts).” 

Bortles doesn’t have a lot to work with this season, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are slowly moving in the right direction. The young receivers will grow up with the Central Florida product, although the lack of a running game is certainly worrisome.

30. Tennessee Titans

All the Tennessee Titans have done the last three weeks is lose by a combined score of 100-34.

That’s not the way it is supposed to work in the parity-driven NFL. 

The quarterback play has been lackluster at best, regardless of whether it is Jake Locker or Charlie Whitehurst under center, and the defense looks a long way removed from the impressive performance in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The reality with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is probably somewhere in the middle of their blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons and victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but a win is a win. 

Mike Glennon came through when it mattered most at the end of the game, and Vincent Jackson fantasy owners were relieved to actually get some production. If the defense plays a bit better moving forward, there could be a couple more victories on the table in 2014.

28. Washington Redskins

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Admit it, you were ready to jump on the Kirk Cousins bandwagon for a minute there, weren’t you?

That sound you heard in Week 4 was everyone jumping off, as the Washington offense turned the ball over six different times against the New York Giants. Those turnovers led to 31 points, which is a recipe for disaster in the NFL.

Next up is a date with the “Legion of Boom” and the Seattle Seahawks. Best of luck, Mr. Cousins.

27. St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams had some high expectations heading into the season, but the offensive line has struggled, the running game is middling at best and the defensive line has yet to dominate like it was supposed to this year. 

It’s not exactly the time to be struggling for the Rams either because games with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs are on the horizon.

26. New York Jets

Much like the Rams, things are going to get worse before they get better for the New York Jets.

After a 1-3 start, the squad has to play the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots in the span of 11 days. The real question after a few more losses will become whether Geno Smith is still the answer at quarterback or not.

The Jets are not going anywhere this year, so they might give the youngster the season under center.

25. Cleveland Browns

David Richard/Associated Press

The Cleveland Browns may only have one win, but they nearly pulled off upsets against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. It may be time to start winning more consistently with contests against the Jaguars, Titans and Raiders coming up. 

The defense has too much talent to not play better moving forward, and the offense has been fairly impressive, even without Josh Gordon. There may actually be a bright future on the immediate horizon for Cleveland.

24. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings may be higher on this list than some expected in the wake of Thursday's game, but they were on the road against a dangerous team without their quarterback.

We will reserve harsh judgment here because this is a different team with Bridgewater under center. He looked like the real deal in Week 4 and should have the opportunity to be the quarterback of the future for years to come in Minnesota.

It just wasn't meant to be Thursday night.

23. New Orleans Saints

Playing on the road is inherently more difficult than playing at home in the NFL, but how can a professional team be this night-and-day different depending on the venue?

The New Orleans Saints already have three road losses and seriously need some home cooking. The defense has been nightmarish, but the offense still has the pieces to contend for a playoff spot. Drew Brees and company will eventually start putting together some wins, but it better start happening quickly.

22. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills defense has been solid all year, but the offense is sputtering after a 2-0 start.

Next up is a date with the Detroit Lions, which just so happens to boast one of the best defenses in the league in the early going. Kyle Orton is a veteran, but this is a difficult spot for the new quarterback to succeed. 

The good news is the AFC East is wide-open.

21. Miami Dolphins

ESPN.com painted a pretty picture for Dolphins fans after the win over Oakland in Week 4: “The Raiders blitzed Ryan Tannehill on half his dropbacks Sunday, and Tannehill responded by going 10-of-15 for 145 yards and a touchdown (93.6 Total QBR). Looks like the job is still his.” 

With Lamar Miller and an eventually healthy Knowshon Moreno, the running game can do some damage as well. If Ryan Tannehill performs like that moving forward, the Dolphins could actually make some noise in that wide-open AFC East we just mentioned in the Buffalo section.

20. Carolina Panthers

There were offensive line concerns before the season started that we sort of forgot about when the Carolina Panthers started with a couple of wins.

