NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Division Standings and Latest 2018-19 Super Bowl Odds

As expected, the NFL is slowly starting to return back to a sense of normalcy. 

Week 4 featured many of the expected staples. The New England Patriots picked up a win. The Cleveland Browns lost. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens beat the tar out of each other before a winner was seemingly picked at random. 

The latest shifts in outcomes and standings will create another interesting set of impacts on power rankings and season-long odds out of Las Vegas, so let's take an updated view at both before the next week unfolds.  

2018 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Odds courtesy of OddsShark. 

Division Standings

AFC East

• Miami 3 1
• New England 2 2
• Buffalo 1 3
• N.Y. Jets 1 3

AFC North 

• Cincinnati 3 1 0
• Baltimore 3 1 0
• Cleveland 1 2 1
• Pittsburgh 1 2 1

AFC South

• Tennessee 3 1
• Jacksonville 3 1
• Houston 1 3
• Indianapolis 1 3

AFC West

• Kansas City 3 0
• Denver 2 1
• L.A. Chargers 2 2
• Oakland 1 3

NFC East 

• Washington 2 1
• Dallas 2 2
• Philadelphia 2 2
• N.Y. Giants 1 3

NFC North 

• Chicago 3 1 0
• Green Bay 2 1 1
• Minnesota 1 2 1
• Detroit 1 3 0

NFC South

• New Orleans 3 1
• Carolina 2 1
• Tampa Bay 2 2
• Atlanta 1 3

NFC West

• L.A. Rams 4 0
• Seattle 2 2
• San Francisco 1 3
• Arizona 0 4

Forget About It: Atlanta Falcons

Stick a fork in the birds. 

Were this a normal year for the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan putting up 419 yards and three touchdowns would guarantee a win. 

Instead, Ryan's Falcons dropped a 37-36 decision to the Cincinnati Bengals, coughing up 337 passing yards and three scores through the air and another 99 yards and two scores on the ground, moving to 1-3 in the process. 

Historically speaking, the Falcons are an epic in the worst possible way: 

Had the Falcons been able to pull out a close win at home, this would center more on how the uphill climb isn't so terrible for such a high-powered offense. But it's clear the Falcons simply don't have the depth necessary to compensate for an injured-reserve list containing the following names: 

• Keanu Neal
• Deion Jones
• Ricardo Allen

The rest of the NFC South has moved on. New Orleans leads the way at 3-1, Carolina is 2-1 and even Tampa Bay is 2-2, leaving the Falcons alone in last place. And the schedule doesn't get any easier, not with a trip to Pittsburgh up next and an overall outlook featuring games against teams like Baltimore and Green Bay. 

Atlanta feels like a team swaying near the decision of blowing it up and thinking about the future, not trying to bounce back. The line might look good because the offense is elite, but it doesn't matter if the defense can't stop anything. 

Don't Panic: Philadelphia Eagles

An overtime loss to a good team isn't the end of the world for a team like the Philadelphia Eagles. 

So goes the story in Week 4, where the Eagles got a pair of touchdowns and 348 passing yards from Carson Wentz but fell in overtime to the Tennessee Titans. 

There, the Eagles made a bit of poor history they likely won't repeat again: 

But bettors with an eye on the season-long outlook knew the Eagles would start off the season in a rough way. Wentz wasn't back right away and the schedule called for tough matchups against Atlanta, Indianapolis and Tennessee. It doesn't get any easier in Week 5 against Minnesota, either. 

Still, Wentz should get back to looking like his usual self sooner rather than later. The offense just got Alshon Jeffery back and the team's three leading ball carriers all average north of 4.1 yards per carry, so if coaches can make the proper defensive adjustments, a 2-2 start isn't a concern. 

This is especially true in the softer-than-expected NFC East, where Washington sits at 2-1 in first place. New York is a non-factor again and Dallas is also at 2-2 but has problems offensively, meaning the division title is still very much in play. 

Off to an expected slow start, things could have gone much worse. With the offense getting back into a groove, it feels like the only way the Eagles can go from here is up. 

Time to Buy-In: Tennessee Titans

The above shouldn't by any means take away from the Titans—they're legit. 

Tennessee started the year with a loss while Blaine Gabbert handled duties under center, which was probably enough to get people to stop paying attention.

Their loss. The Titans have since rattled off three wins in a row, picking up two wins in the AFC South and getting Marcus Mariota back in the process. The defense, getting consistent pressure thanks to names like Harold Landry, has held two opponents to 17 points or less. 

But it mostly comes down to Mariota: 

The numbers—two touchdowns and three interceptions—don't do Mariota justice. But those are skewed because of his odd contributions while Gabbert started. All Mariota did in his first start of the year is take down the Eagles.

Tennessee is a completely different team with Mariota under center. The defense will remain stout either way, but it wouldn't be wise to forget the Titans have some of the most explosive offensive upside in the NFL. 

Also try not to forget the AFC South, which features a pair of 1-3 teams and the Titans on top at 3-1, sitting on a tiebreaker after already beating the Jaguars once. It feels like the Titans are just getting started and the division is theirs to lose, so wager accordingly.