NFL Power Rankings 2015: Week 5 Standings, Team Stats and Season Review

A quarter of the NFL season is in the books, and the league has already had its fair share of surprises.

There are six teams that are still undefeated and, remarkably, two of them are coming from the NFC South, a division that saw a 2014 winner that had just seven victories.

With that, let's take a look at my Week 5 power rankings, the updated standings and a look back at the first four weeks of the season. In order to attain my power rankings, I have taken the team's total season performance into consideration, along with its outlook moving forward.

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

It's been a particularly tough week for the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys. 

After losing an international affair in London to the New York Jets, Miami fired its head coach, Joe Philbin, in an attempt to spark an underachieving team that came into the season looking to have one of the best defenses on paper. Then again, the offense isn't looking too great either, as SportsCenter points out:

It's now up to interim head coach Dan Campbell to try to steady Miami's ship by making changes to the Dolphins' preparation plans, according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com.

Dallas dropped a 26-20 heartbreaker in overtime to the New Orleans Saints, as a team depleted with injuries is attempting to stay afloat in the NFC East. 

According to Rotoworld.com, the Cowboys currently have 15 players listed on their injury report. 

No Tony Romo, Dez Bryant or Lance Dunbar, yet the Cowboys are still tied for first place in the division after four weeks. Here is a look at the updated NFL standings:

Team	Record	Points For	Points Against
AFC East
New England Patriots	3-0	119	70
New York Jets	3-1	95	55
Buffalo Bills	2-2	110	92
Miami Dolphins	1-3	65	101
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals	4-0	121	77
Pittsburgh Steelers	2-2	96	75
Baltimore Ravens	1-3	93	104
Cleveland Browns	1-3	85	102
AFC West
Denver Broncos	4-0	97	69
Oakland Raiders	2-2	97	108
San Diego Chargers	2-2	96	110
Kansas City Chiefs	1-3	100	125
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts	2-2	72	93
Tennessee Titans	1-2	89	77
Houston Texans	1-3	77	108
Jacksonville Jaguars	1-3	62	107
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys	2-2	95	101
New York Giants	2-2	102	82
Washington Redskins	2-2	78	79
Philadelphia Eagles	1-3	78	86
NFC North
Green Bay Packers	4-0	113	71
Minnesota Vikings	2-2	80	73
Chicago Bears	1-3	68	125
Detroit Lions	0-4	66	96
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals	3-1	148	73
St. Louis Rams	2-2	74	89
Seattle Seahawks	2-2	87	71
San Francisco 49ers	1-3	48	110
NFC South
Carolina Panthers	4-0	108	71
Atlanta Falcons	4-0	137	93
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-3	72	117
New Orleans Saints	1-3	86	104

Not many would have thought that the Arizona Cardinals offense led by the aging Carson Palmer, Chris Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald would be leading the NFL after four weeks, but with 148 points scored, it's doing just that. 

CBS' Steve Beuerlein was extremely impressed with Palmer through the first three weeks of the season:

The Cardinals defense isn't too shabby either, tied for fourth in the league with 71 points allowed. Their consistency on both sides of the ball helped them get to a 3-0 start for the second-consecutive season. It's the first time they've started a season 3-0 since 1923-24, when they were in Chicago, per SportsCenter.

They aren't the only team that's off to a hot start. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the final undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. It's just the fourth time in franchise history that they have started a season 4-0, per ESPN Stats & Info. 

In each of the previous three occasions, they've made the playoffs. 

Cole Harvey of ESPN explains why these Bengals are for real this season:

"

When the Bengals are in the offensive rhythm they have had much of this year, good things are bound to happen. It's not surprising they have the league's No. 2 total offense. If Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard can stay consistent in the backfield, don't expect that ranking to dip much as the year goes on. Part of what's worked for the Bengals' offense has been its ability to create field position. Two statistics make that evident: third-down conversions and goal-to-go efficiency. They rank fifth and fourth, respectively. By converting third downs so well the offense is moving into spots that regularly lead to favorable goal-line opportunities.

"

Add a consistent quarterback in Andy Dalton, who is playing some of the best football of his career, and big-play wide receiver A.J. Green and the Bengals have made a claim these past four weeks that they could be one of the final teams remaining in the AFC. 

There is still plenty of football left to be played, but the divisional standings are starting to take shape as far as who has a legitimate shot at making a bid for the postseason. Of course, nothing is guaranteed and in a league like the NFL that gives its fans plenty of thrills and twists, 2015 is sure to excite and entertain the masses long into the winter. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com