NFL Power Rankings: Detroit Lions and 4 Contenders with Room to Improve

Four weeks into the season, it's pretty clear that not a single team in the NFL is perfect.

Make no mistake, all 32 teams are flawed in one way or another. It just so happens that the best of the best have few flaws, and the worst of the worst have a lot of them.

The truly interesting teams are the ones that have found early success despite a relative wealth of flaws. There are several of these overachievers out there, but the ones I want to talk about are the ones that I don't think have peaked quite yet.

I think there are four teams in particular that fit the bill.

4. San Francisco 49ers (No. 18)

I annoyed a good many 49ers fans when I referred to the Niners as "overachieving hacks" in a recent article. In retrospect, calling them "hacks" was a bit much.

But I still think the 3-1 Niners are overachieving. They have an awful lot of flaws, and they've gotten to where they are by beating some pretty lousy teams.

While I do think the Niners will level out before long, I am willing to admit that they have room to improve. Specifically, good things are going to happen if Frank Gore and the team's rushing attack can rack up yards on a consistent basis.

The good news for the Niners is that Gore and friends were able to do this against the Eagles, who are awful against the run. That done, the pressure is now on the running game to repeat its Week 4 success against a tougher opponent.

If that happens, the 49ers may be for real after all.

3. San Diego Chargers (No. 7)

As you can tell by their No. 7 standing in my Week 5 power rankings, I like the Chargers.

However, I do have some complaints. With the amount of talent the Chargers have on both sides of the ball, they have no business having to eke out wins against the likes of the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins. These are teams that they should be blowing out of the water.

This is a task that is primarily in the hands of Philip Rivers. I don't think he's played up to his capabilities yet this season, and that needs to change.

If things stay the same, the Chargers are going to start losing some of these close games.

2. Tennessee Titans (No. 15)

Just like the 49ers, the Titans are another 3-1 team that I'm not entirely sure of. I just find it difficult to gauge how good they truly are, which has a lot to do with the teams they've played.

As far as I can tell, there are two reasons the Titans are playing so well. The first is that their defense is drastically underrated, and the second is Matt Hasselbeck.

These two things alone might be good enough for the Titans to make a run at the AFC South, but they're going to need  a third dynamic to come along: the running game.

The Titans got a sign in Week 4 that this could happen, as Chris Johnson had his first 100-yard game of the season. If he can come up with a few more of those, the Titans are going to develop into a force to be reckoned with.

1. Detroit Lions (No. 5)

Because they're 4-0, you might be thinking the Lions have nowhere to go but down.

I disagree. I love the talent that the Lions have on both sides of the ball, and I dig their killer instinct. All they need is a starting instinct, so to speak.

The reason I say this is because the Lions haven't gotten out of the gate strong in three of their four games. It's all well and good that they've demonstrated an ability to play from behind, but they certainly don't want to be in that position every week.

If the Lions start putting two good halves together on a regular basis, it's going to be harder and harder to deny that they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 5 Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Record
1	Green Bay Packers	4-0
2	Baltimore Ravens	3-1
3	New Orleans Saints	3-1
4	New England Patriots	3-1
5	Detroit Lions	4-0
6	Houston Texans	3-1
7	San Diego Chargers	3-1
8	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-1
9	Buffalo Bills	3-1
10	Washington Redskins	3-1
11	New York Giants	3-1
12	Atlanta Falcons	2-2
13	Chicago Bears	2-2
14	Oakland Raiders	2-2
15	Tennessee Titans	3-1
16	Pittsburgh Steelers	2-2
17	New York Jets	2-2
18	San Francisco 49ers	3-1
19	Philadelphia Eagles	1-3
20	Dallas Cowboys	2-2
21	Cincinnati Bengals	2-2
22	Cleveland Browns	2-2
23	Carolina Panthers	1-3
24	Arizona Cardinals	1-3
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-3
26	Denver Broncos	1-3
27	Kansas City Chiefs	1-3
28	St. Louis Rams	0-4
29	Miami Dolphins	0-4
30	Seattle Seahawks	1-3
31	Minnesota Vikings	0-4
32	Indianapolis Colts	0-3