There's a new leader in this week's NFL power rankings
Week 5 endured more scheduling changes, a shake up in the top five, a unique quarterback Super Bowl rematch, season-altering injuries and a whole lot more. Let's see how it all affected our Power Rankings as we look ahead to Week 6.
The Jets were without Sam Darnold and have yet to show any kind of progress this season. At 0-5, it makes looking for a win at any point this season a bleak one.
The Giants played against the Cowboys who lost their best asset ... and *still* found a way to lose. Absolutely brutal.
Hope is gone. This team is a mess from top to bottom. The combination of a coaching staff unable to adjust, and players not being able to create anything worth convincing those watching that they shouldn't change the channel ... is just so, so bad.
The Broncos were thrown into - how do we say this - a really crappy scheduling situation. When slated to play the Patriots, positive COVID tests out of New England caused the league to step in and move the game. They'll now face off against one another next week and the original game in Week 6 against the Dolphins has been pushed to Week 11. They'll also have to face the Chargers in Week 8, which was originally their bye week ... yeah, it's a lot.
Don't let that single win on the season fool you. That was Week 1 and feels like much further away. In every loss since, they've given up at least 30 points.
The Texans finally parted ways with head coach Bill O'Brien and suddenly found a way to win a game. Coincidence? We think not.
Joe Burrow was coming off of his first NFL win, but was thrown right back into the fire when facing the Ravens in Week 5. While the Bengals possess good team qualities, they were miles away from the overall solid foundation of Baltimore's team. The Bengals shouldn't be too in their heads following this game ... sometimes the other team is just simply the better one.
Somehow having a 1-4 record in the NFC East through five weeks means there's a chance they can still win the division. Yes, that is a fact, considering across all four teams there are just four wins total. Given Washington's record though, they still shouldn't feel too good on their chances.
Early season bye weeks were always an interesting concept. If a team finally finds momentum in the start of their year, this would typically throw a wrench into their plans. For the Lions though, it could be the opposite. While they only have a single win under their belt so far, they've still found a way to collect at least 20 points per game. It's just time for the defense to step things up.
What a close call this weekend as the Vikings faced off against an undefeated Seahawks team. After starting off on a great note, putting up a 13-point lead going into halftime, they came back for the following two quarters and proceeded to fall apart. They somehow found a way to stay in it for the remaining minutes, but Seattle was just far too quick with moving the ball down the field and Minnesota could never slow things down.
Carson Wentz has finally found his stride this year and the help of wide receiver Travis Fulgham only put that on display further. The bad thing is, the defense is a mess and does not look like it's going to improve moving forward unless a drastic change is made.
After the first two weeks of the season, things didn't seem like this was going to be a successful season for the Panthers, but the past three have completely changed that. They haven't been dominate wins by any means, but they have been hard fought games that they've earned.
The Chargers came out swinging against the Saints for Monday Night Football and all signs pointed to a pretty decent chance at winning this game. Yeah, the Saints weren't going to let them keep that confidence for much longer. After tying the game, the Chargers had a chance to win it with a field goal - but a miss sent this one into overtime. It was downhill from there and they wound up adding another loss this year.
The 49ers haven't found a way to bring their A-game in the past two weeks and the Dolphins made sure to capitalize on that, all led by Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had one of the best games of his career. He threw for three touchdowns and had no interceptions, but the good didn't stop there. The defense also hit the field time and time again making crucial stops to keep San Francisco off the board.
The Cowboys might have won an important matchup against a division rival, but at a great cost. After a scary play, quarterback Dak Prescott was carted off the field for an ankle injury. It was later reported he underwent surgery for it and there is no set time for his return. We all wish him well.
It has not been an easy task for any team to face the Chiefs, but the Raiders showed up for the challenge ... and then some. The Chiefs aren't a team that would just pack things up and accept a loss and continually fought back in this matchup, but the Raiders prevailed and caused the first loss of the season for the defending Super Bowl champs. This is a huge win for Las Vegas.
This was the first game through the season where the Colts' defense stumbled. Overall, that's complimenting their success through the first four weeks, but that wasn't the case against the Browns who have been destroying every team in site. The Colts did fight back to some degree, but it wasn't nearly enough to take the game.
It's almost odd to say positive things about the Browns week in and week out, since it's been so long since Cleveland has had even the slightest bit of a fun and talented team. And they have been on fire. Each win has been earned with different strengths and it's safe to say the Browns are an actual threat in the AFC North. Seriously, when was the last time we were able to say that?
The Cardinals have had a very back and forth start to the season, but this game against the Jets couldn't have come at a better time to get back on track. They put up 30 against the Jets' weak offense and climbed back to a winning record, now at 3-2.
In one of the most exciting matchups of the week, Nick Foles pulled out some of his 2017 magic when facing off against Tom Brady. Seriously, what's with him being able to win no matter what against one of the best to ever play the game? Foles led the Bears to a win and a 4-1 record.
Well ... they can't use not having Jimmy Garoppolo as an excuse for this week's loss. After their loss to the Eagles last week, a matchup against the Dolphins could have been the perfect opportunity to right the ship. Instead, Miami came out swinging and shut down the 49ers in just about every category. The past two weeks should have been wins and their upcoming schedule is no walk in the park either.
Another week, another game being postponed in the league. The original matchup against the Broncos has been moved to Week 6.
Tom Brady was one of the biggest topics of conversation this week and it wasn't for good reason, as the Buccaneers weren't able to pull off a win against the Bears. It's an unusual start for Brady, who isn't used to getting to Week 5 with a 3-2 record.
The Washington Football Team is still a mess, so the Rams decided to put on a full showing on both ends. The offense produced 30 points and they held Washington to only a mere 10. They're now 4-1 on the year.
The Saints were in the spotlight this week, as they faced the Chargers for Monday Night Football. Surprisingly, they had an incredibly slow start and made it seem like the Chargers were going to run away with a win. Following halftime though, they turned up the heat and won with a field goal in overtime.
For the first time in 40 seasons, the Steelers have started off with a 4-0 record. If you're a Steelers fan, you should be very excited about the current state of this team.
It's difficult to rank the Titans when they are in their second straight week of COVID chaos. You always hope for those who tested positive to have a safe and healthy recovery, but for those who ignored the order to stay away from one another and found a different location to practice has made finding any positives about the Titans next to none. This is where the concern for the NFL not having a backup plan if this occurred quite frustrating.
This was way closer than it should've been for the Seahawks as they faced the Vikings, but it doesn't matter how you pull off a win, it just matters that you do. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are still undefeated and sitting pretty at a perfect 5-0 so far.
The Bills have been consistent from the jump in 2020, but they are now in an interesting situation, due to the game rescheduling because of positive COVID testing on the opponents team. The Bills will now play the Titans Tuesday night, but their schedule changes won't stop there. Originally slated to play Thursday Night Football, that game has been moved as well. We hope you wrote this year's schedule in pencil on your calendar.
Week in and week out, the Ravens prove just how legit of a team they are. It's a rather simple statement, but sheesh - what a well-rounded, extremely dynamic team Baltimore has. And on both sides, as well. It's almost unfair.
No one ever expected them to be perfect, but it's always crazy when the defending champs lose a game for the first time since winning the Super Bowl. This loss came unexpectedly against the Raiders, who were determined to dethrone the Chiefs. Now it's important to see how they respond next week.
There are a handful of teams in the league right now that are on fire, but the Packers might just be the hottest. Outside of just Aaron Rodgers, the Packers' offense is just absurdly talented in all aspects. In recent years, the Packers have always been good, but there was never any fear when it came to them being a threat. Yeah, that's not the case this season.
