NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Updated 2015 Regular-Season Standings

The 2015 NFL season is already one-fourth of the way over for most of the teams in the league, but figuring out this league remains a mystery.

The Denver Broncos are undefeated because of their defense and not Peyton Manning, Chip Kelly’s uptempo offense appears grounded for the Philadelphia Eagles, kickers apparently can’t kick anymore, the NFC South has two 4-0 teams and the Indianapolis Colts needed 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck to outlast a challenge from the Jacksonville Jaguars for early pole position in the AFC South.

At least the dominant Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots are following the script, although even the Packers won behind their defense Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

With all of that unpredictability in mind, here is a look at the updated power rankings heading into Week 5, as well as some intriguing teams to watch in the coming games.

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

Intriguing Teams to Watch

No. 10 St. Louis Rams

This is higher than many have the St. Louis Rams at this point of the season, but think of their 24-22 upset of the previously undefeated Arizona Cardinals like the college polls. If a team springs a critical win over another many consider as one of the best teams in the league, it is going to skyrocket up the rankings.

A spot in the top 10 is also a testament to where this team is headed if Sunday’s emergence of rookie running back Todd Gurley proves to be a long-term development.

The former Georgia Bulldog tallied 146 rushing yards and two catches for 15 yards in the victory over the Cardinals. With the game on the line, he ran for 106 yards in the fourth quarter. He could have scored a touchdown but elected to fall down inbounds on his final carry so St. Louis could keep the clock running and walk away with a win.

Gurley discussed his team-oriented decision to forgo his first touchdown, per Peter King of Sports Illustrated: “The way I’ve been coached here, I know in a four-minute situation at the end of the half or the end of the game, if you have the lead, you don’t go out of bounds, and you don’t stop the clock. On that play, I didn’t care about the touchdown. I just cared about the win.”

That’s how a rookie earns more playing time. 

Gurley’s emergence provides support for quarterback Nick Foles, who has five touchdowns to only one interception and a solid 815 passing yards in four games. Foles is not putting up the ridiculous numbers of 2013, when he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and had 27 touchdowns to a mere two interceptions, but he is avoiding crippling mistakes and making plays when needed.

If Gurley’s showing Sunday was a glimpse of what is to come, opposing defenses will be forced to stack the box this season, which will open throwing lanes for Foles.

St. Louis also has an impressive defense that ranked a solid 13th in the league in points allowed per game as of Monday and is coming off two impressive performances. The Rams held the Pittsburgh Steelers to 12 points in Week 3 and held the explosive Cardinals to 22 points and forced three turnovers. 

The formula is in place for the Rams to challenge in the difficult NFC West, as fans saw Sunday.

No. 3 Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are so intriguing this year because Manning has essentially taken a back seat to other aspects of the team despite his status as one of the league’s biggest superstars.

He threw two interceptions during the 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, but a strong rushing performance and a shutdown defense was more than enough to claim the victory.

That defense sacked Teddy Bridgewater seven times and notched the game-winning strip-sack in the final minute. It also held Adrian Peterson to 81 rushing yards, and 48 of those came on one long touchdown burst. In all, the Broncos are yet to allow more than 24 points in a single game and led the league with 18 sacks as of Monday.

Denver was also third in the NFL with six interceptions following Sunday’s action. 

Tom Pelissero of USA Today noted the turnovers are nothing new for this group:

Offensively, Ronnie Hillman picked up the slack with 103 rushing yards, including a 72-yard burst for a first-half touchdown. Hillman’s speed and ability to get to the edge is critical for the Broncos because C.J. Anderson is averaging a mere 2.7 yards per carry and hasn’t been the workhorse many expected after a breakout 2014 campaign.

Hillman did the offensive work Sunday, but Manning’s track record as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time is impossible to ignore even if he does have only six touchdowns to five interceptions. The production will come, but the Broncos no longer have to win just based on his right arm.

The Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the AFC, but the Broncos defense will make them a difficult out come January. If Manning starts to resemble even 70 percent of what the future Hall of Famer used to be in his prime and Hillman proves Sunday was not a fluke, Denver belongs with the Patriots at the top of the conference.