NFL Power Rankings: Examining League Hierarchy Entering Week 6

Week 6 of the 2015 NFL season is already almost here, and what a wild ride it's been thus far. Power ranking the parity-stricken league is a tall task, considering 20 of the 32 teams have non-winning records.

It's quite top heavy in terms of record at the moment. That's due in part to poor play within certain divisions and also caused by the true contenders already separating themselves from the rest of the pack.

Until proved otherwise, the New England Patriots are the team to beat as the reigning Super Bowl champions. Some may argue that would be true until their defense of the Lombardi Trophy halts. New England's undefeated record to date merits such status.

Any edition of NFL power rankings may leave some readers baffled as to where a certain team is slotted. That may be the case in many instances when glimpsing at the order below. The analysis following this overview of the pro football hierarchy focuses on the teams near the top that warrant the most explanation.

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

Analyzing Featured Teams

Cincinnati Bengals

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Nope, that photo above isn't Andy Dalton attempting a pass in the postseason. That's a fired-up Red Rifle scorching the turf after scampering for a touchdown as part of Week 5's comeback victory over Seattle.

Dalton is a different man in 2015. Can't say I saw that coming. This isn't the same Dalton who folds like a cheap suit in the playoffs. His performance against the Seahawks secondary proved that.

Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill form a solid duo in the backfield, but Dalton has been the real X-factor in Cincinnati's 5-0 start. His 115.6 passer rating is third only to Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Dalton's 1,518 passing yards are second to Philip Rivers.

The emergence of tight end Tyler Eifert as one of the better all-around players at his position has been a big key for the Bengals' success. Cincinnati needed another lethal pass-catching threat to emerge other than A.J. Green. Eifert has been a matchup nightmare with five touchdowns in as many games.

Some speak of how talented the Bengals' roster is, as Bleacher Report's Cian Fahey does to justify Dalton's hot start to the season:

"

Dalton to me really hasn't changed. Same strengths, same weaknesses just surrounded by an abhorrent amount of talent and a smart OC.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) October 12, 2015"

The Bengals defense leaves something to be desired. A resurgent Geno Atkins has helped Cincinnati's pass rush, along with Carlos Dunlap. Team radio personality Dan Hoard highlights Dunlap's impact:

Dunlap knows the mission is far from over, though, per Cincinnati.com's Jim Owczarski:

"

We've got to win our next football game. I don't care what our record is right now. We've got another opponent coming up and they're just as important. No matter where we are right now, if we don't finish, the start won't be remembered. We'll be remembered how we wouldn't finish.

"

A failure to finish has been an unfortunate trend in Cincinnati of late. Dalton above everyone else is well acquainted with this phenomenon.

Despite the elite level he's playing at right now, Dalton will continue to have hard-line critics hound him until the playoffs roll around. There's valid reason for that too, because Dalton sports a 0-4 record as a starter in the postseason with a 57.8 passer rating.

Credit the Bengals for now. This is a make-or-break type of year for Dalton and head coach Marvin Lewis. They're passing every test with flying colors thus far.

Arizona Cardinals

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

As great of a coach as Todd Bowles is—proving it with a 3-1 mark in charge of the New York Jets—it doesn't seem as though Arizona misses him as its defensive coordinator.

That's a testament to the job Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has done at the helm. Arians may be the best coach in all of football. He's resurrected quarterback Carson Palmer's career—only to see him go down last year with a second torn ACL.

Between the loss of Bowles and Palmer going through rehab on his knee in the offseason, yours truly didn't believe in the Cardinals. So much for that. Arians has built an absolute monster on offense, catalyzed by Palmer, who, oh by the way, is tied for the NFL lead with 13 TD passes.

Most commendable is how fearless Palmer has been hanging tough in the pocket. ESPN.com's Mike Sando illustrates that point with the following stat:

Supremely talented cornerback Patrick Peterson is helping the cause in the midst of what may go down as his best year so far. Peterson is locking down his half of the field, is playing at a lighter weight and has spoken of an unprecedented dedication to improving his craft, per ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss:

"

I think now that I am in Year 5, I feel like I really, really turned the corner this year. I believe that I had an eye-opening year last year relying on athletic ability seven out of 10 times on the field. Now, it's all mental. I definitely take my preparation more serious than I did over the past first four years. I think that's the biggest difference.

"

With Tyrann Mathieu also in the Cardinals secondary, Arizona can cover up receivers longer than the average defensive backfield. The biggest area the team misses Bowles is his ability to manufacture QB pressure on exotic blitzes. Right now the Cardinals have just eight sacks as a team.

If new coordinator James Bettcher can dial up some bolder blitzes, perhaps the problem will be solved. As it stands, the lack of sacks shouldn't be too much of a concern for Arizona.

With the leads the Cardinals are building en route to a plus-100 point differential, opponents are forced into obvious passing situations. Arizona still has the 13th-ranked pass defense and allows the fifth-fewest points per game.

This is a complete team with a legitimate chance to win the NFC West thanks to a current two-game lead and stellar leadership headed by Arians and Palmer. They're setting the tone for a new era in Arizona that could well result in a deep playoff run from the Cardinals in the coming months.

New York Giants

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

I didn't foresee the Bengals and Cardinals faring well in 2015. Big mistake. I did call the Atlanta Falcons and Giants coming back in a big way.

Hard to explain how New York let the San Francisco 49ers hang around on Sunday night, needing every one of Eli Manning's franchise-record 41 completions to pull out a 30-27 win:

At least it marked the reversal of a discouraging early trend that had the Giants on the ropes at 0-2. Games against Dallas and Atlanta to open the season were most winnable. For whatever reason, the G-Men didn't come through in the fourth quarter, losing those contests by a combined five points.

New York has since handily beaten a better-than-expected Washington team, traveled to Buffalo and soundly beaten the Bills and held on well enough to defeat San Francisco. The Giants are now alone atop the NFC East at 3-2.

As a consequence of being so stout against the run (80.6 yards allowed per game), opponents have opted to throw on New York to the point the Giants have the last-ranked pass defense. That ranking is obviously deceptive.

One huge reason for a hunch about the Giants turning things around in 2015? Manning was transitioning to a new offense last year, a far different system in which he won two Super Bowl MVPs. Everything is clicking now, and Odell Beckham Jr. certainly doesn't appear to be a one-year wonder.

Worth bearing in mind too is the fact that Victor Cruz has yet to hit the field. Whenever he's fit to play, New York's offense only figures to improve. Shane Vereen's presence in the backfield as a pass-catching specialist has helped compensate for Cruz's absence.

As long as these Giants continue playing with a chip on their shoulder and hold up well enough on defense, they have all the makings of returning to the playoffs after a three-year hiatus.