NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Houston Texans Rising, Indianapolis Colts Look Human

Fourteen weeks into the 2009 season, there were two teams—the Colts and Saints—threatening to go undefeated.

We're just four weeks into the 2010 campaign, and only one team—the Chiefs—has an unblemished record. 

But that doesn't mean that some other teams haven't distinguished themselves as the class of the NFL. 

Or vice versa.

With 12 weeks still remaining, though, who looks like the early Super Bowl favorite? Is it the media's favorite NFC East team, the defending Super Bowl champs, or an AFC North squad?

Here they are: the NFL Week 5 Power Rankings.

No. 32-21: Their Playoff Chances Are Fading Quickly

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ATLANTA - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers paces the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on October 3, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

32. Buffalo Bills: No quarterback in a loaded division.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Nate Clements should have went down.

30. Carolina Panthers: Hung tough with New Orleans, but lost Steve Smith.

29. Oakland Raiders: Lone win came at home against the Rams.

28. Arizona Cardinals: 106 points allowed the last three games.

27. Detroit Lions: Winless, but hang tough every week.

26. Seattle Seahawks: 2-2 in a weak division.

25. Cleveland Browns: Peyton Hillis keeps on trucking.

24. Cincinnati Bengals: T.O. had 200 yards, but Bengals still lost.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Two wins came against Carolina and Cleveland.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars: Thank you, Josh Scobee.

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Vick got injured, and Kolb looked terrible.

20. Miami Dolphins

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MIAMI - OCTOBER 4: Chad Henne #7 of the Miami Dolphins passes against the New England Patriots at Sun Life Field on October 4, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

The Dolphins started 2-0, but have since lost two divisional games and got blown out of their own stadium by the Patriots on Monday Night Football even though Randy Moss didn’t have a catch.

19. Dallas Cowboys

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 26: Running back Marion Barber #24, center, of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates with Tashard Choice #23, left, and Felix Jones #28, right after scoring in the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on September 26,

Dallas had a bye in Week 4, but this is a completely one dimensional football team that rushes for just 80 yards per game despite having three starting caliber running backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice.

18. Minnesota Vikings

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MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings watches from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Miami Dolphins on September 19, 2010 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Pho

The Vikings and Brett Favre sat at home this week which is good for Favre’s ankle, but the bye week didn’t give Minnesota a No. 1 receiver to take some of the pressure off of Adrian Peterson.

17. New York Giants

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants drops back against the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

The Giants' defense had 10 sacks against the Bears in Week 4, but any team that has players on the field can get past Chicago’s offensive line, and New York’s offense didn’t look much different than the ones we saw in lopsided losses against the Colts and Titans.

16. Tennessee Titans

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 03: Brandon Lloyd #84 of the Denver Broncos dives for extra yardage against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on October 3, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Denver won 26-20. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

I’m not sure the refs didn’t play a big part at the end of the Titans loss against the Broncos, but Tennessee’s pass defense was shredded by Kyle Orton and Chris Johnson had a quiet game with only 53 yards rushing.

15. Denver Broncos

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DENVER - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterback Kyle Orton #8 of the Denver Broncos delivers a pass against the Indianapolis Colts at INVESCO Field at Mile High on September 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. Orton passed for 476 yards as the Colts defeated the Broncos 27

The Josh McDaniels version of the Broncos are polar opposites of the Mike Shanahan version, ranking last in the league in rushing offense but first in passing yards thanks to the hot start by Kyle Orton.

14. St. Louis Rams

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ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 3: Sam Bradford #8 of the St. Louis Rams looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome on October 3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Seahawks 20-3. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Sam Bradford has looked very good in his rookie season considering what he has to work with, and the Rams defense has been stout all year long, allowing less than 17 points in each of the team’s first four games.

13. Washington Redskins

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LANDOVER - SEPTEMBER 12: DeAngelo Hall #23 of the Washington Redskins defends during the NFL season opener against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on September 12, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 13-7. (Photo by Larry Frenc

The Redskins did beat division rival Philadelphia this week, but the team’s secondary is still suspect at best and allowing 305 yards a game through the air is not a good way to climb up these rankings.

