2020-2021 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5
1. Kansas City Chiefs
-
Despite the loss against Las Vegas this past week, the Chiefs still had an opportunity to win the game only losing by eight points, the biggest loss Mahomes has ever had. The Raiders took advantage of a Chiefs secondary that made a lot of mental errors throughout the game. The LeVeon Bell signing at the end of the week will help the Cheifs will their inconsistent running game. No reason to freak out over a small loss like this.
2. Green Bay Packers
-
The Packers were on a bye this week.
3. Tennessee Titans
▲ 4
The Titans humiliated the Bills on national television beating them 42-16. Ryan Tannehill threw for three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 129.3. The defense made Josh Allen look extremely uncomfortable forcing him to throw two interceptions. They also held the Bills to under 100 yards rushing, and for a team that hasn’t looked dominant on defense for most of the year. This is a good sign moving forward.
4. Baltimore Ravens
-
The Ravens look really good against every team except the Chiefs. They bullied Cincinnati all day and made them look like a college football team. It should be noted that the Ravens offense does not look as explosive as they did last year, especially in the running game. Last year, they would have dropped 30+ on this team and rushed for 200 yards. That really is my only complaint with this team and it is something they can fix throughout the season.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
▲ 1
While the Steelers don’t have a quality win against a good opponent yet, they are consistent in beating up the teams they do play, and as the saying goes, you can only play the teams on your schedule. Chase Claypool had his coming out party against the Eagles and showed just how explosive of an athlete he is. The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL and can pressure the quarterback with the best.
6. Seattle Seahawks
▼1
The Seahawks don’t have a dominant win yet this season. Their offense is elite with Russell Wilson playing like an MVP candidate, but their defense is the worst in the NFL. What is also concerning is they tend to play up, or down, to their competition. Despite the undefeated record, I don’t believe this team is deserving of top-five consideration.
7. Buffalo Bills
▼4
Ugly loss for the Bills. They couldn’t get anything going offensively against a leaky Titans defense. Their lack of running attack is concerning, given the talent they have at that position. Josh Allen is a really good quarterback, but he shouldn’t be asked to completely carry the offense on his right arm. Despite the bad game, this team is still explosive and should get better defensively.
8. Los Angeles Rams
-
It’s difficult to see where this team actually is because they’ve played against bad competition to begin the season. I really like the Rams running backs, even after releasing Gurley in the offseason. I thought the Rams could be a team in decline, but they continue to win games early this season.
9. Cleveland Browns
▲4
Statement win for the Browns scoring 32 points against a really stout Colts defense. Not only did the offense score points, but the defense didn’t give up a passing touchdown and forced Rivers into two interceptions. The offensive line is ranked first in the NFL in pass protection and looks entirely different from last season. The big concern with this team is Baker throwing interceptions.
10. New England Patriots
▼1
The Patriots were on a bye this week.
11. Las Vegas Raiders
▲5
The Raiders pulled out all of the stops against the Chiefs. They took advantage of the Chiefs weaknesses on defense and torched them on deep throws and in the running game. If this team would play like this all of the time, they could really put pressure on the Chiefs in their division. The defense also played well limiting Mahomes as well as just about anyone can.
12. New Orleans Saints
▼2
Even though the Saints beat the Chargers 30-27, they were down big for most of the game. Brees again struggled to push the football down the field, and most of that could be attributed to Michael Thomas’ suspension, but it is still something to be concerned about. The defense also struggled against rookie quarterback Justin Herbert and made him look like the second coming of Dan Marino.
13. Chicago Bears
▲2
Khalil Mack and the Bears defense really put a number on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Mack, who had two sacks, consistently beat both tackles for the Buccaneers, and even tossed rookie tackle Tristian Wirfs (315 lbs.) like he was a child. The offense is still struggling to do much of anything special, but can score enough points to put pressure on opposing defenses.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
▼3
A really weird loss for the Buccaneers. Not only were they missing most of their offensive fire power, but Tom seemed to forget what down it was at the end of the game. After going up 10-0 after the first quarter, they couldn’t seem to convert field goals into touchdowns. While the defense did hold the bears to under 40 rushing yards, they couldn’t stop Nick Foles consistently.
15. Carolina Panthers
▲8
The Panthers are one of the pleasant surprises of the season. They have played far and away better than anyone expected them to and currently have a winning record. Since the McCaffery injury, Mike Davis stepped in and is one of the better running backs in the league. Teddy Bridgewater looks like a legit franchise quarterback and Matt Rhule has this team playing great, despite their lack of talent.
16. Miami Dolphins
▲1
The Dolphins absolutely dismantled the 49ers winning 43-17. After Ryan Fitzpatrick put up a stinker last week, he picked apart a really good 49ers defense and ended the game with a 99.2 QBR. Not only did the offense have a historical day, but the defense really confused Jimmy Garappolo causing him to get benched in the fourth quarter. I really like the Dolphin’s offensive talent on the perimeter, but I am concerned with how effective their running attack is.
