Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (2019)

Who knows what to make of half the NFL after a week like Week 4. We saw eight away teams win in the first nine games of the week and five of the NFL’s remaining unbeaten’s fell. The Patriots, Chiefs, and 49ers are the only teams still undefeated heading into Week 5. 13 teams are 2-2 and only three teams in the entire AFC are above .500. This ranking was far from easy.

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32. Miami Dolphins (Prev: 32)
For the first time this season, the Miami Dolphins took a lead, when Josh Rosen found DeVante Parker for a 34-yard touchdown. Of course, the brief moment of hope faded, and the Dolphins again failed to cover. They are being outscored 163-26 this season, but things are actually starting to look a little better. 

31. New York Jets (Prev: 31)
Life won’t be easy for the Jets coming off their bye, as their next three games are at Philadelphia, then back to back home contests against Dallas and New England.

30. Washington Redskins (Prev: 30)
The Case Keenum era is over and the Dwayne Haskins era has begun. How did it start? Poorly. In his first action, Haskins went 9-17 for 107 yards and three interceptions, as the Redskins fell 24-3 to the Giants.

29. Cincinnati Bengals (Prev: 29)
There was not one positive for the Bengals in their 27-3 road loss to Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. The offense gained just 175 yards, while the defense was lit up by Mason Rudolph who threw just four incompletions all game.

28. Denver Broncos (Prev: 28)
The Broncos can’t catch a break. They blew a 17-3 lead only to come back and score a go-ahead touchdown with 1:32 left in the game. But just like against Chicago two weeks ago, the defense faltered and gave up a game-winning field goal as time expired.

27. Arizona Cardinals (Prev: 26)
The numbers for Arizona’s offense looked decent on Sunday but they struggled mightily to put points on the board in their 27-10 loss. Kyler Murray threw a pick-six late in the first quarter and the Cardinals failed to ever dig out of that hole. 

26. Atlanta Falcons (Prev: 21)
Matt Ryan threw the ball 53 times and completed 35 passes for 397 yards, and yet the Falcons scored only 10 points in their home loss to Tennessee. They were stopped three times on fourth down by the Titans’ defense.

25. Oakland Raiders (Prev: 27)
Erik Harris’ 30-yard interception return for a touchdown squandered the Colts’ hopes of another fourth-quarter miracle, as the Raiders moved to 2-2 in the crowded AFC. Derek Carr had 189 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

24. New York Giants (Prev: 24)
The Giants dominated from start to finish as they forced four turnovers and allowed just 176 total yards. Daniel Jones’ second start didn’t go as well as his first, as he threw two interceptions and the Giants’ offense turned the ball over four times, but nevertheless they got the victory in easy fashion.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers (Prev: 23)
The defense completely shut down Andy Dalton and the Bengals’ offense, while Mason Rudolph finally found his footing in the NFL. The schedule won’t be so easy with the Ravens and Chargers next up, but Pittsburgh finally got a win and saved their season for the time being.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prev: 25)
The offense that everyone was talking about all offseason finally came to fruition as Jameis Winston threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, as the Bucs pulled off a huge upset in Los Angeles. The defense gave up plenty of points, but played the entire game with the lead and turned Jared Goff over four times, including a Ndamukong Suh 37-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to cap off the scoring.

21. Los Angeles Chargers (Prev: 19)
The Chargers won in Miami for the first time in 38 years. It’s not an impressive end to the streak considering the state of the Dolphins this season, but they will take wins any way they can as they wait for their team to get healthy.

20. Tennessee Titans (Prev: 18)
Marcus Mariota had his best game of the season by far, throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns. The offense didn’t turn the ball over and the defense was able to stop the Falcons three times on fourth down.

19. Houston Texans (Prev: 11)
What do we make of the Texans? Deshaun Watson was just 21-33 for 160 yards in the loss. The defense did everything they could to keep the game within reach forcing three turnovers, but when all is said and done, this game was ugly. This team could easily be 4-0. They could also easily be 0-4.

18. Carolina Panthers (Prev: 22)
Kyle Allen lost three fumbles and yet the Panthers were still able to pull out the 16-10 road victory over the Texans on Sunday. Christian McCaffrey had 179 total yards in the win.

17. Indianapolis Colts (Prev: 10)
Jacoby Brissett tried to orchestrate another fourth-quarter comeback, but instead threw a pick-six that sealed the deal for the Colts. Like so many other teams, I don’t really know what to make of the Colts yet. On Sunday, they struggled and yet still had a chance late. The health of Marlon Mack and TY Hilton will be key moving forward.

