NFL Power Rankings Week 5 – League’s Best Separate Themselves

One month of the NFL season is in the books! While some questions have been answered, there’s no doubt that plenty more have popped up. My biggest question is simple: are there more than 10 good teams? In Week 5’s NFL Power Rankings, the top 10 stayed the same (nailed it last week). However, after those 10, there is a massive tier drop to the rest of the league.

The 32 teams below are ranked both on where they stand and where they are projected to go. This means that the injuries of today do play a major factor. The NFL is a short season and every loss matters.

With that being said, let’s jump into the Week 5 NFL Power Rankings!

NFL Power Rankings For Week 5

1) Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 1)

If you keep poking the bear, you’re eventually going to get bit. The Philadelphia Eagles will eventually lose one of these games that are kept close. However, good teams find ways to win on days they aren’t playing their best football, and the Eagles are a very good team. The offense came alive when it needed to, but the defense will need to play a bit sharper for the Eagles to remain atop our NFL Power Rankings.

2) San Francisco 49ers (2)

The San Francisco 49ers made a case to jump up to the top spot in our Week 5 NFL Power Rankings. It was very close, but we’ll keep them here for now. They enjoyed a monster performance from Christian McCaffrey, scoring four touchdowns. No, the Arizona Cardinals aren’t a good team, but the 49ers were dominant nonetheless.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (3)

It was far from a clean victory for the Kansas City Chiefs over the New York Jets, but it was a victory nonetheless. Patrick Mahomes was both the reason the game was close and the reason why they were able to pull off the win. Overall, the offense needs to be sharper, and Jawaan Taylor needs to get better at right tackle. Despite the defense getting cooked by Zach Wilson at times, this looks to be one of the more talented groups in the league, and they could be the reason why the Chiefs go on a run later in the year.

4) Buffalo Bills (4)

Many analysts were saying the Miami Dolphins were the new kings of the AFC East. However, in the same game that Damar Hamlin returned to the field, the Buffalo Bills won in dominating fashion over Miami. The offense could do no wrong, while the defense was led by the pass rush. This is the formula for the Bills to be contenders this season, and with Von Miller returning to the lineup soon, this trend may continue. Unfortunately, the Bills did lose cornerback Tre’Davious White for the season.

5) Miami Dolphins (5)

Following a historic beatdown of the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins were embarrassed in a divisional matchup against the Bills. On top of that, star left tackle Terron Armstead suffered a knee injury and was seen leaving the stadium on crutches. While there’s no need to fully panic, Miami falls a little bit in the Week 5 NFL Power Rankings. Facing the Giants and Panthers in the next two weeks, the Dolphins have a great opportunity ahead of them to get back on track.

MORE: Overreactions to NFL Week 4 – Bryce Young is a Bust

6) Dallas Cowboys (6)

The discussion all week was about how the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t win physical games and the defense may be a bit overrated. Well, they responded in a big way by putting up two touchdowns of their own. The red zone offense for Dallas is clearly an issue, and it will bite them at some point this season, but they are still a team that is very capable of winning in all three phases. Regardless of their opponent, there is no need to disrespect the Cowboys’ defense going forward.

7) Seattle Seahawks (7)

The Seattle Seahawks did exactly what they were supposed to do on Monday Night Football, taking advantage of an embarrassing New York Giants offense line. Still, 11 sacks are impressive for anyone. Seattle is a well-rounded team that has a chance to get better as the year rolls on, given some of their youth and current injury situations.

8) Jacksonville Jaguars (8)

The London Jaguars, er… Jacksonville Jaguars looked at home in their international contest against the Atlanta Falcons. The Jaguars were in control of this game throughout, responding positively following last week’s upset loss.

This week is a bit unique, as the Jaguars will play another game in their second home of London. We assume they will stay over there, so adjusting to the travel won’t be an issue. However, staying over a week in a hotel could be tough for this team. We will see how they respond to this unique situation against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

9) Detroit Lions (9)

The Detroit Lions gave the Green Bay Packers an absolute whoopin’ on Thursday Night Football to kick off NFL Week 4. It felt as though it was the Lions’ statement to the rest of the NFL that not only are they the new kings of the north, but they should be considered a threat in the NFC. As long as they continue to play complimentary football, the Lions should be in every single game, meaning they can run behind that talented offensive line of theirs. The “brand new Lions” are looking good.

10) Baltimore Ravens (10)

The health of their team continues to be an issue, but as long as Lamar Jackson is healthy, it appears the Baltimore Ravens will be in games. Baltimore made it a point to bring in more receiving talent for Jackson to throw to this season, but with so many of them out this week, Jackson was forced to make plays with his legs. The Ravens remain a top-10 team in our NFL Power Rankings and have the potential to be contenders if they can get healthy. However, as their health stands right now, Baltimore is looking just good enough, which may be enough to win this division.

11) Cleveland Browns (11)

12) Los Angeles Chargers (15)

13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19)

14) Cincinnati Bengals (11)

15) New York Jets (17)

16) Atlanta Falcons (16)

17) Tennessee Titans (20)

18) New Orleans Saints (12)

19) Washington Commanders (21)

20) Los Angeles Rams (24)

21) New England Patriots (14)

22) Pittsburgh Steelers (18)

23) Minnesota Vikings (23)

24) Green Bay Packers (22)

25) Houston Texans (29)

26) Denver Broncos (26)

27) Indianapolis Colts (27)

28) New York Giants (25)

29) Las Vegas Raiders (28)

30) Arizona Cardinals (30)

31) Carolina Panthers (31)

32) Chicago Bears (32)