NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Post-Thursday Night Football Standings, Review

It was apparent when the New England Patriots went down in the season opener that power rankings wouldn't be easy to figure out on a weekly basis this year. 

Playing on Thursday yet again to open Week 5, the Patriots just slipped past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-14, getting 303 passing yards from Tom Brady yet only scoring one touchdown on the road. 

Again, there's nothing easy about a season where the Buffalo Bills rank in the top 10 of most standings and usual cellar dwellers like the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars aren't even close to the bottom thanks to 2-2 starts. 

Before Week 5 once again throws the standings into disarray, let's take a look at power rankings after Thursday's thriller. 

2017 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team
1	Kansas City Chiefs (12-1)
2	Denver Broncos (25-1)
3	Green Bay Packers (15-2)
4	Oakland Raiders (12-1)
5	Buffalo Bills (100-1)
6	Detroit Lions (33-1)
7	Atlanta Falcons (15-2)
8	New England Patriots (7-2)
9	Seattle Seahawks (12-1)
10	Philadelphia Eagles (33-1)
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (33-1)
12	Los Angeles Rams (75-1)
13	Carolina Panthers (33-1)
14	Washington Redskins (50-1)
15	Dallas Cowboys (12-1)
16	Pittsburgh Steelers (12-1)
17	Houston Texans (50-1)
18	Tennessee Titans (22-1)
19	New Orleans Saints (66-1)
20	New York Jets (500-1)
21	Minnesota Vikings (33-1)
22	Arizona Cardinals (66-1)
23	Cincinnati Bengals (200-1)
24	Jacksonville Jaguars (75-1)
25	New York Giants (66-1)
26	Los Angeles Chargers (150-1)
27	Baltimore Ravens (50-1)
28	Miami Dolphins (100-1)
29	Chicago Bears (500-1)
30	Indianapolis Colts (100-1)
31	Cleveland Browns (1000-1)
32	San Francisco 49ers (1000-1)

Oakland Raiders 

It isn't time to throw in the towel on the Oakland Raiders by any means. 

The Raiders have lost two in a row, but both games came on the road, including a close encounter with the Denver Broncos in Week 4—an eventual 16-10 loss. 

The bigger problem for the Raiders is the injury suffered by starting quarterback Derek Carr, who will miss at least two weeks, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: 

And still it's hard to justify a massive dip in the rankings. 

This is an Oakland defense that has allowed one opponent to score more than 20 points in a game so far and has shut down names like Marcus Mariota. The trick now is for the unit to take charge while the offense finds itself led by EJ Manuel. 

On short notice, Manuel came in against the Broncos and put up an 11-of-17 effort with 106 yards and an interception. Give him more prep time, though, and leaning on weapons like Amari Cooper and Marshawn Lynch while backed by the defense can have the team still winning games. 

It helps that the Raiders approach a soft couple of weeks, too, thanks to a game against the .500 Baltimore Ravens followed by an encounter with the winless Los Angeles Chargers. 

Should the Raiders escape the two-game stretch with at least one win and Carr makes it back, the team won't budge in the rankings. 

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have legitimate problems. 

Seattle's offensive line hasn't been able to properly protect Russell Wilson. Although he's thrown for seven touchdowns against two interceptions, a 2-2 record with both losses coming on the road and hardly escaping the San Francisco 49ers in a 12-9 stinker speaks more to the team's struggles than Wilson's numbers. 

Wilson has suffered 10 sacks already, and the running game behind him has relied on a hodgepodge of names to be effective, totaling just two touchdowns over four games. And while the defense is only allowing 19.3 points per game, it now might have to deal with life sans Cliff Avril for a little while. 

Head coach Pete Carroll isn't too concerned, though, thanks to names like Frank Clark and Marcus Smith, according to ESPN.com's Brady Henderson. 

"We feel pretty good about that. Very fortunate," Carroll said. "[Smith] is a talented player and he's really coming into the system now and comfortable with what we're doing. I’m really excited to see how he emerges."

Week 5 is a major gut-check situation for the Seahawks. Wilson and the Seahawks have to travel to Los Angeles for a date with a 3-1 Rams team that has won two road games, including a triumph against the Dallas Cowboys. The surprising Jared Goff has chalked up seven touchdowns and one interception in the opening four weeks.

If the Seahawks don't want to take a serious nosedive, it's time to make a statement with a rare strong road performance. 

Los Angeles Rams 

Speaking of those Rams, let's dive a little deeper on one of power rankings' fastest-rising teams. 

Goff has been outstanding for the Rams, throwing multiple touchdowns in each of his past two games, both wins. Behind him, Todd Gurley has already rushed for four touchdowns, while new addition Sammy Watkins has 14 grabs for 211 yards and two scores. 

It's amazing, really, what a new head coach like Sean McVay and a high-end left tackle like Andrew Whitworth can do for a team. 

Grant Paulsen of 106 The Fan put it best: 

It's a good thing the new ingredients have the offense on the right track, too, because the defense is surprisingly giving up an average of 26.3 points per game despite 12 sacks. Coughing up 30 to Dallas makes sense, but 39 in an odd shootout against the 49ers doesn't. 

Alas, like the Seahawks, the Rams have much to prove in Week 5. If they get past the Seahawks to fully announce an arrival as playoff hopefuls, they'll be rewarded with a game against the Jaguars in Week 6.

Beating the Seahawks would mean the Rams could stand alone as the only team above .500 in the NFC West—far above it, too. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds courtesy of OddsShark.