Week Five power rankings

AP

1. Seattle Seahawks (No. 1 last week; 3-1):  It’s one thing to have a mobile quarterback.  It’s quite another to have a mobile quarterback who knows how to use his mobility the right way.

2. Denver Broncos (No. 3; 3-1):  The price of re-signing receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas continues to go up and up.  And up.

3. San Diego Chargers (No. 7; 4-1):  Now they they’ve found a running back in Branden Oliver, this team could be ready to climb all the way to the top of the mountain.

4. Arizona Cardinals (No. 4; 3-1):  If the hit from Julius Thomas on Calais Campbell was the dirtiest thing coach Bruce Arians has seen in 37 years, the former Steelers assistant apparently didn’t watch the field when James Harrison was on it.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6; 4-1):  So which team in the NFC East will sign LeSean McCoy after he’s cut in the offseason?

6. Cincinnati Bengals (No. 2; 3-1):  It appears the Bengals already are in postseason form.

7. Green Bay Packers (No. 9; 3-2):  A week after Aaron Rogers said “relax,” his team played so well that anyone watching the Thursday night game fell asleep.

8. Indianapolis Colts (No. 10; 3-2):  They’ve come a long way from a start that put them two games behind the team they’ll play Thursday night.

9. Dallas Cowboys (No. 13; 4-1):  Based on the numbers of Texans fans at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, America’s Team apparently is no longer Dallas’s.

10. Baltimore Ravens (No. 5; 3-2):  Maybe they need some more controversy to get back to winning.

11. San Francisco 49ers (No. 11; 3-2):  “Who’s got it better than us?  Nobody, and anybody who suggests otherwise is a loser!”

12. New England Patriots (No. 19; 3-2):  The real Patriots fall somewhere between 41-14 and 43-17.

13. Carolina Panthers (No. 20; 3-2):  Back in first place after a pair of horrendous showings, the Panthers have become the poster children for this year’s roller-coaster NFL season.

14. Buffalo Bills (No. 21; 3-2):  Yes, sometimes the difference between winning and losing is the other team having a really crappy kicker.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 15; 3-2):  An uninspiring victory over a winless Florida team is still better than an uninspiring loss to a winless Florida team.

16. Detroit Lions (No. 8; 3-2):  Maybe the fan with the laser pointer was trying to show the Lions where the end zone is.

17. New Orleans Saints (No. 17; 2-3):  Barely winning at home is far more troubling than getting blown out on the road.

18. Houston Texans (No. 14; 3-2):  J.J. Watt’s case for MVP took a big hit when he missed his chance to blow up Tony Romo.

19. New York Giants (No. 25; 3-2):  Who said the Giants would stink this year?  Other than everyone?

20. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 16; 2-3):  With Denver and San Diego in the division, the Chiefs’ only hope for getting back to the playoffs will be winning a scrum for the No. 6 seed.

21. Cleveland Browns (No. 22; 2-2):  If the Browns had gotten blown out in Jimmy Haslam’s home state of Tennessee, he possibly would have traded for Jim Harbaugh this week.

22. Atlanta Falcons (No. 12; 2-3):  Going for it on fourth and short from his own 29 with more than four minutes to play and three time outs apparently means that coach Mike Smith agrees with his brother-in-law.

23. Chicago Bears (No. 18; 2-3):  The league has figured out Marc Trestman’s offense, and Marc Trestman hasn’t figured out how to counter that.

24. Miami Dolphins (No. 24; 2-2):  The last thing any team wants after a blowout win is a bye week.

25. New York Jets (No. 23; 1-4):  Will Rex Ryan keep his clock on East Coast time when he’s working as a defensive coordinator for a West Coast team?

26. Minnesota Vikings (No. 26; 2-3):  How bad would Thursday night’s game have been if the Packers had actually prepared to face Christian Ponder?

