NFL Week 5 Power Rankings

I wish I had been doing Power Rankings throughout the season so far, but it's not too late to start. We've seen most of the teams play four games so far, and the talent separation is becoming clearer. For those unfamiliar with Power Rankings, it is simply ranking the teams based on how good I think they are. I will be updating this every Tuesday through Week 17. This week will probably be a bit more lengthy than usual, as I have four weeks worth to write about.

1. New Orleans Saints (4-0) - It comes as no surprise that the Saints have the best offense in the NFL, but the concern was with their defense. They had the top offense last season, but a weak defense led them to finish 8-8, last in the NFC South. This year, their defense is stepping up and making plays, allowing only 16.5 points per game with three defensive touchdowns and a league-leading 10 interceptions in four games. This is in comparison to last year's 24.6 PPG, 15 interceptions, and zero defensive touchdowns. If this continues, I have a hard time seeing this team losing. Except for Week 6, of course.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4-0) - Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning, capable of winning whenever he feels like. Their offense is clicking as usual, despite the loss of Marvin Harrison (who is completely forgotten about by this point) and the injury to Anthony Gonzalez, and their defense has been great as well. The offense ranks sixth in points scored per game, and their defense is tied for fourth in points allowed per game, so they are having great success on both sides of the ball.

3. New York Giants (4-0) - The younger Manning is connecting much better with his receivers than expected. I still see rookie Hakeem Nicks as the top receiving threat on the team, who returned last week after missing two weeks with an injury to catch his first career touchdown, and they still have a very dangerous running game. Their defensive line is ridiculous, but I still have concerns about the rest of their defense, especially after losing Kenny Phillips for the season. I am still waiting for an opponent to expose their weaknesses, as they've played three terrible teams and an underperforming Cowboys team. Besides Phillips, the team has been suffering numerous injuries, now including Eli suffering from plantar fasciitis, something I am very worried could affect him throughout the rest of the season.

4. Minnesota Vikings (4-0) - I can't believe how much I've been underrating their defense until I got to see them last night in the Monday Night game. Of course, Brett Favre stole the show, but their defense really impressed me, plus they have the best running back in the league in Adrian Peterson. I still don't trust the aging Favre to hold up the entire season though before falling apart like he did last year with the Jets.

5. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) - I still have faith in their great defense, even though it hasn't shown up as much so far this year. I called Joe Flacco's rookie season a fluke, but he is proving me wrong this season, looking like a very good quarterback, and he and that great running game have the Ravens scoring 31 points per game. This is a deadly team if their defense returns.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) - They had two very disappointing losses to the Bears and Bengals in consecutive weeks, but they came back with a big win against the Chargers last week. Ben Roethlisberger is an elite quarterback, and if Rashard Mendenhall keeps playing like he did last game, this is a top team again once Troy Polamalu returns, and the next two weeks should be easy wins.

7. New York Jets (3-1) - The most surprising team of the season so far. Mark Sanchez showed great maturity and dedication in the preseason to earn the starting quarterback job in his rookie season, and it has translated into a very successful start to the season. The improvement in coaching from Eric Mangini to Rex Ryan is remarkable, and Darrelle Revis has become an elite cornerback. This Jets team is for real.

8. New England Patriots (3-1) - The great Patriots got off to a rough start and had a lot of people doubting. They barely pulled out an undeserved victory in Week 1 against the awful Bills, then got smacked in the face by the Jets in the Meadowlands. I expected the Jets win, but I still believe the Patriots would have won at home. I continued doubting the Patriots in their last two games against two good teams in the Falcons and Ravens, and I was proven wrong. This week will be another big test going into Denver against the undefeated Broncos.

9. Denver Broncos (4-0) - Almost as surprising as the Jets are the Broncos this season. They got lucky in winning the first game against the Bengals, then handily defeated the terrible Browns and Raiders. They were supposed to come back to Earth last week against the Cowboys, but they managed to beat them as well. Their defense has allowed a ridiculous 6.5 points per game so far, which can't possibly continue. They still have to face the Chargers twice as well as go through the rest of the NFC East and AFC North plus the Colts.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) - Hard to rank the Eagles as they have been without McNabb for two games, and are one of the four teams who have had their bye week. They were one of the preseason favorites, but I can only rank them so high based on those expectations. McNabb will return this week, and they'll face three weak opponents to boost (or hurt) their ranking before facing the Giants in Week 8.

11. Atlanta Falcons (2-1) - Another Week 4 bye team that I'm not sure how to properly rank. Tony Gonzalez is clicking with that offense, but Roddy White has gotten off to a disappointing start. I was expecting to see more from them in Week 3 against the Patriots.

12. San Diego Chargers (2-2) - This team has the talent, but has run into tough opponents with losses to the Ravens and Steelers. I expect them to come out of their Week 5 bye and win their three divisional games that follow it.

13. Chicago Bears (3-1) - I'm still a big believer in Jay Cutler even without the great receivers he left behind in Denver. Matt Forte finally had a big game last week, but that was against the Lions. The loss of Brian Urlacher hurts, but this is still a good defense. However, there's just something about this team that doesn't let me be confident in them winning any given week, and I'm not sure what it is.

14. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) - This team could easily be 4-0 right now if not for the lucky play by the Broncos at the end of their Week 1 matchup. They followed up the heartbreaking loss with two very surprising victories against the Packers and Steelers. However, they somehow only managed to beat the Browns by three points last week, which has to raise a big red flag. With a healthy Carson Palmer and a dominating Chad Ochocinco, this team has been successful in the past, and can be again, even moreso now with Cedric Benson giving them a running game. But they're still the Bengals. I was ready to call them one of the great teams after Week 3, but last week has brought them back to a wait-and-see approach.

