NFL Power Rankings: Chicago Bears and 3 Teams Sure to Drop in Week 5

One convincing loss can drop a one-time contender down the power rankings into obscurity, and such is the case for three teams not looking likely to win their Week 5 contests.

The Chicago Bears, currently ranked 18th, have been sliding since losing the momentum that they built after their convincing Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons. With little offense to speak of beyond that contributed by running back Matt Forte, Chicago's troubles don't look like they're going to improve any time soon.

This week, they travel to take on the undefeated Detroit Lions in the week's Monday night contest. This game looks to be a guaranteed win for the Lions—a dominant one, at that. A blowout loss would see the Bears drop into the bottom 10 of the league, which is a hard hole to dig out of.

Should they lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will slide from their current No. 11 position in the power rankings.

The Niners are one of the surprises of the season. With the Buccaneers coming off a short week, having played in the previous Monday night game and travelling to the west coast, San Francisco has a number of advantages in this week's contest.

While a loss at San Francisco won't harm the Buccaneers' standings too much, they will likely slide to the middle of the pack, as neither a disappointing nor inspiring squad.

A loss to the Oakland Raiders, however, would bring the Houston Texans' ranking much lower. The team is tied atop the AFC South with the Tennessee Titans,  but the Texans have gotten to the position almost by default.

Houston still has a powerful running game. However, it's how the passing offense performs without star wide receiver Andre Johnson and how well the 30th-ranked rush defense can contain Oakland's Darren McFadden that will make all the difference in this game.

A loss to Oakland could easily expose the Texans' shortcomings and send them along a far less impressive path than the one they embarked upon at the start of the season. The loss would drop them in the rankings, but the nature of that loss will determine just how far.

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