12. San Diego Chargers

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SAN DIEGO - OCTOBER 3: Quarterback Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers celebrates a Charger touchdown play against the Arizona Cardinals in the third quarter at Qualcomm Stadium on October 3, 2010 in San Diego, California. The Chargers won 41-10.

Philip Rivers and the Chargers' passing attack has looked as good as any in the league, but San Diego is winless on the road despite having chances to win both games late in the fourth quarter.

11. Indianapolis Colts

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 03: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts throws while taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on October 3, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars won 31-28. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Ima

Peyton Manning looks better so far this season than he did in 2009 when won his fourth MVP, but the Colts are still a .500 ball club and already find themselves in an 0-2 hole in the AFC South.

10. Atlanta Falcons

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ATLANTA - OCTOBER 03: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons is sacked by Parys Haralson #98 of the San Francisco 49ers at Georgia Dome on October 3, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Atlanta Falcons: Coming off a huge win against the Saints, the Falcons were an idiotic play by Nate Clements away from losing against the 49ers and looked sloppy throughout the game despite getting the win.

9. Green Bay Packers

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GREEN BAY, WI - OCTOBER 03: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers throws a pass against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on October 3, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Lions 28-26. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense gets a lot of hype, but has been mediocre at best through the first four games, ranking 22th in rushing yards and 14th in passing yards. 

8. Chicago Bears

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Aaron Ross #31 of the New York Giants sacks Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

No team will succeed on a week-by-week basis in this league without protecting the quarterback, and the Bears' shaky offensive line imploded this week against the Giants when it allowed 10 sacks and knocked Jay Cutler out with a concussion in the process.

7. Kansas City Chiefs

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KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 26: A pair of Kansas City Chiefs fans look on during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs won 31-10. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The undefeated Chiefs—whose three wins came against teams who are a combined 3-9 this season—will find out how good they actually are when they face the Colts and Texans on the road the next two weeks.

6. Houston Texans

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OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 3: Running back Arian Foster #23 of the Houston Texans scores a touchdown in front of linebacker Rolando McClain #55 of the Oakland Raiders during an NFL football game October 3, 2010 at The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakla

Thanks to Arian Foster, the Texans have the No. 1 rushing offense in the league, but Houston has major issues in the secondary and that could really hurt them in Weeks 8 and 9 against the Colts and Chargers.

5. New England Patriots

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: Danny Woodhead #39 of the New England Patriots carries the ball in for a touchdown as teammate Dan Koppen #67 follows in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills during on September 26, 2010 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro,

The Patriots showed on Monday Night Football that their defense and special teams can win games too, and New England seems to have found another hidden gem for an already potent offensive in Danny Woodhead.

4. New Orleans Saints

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NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 26: Pierre Thomas #23 of the New Orleans Saints in action during the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Louisiana Superdome on September 26, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The Saints have struggled mightily both against the run and running the  without Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, and New Orleans nearly lost to the lowly Panthers in the Superdome in Week 4.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

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PITTSBURGH - SEPTEMBER 02: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers laughs on the sideline during the 4th quarter against the Carolina Panthers during the preseason game on September 2, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by

Pittsburgh was about 30 seconds away from going 4-0 against Baltimore, and the Steelers will only improve when Ben Roethlisberger returns this week against the Cleveland Browns.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

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PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 03: TJ Houshmandzadeh #84 of the Baltimore Ravens catches the game winning touchdown in front of Bryant McFadden #20 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the game on October 3, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by

The Ravens have big wins over the Jets and Steelers, but the talented Baltimore offense has a lot of new faces that haven’t really gelled well yet and Ray Rice has yet to find the endzone.

1. New York Jets

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 19: Darrelle Revis #24 of the New York Jets defends against Randy Moss #81 of the New England Patriots during their game on September 19, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al

After a Week 1 loss against Baltimore, the Jets have responded with three big divisional wins and will have three key players—Darelle Revis, Santonio Holmes, and Calvin Pace—return for this week’s pivotal game against the Vikings.