15. Green Bay Packers (2-2) - The Week 1 win at home against the Bears was nice, and they beat up on the Rams, but I'm still hung up on that Week 2 loss against the Bengals. Last week was the first chance I got to see them this year, and they were quite outplayed by the Vikings until Aaron Rodgers finally started picking apart the Minnesota prevent defense late in the game.

16. San Francisco 49ers (3-1) - Coach Mike Singletary seems to have lit a fire under this team much like Rex Ryan in New York, and has his team playing surprisingly well. I may be underestimating this team, but I still can't see them as having a better team than those ranked above. They could knock off the Falcons this week in San Francisco before heading into their bye.

17. Dallas Cowboys (2-2) - They have the talent to be one of the better teams, but it is just not coming together for them yet. Roy Williams needs to do a better job as their #1 wide receiver. I would not be surprised to see them go into Kansas City this week and lose, though I wouldn't expect it. They have a very scary running game, but it is battling injuries to their top two guys right now.

18. Arizona Cardinals (1-2) - Like the Cowboys, the defending NFC champs have been a disappointment this year. Of course, if I am underestimating the 49ers, perhaps the Cardinals 1-2 start doesn't look so bad. But the Colts also came into Arizona and beat them easily. Again, with the bye week, I feel as I don't know as much about them as I would like to rank them properly, but I can't put them higher than 17th for now.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) - The Jaguars had some pretty low expectations, and they looked to be living up (down?) to them in the first two weeks, but they have come back with big divisional wins against the Texans and Titans. If Matt Hasselbeck is not ready to go this week for Seattle, the Jags could easily be 4-2 heading into their bye, with some pretty favorable home games. They could be looking at seven to nine wins.

20. Houston Texans (2-2) - Another team with higher expectations, this team has shown me nothing so far this season. Their defense has been horrible, and Steve Slaton has been a disappointment. They would be lucky to be 4-5 going into their Week 10 bye.

21. Carolina Panthers (0-3) - This is a surprising 0-3 start. Jake Delhomme had one of the worst quarterback performances ever in a Week 1 loss, but has improved since in tough losses to the Falcons and Cowboys. It's hard to rank them higher than this with the start they had, but they could easily be 3-3 after these next few weeks.

22. Seattle Seahawks (1-3) - This team is higher with a healthy Matt Hasselbeck, but as of now, they're ranked pretty low with Seneca Wallace as their quarterback. Julius Jones has been a surprise, but it remains to be seen if he will keep up his pace.

23. Tennessee Titans (0-4) - It is very hard to believe that this team is 0-4 after such a great season last year, but that's the NFL. Things don't get any easier as they face the Colts and Patriots in the next two weeks, so unless they turn things around, they will fall to 0-6. They may only have three easy games on the rest of their schedule, so it will be a big uphill battle for them.

24. Miami Dolphins (1-3) - They faced three good teams and started the season 0-3, and suffered a big blow in losing Chad Pennington for the season. They finally got their first win last week despite Chad Henne as their quarterback, but that was to be expected with the Bills coming to Miami. It will be a long travel for the Jets this week, but they are a much better team than the Bills, and it should be the first of four straight practically-guaranteed losses, leading to a 1-7 first-half record.

25. Washington Redskins (2-2) - That's a pretty pathetic 2-2 record. So far they have barely beaten the Rams and Buccaneers, both 0-4, while managing to lose to the Lions, who had lost their previous 19 games. They have been flat out awful so far this year, which is surprising because they have the talent to be a good team on both sides of the ball.

26. Buffalo Bills (1-3) - Fred Jackson has been wonderful for them, but that's been about it. They would be looking a much better 2-2 if they didn't give the Patriots the game in Week 1. They have a winnable game this week hosting the Browns, but it could easily be one of three games they will win the rest of the way.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4) - I guess I'm giving Matt Cassel the benefit of the doubt by ranking the Chiefs so "highly," after starting the season injured. But after losing to the Raiders at home, it seems this team would be lucky to reach three wins this season. This team is awful, but seems slightly more dangerous than the teams ranked below them.

28. Oakland Raiders (1-3) - JaMarcus Russell is terrible, but they have a good trio of running backs and perhaps the best cornerback in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha (yes, I spelled that correctly from memory). Maybe a slightly higher ceiling for wins than the Chiefs do, but they just have a knack for losing games.

29. Cleveland Browns (0-4) - This team could surprise someone, like they surprised the Giants last year. They almost did it to the Bengals last week but fell short. Things could turn around with the switch to Derek Anderson, but I doubt he will make much difference.

30. Detroit Lions (1-3) - The Lions finally got a win, but they're still the Lions, so do not expect much more of that. They do host the Rams and Browns this season, so they can get some wins there, but I would be shocked if they won anywhere else.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) - I thought the changeup to Josh Johnson at quarterback could sneak them past the Redskins last week, but even the 'Skins couldn't lose to the Bucs. Like the Raiders, they also have a good trio of running backs, but nothing is going right for them so far this year, and they might make a serious run at 0-16.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-4) - They've already been shut out twice this year by divisional opponents, the Seahawks and 49ers. I will be surprised if they manage to win a game this year. And with Marc Bulger banged up, they might have to turn to Kyle Boller at quarterback, which should be even more of a disaster. Time for Rams fans to just turn off the TV.

(whew, beat the clock)