17. Indianapolis Colts
▼5
The Colts defense looked pedestrian against the Browns rushing attack on Sunday. They gave up 125 yards on the ground against the Browns and looked outmatched against the Browns offensive line. Offensively, they cannot get any type of consistency from Philip Rivers in the passing game. Rivers currently has four touchdowns to five interceptions on the season, and T.Y. Hilton hasn’t had a 100 yard receiving game since Andrew Luck was the quarterback.
18. Los Angeles Chargers
▲1
Eventually the Chargers are going to win a close game. Justin Herbert looks like he is going to run away with rookie of the year, and threw for four touchdowns and connected on a number of deep shots. The problem with this team is they cannot stay healthy year-to-year and again really missed Keenan Allen after he left with an injury. This team has a bright future, but they need to help their rookie quarterback.
19. Arizona Cardinals
▼1
The Cardinals got to beat up on the Jets this weekend and are back over .500. Kyler Murray threw for 380 yards and one touchdown, and the team ran the ball for 137 yards. Hopkins caught most of Murray’s passes for a total of 131 yards and a touchdown. The defense also sacked Joe Flacco three times and held the Jets to ten points.
20. Minnesota Vikings
▲1
The Vikings gave the Seahawks all they could handle and almost pulled out a victory if not for a questionable fourth down call from Zimmer towards the end of the fourth quarter. The Vikings gave Kirk Cousins and Mike Zimmer extensions during the off-season, and early returns are not looking good for either of them. The young defensive backfield really struggles to cover and they give up big plays downfield.
21. Dallas Cowboys
▼1
This is a murphy’s law type season for the Cowboys. I really feel bad for Dak Prescott. He bet on himself in the off-season and fought for the contract he wanted, and I applaud him for that. After this injury, though, his future is uncertain, at least with the Cowboys. Andy Dalton did come into the game and lead a game-winning drive to seal the win against the Giants. The bad news is they gave up 34 points to a team that averages 12 points per game.
22. San Francisco 49ers
▼8
This might be the worst loss the 49ers have had under Shannahan. It’s difficult to really point out what went wrong for this team on Sunday. Not because I didn’t watch the game, but because everything went wrong for this team. Jimmy Garoppolo was benched in the fourth quarter, the running game wasn’t good, and the defense couldn’t stop Ryan Fitzpatrick. They need to figure something out before facing a really good Rams team next week.
23. Philadelphia Eagles
▲1
Am I the only who can’t keep track of all the Eagles wide receivers? It took me awhile to consistently recognize Travis Fulgham’s number and remember that Greg Ward Jr. used to be a quarterback, but despite that they are still able to score points. Is Carson Wentz playing the worst football of his career? yes. Is it his fault? yes and no. Even though they are 1-3-1 on the season, I feel like the offense is getting better each week, and the defense is still playing like a top-10 unit.
24. Cincinnati Bengals
▼2
The Bengals looked like they were in a completely different league than the Ravens losing 3-27. Joe Burrow had the worst game of his young career only having 183 passing yards and one interception. For this young Bengals team to win more games, they will need to figure out how to run the football more consistently, which will drastically help Burrow in his first year.
25. Houston Texans
▲1
After firing Bill O’Brian the week prior, they finally get their first win of the season; go figure. That being said, the win did come against a terrible Jaguars team who is deep in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. Hopefully the Texans can gain some momentum from this win and challenge the Titans next week.
26. Detroit Lions
▼1
The Lions were on a bye this week.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
-
After stunning the Colts in week one, it’s been nothing but downhill for the Jaguars. DJ Chark is having a career year, but they cant seem to stop anyone on defense. This is a rebuilding year for the Jaguars and there’s not much more to it than that.
28. Washington Football Team
▲1
Ugly game for Washington on both sides of the football. They couldn’t stop the Rams running attack, and the offensive line stood no chance against Aaron Donald and the Rams defensive front. I don’t understand benching Haskins for both Kyle Allen and Alex Smith. If they really wanted to punish him they should have kept him as the starter.
29. Atlanta Falcons
▼1
Well, at least the Falcons didn’t blow another double-digit lead against the Panthers. I really thought this team would be better than they were last year, but It looks like I was dead wrong about that. The Falcons problems run deeper than the recently fired Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitrof. It is most likely time to blow up the whole team and trade everyone away.
30. Denver Broncos
-
The Broncos were on a bye week.
31.New York Giants
-
The Giants played their best game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys. They scored 34 points, which is far and away their highest point total of the season. Two of their biggest free agents, Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell, are producing in a big way for this defense. On the offensive side, however, the scheme is stagnant which is mostly due to the lack of running game.
32.New York Jets
-
Free Sam Darnold.