NFL Power Rankings: Washington Redskins and the 4 Shakiest Division Leaders

With the first quarter of the 2011 season in the books, a look around the standings in the NFL will yield no small number of surprises.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts are in last place? The Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins are in first place? The Detroit Lions are 4-0?

In the immortal words on Vince Lombardi, what the hell's going on out here?

Craziness, that's what. If you're just now tuning in, it's actually been pretty fun to behold.

But sooner or later, things will level out. When they do, I have a feeling that the division races are going to look much different. And from where I'm sitting, the four teams listed below are the teams that are most likely to be on the short end.

Buffalo Bills (No. 9)

The New England Patriots are also 3-1, but the Bills get the nod in the AFC East because they beat the Pats head-to-head. It's their division at the moment.

Alas, I'm just not so sure the good times are going to last. I admire the Bills' grit and determination, and I like the way they play offense, but I have some serious concerns about their defense. The Bills aren't particularly good against the run or the pass, and things are only going to get worse when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

The Bills may be okay for a while, but they're going to be in trouble once their offense comes back down to earth. We saw this start to happen in Week 4, and my guess is that the Bills will never reclaim their early-season explosiveness.

San Francisco 49ers (No. 18)

I have to admit, I've been hard on the 49ers in the last couple of days. That's what they get for having a misleading 3-1 record.

At the moment, that 3-1 record is good enough to give the 49ers sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Because the rest of the division is awful, things could stay this way.

But I don't think it's going to be that simple. The 49ers are the exact opposite of the Bills in that their defense is very, very strong and their offense is perilously weak. I think it's just a matter of time before that comes back to bite the 49ers, and I think they're going to be lucky to finish 8-8 when all is said and done.

That could be enough to win the NFC West, but I'm still of the mind that the Arizona Cardinals are good enough to finish 8-8 as well. So we'll see.

San Diego Chargers (No. 7)

The Raiders fan in me (may as well admit it) hates the Chargers. The football fan in me really likes them, as they have as much talent as any team in the league and can be really fun to watch.

My problem with the Chargers right now is that they should be more dominant than they've been. Outside of the Patriots in Week 2, the Chargers have played a very easy schedule, yet they haven't made it look very easy. As such, I can't be sure that they're as good as their 3-1 record would indicate.

The chief threat to the Chargers' hold on the division is the Raiders. They may be just 2-2 right now, but they have the goods to be dominant on any given Sunday. Let's also not forget that the Raiders went 2-0 against the Chargers last year.

If the Chargers don't win the division, the Raiders will.

Washington Redskins (No. 10)

The general consensus is that the Redskins have been one of the pleasant surprises in the league in the early goings, and I'm not about to argue the point.

However, I'm just not sure that I buy the Skins just yet. They've hardly been dominant, and I think the NFC East might be the most evenly balanced division in the league. The New York Giants are also 3-1, and the Dallas Cowboys should be 3-1 right now. In fact, some will argue that they should be 4-0.

And then there are the Philadelphia Eagles. The haters are loving their 1-3 start, and there's no denying that they have plenty of issues, but it's not going to last. They're on pace to finish 4-12 this season, and I think we can all agree that they're better than that.

As the season progresses, I have a feeling that the four teams in the NFC East are going to bunch together. When the dust clears, the Skins could be on the outside looking in.

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