Week 4 is a wrap and it ended on a really fun note for football fans. The Kansas City Chiefs came back from a 23-13 deficit against the Denver Broncos, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final 6:27 to win 27-23 and remain unbeaten at 4-0. The Chiefs have taken a significant hold of the AFC West. They have a two-game lead on Denver and Los Angeles, but more importantly, their two divisional wins came at Denver and at LA. They are not a lock to claim the division, but they could not be in a much better position.
We’re back with Week 5 NFL power rankings, and the Rams, Chiefs, and Jaguars remain locked in as the top three teams. The Bengals climbed to No. 4, and I bumped the Patriots up to No. 5. New England is 2-2, but that win over Miami was a statement game.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers played their first game without Jimmy Garoppolo, and it went better than expected. C.J. Beathard looked strong in his 2018 debut, both in terms of his passing performance and in terms of the punishment he took. It is likely not physically sustainable to take those kinds of hits, but if the offensive line can get healthy, Beathard could keep this team competitive the rest of the season.
I bumped the 49ers up a spot in spite of the loss. They looked solid against LA, but the Chargers defense is pretty bad. It’s hard to fully assess where the 49ers stand moving forward. They host a really bad Arizona Cardinals squad this coming weekend. A loss would look bad, while a win would just be a sign that things aren’t completely falling apart. If they get the win on Sunday, the real tests begin the next week when they open a two-game stretch at Green Bay and hosting the Los Angeles Rams. But in the meantime, they need to get a win over Arizona to build some momentum.
Here are my full Week 5 power rankings. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles were two of the biggest falling teams in this group. The Bucs defense is atrocious and they are moving back to Jameis Winston as the Fitzmagic came to an end. The Eagles lost in Tennessee, and it’s hard to tell if the Titans are better than expected, the Eagles are worse than expected, or some combination of both.
For the time being, the AFC is a heavier representative at the top of the rankings. After the Rams at the top, I have four AFC teams. The Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears are the next NFC teams, giving us four NFC teams and six AFC teams in the top ten.
Week 5 NFL power rankings
| Rank | Team | LW |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | LW |
| 1 | Los Angeles Rams (4-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) | 9 |
| 5 | New England Patriots (2-2) | 10 |
| 6 | Carolina Panthers (2-1) | 6 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) | 8 |
| 8 | Chicago Bears (3-1) | 11 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens (3-1) | 14 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins (3-1) | 4 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans (3-1) | 15 |
| 12 | New Orleans Saints (3-1) | 16 |
| 13 | Minnesota Vikings (1-2-1) | 7 |
| 14 | Washington (2-1) | 12 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) | 5 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) | 22 |
| 17 | Denver Broncos (2-2) | 21 |
| 18 | Dallas Cowboys (2-2) | 26 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2-1) | 18 |
| 20 | Atlanta Falcons (1-3) | 20 |
| 21 | Cleveland Browns (1-2-1) | 17 |
| 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) | 13 |
| 23 | Seattle Seahawks (2-2) | 23 |
| 24 | San Francisco 49ers (1-3) | 25 |
| 25 | Detroit Lions (1-3) | 24 |
| 26 | New York Jets (1-3) | 19 |
| 27 | Oakland Raiders (1-3) | 30 |
| 28 | Houston Texans (1-3) | 31 |
| 29 | Indianapolis Colts (1-3) | 27 |
| 30 | New York Giants (1-3) | 28 |
| 31 | Buffalo Bills (1-3) | 29 |
| 32 | Arizona Cardinals (0-4) | 32 |