NFL Power Rankings Week 5: AFC, NFC Standings and Pre-MNF Predictions

It hasn't quite been like Week 2's shocking results, but Week 4 in the NFL has produced more surprising games.

The Buffalo Bills were beaten 24-10 at home by the New York Giants, the St. Louis Rams took down the formerly unbeaten Arizona Cardinals 24-22 in Arizona and the hapless Chicago Bears got their first win against the Oakland Raiders, 22-20.

The one constant in the NFL is change, a lesson that we have continued to learn through the early part of the season. With that in mind, let's try to put together a pecking order of all 32 teams, including division standings, heading into the Week 4 installment of Monday Night Football. Then, we'll examine the state of the three NFC teams who still have yet to lose.

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

Unbeaten NFC Teams

Green Bay Packers (No. 2)

The Packers have established themselves as a legit two-way squad.

Yes, "two-way" is usually used to describe basketball and hockey players who have good skills both on offense and defense, but I'm applying it to a football team here. Green Bay, known for its offense, shut down Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers 17-3 Sunday, ending Kaep's run of dominance over the team.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press/Associated Press

Coming into the Week 4 matchup, Kaep was 3-0 against the Packers, with an average of 401 combined passing and rushing yards to go with 2.7 combined touchdowns per game. But Sunday? Just 217 total yards with no touchdowns, one interception and a putrid 20.1 Total QBR.

The Packers won by controlling the ball (36:34 time of possession) and with their defense, which isn't usually their blueprint for victory. But if they can continue improving in those areas, they might just turn into the clear Super Bowl favorite, with superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers already leading an explosive offense.

Atlanta Falcons (No. 6)

There were few questions heading into this season about the Falcons passing game. Quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones led a perennially productive air attack and weren't expected to fall off. The running game was worrisome, however, as rookie third-round pick Tevin Coleman was projected as the No. 1 on the depth chart.

All of those worries have been quelled so far.

Last season, the Falcons team ran for 11 touchdowns. In the first quarter of the 2015 campaign, they already have nine rushing scores for new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Coleman injured his rib in Week 2, but backup Devonta Freeman has taken his place with enormous success. Freeman has 342 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in the past two weeks.

David Goldman/Associated Press

On defense, new coordinator Dan Quinn has also helped this team take the leap from bad to decent with very similar personnel to the group that was with the team last season.

The defensive unit doesn't have tons of power, but the shift from a 3-4 concept to a 4-3 one seems to have the group working together cohesively at a high level.

Carolina Panthers (No. 7)

"Cupcake schedule." "Who have they played?" "Anyone could beat those teams."

The Panthers' 4-0 beginning to the season has been downplayed by many fans and pundits due to the weak teams they have played. Lots of people saw Carolina as a mediocre squad heading into the season and are sticking by it for that reason. Admittedly, the team has only beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers—four of the league's worst squads.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

But, to that, I will respond with "any given Sunday."

In a sport that can be so unpredictable, the fact that any team can maintain the level of play needed to win four consecutive football games in the NFL is impressive. I'm not ready to call the Panthers Super Bowl contenders, but they've undoubtedly improved their positioning in the league since the beginning of the season.

Cam Newton won't get mentioned as one of the league's best quarterbacks, but he's a great playmaker who's making things work with a pathetic receiving corps. The defense has also made tons of big plays, with 11 takeaways through four games, tying them for second in the NFL.