27. St. Louis Rams (No. 27; 1-3):  There’s not a clearly winnable game on the schedule under November 30.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 28; 1-4):  The Bucs may have gained more confidence in losing at New Orleans than they did in winning at Pittsburgh.

29. Washington (No. 29; 1-4):  But for the flags, it would have been another 45-14 blowout on Monday night.

30. Tennessee Titans (No. 30; 1-4):  “Piss poor horrible” should be the title of this season’s highlight DVD.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 31; 0-5):  Apologizing for something the mascot did is a lot easier than apologizing for what the team doesn’t do every Sunday.

32.  Oakland Raiders (No. 32; 0-4):  Interim coach Tony Sparano has buried a football.  He should have waited until the players dove in the hole for it.

116 responses to “Week Five power rankings

  1. Bills also only allowed the Lions’ offense 7 points, which is obviously a bigger difference as well.

  2. Russel Wilson is such a punk. Could he be any faker? The guy is so overrated. He hands the ball off and throws it sideways. Cool. He runs around his own backfield. Cool.

    He gets way too much credit for his inadequacies. The OC in Seattle is very creative. he should get the credit that Wilson gets. Wilson is a nothing without him.

  3. Oakland is a better team than their record indicates their should an asterisk cause Dennis Allen was the coach

  4. How can the Vikings NOT be dead last.
    They are pathetic.

    Of coarse their fans were Hollering SUPER BOWL and DYNASTY a week ago……..

    Talk about a dumpster fire

  5. Wow, you finally nailed New England’s rightful place. I agree with that assessment 100%.

  6. “So which team in the NFC East will sign LeSean McCoy after he’s cut in the offseason?”
    ——————————————————————————

    You’re kidding, right? No RB will have success when David Molk is your center.

  7. I’d argue that San Diego is the top team in the AFC right now. Their defense has allowed the fewest points in the entire NFL through five games, they’re tied for the best turnover ratio in the league right now, and they’re averaging over 34 minutes in time of possession on offense. Their showdown with Denver in three weeks should be a great Thursday night game.

  8. Dropping the Patriots 14 spots last week for losing one road game to a 2013 playoff team is only going to get funnier as the season goes on.

  9. 26. Minnesota Vikings (No. 26; 2-3): How bad would Thursday night’s game have been if the Packers had actually prepared to face Christian Ponder?
    ===============================

    The better question is what COULD have happened had Teddy Bridgewater been able to play!

  10. How many scores do the Seahawks win by if there is any other officiating crew than Jeff Triplette?
    _______________________________

    Three called back TD’s for Harvin, a pick reversed, a fumble reversed, another half dozen terrible calls, look at the false starts on the center, he bobs his head every play…then there were 5 or 6 easy catches dropped. If it were not for an off night be Seattle receivers and some poor officiating that game could have easily been a 50 point blow out.

  11. NYG at 19? Are you kidding me? Did you forget they blew out the Texans Florio? The Eagles aren’t producing on offense and their defense got smoked by the lowly Rams. Cowboys beat the Texans at home on a hail mary to Dez and now they are world beaters? SMH

  12. Bring Gruden back into the fold. Let Rex do what he does best, coordinate defense for… the RAIDERS!

  13. Patriots blow out Cinncinatti..Cinnci is 6 Patriots 12. Not that I care really..but I think they had a slow start and are beginning to gel. They will only climb

  14. About time you give the Niners the credit they deserve. Yeah it was a slow start, so was last year…..

  15. “How many scores do the Seahawks win by if there is any other officiating crew than Jeff Triplette?”

    I don’t know but the Pats had the same thing Sunday night. It seems like the NFL is determined to create parity through bad or corrupt officiating since the cheaper owners won’t spend what they need to be competitive.

    Might have been Pats 65-Bungles 7 if not for the officials, and the same thing can be said of the Seattle game.

  16. Someone said the Bill’s D held the Lions to 7 points. I suppose they also held us to 3 missed field goals. And, it’s Stafford’s fault he was as inaccurate and poorly decisive as he was.