16. Baltimore Ravens (Prev: 8)
The Ravens are 2-0 against the Dolphins and the Cardinals, but 0-2 against the Chiefs and the Browns, so it’s hard to say just how for real this team is. Based on Sunday’s performance, they have a lot of work to do, as the Browns were able to amass 530 yards of offense while their defense turned over the Ravens three times.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars (Prev: 16)
Gardner Minshew II continued to look impressive, erasing a 17-3 deficit early in the second half and then leading a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter right after the Broncos snatched the lead. If Jalen Ramsey gets back on the field there is no reason to think this can’t be the best team in the AFC South. They might be even if he doesn’t.

14. Cleveland Browns (Prev: 20)
OBJ did almost nothing all game, and yet we finally saw glimpses of the greatness that was expected of this Browns’ offense all offseason. Nick Chubb finished with 165 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and his 88-yard touchdown run was the longest rush in the NFL this season.

13. Buffalo Bills (Prev: 17)
It turns out the Bills’ defense wasn’t pretending after all, as they made Tom Brady look terrible in his first real test of the season. Josh Allen threw three interceptions, and yet the offense still had a chance to win the game at the end. In a week where so many teams looked bad, the Bills defense managed to look incredibly impressive in the loss.

12. Seattle Seahawks (Prev: 15)
The Seahawks took care of business from start to finish, holding Kyler Murray and the Cardinals’ offense to just ten points in the road rout. Russell Wilson was efficient going 22-28 for 240 yards and a touchdown.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (Prev: 14)
It wasn’t always pretty on Thursday night, but the Eagles managed to find a way to win a must-win game in Lambeau against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. They didn’t turn the ball over once, and the defense made a game-clinching interception in the end zone with just over a minute remaining.

10. Minnesota Vikings (Prev: 6)
The Vikings’ offense which had been so promising all season, failed to show up on Sunday in Chicago and because of it, Minnesota finds themselves in the cellar of the incredibly competitive NFC North. Dalvin Cook came into the game leading the league in rushing but managed just 35 yards on 14 carries in the loss.

9. Detroit Lions (Prev: 13)
Yes, they lost to the Chiefs, but it took a lot of craziness for them to do so. They fumbled twice inside the five-yard line, one of which resulted in a 100-yard touchdown return and yet they still had two chances at the end of the game to try to throw a Hail Mary into the end zone. They were able to hold Patrick Mahomes without a touchdown and did so without Darius Slay. Maybe, this is a big jump for a 2-1-1 team coming off a loss, but look at the team’s behind them and tell me who’s looked better.

8. Los Angeles Rams (Prev: 3)
Is this big enough of a drop for the Rams after the performance they put together on Sunday? It was an all-around terrible showing as Jared Goff turned the ball over four times, and the defense gave up 48 points to a Bucs team that was coming off a loss to Daniel Jones and the Giants. The Rams have looked average all season, but on Sunday they looked bad.

7. San Francisco 49ers (Prev: 12)
In a week that saw plenty of upsets and has made these power rankings a nightmare to compile, the 49ers sat at home and watched the mayhem unfold. Exiting their bye week they are the only remaining unbeaten team in the NFC.

6. Dallas Cowboys (Prev: 7)
The defense held up on Sunday night, but the offense struggled to get anything going against the Saints. This week’s clash with Green Bay is a huge game, as both teams will be looking to capitalize on any possible tiebreakers come the end of the season.

5. Chicago Bears (Prev: 9)
Chase Daniel played great after Mitchell Trubisky went down with an injury early in the game, throwing for 195 yards and a touchdown in the win. The defense looked outstanding holding Dalvin Cook to just 35 yards on the ground after he went for over 100 in his first three games. 

4. Green Bay Packers (Prev: 4)
The Packers haven’t looked great this season, and it finally caught up to them on Thursday night, when a desperate Philadelphia team came to town and found a way to pull the upset. The schedule does not get any easier as they travel to Dallas next week, before a Monday night showdown with the surprising Detroit Lions who will be coming off their bye.

3. New Orleans Saints (Prev: 5)
While the numbers don’t look impressive, Teddy Bridgewater has replaced Drew Brees admirably, and again helped the Saints squeak out a win over a conference rival. The defensive play continues to be impressive as they held Ezekiel Elliott to just 35 yards rushing and turned the Cowboys’ offense over three times.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (Prev: 2)

The Chiefs escaped an incredibly bizarre game where they scored on a 100-yard fumble return touchdown and forced another huge turnover after Detroit had a touchdown overturned by review. Patrick Mahomes threw zero touchdowns, after throwing at least two in 14 straight games, but was able to orchestrate a game-winning touchdown drive when it mattered.

1. New England Patriots (Prev: 1)
When was the last time we saw Tom Brady look that bad? He finished with a stat line of 18-39 for 150 yards and an interception as the Patriots escaped Buffalo with a huge divisional win. While the offense looked bad for most of the game, the defense stood strong and picked off Josh Allen three times, and blocked a punt for a touchdown.

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Philip Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Philip, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.