NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 6

Mankind invented the couch, television and sports bars for days like Sunday.

Week 5 of the NFL season did not disappoint, and football fans were treated to an overdose of heart-pounding finishes in the waning minutes and seconds of a number of games.

The Cincinnati Bengals overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Seattle Seahawks in overtime after Mike Nugent drilled a tying field goal as time expired in regulation and the game-winner off the post in the extra period. The Cleveland Browns joined their Ohio brethren with an overtime victory of their own over the Baltimore Ravens.

In the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons maintained their undefeated record with a pick-six in overtime against Washington. Jay Cutler engineered his second straight game-winning drive with seconds remaining to give the Chicago Bears win No. 2. Eli Manning capped the action with a game-winning touchdown pass to Larry Donnell with 21 seconds left to give the New York Giants a win over the San Francisco 49ers and first place.

Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills scored two second-half touchdowns to outlast the Tennessee Titans, 14-13. At least Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers made things a little easier on the collective blood pressure of their fans with comfortable wins over the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams, respectively.

Take a deep breath because you probably didn’t get a chance to Sunday. Here is a look at how all the thrilling action impacted the power rankings heading into Monday night and Week 6, as well as the team of the week in those standings.

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

Week 5 Team of the Week: Cincinnati Bengals

Gary Landers/Associated Press

So much for the narrative.

Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals are saddled with the reputation of big-game losers after dropping out in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, but they delivered a profound statement Sunday with a 27-24 victory over the two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.

It wasn’t just that the Bengals won, but how they did so that stood out. They found themselves behind by 17 points in the fourth quarter but battled all the way back to force overtime behind Dalton’s right arm and the leg of Nugent. From there, the defense forced a couple of Seattle punts, and Nugent drilled the game-winner from 42 yards out.

The old Cincinnati Bengals would have stopped fighting after they fell behind by three scores.

Dalton finished 13-of-15 for 135 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime, and he leads the league in fourth-quarter passer rating, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). In all, he went 30-of-44 for 331 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the fabled Legion of Boom secondary that often knew he had to pass during the comeback effort.

Dalton topped 300 passing yards in each of the last three contests and now has 11 touchdown tosses to only two interceptions. He will never shake off his lackluster reputation in big games until he wins a postseason contest, but it is impossible to ignore those numbers at this point in the season, especially after he just beat up the stout Seattle secondary.

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated suggested as much:

"

Dalton and the Bengals delivered this time, and instead it was Cincinnati’s past demons that came up empty. As statement games go, it was loud and clear: These are not the same old maddening Bengals. And Dalton, lo and behold, is suddenly a quarterback who can be counted on in crunch time. That much was apparent in the aftermath of Cincinnati’s thrilling 27–24 comeback victory over the visiting Seahawks in overtime, a game in which the Bengals trailed by 17 points entering the fourth quarter.

"

The sheer number of offensive weapons at Dalton’s disposal is what makes Cincinnati so dangerous.

A.J. Green saw a possible 72-yard touchdown catch nullified by a holding penalty Sunday, but he is still a proven downfield threat who can score on any given play. Tyler Eifert is an emerging superstar at tight end, as he caught two more touchdowns Sunday and now has five in five games.

Jeremy Hill only tallied 13 rushing yards Sunday, but Giovani Bernard carried the load with 80 rushing yards. The Hill and Bernard combination represents the cliche thunder-and-lightning backfield duo, with Bernard the speedy and shifty one in the open field and Hill the powerful one between tackles. Hill hasn’t found his footing yet in 2015, but he posted 1,124 rushing yards last season.

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Mohamed Sanu is a speed threat on the outside, and Marvin Jones is the overlooked receiver who keeps the chains moving and takes advantage of single coverage when Green and Eifert draw extra attention from the secondary.

It also helps having an offensive line that Football Outsiders ranked as the fifth-best run blocking unit and best pass blocking unit in the league, as of Monday.

The offense can be mesmerizing when it's clicking, but the comeback never would have occurred if the Cincinnati defense didn’t shut Seattle down in the fourth quarter and overtime and continue to get the ball in Dalton’s hands as quickly as possible.

Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick discussed the defense’s mindset, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "We wanted to show that we've got a great defense and a great team. We overcame a lot of things in this game. Down the line, this will be motivation for us that we'll be able to look back on. We've been in this situation, and we've overcome it."

Cincinnati sacked Russell Wilson four times, picked him off once and found itself tied for fifth in the league in total sacks as of Sunday. Seattle’s 24 points are a bit misleading because Bobby Wagner scored a defensive touchdown for the Seahawks.

There is reason for concern from Cincinnati’s standpoint that backup running back Thomas Rawls busted loose for 169 rushing yards, but the Bengals have only allowed more than 21 points twice this year (24 Sunday and 24 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3), and the opposing defense skewed the stats and found the end zone in each of those contests.

The defense has done its part for the undefeated Bengals.

The next four games are all winnable, as well, with road trips to the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers and then home contests against the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. Those four teams are a combined 8-11 on the year, and Pittsburgh could very well still be without Ben Roethlisberger.

There is no other team in the AFC North over .500, and the Steelers are dealing with uncertainty at the quarterback position without Big Ben. What’s more, the Ravens shockingly fell to 1-4 with Sunday’s loss to the Browns, and Cincinnati already beat Baltimore on the road.

It is not a stretch to say the Bengals can run away with the AFC North and set their sights on the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos for home-field advantage in the conference.

Make sure you circle the Dec. 28 Monday night showdown between Dalton and the Bengals and Peyton Manning and the Broncos.