    The Bill’s D DID do a good job re-injuring Megatron and stopping our practice squad RB George Winn (who I do like).

    The Bill’s D also obliged Schwartz’s classless request to be carried off the field. Good job.

  17. Love the rankings/comments every week and I wasn’t going to post anything since I had way too many things to say and didn’t want to get long-winded, however I will not stand for Russell Wilson bashing in my presence! This player was arguably the most valuable player in the entire league last year and it’s not a coincidence that they happened to win the Super Bowl. He is a critical contributor and he understands the art of winning, that’s special and should be appreciated even if you aren’t a fan of the team.

  18. How on Earth are the Jets ranked ahead of 7 teams coming off a week where they became the first shut out victims in the NFL this season, and their starting QB, who apparently can’t figure out time zones, threw for 27 yards?

  19. Big Bum scores 10 points against the very worst defense in the entire NFL. The Jags had been giving up an AVERAGE of 38 points a game. Washington scored 41 against them!

    But as we all know Big Bum can and will make even the worst defenses in the league look like the ’85 Bears. That’s just how good he is.

  20. Wilson is a great runner and good passer, but until he starts throwing more than 25 times a game, he’s not an elite QB. Almost every other team leans far more heavily on the QB than Seattle, who wins based on stellar defense and rushing.

  21. Not bad at all. However, I would shuffle a handful of teams that are ranking in the meaningless lower 25%.

    PFT ranks:

    Dolphins 24
    Jets 25
    Vikes 26
    Rams 27
    Bucs 28

    I would rank:

    24. Tampa Bay Bucs: Glennon is shaping up to be a fine QB. What was Lovie thinking when he selected the mediocre Josh McCown to start.

    25. Minnesota Vikings: Christian Ponder is worse than lousy. Teddy Bridgewater looks promising enough to keep Vikes nose above water. There’s hope.

    26. St. Louis Rams: They have the smallest TV market share in all the NFL. And what is their QBs name? Forgettable team.

    27. Miami Dolphins: They just can’t seem to get it together. There’s no hope.

    28. New York Jets: There QB problem is sucking all the morale out of this team. They have a serious problem in the coaching department.

  22. Can you please keep disrespecting the Giants for at least the next two weeks. We’ve got Philly and Dallas on the road and can use the juice you continue to provide us. Thanks in advance.

  23. Russel Wilson is such a punk. Could he be any faker?

    Many years ago John Elway used to run around at will and get first downs, and the Patriots could never, ever lay a hit on that guy.

    I hated him, but it’s because they’re that good. Don’t fool yourself.

  24. That was harsh about the Bengals

    I think that the Colts are too low bro. Luck looks like Manning and is the #1 ranked qb, right?

  25. New Orleans: “Barely winning at home is far more troubling than getting blown out on the road.”

    Nailed it, Mike

  26. Thanks for rating the Patriots so low. It’s just what’s needed to maintain the fire that was lit by the media after the loss to KC.

  27. thetruthcampaign says:
    Oct 7, 2014 11:56 AM
    Someone said the Bill’s D held the Lions to 7 points. I suppose they also held us to 3 missed field goals. And, it’s Stafford’s fault he was as inaccurate and poorly decisive as he was.

    The Bill’s D DID do a good job re-injuring Megatron and stopping our practice squad RB George Winn (who I do like).

    The Bill’s D also obliged Schwartz’s classless request to be carried off the field. Good job.
    ____________________________________
    The Bills D did hold the Lions high powered Offense in check for most of the game. Calvin Johnson may have went out early, but was covered by McKelvin so well that Stafford only went to him twice, one which was swatted away, the other was his injury play. Besides a few Tate catches, the entire offense was blanketed. The Bills front four also proved to the league that they are in fact the best front four and not the Lions D-line which was considered #1 before this contest. (Suh has played 14 more games than Dareus and only has 27 more tackles and 5.0 sacks than Dareus at this point in his career) (Hughes has had much better stats than Ansah this year and last) Mario Williams makes Jason Jones look invisible) (Kyle Williams dominates Fairley in stats) As for Schwartz… In meetings earlier in the year he was joking about being carried and the players actually remembered what he said and did it. No shame in letting Detroit know that Schwartz wasn’t the problem with the Lions, It was upper management.

