PackFan’s NFL Power Rankings 2018: Week 5

PackFan2005 Another week of football is in the books, meaning my power rankings will be too after this. Let’s hop to it.

#1. Los Angeles Rams (4-0)
I honestly don’t see them moving any time soon, based on how dominant they are, and how much havoc they caused against the currently hapless Vikings. They look like the NFL’s best team.

#2. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
Another dominant win, even with Leonard Fournette injured once again. Blake Bortles had a career day, and the defense was solid in a win over the Jets.

#3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)
The Chiefs offense once again proved that you can’t take them lightly like the Broncos did in the second half. But once again, their dead last ranked defense allowed a weak offense to stomp on them in the first half. That’s going to be an issue at some point.

#4. New Orleans Saints (3-1) +1 ⬆️
Coming off of their third straight win, New Orleans looks hot again, minus defense. Alvin Kamara had quite a day before Mark Ingram comes back in Week 5. Meanwhile, Drew Brees was quiet. This team seems overlooked to me.

#5. Chicago Bears (3-1) +5 ⬆️
They absolutely manhandled the Buccaneers in week 4, and look nearly complete on both sides of the ball. Given, #5 may be a bit high, but this team looks legitimate. Trust me.

#6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) -2 ⬇️
Philly has been an up and down team all season. One week they’re good, but the next they’re struggling immensely. No, they weren’t struggling too bad here, but seriously? Losing to the Titans in overtime? Not quite a good sign.

#7. Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) +1 ⬆️
Can’t give them too much credit for a shutout over the awful Bills, but their defense looked amazing, and somehow, it rose to number six in the league. The offense was a different story, Aaron Rodgers sure knows that.

#8. New England Patriots (2-2) +4 ⬆️
Come on, what type of team are they? Good or bad? They certainly bounced back against a huge win over the Dolphins in week 4. Now I’m confused as to which direction they’re going in. They can be good one week, and just awful the next week.

#9. Carolina Panthers (2-1)
No movement after a bye week to rest up and practice. Now it’s on to the Giants.

#10. Minnesota Vikings (1-2-1) -4 ⬇️
Their second straight loss came against the NFL’s best team, so I wouldn’t worry about it. But then again, were the losses against the Bills and Rams foreshadowing the rest of the season? Now they need to find their footing in the NFC North.

#11. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) +4 ⬆️
Close win to Atlanta, and in the game, they looked surprisingly complete. Like I said last week, they’re battling the Ravens for the AFC North. The competition just got fiercer.

#12. Atlanta Falcons (1-3) -5 ⬇️
Why are they still in the top 15? Well, they play great games, but they can just never get it done. The defense always somehow finds a way to choke late in the fourth quarter and/or in overtime. Otherwise, they’re a good team.

#13. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) +3 ⬆️
Joe Flacco has got their offense going, making me wonder whether they will end up moving on from him after the 2018 season. Meanwhile, their traditionally good defense has been a key factor in their 3 wins this season.

#14. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) -3 ⬇️
Despite a close win against the 49ers, I had to drop them. Here’s a segment in my first sentence that signals why they dropped- “close win against the 49ers.” Yeah, the 49ers team without Jimmy Garoppolo. That would be why. Still, they’re a solid team. But their defense has yet to completely show up in a game.

#15. Tennessee Titans (3-1) +5 ⬆️
Despite extensive injuries, they just keep finding ways to win against good teams, and the Eagles were their victims this week. Mike Vrabel is making a good case for coach of the year so far.

#16. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2-1) -2 ⬇️
Now tied for last in the AFC North with the Browns, is their much hope left in Pittsburgh? If these losses keep piling up, it could result in Mike Tomlin’s firing, or possibly a trade of Antonio Brown, or the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.

#17. Washington Redskins (2-1) +1 ⬆️
They move up during a bye week because so many teams moved down. They’re a solid team as we’ve seen in the previous weeks.

#18. Miami Dolphins (3-1) -1 ⬇️
Despite being blown out by the Patriots, they only move back one spot, because the Patriots are a tough team to beat. Plus, the Dolphins have looked solid.

#19. Denver Broncos (2-2)
No drop, because they nearly defeated Kansas City. The offense meanwhile actually clicked. Then again, it was against the Chiefs defense.

#20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) -7 ⬇️
The magic is wearing off on the surprise team of the first quarter of the season. Both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston were terrible in week 4, and don’t even get me started on their defense.

#21. Seattle Seahawks (2-2) +2 ⬆️
Nice win, even if it was over the Cardinals. Unfortunately, they’ve presumably lost Earl Thomas for the season, meaning they can’t trade him. Good and bad out of Week 4 for them.

#22. San Francisco 49ers (1-3) -1 ⬇️
They don’t deserve to be lower, mostly because they managed to keep pace with the Chargers most of their week 4 game, but eventually fell to them. C.J. Beathard hasn’t looked too bad. Then again, he could go all Ryan Fitzpatrick on us later on.

#23. Indianapolis Colts (1-3) -1 ⬇️
Nearly pulled it off against Houston, but just couldn’t hold on. On the bright side for them, they’ve lost close games, which is a good thing for them.

#24. Cleveland Browns (1-2-1) +2 ⬆️
Moving the Browns up after a loss is quite interesting, but they kept pace with the Raiders in a high scoring game. Their young team looks to have a bright future.

#25. Dallas Cowboys (2-2) +2 ⬆️
Barely won against the Lions, but they still won. Ezekiel Elliot may have been the deciding factor, but Dak Prescott improved plenty.

#26. Houston Texans (1-3) +2 ⬆️
It’s about time they win. DeShaun Watson finally stepped up to the plate, and J.J. Watt got himself back together. Still, they’re a 1-3 team in the cellar of their division. They’ll need a miracle to turn around completely at this point.

#27. Detroit Lions (1-3) -3 ⬇️
Well, everyone, including myself, thought Detroit had the game. Then, they didn’t, to say the least. But they’ve still looked a lot better than what they were earlier in the season.

#28. New York Giants (1-3) -3 ⬇️
They flashed... then they went dim. Like always, New York finds a way to lag on both sides of the ball. It doesn’t help that Odell Beckham has done next to nothing for them this season.

#29. Oakland Raiders (1-3) +2 ⬆️
Finally, they play a good game. Just not defensively. Maybe if they still had the man named Khalil Mack, then they could’ve held the Browns to very little points. Still, they have a long way to go, and don’t forget their win came over the chokemaster Browns.

#30. New York Jets (1-3) -1 ⬇️
Week 1 is now looking like a fluke in the Jets’ rearview mirror. They’ve been pretty bad the last few weeks, and just lost their third straight to the Jaguars.

#31. Buffalo Bills (1-3) -1 ⬇️
A few thought they could carry the momentum onto Week 4, but they ended up getting shut out and dominated by defense. Defense looked decent, but their offense was a whole other story, with Josh Allen making terrible mistakes.

#32. Arizona Cardinals (0-4)
I should consider super glueing them to #32. Now they are the lone winless team in the NFL currently, which is quite embarrassing. #1 pick, here they come.

Comments

I agree with all of these except I believe the Broncos should be higher than Pittsburgh because they actually almost beat Kansas City unlike Pittsburgh. And I think the Titans should be higher than the Chargers because they are beating decent teams while the Chargers are barely beating a hopeless Niners team - visitor

Titans should be top 10, got two big wins over your division rival, and the defending champs, and have a ton of momentum now going to face one of the worst teams in football. - visitor