NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Which Teams Form NFL's Basement?

As we begin to enter Week 5, a lot has been discussed about the biggest surprises of the NFL.  People can't get enough of the 4-0 Detroit Lions, who look more and more like a team that could go deep in the playoffs.

The AFC features upstarts like the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans.  Heck, even the Oakland Raiders are no longer a team to be taken lightly. 

However, as we see some new blood in the NFL emerge, we are seeing other teams look like they're going to be competing in the dubious Andrew Luck sweepstakes.  While no team in the league looks like it will match the Detroit Lions pathetic 2008 season in which they went 0-16, there are certainly a good amount of teams that are certainly big disappointments. 

With a quarter of the season gone, there is still time for some of these teams to crawl in the basement, especially if they reside in the NFC West.  For some though, their season is already as good as dead.

Here's a look at the ten teams currently making up the NFL's basement. 

10) Philadelphia Eagles

The Dream Team?  Really?

Many of you will say this team doesn't belong in the bottom ten but I tell you this.  When you manage to blow a 23-3 lead at home against a San Francisco 49er team that ranks at the bottom half of virtually every offensive and defensive statistic, you deserve to be in the bottom ten.

At 1-3, the Eagles undoubtedly have a dynamic offense.  But their defense, once one of the best year in and year out, can't get anyone off the field.  They have one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, and thus far, the much heralded pass defense hasn't performed to expectations. 

The Eagles visit the Buffalo Bills this Sunday in what is a big game for both teams.  If the Bills win, they'll keep pace in the AFC East while sending the Eagles to an improbable 1-4 record.

If the Eagles can win, they'll stay alive in the NFC East and can possibly start going on a run where they can catch up to the rival New York Giants and Washington Redskins.

For a team that many considered to go 13-3, it's put up or shut up time.

9) Arizona Cardinals

What's funny is the Cardinals could easily be 4-0 this season.  But when you blow leads in three straight games and lose, you earn a place in the bottom ten.

Kevin Kolb has been an adequate quarterback, which is much better than any quarterback they had starting last year.   Beanie Wells has also been a revelation and has been a top ten running back this year. 

Their biggest issue though is that their defense is one of the worst at stopping the pass, and has been unable to come up big at the end of games.  Remember, even the game they won, they allowed Cam Newton to set an NFL record for most pass yards by a rookie making their first start.

In the NFC West, the Cardinals could still win this division, considering they have not played the San Francisco 49ers yet.  But if this team can't come through in the clutch, they're much more likely to be looking at a top ten pick. 

8) Denver Broncos

The Broncos are lucky they won their game against the Cincinnati Bengals because if they were 0-4, they might be ranked the worst team in the league. 

Other than a rushing defense that's just about average, there's nothing redeeming about this team.  Kyle Orton looks like a shell of the guy who lit things up his first two years. Brandon Lloyd, the receiving yards leader of 2010, is banged up. 

The defense isn't doing it's job and rookie Von Miller is not exploding onto the scene like many people thought.

And then you have Mr. lightning rod, Tim Tebow.  In a way, you have to feel bad for Tebow because he hasn't done or said anything controversial to cause this mess up in Denver.  However, his mere presence is threatening to sabotage Denver's season. 

You can just sense that Orton and the offense as a whole is on edge as every mistake they make is met with calls to start Tim Tebow, even though the organization views him as possibly their fourth stringer.

It's a situation that, if not dealt with, could cause Denver to worry about another quarterback entering the fold...Andrew Luck. 

7) Indianapolis Colts

Yes, I know they're 0-4.  Yes, I know Peyton Manning isn't going to play this year.  But since Curtis Painter has taken over as quarterback, this team has looked much different, narrowly losing their last two games to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  It's looked like a different team than the one we saw get demolished by the Houston Texans a month ago.

No one is saying this team can turn it around and contend for the AFC South.  But this team is showing a lot more fight than some teams that have one or two wins.  The one question Colt fans should be asking is why Kerry Collins ever started in the first place? 

6) Seattle Seahawks

Well if you want to take one positive from last week's 30-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, it's that Tarvaris Jackson finally came to life, throwing for over 300 yards. 

The problem is the 'Hawks are 1-3 and going nowhere fast.  The sad thing is, they're still in the hunt in the NFC West. 

Seattle has some good offensive weapons like new receiver Sidney Rice and tight end Zach Miller.  The problem is Jackson's been inconsistent and no one can run the ball, whether it's Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett or Leon Washington.  The defense is also one of the leagues worst. 

Call me crazy but if you can't pass, run or stop the opponent, it usually doesn't bode well. 

Pete Carroll's seat isn't too hot yet.  But if he doesn't show improvement in the next two seasons, he may want to get his resume ready for going back to college. 

5) Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio should be nicknamed the cockroach.  No matter how feeble and average his teams are, he just does enough to stay alive.  This season may finally be the time he meets the can of Raid.

His move to cut David Gararrd was controversial and continues to look like a mistake.  Luke McCown proved he has no place in the NFL and it forced rookie Blaine Gabbert to be inserted into the lineup prematurely. 