  28. are Seattle fans the whiniest bunch of insecure babies in the country–As sure as their team is the best in the league.

    What do you want? To be called the Chuck Norris of the NFL?
    You’re at number one already. You should be happy
    Quit yr bitchin

  29. Agree with Beardinals on Cards being a little high. They are a top 8 team, IMO. Four is a little high given Logan Thomas would be starting today and only 4 starters on last season’s defense remain healthy.

    Oh well. Next man up. No one is going to cry for them. They’ll certainly put on the uniforms Sunday against Washington and battle to the end.

  30. I had trouble determining whether I was going to put the Redskins in the 29th slot or the Jets. After last nights game, and what we are hearing from the Jets locker room, they are below the Redskins. It might be a fight for the 1st QB taken in the draft between the Titans and the Jets this year.

  31. Bungles that far ahead of NE?

    After the beat down they just endured?

    Lets not forget, it took a miracle for Bengals to beat NE ( IN Cincy) last year and they come to NE and get pasted.

    Bengals should be 1 below NE right now at lucky 13

  32. Charges should be #1. Check out that point differential. Check out that defense without half the starters. Check out that offense with a 4th string RB and C. Check out that win over Seattle.

  33. If Seattle had played any of the other top 9 teams last night like they played the Redskins, they would have been blown out.

  34. Please help my aging memory, what players did James Harrison deliberately cripple by diving directly at their knees to end their career (before the advances in surgery, and what players had their careers interrupted by torn up knees by Harrison)?

    I hate it when dweebs make light of any serious injury and then snidely question players and coaches when they make a statement based on their perceptions and then second guessed by mental and physical nerd weaklings who bravely hide behind keyboards.

  35. Charger fans.. pay attention.
    1 win against an elite team does not entitle you to jump to the #1 spot. The other Charger wins (especially the Jets) were against subpar teams. Rivers and Gates are elite, no doubt, but continue to win games against teams that actually matter and your ranking will climb.
    Kills me to no end reading rubbish from these Bolts fans about why their not number #1 because they beat the Hawks.

  36. If Seattle had played any of the other top 9 teams last night like they played the Redskins, they would have been blown out.

    Wrong…

    If you pay attention to teams you talk about you would have discovered that Seattle has a nasty habit of occasionally playing to the ability of the opposing team.

    pay attention.

  37. Philly was defensively shut down and would have been blown out. 21 points came from ST and a pick 6. Romo was eaten alive and the game was over in the 1st qtr… yet both are ranked above the team that did it to them? Hahahaha

  38. If you are basing your rankings on a weekly production, The Pats should be number 1. They beat one of the best teams in the NFL, and beat them badly. The Seahawks beat one of the worst teams in the league.
    If you are basing it on season-to-date production, then the Pats should be around number 17-20, and I’m a die hard Pats fan. The only ranking that means anything is the last one in February.

  39. San Diego should be number 1. We all know that they have an elite offense but let’s take a look at their defensive ranks.

    Through Week 5, the Chargers are No. 1 in points allowed per contest (12.6), No. 2 in passing yards allowed per game (195) and No. 3 in yards allowed per contest (290).

    The Chargers also are tied for fifth in the NFL with 12 sacks, and have not allowed a point in the fourth quarter in four straight games.

