NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Which 5 Surprise Teams Are Destined for Greatness?

Through four weeks, the NFL has already thrown its anticipated curveball to fans, leaving them in a mild state of shock and disbelief.

Who would have thought the "Dream Team" would be 1-3 and at the bottom of the NFC East?

If someone told you during the preseason that the Buffalo Bills would be 3-1 through four weeks and atop the AFC East, would you have believed them?

Imagine someone arguing prior to Week 1 that the Washington Redskins are legitimate contenders in their division, and that their defense could be one of the league's best.

Through just a quarter of the 2011 season, we've seen everything from major injuries to potential Cinderella stories. And with that, we can begin to form our list of teams that could make a serious run at something special this year.

Buffalo Bills

It's hard not to root for the Buffalo Bills. Whether you think back to a few years ago and the J.P. Losman era, or you think a little farther back to the Music City Miracle, it's not hard to see that the Bills' organization has had its fair share of bad luck.

With Ryan Fitzpatrick and a thieving defense leading the way, the Bills are off to a fast 3-1 start—and they're only a last-second field goal away (Cincy last week) from being undefeated through four weeks.

Although the Bills' remaining schedule is nowhere near a cake walk, it's at least manageable for an offense that ranks ninth overall in yards per game (392) and fourth overall in points per game (33).

On the other hand, Buffalo's defense is slightly deceiving. In terms of yards allowed, the Bills are near the bottom of the league with 405 per game. However, the Bills lead the league with eight interceptions and carry a plus-seven turnover margin, good for second best in the NFL.

The Bills will face Philadelphia at home this week, and then travel to the Meadowlands to face the Giants before getting their much-awaited bye week.

If the Bills can remain upbeat and hold on to momentum, we could all see a very different AFC East race towards the end of the regular season.

San Francisco 49ers

Even with an offense that has yet to really find its way, the San Francisco 49ers are in a great position to win the NFC West and earn themselves a nice spot in the playoffs.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is more of the mastermind on offense, but it's his team's defense that is keeping the 49ers on opponent's radars.

With the offense averaging just 270 yards per game, the defense helps to pick up the slack by ranking fourth in the NFL on third down defense, seventh in points allowed at just 18.8 points per game and first in the league with a plus-eight turnover margin.

The 49ers return home from a 2-0 East coast trip to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week before traveling to Detroit and taking on an explosive Lions squad.

And although the offense isn't quite deserving of the label "high-caliber", quarterback Alex Smith appears to be comfortable under the new guidance of Harbaugh.

Smith is completing 67 percent of his passes, and has thrown just one interception in four games. Tight end Vernon Davis continues to be the team's top receiving threat, but a healthy wide receiver crew will certainly make Smith's job a little easier.

Although some of their wins may not come off as pretty or fashionable, I believe the 49ers could be a team at the end of the season with some threatening position.

Tennessee Titans

What's more surprising, that a 36-year-old Matt Hasselbeck seems to be the spark that the Titans needed? Or the fact that the team ranks dead last in rushing offense with a starting running back named Chris Johnson?

The answer really doesn't matter. What does matter is that the Tennessee Titans are 3-1, and perfectly able of competing with the Houston Texans for the AFC South.

The season-ending injury suffered by wide receiver Kenny Britt is a huge blow to the Titans' offense, but fans anticipate the jump start to Chris Johnson and his rushing totals—hopefully leading to a dimension not yet found this season for Tennessee's offense.

As we're used to, the Titans defense is playing very well to open the season, ranking seventh in the league by holding opponents to under 300 yards per game. The Titans are also forcing turnovers, coming up with five interceptions in four games.

With the managing skills of Matt Hasselbeck, the Titans visit Pittsburgh this week before receiving their bye in Week 6. They face three divisional opponents to end their season, and that could be Tennessee's true crunch time for a potential playoff push.

Detroit Lions

Maybe the word "shocking" isn't the best to describe the Detroit Lions this season, but "pleasantly surprised" could work.

A majority of people knew that the Lions were close to finally becoming a dangerous club. Matthew Stafford had all the talent in the world, but just needed to stay healthy. Calvin Johnson is arguably the best receiver in the game, but he had to have someone to get him the ball. The defense needed help, and Ndamukong Suh was a jolt of much-needed energy. This season appears to be one where the Lions are putting it all together.

What makes the Lions so good is their balance. The Stafford-Johnson connection is obviously one of the best in the NFL, but did anyone expect Detroit to hang more than 33 points per game (good for second best only to the Green Bay Packers)?

En route to a 4-0 start, Stafford is averaging over 300 passing yards per game, and already has 11 touchdown tosses, while the defense is backing up their side of the deal by allowing under 20 points per game. The Lions also boast a league-best plus-eight turnover margin.

Although winning the NFC North may not be a realistic goal for the Lions, a wild card berth certainly is. The only thing stopping Detroit, at this point, is Detroit. Given a healthy season for Stafford and the defense continuing to improve, the Lions could be very dangerous come playoff time.

Washington Redskins

When quarterback Rex Grossman claimed the Redskins to be a legitimate NFC East contender, many laughed. And who wouldn't? Grossman, the patented Turnover Machine, doesn't have the track record to make any such promises, but at 3-1, Grossman owes a lot to his defense.

Through four games, Grossman is on pace to post career-highs in both sacks and fumbles, but in every one of the Redskins' wins he has found a way to escape his own self-implosion.

The Redskins' schedule doesn't get any easier after their bye this week, but the defense is playing top-notch football.

Allowing just 296 yards per game (fifth), the Redskins are third in the league by allowing just under 16 points per game, and they're first in the league on third down.

Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is in his second year at the position, and his aggressive style is finally functioning after the team worked to acquire the right personnel.

Grossman's starting job doesn't appear to be on thin ice quite yet, but it's not crazy to think that it's coming. The unproven John Beck is waiting in the shadows, and he brings better mobility and a stronger arm to the table.

Assuming that whoever the Redskins start at quarterback can at least effectively manage a game, the defense is one that can carry this team much farther than people think. And from the looks of things, the Redskins aren't far from making Grossman's offseason comments sound somewhat justifiable.