Perhaps Del Rio knew all of this and cut his former Pro Bowl quarterback as a way to convince owners to give him one more season.  While the Jags have typically hovered around 8-8, it's not going to happen this year.

Maurice Jones-Drew and his talents continue to be wasted here as he's still one of the top ten backs in the league.  The defense is still above average, as well.

But during a time in the NFL where you absolutely have to throw the ball, having a team average of 137 passing yards per game is not going to get it done.  Ultimately, this team belongs more in the competition for Andrew Luck rather than the AFC South.

And before you comment; yes, if the Jags did finish with the worst record, I believe they'd draft Luck.  They would merely have to figure out what to do with Gabbert moving forward. 

4) St. Louis Rams

Some will say the Rams don't deserve to be this far down because of their excessive injuries.  While I can sympathize with the team for sustaining injuries, it doesn't excuse how incredibly inept they've been at almost every position.

Sam Bradford has had a bit of a sophomore slump and hasn't developed a chemistry with new receiver Mike Sims-Walker.  That's a big problem considering Danny Amendola is out for the year.  The running game only ranks 23rd in the league and Steven Jackson has been limping around for most of the year.

The defense, which was supposed to take major steps forward, has been a complete and utter failure so far.  They're giving up almost 180 yards per game on the ground.  The pass defense looks stellar in comparison, giving up about 225 yards per game through the air.

Injuries can derail any team in this league, just ask Colts fans.  But even with the injury bug hitting them hard, the Rams shouldn't be losing games by an average of nearly 17 points per game. 

3) Kansas City Chiefs

Despite winning last week, I really wanted to rank the Chiefs lower because they still should be punished for their pathetic start to the season, losing to the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions by a combined score of 89-10.

But the team did put up a fight against the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago, and managed to beat the Minnesota Vikings 22-17 last week to get into the win column.  That's the good news.

The bad news is, having sustained a litany of injuries themselves, the Chiefs are almost surely in for a very long season.  K.C. will likely be considered substantial underdogs in eight of their remaining 12 games this season.

With an offense that has lost its way with the loss of Charles and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, and a defense that lost its best player Eric Berry to a season ending, it's going to be a long season for the defending AFC West champions. 

By the middle of the season, many fans may hope this team falters, as they'd be a great team to have Andrew Luck come to since Matt Cassel looks destined to be an average quarterback in this league. 

2) Miami Dolphins

Here is a team whose season continues to get worse by the week.

People should have read the tea leaves before the 2011 season ever started.  If you ever want to get a good predictor that a team is going to fail, here is a big one for you.  When the ownership actively campaigns to replace a coach, before the existing one is ever fired, then you can pretty much bet the players aren't going to respect any sort of authority.

This is what happened in Miami with Tony Sparano.  Dolphins owner Stephen Ross tried hard to sign Jim Harbaugh while Sparano was still under contract.  By the way, this is definitely a league violation and I'm surprised the NFL didn't punish Miami more harshly for their conduct. 

When Harbaugh went to San Francisco, Sparano was left to coach a team he knew wanted to replace him.

Follow this controversy up with a poorly constructed team and Chad Henne's season ending injury and you have a team with a real chance to win three or fewer games this season.

Want another sign you know a team is bound to fail?  When you announce you want Reggie Bush to carry the ball 25 times per game.  You'd think Cam "I drafted Ted Ginn Jr. because he's good at returning punts" Cameron was still making personnel decisions around here. 

1) Minnesota Vikings

Has there been a sharper fall from grace than the Vikings? 

In 2009, led by Brett Favre, the Vikings were playing the New Orleans Saints n the NFC Championship and were about to go to the Super Bowl when the team inexplicably botched a play call from the sidelines that led to 12 men being in the huddle.

Putting the team out of field goal range, Favre tried to throw a deep pass that was intercepted and his team eventually lost in overtime.

Flash forward to today and the Vikings are 0-4, with another aging quarterback that's past his prime.  The Vikings managed to lose to a Chiefs team last week that was historically bad earlier in the season.  For that reason alone, they get my nod for worst team in the NFL.

The maddening thing with the Vikings is they've held leads in three games this year against teams with a combined record of 10-2.  But because of turnovers, defensive lapses and the inability to close out a game, the Vikings stand 0-4 with virtually no hope of making the playoffs.

Adrian Peterson is now looking like this era's Barry Sanders.  The hall of famer dazzled us for years in Detroit, but he was saddled with bad teams and never got to taste any sort of long term success.  It seems Peterson may be doomed for the same outcome.

While ranked last, the Vikings are a team that should win more games than some of those ranked above them.  They're one of the NFL's best at running the ball and stopping the run.  The problem is they can't stop the pass, and Donovan McNabb looks like he has left his talent somewhere in Philadelphia.

This is another team that if given the chance will draft Andrew Luck in a heart beat.  Christian Ponder was drafted early in the first round last year to run this franchise, but I can guarantee you he'll be sent out of Minnesota if the Vikings somehow finish with the worst record.