  40. As a Colt fan, don’t understand how the Colts are ranked ahead of Houston; fully expecting a loss in Houston this Thursday (hope not, but…)
    Dallas had a tough time offensively against the Texans and they have a great offensive line (the Colts don’t), and the Cowboy Defense is definitely better than the Colts and Houston still managed 17 on the road…

  41. PLEASE with the Chargers already… they have played 2 good teams so far, they lost to the Cardinals and beat the Hawks. The rest of the schedule to date is a joke (jags? Jets?, seriously).
    The Chargers are good, definitely but lets see how they respond to another quality team, ie: Broncos and Chiefs coming up.

  42. CALL Outs
    1. Although Dallas has a better record currently, they lost to the 49ers in week one so I would not rank Dallas ahead of the 49ers.

    2. Also have the Eagles ranked ahead of the 49ers although the 49ers beat them too.

    3. The Lions defeated the Packers already this season so should be ranked higher than the Packers. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Pack win that division but for now they are behind.

    4. The 2-3 Saints way too high at 17. Defense is awful, yet to win on road, and they barely won at home to the Bucs in OT.

  43. Good Insight Weddlesbeard. Most will point to Rivers eliteness but on the other side of the board the Defense is not only protecting him but stopping the rush and killing the receivers.

  44. Take it easy Chargers fans. Seattle is the defending Super Bowl champ and they’re a good looking 3-1. Fine, you beat them. It’s not even week 6 yet. If this Sunday was the Super Bowl, they’d still be giving you 4 pts.

    Wait til November. If your record is a game or 2 better then you can complain.

  45. I am sorry. If you are going to mention teams then say look at who they beat, they are all NFL teams. If Chargers were 5-0 you would still find a way to discredit them.

    They are great on offense and defense.

    Not to mention their special teams arent blowing like they did a few years ago.

  46. The first week the giants actually look good going into the power rankings and all the sudden they want to be really high up there. News flash… you have to earn it.

  47. When Denver fails to make the Super Bowl, that salary cap problem they are going to have is going to be a kick in the balls.

    Luckily they have significant experience circumventing the salary cap, so they should be ok.

  48. Point out which Seattle fans are whining about the rankings.

    I have San Diego at #1.

    It’s about the early comment that Wilson is a faker and props goes to the O.C. Actually, Bevell is one of the worst O.C’s in the NFL. Ultra Conservative.

    Wilson makes the call on the read option. (not bevell) When you throw for over 200 yds and rush for over 100 yds and combine for 3 td’s that should’ve been more if not for Carpenter laying on an OL that had nothing to do with the play, Wilson has 4 td’s.

    I hate to break it to you Seattle haters, but Russell Wilson is obviously an ELITE QB in the NFL. The Hawks have a GARBAGE OL for the past 2 years but somehow is overlooked. Avg WR’s that is overlooked. sure a great RB but RW still has to chuck it downfield and does a fantastic job. Accuracy, touch, a gun, smart, a leader. He’s got it all going on.

    What more does he have to show? Does anyone throw a better ball going left? lasers and touch! The 1st qtr toss to Baldwin was mishandled and it was dropped in the bread basket.

    Btw, Russell Wilson DOES NOT THROW sideways. He’s an over the top gunner…

    This isn’t a whine. This is called setting the record straight on fans that are so clueless about what is going on.

    It’s annoying to read ignorant fan comments.

    Chargers should be #1 and this is a 100% thumbs up because I know what I’m talking about….

  49. NEngland should be top 5, but I understand why they can’t put them there based on some previous games. They probably won’t go to the SBowl, but they’ll be in the top 4 at the end.

  50. Pats & Bengals have the same number of wins.

    Pats lose a blowout at the loudest stadium in the league and drop 14 spots.

    Bungles lose a blowout in the quietest stadium in the league and drop 4 spots.

    Whatever.

  51. Attention: Vikings fans having a fit every week about the Packers ranking.

    It’s called history. Five straight playoff appearances from the NFC North.

    They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt until they show they do not deserve it.

    Contrast to the Vikings — cellar dwellers since the Lions handed over the keys. The Vikes do not get the benefit of the doubt, and will not, until they can earn it through performance.

