NFL Power Rankings: Indianapolis Colts Rise from Depths in Week 5

In years past, it would have been hard to picture any scenario in which the Indianapolis Colts would be going into a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as double-digit underdogs.

But that's exactly what happened on Monday night. And because the Colts were going to be using Curtis Painter as their starting quarterback, one was tempted to bet the house on the Bucs.

Lo and behold, the Colts managed to put up a good fight, and they lost by the respectable final score of 24-17 to move to 0-4 on the season.

A record like 0-4 immediately qualifies the Colts for consideration for the No. 32 spot in my power rankings. The same goes for any other NFL junkie with the time and energy to arrange all 32 NFL teams the way they should be arranged, dammit. And because I had the Colts at No. 32 when they were 0-3, it follows that I would keep them there now that they're 0-4.

Instead, I think the Colts deserve a break. For an explanation why, I think we need to go back to that word I used ahead of Monday night's final score.

Yup, "respectable." Indy had no business playing the Bucs tight on Monday night, and they certainly had no business threatening to leave town with a win, but they managed to do both. That they did so with a guy like Curtis Painter under center and a patchwork defensive line (my thoughts go out to Eric Foster) is not just respectable. I think it borders on being impressive.

If you're scoring at home, the Colts have now played two games in a row in which they managed to save face despite being saddled with a loss. They're still not a good team, but they don't look as bad as the team that got thoroughly dominated in Weeks 1 and 2.

This is what makes the Colts different from a team like the Minnesota Vikings, who I have knocked down to No. 32 in my Week 5 rankings. Whereas the Colts are progressing more and more towards respectability, the Vikings seem intent to progress more towards utter ruin.

In the grand scheme of things, both teams are rotten. The Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams are also not exempt from 0-4 rottenness. The question is which of the league's worst teams is the least rotten.

Right now, it's not the Colts.

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	3-1
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	Indianapolis Colts	0-4
32	Minnesota Vikings	0-4