NFL Power Rankings: New York Jets and 3 Surprising Teams That Will Fall Further

Most prognosticators thought they had a pretty good grasp on who the NFL's elite teams would be entering the 2011 season, but just one month in, things have already been thrown for a loop as several perceived Super Bowl contenders are struggling.

There is obviously plenty of time to bounce back, but each passing week that results in another loss further buries these underachieving teams. We may look back in a few months and laugh off these early-season struggles; however, they have to be taken seriously at this point.

Here are three teams who were thought to be elite that will fall even further in the rankings after Week 5. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Questions arose after the Pittsburgh Steelers were dominated 35-7 by the Baltimore Ravens Week 1, but they were able to bounce back with wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts. Another loss to the Houston Texans last week has Steelers fans worried, though.

The Steelers left the Houston game with much more than a loss, as linebacker James Harrison is expected to miss several weeks with an orbital fracture and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Rashard Mendenhall came away with injuries as well.

Pittsburgh will face another tough test this weekend against the surprising 3-1 Tennessee Titans. At full health, I would give the Steelers the advantage at home but with Harrison out, Roethlisberger likely to be hobbled and Mendenhall in question, the Titans have an excellent opportunity to pick up another huge victory.

Philadelphia Eagles

After a great 2010 season and a number of high-profile free-agent signings in the offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles were among the odds-on favorites to make a Super Bowl run this season. The defense has been much worse than advertised, however, and quarterback Michael Vick has been very injury prone.

With Vick in the lineup, the offense has continued to be explosive, but the defense has been unable to stop anybody, particularly in the passing game. That will be a major issue on Sunday as the Eagles take on the 3-1 upstart Buffalo Bills who have had an impressive aerial attack thanks to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Bills can't stop anyone either, though, so this could certainly be a shootout. I would give the Bills the advantage, however, because they have staged two incredible comebacks on home field this season and will be playing in front of what is sure to be an electric crowd.

New York Jets

After a nice comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and an ensuing demolition of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New York Jets seemed to have picked up right where they left off last season. After consecutive losses to the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, though, they are reeling.

The Jets have a date with the New England Patriots on Sunday, and while they have had some success against New England under head coach Rex Ryan, beating them won't be an easy task. The Jets have gotten away from what they normally do as they have struggled to run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense.

The Patriots began to develop a nice running game last week against the Raiders so they should pose the threat of a well-balanced offense against New York, and that will make things even tougher. I don't want to count the Jets out of this game completely, but I definitely see a New England victory in Week 5.

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