NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Lots of favorites hold steady, but there's still plenty of movement

Not a lot of upsets this past week, so there wasn’t as much movement as we saw earlier in September. The Rams stick at No. 1, while the Bears, Ravens, Titans and Bengals are all on the move upward. Meanwhile, the Steelers are among those teams who take a tumble. Read on to find out where your favorite team ends up.

1. Rams (4-0 — last week, No. 1): According to ESPN, in last week’s Thursday night thriller against the Vikings, Jared Goff became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards and five touchdowns on just three days rest. This week: at Seahawks.



2. Chiefs (4-0 — last week, No. 2): Look, we’ve seen this early-season dominance from Kansas City before. But if Pat Mahomes can run the gauntlet of Denver (in Denver), Jacksonville and New England (at Gillette), things might be different with this group. This week: vs. Jaguars.

3. Jaguars (3-1 — last week, No. 3): T.J. Yeldon will be going for his third straight game with 90-plus yards from scrimmage against Kansas City. (Given the state of that defense, it seems like a safe bet he’ll get there.) I’m going to be really interested to see what happens if he stays hot and Leonard Fournette returns to full strength. This week: at Chiefs.

4. Patriots (2-2 — last week, No. 6): Probably a little high, but after Sunday’s performance, it appears things are pointed in the right direction again. And the return of Julian Edelman should only help matters. Going to be fascinated to see the New England-Kansas City matchup on Oct. 14. This week: vs. Colts.

5. Eagles (2-2 — last week, No. 4): This team feels like it’s approaching an early-season crossroads. Not saying they won’t be part of the NFC playoff conversation all year long, but they don’t feel as nearly invincible as they were at the end of last season. Should have an interesting test Sunday. This week: vs. Vikings.

6. Saints (3-1 — last week, No. 7): Drew Brees needs 201 yards to surpass Brett Favre and Peyton Manning for most passing yards in NFL history. In some alternate universe, Miami has Brees and Nick Saban, and they have spent the last decade or so battling Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in the AFC East. But not this one. This week: vs. Redskins.

7. Vikings (1-2-1 — last week, No. 5): Not an ideal start for Minnesota, and it doesn’t get any easier over the next month games against New Orleans and Philly. But they’ll get their shot at revenge Sunday. This week: at Eagles.

8. Packers (2-1-1 — last week, No. 8): Green Bay gets its first home shutout since 2009 against the Bills. This week: at Lions.

9. Bears (3-1 — last week, No. 14): Last week, we praised the Chicago defense, and wondered if the Bears could just get Mitch Trubisky jumpstarted, they might have something. Last week against Tampa, Trubisky threw for 354 yards and six touchdowns without an interception for a 154.6 passer rating Sunday against the Buccaneers. Good place to start. This week: Bye.

10. Ravens (3-1 — last week, No. 15): Ravens safety Eric Weddle after beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh: "What did I say last week? This ain’t the same Ravens! Gosh-dangit! What a freakin’ win!" The Ravens are the first team since 2006 not to allow a second-half touchdown in each of their first four games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. This week: at Browns.



11. Titans (3-1 — last week, No. 12): Asked this question on Twitter this week, and it bears repeating here: What coaching tree can (or should) claim Mike Vrabel? Is it Bill Belichick? Urban Meyer? Bill O’Brien? Or is he his own man? This week: at Bills.

12. Panthers (2-1 — last week, No. 11): Good start for Carolina, which could get Greg Olsen back sooner rather than later. Has anyone ever seen Dion Lewis and Christian McCaffrey together at the same time? This week: vs. Giants.

13. Steelers (1-2-1 — last week, No. 9): I maintain my stance from earlier this season — no team has greater boom-bust potential this year than Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t be shocked if the reported return of Le’Veon Bell in a few weeks propels them into the playoffs on a roll. I also wouldn’t be shocked if the whole thing just fell apart and they missed the playoffs. This week: vs. Falcons.