Now they are rearing their ugly head again, and the running backs are dropping left and right with injuries. The Panthers were completely outplayed by the Ravens in Week 4, and it is more concerning that Cam Newton may not last the season with the blocking he is receiving. 

That would be a disaster for this squad.

19. New York Giants

We have to see it for one more week before the New York Giants receive a big move up in these power rankings, but they have been rather impressive in the past two games. 

Eli Manning has drastically cut down the turnovers, Rashad Jennings has impressed and the Giants are suddenly on a roll. The defense also did its job and then some in the win over Washington, which may be the key to the rest of the season.

18. New England Patriots

ESPN Stats and Info noted that Tom Brady has not been himself this season:

Brady’s struggles are definitely part of the issue in New England, but he has absolutely no help around him right now. The offensive line is a mess, the wide receivers are mediocre at best and Rob Gronkowski doesn’t quite look 100 percent. 

It may be time to call a spade a spade here. New England just isn’t that good heading into Week 5.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger has been impressive, Antonio Brown has been impressive and Le’Veon Bell has been impressive. Somehow, the Steelers are still losing games to the Buccaneers of the world.

The defensive injuries certainly don’t help, but it is hard to shake the image of Tampa Bay putting together a game-winning drive in the waning seconds in Week 4. At least Pittsburgh gets Jacksonville next.

16. Atlanta Falcons

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The Atlanta Falcons are fairly easy to summarize at this point. There is tons of offensive talent in place that will put up big numbers, but the defense just isn’t trustworthy.

It may be an up-and-down season until the defense steps up, which was evidenced by the past two performances. Atlanta destroyed the Buccaneers and then went out and lost to the Vikings with a rookie quarterback making his first career start. 

Manning and the resurgent Giants could make life more frustrating for Atlanta’s defense in Week 5.

15. Chicago Bears 

This sequence of updates from Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune is a summary of how things have been going for the Chicago Bears:

Just when things look to be on the way up in the injury department, the team has another setback. We aren’t even mentioning standout cornerback Charles Tillman, who is out for the year after triceps surgery.

If the Bears can ever get healthy, there is a ton of talent on this squad. Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett is as good as it gets on paper, and the defense at least has a couple big names.

If that offense clicks and the defense is even middle-of-the-road, Chicago can still contend for a playoff spot.

14. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans may be 3-1, but it is difficult to see them as one of the league’s best teams with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. 

Still, J.J. Watt is a dominant force along the defensive line, and Andre Johnson and Arian Foster are yet to really break out this year. We will give the Texans more love if they beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, but they are still in prove-it mode for the time being.

13. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs move up the rankings with as impressive of a performance as we have seen this year in their dismantling of New England.

Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis look like a two-headed monster that will propel the rushing attack all year, which will spell trouble for opponents. The formula seems to be control the tempo and clock with the run and get a solid performance from the defense. 

That could lead to another playoff spot.

12. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers went back to the basics in a critical game against the Eagles and came out on top behind Frank Gore’s relentless running.

Colin Kaepernick is still struggling with his consistency, but the defense looked as good as it has all year in Week 4. That is important for the 49ers moving forward, especially as they get a couple of key pieces back on that side of the ball.

11. Dallas Cowboys

TIM SHARP/Associated Press

Let’s take a step back from the Dallas Cowboys jokes and realize that this team is loaded on the offensive side of the ball. 

DeMarco Murray is running like an absolute beast, which lets Tony Romo and Dez Bryant make plays in the passing department, and the defense is playing better than expected. If that remains the case, Dallas could be a serious playoff contender in the NFC.

10. Green Bay Packers 

The rest of the NFC is officially on notice after the Packers destroyed the Bears and Vikings in two consecutive weeks.

The offense is finally clicking after some early struggles, and Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb may be the best one-two punch in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers is clicking on all cylinders again, and a playoff spot is likely waiting as long as the defense is at least mediocre for the rest of the year.

