NFL Top 10 Power Rankings Through Week Five

Week Five of the NFL season was anything but boring.

We saw a bunch of close games go into overtime and we saw a couple upsets.

These weren't just little upsets that didn't effect the top of the NFL, these were monumental upsets that could change the way a team believes in themselves the rest of 2009.

For the fans in Denver and Cincinnati, they didn't have much hope going into September of 2009. Now, there is so much hope in those two respective cities that playoff dreams are happening.

The Monday Night Football game was also very exciting and maybe even the best one played so far in 2009.

The Dolphins and the Jets re-newed their rivalry and fought like a heavyweight prize fight, trading touchdowns like they were heavy right hands. In the end, Ronnie Brown took a snap out of the Wildcat Offense and found a way into the end-zone with six seconds left to win the game 31-27 for the Dolphins.

The top 10 of the NFL rankings have changed slightly. With that loss to Miami, the Jets were knocked off the top. So were a few of the other teams that lost in Week Five. Let's take a look at who is still remaining.

10. Baltimore Ravens (7) (3-2, Lost 17-14 to the Cincinnati Bengals)

The Ravens were so close on Sunday to winning their game at home against the Bengals.

But, a personal foul call against Ray Lewis, a pass interference call against Ed Reed and a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left and the Ravens were left in shock as they dropped their second straight game.

The Ravens defense didn't have a good day trying to stop the pass (271 yards) or the run (142 yards), which is very non-Baltimore like, especially since they were near the top earlier in the season.

Next week, they travel to the Metrodome to play the Vikings, which is another tough test for Baltimore. Another loss to Baltimore and they might find themselves off this list and possibly in third place in the AFC North.

Next week will really determine if the Ravens are serious about being a playoff team again, especially since Minnesota is looking like one already.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (UR) (3-2, Won 28-20 against the Detroit Lions)

Two weeks ago, the Steelers were looking like a hurting team. Two weeks later and two consecutive wins later, the Steelers are right back on top of the NFL scene, and it has a lot to do with Ben Roethlisberger.

After a productive week against the Chargers last week, Big Ben throws for 277 yards and three touchdown passes in the win against Detroit.

Rashard Mendenhall had another good day on the ground for Pittsburgh with 93 total yards and one touchdown.

The Lions tried to make it close, but they are still the re-building Lions. Just the fact that they have one win and won't go 0-16 again is enough. But trying to beat the defending champions may have been a stretch.

Next week, the Steelers will get the Browns at home. The Browns won a game, so they also won't be going 0-16 either, so following in the Lions pattern, they should be taking a loss from the Steelers to wake them up to reality.

8. Chicago Bears (8) (3-1, Bye Week in Week Five)

The Bears had Week Five off and they stay right in the thick of the NFC playoff chase and the NFC North chase at 3-1.

They have yet to take on the Vikings, but as long as they stay with the one loss, they are in the hunt of things.

Jay Cutler has been playing very well this season with 901 passing yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions. Three of those picks were in Week One against the Packers. After that, Cutler has been solid in Chicago.

Matt Forte has gotten off to a slow start with 271 yards and only one touchdown. He's a big part of the offense and needs to find a way to get involved more if the Bears want to compete.

What's been a bigger surprise is the Bears are playing well without Brian Urlacher, who is on Injured Reserve. How long it holds up for the Bears will be a question.

7. Atlanta Falcons (UR) (3-1, Won 45-10 against the San Francisco 49ers)

After a bye week, the Falcons were on the road against the 49ers in a very critical NFC match-up. The 49ers were also 3-1 and looking to take more control of the NFC West.

But that was not meant to be for the 49ers as from start to finish, the Falcons kicked San Francisco's rear ends from one end-zone to the other.

Matt Ryan threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Turner ran for 97 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns. Roddy White had 210 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Overall, the Atlanta offense played very well.

The Falcons were dominant enough on defense that 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill ended up being the team's leading rusher with 53 yards, which will not get the job done, so good job by Atlanta.

The Falcons have another critical NFC match-up with the Bears at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. If they win, it will increase their chances of staying up here and having more potential of being a playoff team again.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (UR) (4-1, Won 17-14 over the Baltimore Ravens)

Before the season started, Marvin Lewis was rumored to be on the hot seat and the Bengals looked to be in trouble.

Their Week One started off miserably when Brandon Stokley caught that tipped pass for a touchdown in the final minute to give the Bengals their first loss. Since then,  Cincinnati has not lost a game, which is a major surprise.

After fighting off the Browns last week in overtime, the Bengals had to travel to play the Ravens in an AFC North showdown.

The Bengals were a minute away from a second loss. But the Ravens had two costly penalties called against them and gave the Bengals new life. Carson Palmer then found Andre Caldwell in the end-zone for a 20 yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left.

Now the Bengals are 4-1 and are the major surprise story of 2009. Carson Palmer is playing well, Chad Ochocinco is playing well and Cedric Benson went from a draft bust in Chicago to career rejuvenation in Cincinnati.

The Bengals will have the Texans come into town next week. If they can go to 5-1, they can really take control of the AFC North and possibly start looking as a playoff team in 2009. Who would have thought that when watching them on HBO's Hard Knocks in the summer?

5. Minnesota Vikings (4) (5-0, Won 38-10 against the St. Louis Rams)

Brett Favre turned 40 this past Saturday, but he's certainly not playing like a 40 year old in 2009.