    That has not been the case since Brett retired.

  52. Jayhawk777

    totally agree with you on the Wilson analysis.. but your love fest with the Chargers at #1, uh No.

    Loss to the Cards
    Quality win against Hawks
    then wins against the hapless Bills/Jags/Jets

    what part of that record screams #1 to you?

  53. Steelers are marching … off a cliff. The Browns, Texans, Colts and Ravens will put their record at 3-6 in 4 weeks and have them scraping the bottom of the rankings.

  54. I hope everyone realizes that these power rankings mean absolutely nothing. Any given Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  55. “If the hit from Julius Thomas on Calais Campbell was the dirtiest thing coach Bruce Arians has seen in 37 years, the former Steelers assistant apparently didn’t watch the field when James Harrison was on it.”

    Yeah, or Hines Ward

    -Keith Rivers

  56. Ton of penalties on Hawks last night, but didn’t see one that could be called a bad call except maybe motion on Harvin-looked like he got reset. Next week will give truer assessment of where they. If they self destruct like they did last night, could be in for a long day. Still too many injuries on D side.

  57. jmiller155 says: Oct 7, 2014 11:36 AM

    NYG at 19? Are you kidding me? Did you forget they blew out the Texans Florio? The Eagles aren’t producing on offense and their defense got smoked by the lowly Rams. Cowboys beat the Texans at home on a hail mary to Dez and now they are world beaters? SMH
    —————————————————————

    OMG THEY BLEW OUT THE TEXANS?? AT HOME!! THEY NEED TO BE NUMBER 1 IMMEDIATELY.

  58. Power rankings are stupid, especially this early in the season. And I’m an Eagles fan, and I think they are too high. They are a good team but aren’t playing anywhere near their potential.

  59. lmao , the saints hate is real !
    the last time new orleans started this slow they finished 13-3 and went onto the nfc championship game . they lost, but still… lol
    only if they had the luxury of playing more home games at the beginning of the season instead of just the two they’d be looked at much differently .
    besides , they’re still only ONE game behind the division, suckers !

  60. Love the Saints, thought they’d be 1 or 2 seed this year but they have looked like wet turds thus far. Bye week couldn’t have come at a better time, they basically need a total reboot.

  61. Well…at least 10 teams have it better than ‘Frisco! LOL!!!

    And for anyone who thinks that Wilson is not a stellar and elite QB…perhaps when he beats YOUR team, your attitude will change. As of this week he is ranked as the number 3 QB in the league, and that is only because when the ranking came out he hadn’t yet played. After Monday Night Football…he’ll be #1 in the rankings.
    He holds records as a rookie and at the 2 year mark that haven’t been broken until he came along for anywhere from 5 -15 years.
    By far the class he was drafted in trails him in their performance (or lack of same) and the class before him also trails him.

    Sounds like sour grapes to me from ANYONE who thinks the Mr. Wilson is anything less than an ELITE quarterback.

  62. I really don’t think its a big deal that the Bengals struggled, New England is tough on most/many teams. This team is very young, burfict being out again didn’t help. Be cool my babies, WHO DEY is coming! Be afraid, be very afraid!

  63. Clearly the hapless Jets on a 4 game losing streak, a team that hasn’t scored in 10 days, deserve to ranked higher than a team who beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh and took the Saints to 31-31 overtime in the tough to win at SuperDome.
    Bucs clearly have issues, starting with Lovie’s affection for the wrong QB. They have the same record as the 1-4 Jets, but clearly these are teams playing at 2 different levels.

  64. The Patriots are way too high. They will come back to earth this weekend. It is a dirty shame when your 37 year odl, first ballot hall of famer needs a week of deserved crticisim to get angry enough to play well enough to win.

  65. Just like last week, I can’t see how the Saints can rank higher than the Browns since the Browns have a better record than the Saints, and when the Browns played the Saints head-to-head in Week Two, the Browns beat them.

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