NFL Power Rankings: New England Patriots and 3 Top-Tier Teams on Upset Alert

As the NFL season progresses, several teams are beginning to distance themselves from the field and look to be the league's elite teams. Nobody is ever bulletproof, however, especially when some dangerous teams are still being taken lightly.

Here are three top-tier teams that will have to pull out close games to maintain their standing this week.

New Orleans Saints

Since losing to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, the Saints have been rolling along with wins over the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite that, they will have a tough test against the 1-3 Carolina Panthers this week.

The young Panthers have kept all of their losses within seven points and rookie quarterback Cam Newton has been a revelation. Provided Newton keeps up his stellar play, the Panthers have a chance to pull off the upset at home.

Green Bay Packers

No NFL team has been more dominant this season than the Packers. While Green Bay's defensive shortcomings have been masked a bit by its great offense, quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Even so, the Packers will have to travel to Atlanta to take on a Falcons team that is excellent at home. While the Falcons defense isn't particularly good, quarterback Matt Ryan and the offense have the tools to hang with the Packers.

New England Patriots

The Patriots certainly showed chinks in the armor when they lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, but they bounced back nicely by upending the Oakland Raiders last week.

They will face a New York Jets team that has had plenty of success against them over the past couple seasons. Although the Jets are coming off a miserable loss to the Baltimore Ravens, head coach Rex Ryan will almost certainly have them ready to face New England.

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