NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Updated 2019 Regular-Season Standings

Week 4 finished with an exciting matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals—at least, the game was exciting for fans of the Black and Gold.

The Steelers got into the win column with a 27-3 drubbing of the rival Bengals, moving them to within a game of first place in the AFC North.

Despite a disastrous start to the season that included the loss of starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have a chance to grab a share of the division lead in Week 5.

Here's a look at where Pittsburgh—and the rest of the NFL—stands heading into October.

Week 5 NFL Standings

AFC East

New England Patriots 4-0

Buffalo Bills 3-1

New York Jets 0-3

Miami Dolphins 0-4

AFC North

Cleveland Browns 2-2

Baltimore Ravens 2-2

Pittsburgh Steelers 1-3

Cincinnati Bengals 0-4

AFC South

Houston Texans 2-2

Indianapolis Colts 2-2

Tennessee Titans 2-2

Jacksonville Jaguars 2-2

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs 4-0

Oakland Raiders 2-2

Los Angeles Chargers 2-2

Denver Broncos 0-4

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 3-1

Philadelphia Eagles 2-2

New York Giants 2-2

Washington Redskins 0-4

NFC North

Green Bay Packers 3-1

Chicago Bears 3-1

Detroit Lions 2-1-1

Minnesota Vikings 2-2

NFC South

New Orleans Saints 3-1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-2

Carolina Panthers 2-2

Atlanta Falcons 1-3

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers 3-0

Seattle Seahawks 3-1

Los Angeles Rams 3-1

Arizona Cardinals 0-3-1

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Week 5 Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Dallas Cowboys

5. Los Angeles Rams

6. Chicago Bears

7. San Francisco 49ers

8. Philadelphia Eagles

9. Green Bay Packers

10. Seattle Seahawks

11. Detroit Lions

12. Buffalo Bills

13. Cleveland Browns

14. Baltimore Ravens

15. Los Angeles Chargers

16. Minnesota Vikings

17. Indianapolis Colts

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

19. Houston Texans

20. Jacksonville Jaguars

21. Tennessee Titans

22. Carolina Panthers

23. Oakland Raiders

24. New York Giants

25. Pittsburgh Steelers

26. Atlanta Falcons

27. Arizona Cardinals

28. Denver Broncos

29. Washington Redskins

30. New York Jets

31. Cincinnati Bengals

32. Miami Dolphins

25. Pittsburgh Steelers

At 1-3, the Steelers are just a game behind the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. With Baltimore coming to Heinz Field and the Browns traveling to face the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, there's a chance Pittsburgh will be in first place a week from now.

Monday night's win was an encouraging one, even if it did come against the lowly Bengals. Quarterback Mason Rudolph showed flashes of growth, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner showed creativity that wasn't there a week ago, and the defense looked like a formidable unit.

The Bengals have a putrid offensive line, but Pittsburgh's eight sacks could be a sign of things to come.

The Steelers aren't going to dominate many opponents the way they handled Cincinnati, but they do have a threatening pass rush and enough offensive weapons to hang with quality teams who aren't the New England Patriots.

"We just want to be in the mix and right now we are," defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said, per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com.

31. Cincinnati Bengals

Tom Puskar/Associated Press

The Bengals are not in the mix, no matter how badly they'd like to be. This team might not be as bad as the Miami Dolphins—it has played close games against the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills—but it isn't good.

The offensive line is the biggest issue, and it's something that needs to be addressed now. The Bengals tried to address it in the draft by taking Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams. However, he landed on injured reserve during the offseason, which seems to be a trend for early Cincinnati draft picks.

Williams Jackson III landed on IR during his first offseason, John Ross dealt with a knee injury throughout his rookie year, and Billy Price missed six games of his first season with a foot injury.

Injuries don't explain the ineptitude of Cincinnati's offensive line, though. Andy Dalton has been sacked 19 times in four games—putting him on pace for 76 sacks in 2019—and the Bengals have averaged just 2.8 yards per rush as a team.

The Bengals have been terrible at defending the run, allowing an average of 143 rushing yards per game. This means virtually any opponent who wants to win with aggressive defense and the ground game likely can.

Cincinnati will face another winless team in the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.

3. New Orleans Saints

While we're on the subject of teams winning with defense and the running game, we should mention the New Orleans Saints. This is precisely how they knocked off the previously unbeaten Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and it's why they have a chance to survive the loss of quarterback Drew Brees.

Unlike Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Brees will be back at some point this season. In the meantime, the Saints can rely on Teddy Bridgewater to manage the game. He isn't going to rack up yardage like his veteran teammate often does, but he's been steady over the last two games, both wins.

Bridgewater can get better too. He was mostly efficient against the Cowboys, but he held on to the ball too long, which resulted in unnecessary hits. He also failed to push it deep or to get it into the end zone—the Saints settled for four field goals.

If the 26-year-old can starting getting the ball to playmakers such as Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas more quickly, the offense will begin looking a lot more like it does with Brees under center.

Bridgewater and the Saints face a tough test in Week 5, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming to town. A Tampa win would allow the Buccaneers to push past the Saints atop the NFC South.