NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Ravens Blow Another Lead

We are almost a quarter of the way through the 2022 NFL season, and the standings get murkier by the week. With only one team still undefeated and one team winless, the league is as competitive as ever. Big matchups this week will provide a true test for many teams, leading to a possible shake-up in the NFL Power Rankings for next week. For now, here are your updated NFL Power Rankings for Week 5.

NFL Power Rankings for Week 5

1) Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) (Last Week: 1)

The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t expecting the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their toughest test in the first four weeks of the season when the schedule was released. However, Doug Pederson had the Jags ready to play. An early Jalen Hurts pick-six and another early score put the Eagles in a 14-0 hole at the end of the first. The Eagles were able to bounce back quickly and rattle off 29 unanswered points on the way to a 29-21 win.

Philadelphia remains the only undefeated team in the NFL, but they really haven’t been tested yet, with a combined opponent’s record of 7-9. They’ll get their first big test this week on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. For Week 5, they top our NFL Power Rankings.

2) Buffalo Bills (3-1) (4)

It wasn’t looking good early for Buffalo as they found themselves in a deep 20-3 hole late in the second quarter to the Baltimore Ravens. The Buffalo Bills shocked the Ravens by shutting them out in the second half and walking away victorious, 23-20. Their defense stepped up in a big way in the second half and Josh Allen and the offense looked good even in terrible weather conditions. With an easy home matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on deck, the Bills should be able to get to 4-1.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) (5)

After a shock road loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week, the Kansas City Chiefs absolutely embarrassed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Tampa Bay had no answers. Kansas City’s defense did give up 31 points, but 14 of those points came when the game was already effectively over. The Chiefs will look to solidify their division lead when the ailing Las Vegas Raiders come into Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.

4) Baltimore Ravens (2-2) (3)

In Week 4, the Baltimore Ravens once again showed why they are one of the more frustrating teams to understand early in this NFL season. Although their schedule hasn’t been easy, they once again blew a 17+ point lead at home for their fifth consecutive home loss. In the two games in which they have blown massive leads, they have combined to score just 10 second-half points. If they can’t find a way to be more consistent on offense, the Ravens could struggle to break away as they should in a crowded AFC North.

5) Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) (10)

The Cincinnati Bengals had their struggles early in the season, but they seem to have gotten it mostly together at this point. After losing two very close and winnable games to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, the Bengals have beaten up on the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The injury to Tua Tagovailoa certainly helped, but it was clear that the Bengals were the better team prior to his injury. To continue their success, the Bengals must work on their run blocking which has given running back Joe Mixon no room to run so far this season.

6) Miami Dolphins (3-1) (2)

Although the Miami Dolphins lost Tua Tagovailoa to a scary injury on Thursday night, there doesn’t appear to be much of a reason to panic in Miami. Teddy Bridgewater looked average, which should be good enough with how talented their offense is on paper. With the New York Jets as their next opponent, we’ll be able to see how the Dolphins look in the short-term future with Bridgewater at the helm.

7) Green Bay Packers (3-1) (7)

Even with the New England Patriots losing backup quarterback Brian Hoyer to injury in the first quarter, and rookie third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe having to take over, the Green Bay Packers struggled mightily at home. Aaron Rodgers looked off the entire first half and the Packers needed overtime to take down the Patriots. The Packers may be 3-1, but their play doesn’t support it. Green Bay needs to stop playing down to their competition if they want to make a serious run in the playoffs.

8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) (8)

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were simply outclassed by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the loss isn’t as bad as it appears on the surface. Fumbling the opening kickoff put the Bucs in a hole early, and they simply had no answer for Kansas City’s offense. The good news is that their offense was finally mostly healthy and was able to move the ball fairly well the entire game. If they can continue to build on this performance and can keep their receivers on the field, the Buccaneers will rise in the NFL Power Rankings soon.

9) San Francisco 49ers (2-2) (14)

After losing an ugly game in Week 3 to the Denver Broncos, many eyes were on how the San Francisco 49ers would respond when the Los Angeles Rams came to town. The 49ers defense absolutely destroyed the Rams all game and almost outscored the Rams’ offense by themselves. San Francisco relied on the big plays and opportunistic defense to get the job done. They should be able to continue to build on this win with games against the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons in the next two weeks.

10) Arizona Cardinals (2-2) (9)

We may only be four weeks into the NFL season, but it may be time to start worrying about the Arizona Cardinals. Although Arizona got the win, they found themselves in a hole at halftime and tied with a horrible Carolina Panthers team at the end of three quarters. Arizona has scored more than 23 points just once in regulation, and they don’t have a defense that can win them games on their own. If Arizona doesn’t get their offense sorted quickly, they’ll have a tough time staying afloat in a tough NFC West and an even tougher time hanging in the top 10 of our NFL Power Rankings.

11) Los Angeles Rams (2-2) (6)
12) Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) (13)
13) Dallas Cowboys (3-1) (15)
14) Minnesota Vikings (3-1) (11)
15) New York Giants (3-1) (16)
16) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) (12)
17) New England Patriots (1-3) (18)
18) Tennessee Titans (2-2) (21)
19) Indianapolis Colts (1-2-1) (19)
20) Cleveland Browns (2-2) (17)
21) Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) (23)
22) Denver Broncos (2-2) (24)
23) Chicago Bears (2-2) (22)
24) Atlanta Falcons (2-2) (27)
25) Seattle Seahawks (2-2) (29)
26) Detroit Lions (1-3) (26)
27) New York Jets (2-2) (31)
28) New Orleans Saints (1-3) (25)
29) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) (20)
30) Carolina Panthers (1-3) (28)
31) Washington Commanders (1-3) (30)
32) Houston Texans (0-3-1) (32)