9. Baltimore Ravens 

The Baltimore Ravens have impressed Elliot Harrison of NFL.com in the early going this season:

"

So, I think Steve Smith Sr. can still play football. And even beyond the 35-year-old's 139-yard-two-touchdown-you-better-recognize performance, the Ravens fired on all cylinders. The offense maintained genuine balance against the Panthers, with 30 of the 61 play calls being runs. Justin Forsett got 17 touches, Lorenzo Taliaferro 15. And how about that defense?

"

As Harrison mentioned, Smith Sr. has been a crucial addition, and the running game is starting to pick up momentum. The Cincinnati Bengals may be the class of the AFC North, but Baltimore isn’t that far behind.

8. Detroit Lions 

There may not be a better sign for the Detroit Lions this year than the fact that they didn’t really struggle to win in Week 4 even with Calvin Johnson limited by injury.

This team is about more than just Matthew Stafford chucking it deep to Johnson now, as the defense looks like one of the league’s best thus far. The scary thing is that the Lions will eventually get the typical incredible production from Johnson that they normally do, and the defense could still be impressive late in the season.

7. Indianapolis Colts 

ESPN Stats and Info noted that Andrew Luck has made some history through four games:

It is a well-established fact that Luck is an absolute superstar, and he is carrying this team with the help of Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton. Even Trent Richardson has gotten involved in the passing game a bit, although the rushing attack still leaves something to be desired.

As long as Mr. Luck is under center, Indianapolis should win the AFC South.

6. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles take a step back here after what can only be described as a confusing loss to San Francisco.

The defense and special teams scored three touchdowns against the 49ers, while the high-flying offense was virtually nonexistent. To be fair, injuries on the offensive line are just killing this team right now, which is a major reason why LeSean McCoy is struggling so much. 

Coach Chip Kelly suggested as much, via Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated, "We’re not very good up front right now. We’ve got a lot of guys banged up. That’s not an excuse, it’s just the reality."

5. San Diego Chargers

ESPN Stats and Info pointed out that Peyton Manning isn’t the only AFC West quarterback who has been torching defenses recently:

Philip Rivers’ incredible start to the season has done more than enough to cover up the glaring issues in the running game. Until Ryan Mathews returns from injury, that may have to be the formula every week for the offense. 

The defense has also impressed, which is critical if the Chargers plan on contending with the Broncos in the division this year.

4. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are the NFC’s only undefeated team, and that win over the Chargers is looking better every week. What’s more, Arizona is succeeding with Carson Palmer injured, and the defense has been impressive.

The question now is whether the defense can at least contain the Broncos’ attack. Both teams are coming off a bye and should be ready to go. 

The thought here is that Denver will win, but we are not going to penalize the undefeated Cardinals for that now.

3. Denver Broncos

The offense hasn’t quite been as dominant as it was in 2013, but the defense has been better. That is a trade Denver is probably fine with making.

Those offensive playmakers aren’t going anywhere, and it is only a matter of time before Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas and even Emmanuel Sanders start racking up more points. 

The fact that the defense will still be strong when that happens and come playoff time is important.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

The nation will recognize just how good the Bengals are in Week 5 on national television when they go up against the Patriots.

A.J. Green got a week to rest his injury, and the defense is absolutely flying around. Burke of Sports Illustrated offered some statistical proof as to how solid Cincinnati’s defense has been this year:

"

The three quarterbacks Cincinnati has faced so far -- Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan and Jake Locker -- have a combined 56.9 QB rating in those games. To put that in some perspective, the Giants defense has the next best mark at 73.4; Geno Smith, at 75.1, has the worst QB rating of any Week 4 starter. 

"

We will likely see more of the same against the struggling Brady and the Patriots.

1. Seattle Seahawks

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

The Seattle Seahawks are the top team, and they aren’t going to drop after a bye week.

Seattle has stuck to the same formula that won it a Super Bowl last season—lockdown defense and an offense that doesn’t turn the ball over and makes plays behind Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. 

That defense could make life rather miserable for Cousins and company in Washington.

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