The Vikings went up to St. Louis and beat them up from the start of the first quarter. Favre threw for 232 yards and only one touchdown, but that's all Favre needed to throw against the pitiful Rams.

Adrian Peterson only ran for 69 yards, but did score two touchdowns. Peterson hasn't been tearing it up like he normally does, but he does have seven touchdowns to go along with 481 yards.

Minnesota's defense continued to play well as Jared Allen returned a fumble by Kyle Boller 52 yards for a touchdown. Allen has 6 1/2 sacks already and has been dominant so far.

In one of the premier match-ups next week in Week Six, the Vikings will take on the Ravens at home. If Minnesota can go 6-0, they are a clear favorite to win the NFC North and make the playoffs.

Then maybe it will be decided that the signing of Favre will not be a bust after all.

4. Denver Broncos (5) (5-0, Won 20-17 against the New England Patriots)

The last time the Broncos were 5-0 was in 1998. That was the last year the Broncos won a Super Bowl. John Elway was the quarterback of the team and Mike Shanahan was the coach who won his second consecutive championship.

Fast forward to 2009, Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback and Josh McDaniels is the head coach in his first season at 33 years old. But this team has the same result as that team of 11 years ago.

McDaniels was up against his mentor in Bill Belichick and the Patriots, and they fought tooth and nail the entire game. After 60 minutes and four quarters, they were tied at 17-17 and needed an overtime period to determine a winner.

The Broncos won the toss and drove the field on New England to set up a 41-yard game winning field goal by Matt Prater. Invesco Field was rocking and McDaniels was pumping his fists and celebrating with the fans.

What was even more impressive was the Patriots were up 17-7 at halftime and Denver shut down the Patriots and allowed Tom Brady to do nothing in the second half.

Next week, the Broncos will be on national TV as they travel to play their division rival in the Chargers. San Diego will be desperate for a win, so getting to 6-0 will be very difficult for the Broncos. But San Diego is a disappointment of a team, so an upset is always possible.

3. New Orleans Saints (3) (4-0, Bye Week in Week Five)

The Saints were expected to be a powerhouse on offense with Drew Brees leading the way. But on defense last year, they were terrible.

Sean Payton brought in Gregg Williams to fix the defense and thus far, they are undefeated, so Williams has done the job expected of him. In fact, the Saints rank number one in the NFL in stopping the run.

Brees got off to a hot start, throwing nine touchdown passes in his first two games. Since then, he hasn't thrown one, but the Saints are finding ways to win.

Pierre Thomas has become a big part of the offense in the running game, as has Mike Bell. Reggie Bush has hardly been a factor in 2009.

On Sunday, they will come off a bye week and have the Giants come into the Superdome and play in potentially the biggest match-up on the schedule. It's pretty much the two top teams in the NFC squaring off and it could really determine who could get the driver seat of the conference.

That game will be a measuring stick for where the Saints are this season.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) (5-0, Won 31-9 over the Tennessee Titans)

Peyton Manning set a record on Sunday only held by Kurt Warner and Steve Young. They are the only three quarterbacks to start out the season throwing for over 300 yards in their first five games.

Manning threw for 309 yards and three touchdown passes in the thrashing of their division rivals.

Austin Collie broke out with a great game, catching eight passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. With Anthony Gonzalez still out with a knee injury, Manning yet again finds another new target to throw to and stand out. This is a reason why Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league.

The Colts running game barely did anything against the Titans, but they didn't need to because the Titans couldn't stop the passing game. In fact, the Titans were playing so bad, Jeff Fisher put in Vince Young to play in the fourth quarter.

The Colts will have a bye week to rest while staying on top of the AFC.

1. New York Giants (1) (5-0, Won 44-7 over the Oakland Raiders)

During the week, everyone was worried about Eli Manning's bruised heel. He suited up, played and reported no pain, so for now, all is fine with the Giants quarterback.

He only threw eight passes, but two of them went for touchdowns and threw for 173 yards and only needed to play in the first half. Why, because when he left the game, the Giants were up 28-0 and they had out-gained the Raiders 261-9.

David Carr played the entire second half and showed signs of his past when he was a former number one pick, even running for a touchdown.

The Giants running game was solid again, especially Ahmad Bradshaw, who ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns and had 55 yards receiving while Brandon Jacobs ran for 67 yards.

The Giants gained a total of 483 yards, while their defense held the Raiders to 124 total yards, sacked JaMarcus Russell six times, forced three fumbles and recovered three fumbles. Justin Tuck had two of the Giants sacks, so he looked to be back in form after a lingering shoulder injury.

The Giants will play the Saints in a battle of undefeated teams in the NFC and will determine who is the leading candidate to go into the stretch of the season being the top team in the NFC. The Giants schedule has been relatively easy the last three weeks. Now it gets harder as the competition starts to come.

It's nothing new to the Giants, so if they can go 6-0, it will be one step closer to taking total control. A loss won't set them back too far, but it would take control out of their hands.

Five weeks of the NFL season have been played and five teams are still undefeated while four teams remain win-less. The Browns and Panthers got their first wins this past week, so the Rams, Buccaneers, Titans and Chiefs are all 0-5 and their 2009 seasons look very dark.

Because the Redskins are so terrible, the Chiefs have a chance to get off their winless streak and the Buccaneers are home against the Panthers, so maybe a home upset is in the cards for them. But, because they are 0-5, their odds for anything in 2009 aren't very good.

Hope everyone has a great week. I'll be back with my picks for Week Six later in the week and then we'll all be back for another weekend of NFL football.