14. Falcons (1-3 — last week, No. 10): Matt Ryan became the first quarterback in league history to lose consecutive games despite throwing for 350 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, according to ESPN. This week: at Steelers.

15. Chargers (2-2 — last week, No. 17): Philip Rivers has started 197 straight regular-season games. That’s exactly 100 behind Favre’s old mark. This week: vs. Raiders.

16. Buccaneers (2-2 — last week, 13): Going to be fascinated to see how Tampa Bay responds to the decision to move back to Jameis Winston at quarterback. This week: Bye.

17. Bengals (2-2 — last week, No. 22): Cincy has a chance to take advantage of the reeling Steelers and create some separation in the AFC North. Probably got them a little low here, but that could change with wins in the next two weeks. Next week: vs. Dolphins.

18. Texans (1-3 — last week, No. 19): Deshaun Watson has been sacked 17 times this season, which is the second most in the NFL. Not a formula for success. This week: vs. Cowboys.

19. Dolphins (3-1 — last week, No. 16): Adam Gase was surprised as to how physical the Patriots were. Hey coach: let me get you a subscription to BSJ. This week: at Bengals.

20. Seahawks (2-2 — last week, No. 20):



This week: vs. Rams.

21. Redskins (2-1 — last week, 23): Washington is in first place. That’s sort of remarkable. Not sold on them just yet, but if they can win this week in New Orleans, maybe I’ll be convinced. Redskins are going to back to the site of their worst loss of the 2017 season, where they blew a 15-point lead with six minutes to play in Week 11. This week: at Saints.

22 Giants (1-3 — last week, No. 18): It feels like the Giants should be better than this. Not much better, but better than this, anyway. Maybe Ben McAdoo was right when he tried to dump Eli Manning? This week: at Panthers.

23. Broncos (2-2 — last week, No. 21): There’s some real talent on both sides of the ball, but this feels like a team that is just stuck in that great middle ground — not good enough to be serious playoff challenger, while simultaneously not being bad enough to land a top 5 draft pick. Tough spot. This week: at Jets.

24. Cowboys (2-2 — last week, No. 25): Dez Bryant has come full circle. The process is complete. This week: at Texans.

25. Lions (1-3 — last week, No. 24): Detroit has some issues, but Golden Tate isn’t one of them. Last Sunday against Dallas, he became the quickest Lion to ever reach 400 receptions, doing so in just 68 games. The next fastest Lion to reach 400 receptions was Calvin Johnson, who needed 81 games to reach the mark. This week: vs. Packers.

26. 49ers (1-3 — last week, No. 26): Injuries really starting to take their toll, and we’re only four weeks into the season. This week: vs. Cardinals.

27. Browns (1-2-1 — last week, No. 27): After a quick rewatch of Cleveland’s narrow loss to the Raiders, I have three thoughts for the Browns: Give the ball to Nick Chubb more often. Give the ball to Nick Chubb more often. Give the ball to Nick Chubb more often. This week: vs. Ravens.

28. Jets (1-3 — last week, No. 28): Isaiah Crowell is an inspiration. When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. This week: vs. Broncos.

29. Raiders (1-3 — last week, 31): Jon Gruden says Marshawn Lynch belongs in the Hall of Fame. I’d be curious to see how that speech goes. (Oh, and I know Oakland beat Cleveland, but I still have the Browns ahead of the Raiders. Whatever.) This week: at Chargers.

30. Colts (1-3 — last week, No. 30): Their three losses this year have come by a combined total of 18 points. Not saying they’re capable of making the Patriots uncomfortable. Just that they’re trending in the right direction. This week: at Patriots.

31. Cardinals (0-4 — last week, No. 32): With Josh Rosen under center, there’s some hope. This week: at Niners.

32. Bills (1-3 — last week, No. 29): Got to be bad to lower than an unbeaten team, but that’s where things are right now for Buffalo. Through four games, Josh Allen has more rushing yards than LaSean McCoy. This week: vs. Titans.