NFL power rankings, Week 5: 49ers creeping back up

The San Francisco 49ers put together a big road win in Week 4, heading to St. Louis to roll the Rams 35-11. The win snapped the 49ers two-game losing streak, and kept them two games back of the Seahawks.

The win has them inching their way back up power rankings. It is not at all surprising that the Broncos and Seahawks. The Saints and Patriots are a notch below those two, but right now, the Broncos and Seahawks appear to be the class of the NFL. The top two teams rarely end up in the Super Bowl, but for now, they are the best. The Broncos offense is looking like it will set some significant records. The Seahawks are not quite as strong on the road as they are at home, but that comeback win over the Texans was really impressive.

The 49ers now face another 2-2 team in the Houston Texans. We can officially say the Texans are "scuffling" as they have lost two straight, one via thumping, and one in a brutal collapse. Of course, in the NFL, one good week can turn things around. The 49ers will look to make a bit of a statement and build off the momentum of the win over the Rams. The Texans will look to stop their own bleeding and get back on track in the AFC South.

SB Nation NFL

1. Denver Broncos
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. New Orleans Saints
...
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Green Bay Packers
13. San Francisco 49ers
14. Detroit Lions
15. Tennessee Titans

ESPN

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

CBS Sports (Prisco)

1. Denver Broncos
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. New England Patriots
4. New Orleans Saints
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Indianapolis Colts
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Miami Dolphins
9. Detroit Lions
10. Chicago Bears

CBS Sports (Kirwan)

1. Denver Broncos
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. New England Patriots
6. Indianapolis Colts
7. Detroit Lions
8. Chicago Bears
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. Miami Dolphins

FOX Sports

1. Denver Broncos
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. New England Patriots
...
9. Indianapolis Colts
10. Miami Dolphins
11. San Francisco 49ers
12. Cincinnati Bengals
14. Green Bay Packers

Once again, the folks at BeatGraphs.com get the prize for most interesting angle on power rankings. They create "BeatPaths" and you can try and figure it out HERE. It seems like if A beats B, A will be ahead of B. And if A beats B and B beats C, A will be ahead of both. It's not quite as simple as that, but it's an interesting way to look at something that is mostly for entertainment value anyway. They have the 49ers in 10th place.