A quarter of the season is now done. We have seen patterns develop over the last month and trends form. We aren’t quite to the point where it’s a large enough sample size to shed our preseason perception, but we are getting close. Here are my NFL power rankings going into week five.
32) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags were competitive in their Thursday night loss, which is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, this team still has a long way to go.
31) Detroit Lions
One of two winless teams, the Lions just lack talent. And when you play sloppy on top of that it’s a disastrous combination.
30) New York Jets
It took everything they had to hold off a short handed Titans team, but the Jets got their first win.
29) Houston Texans
The Texans looked spunky early in the season. This weekend they had the fight beaten out of them. They looked like the team we expected Houston to be.
28) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have lost altitude after an impressive week one win. They now sit at 1-3 and look like one of the worst teams in the NFL outside of their defensive line.
27) Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan won’t let this team go quietly into the night. They have made some noise with some close losses, but they are losses nonetheless.
26) Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins offense looks to be in shambles. An offensive line that can’t block and a back up quarterback. They will continue to struggle scoring points.
25) Pittsburgh Steelers
I can say many of the same things about the Steelers that I just did about the Dolphins. Hard to trust this team up front and Big Ben looks to be on his last legs.
24) New England Patriots
The Patriots are still putting it together. I see talent on this team, but the offense still needs to find a groove with their rookie quarterback leading the way.
23) New York Giants
The Giants got their first win over the weekend after flirting with one for several weeks. Daniel Jones has played surprisingly well this year and they have a decent amount of talent overall.
22) New Orleans Saints
On the other side of that coin, the Saints fell to the then winless Giants on Sunday. Scoring will be difficult this year with these pass catchers to work with.
21) Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are a bit of a mystery. They crushed the Seahawks and played the Cardinals and Browns tough, but also lost to the Bengals and are now 1-3. I believe in what they have in Minnesota, but they need to start winning games.
20) Indianapolis Colts
Despite not having their best player on Sunday, the Colts got their first win of the season. It might be too little too late, but I like this team overall.
19) Chicago Bears
The Bears are 2-2 and Justin Fields looks good in the win over the lowly Lions. I still have major offensive line concerns, but I generally like every other part of this team.
18) Washington Football Team
The Team is still trying to find the stellar defense they had last season. They sit at an unimpressive 2-2, but I know this team is capable of much better.
17) Cincinnati Bengals
Almost losing to the winless Jaguars isn’t inspiring, but at 3-1 the Bengals march on. I feel like this might be their high water mark of the season unless they can win two of the next three to prove themselves.
16) Carolina Panthers
Undefeated no more, the Panthers have fallen back to earth after a loss to the Cowboys. It wasn’t a bad loss by any means, but I’m not ready to buy into Carolina just yet.
15) Baltimore Ravens
The more I doubt the Ravens, the more they continue to prove me wrong. Baltimore has now won three in a row and are on the playoff track.
14) Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders suffered their first loss on Monday night. Derek Carr fell back to earth and I expect this to be a closer reflection of what to expect from them moving forward.
13) San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have lost to two good teams and beat two bad teams. They have a lot to prove, but I like what they have. Remember, this team was in the Super Bowl just two years ago.
12) Tennessee Titans
I’m not putting too much stock into this loss vs the Jets. It was an expected loss considering they were without both their star wide receivers.
11) Denver Broncos
The Broncos suffered their first loss this weekend. The concerns with the offense came to the surface and that’s an issue they have to figure out long term. With that said, I think they have enough talent to right the ship.
10) Dallas Cowboys
Three wins in a row after an opening night loss to the Bucs. Dallas looks much improved on defense and the offense is still very strong.
9) Seattle Seahawks
It’s been a rocky start to the season, but the Seahawks have made their way back to .500. I have little doubt that this will be a double digit win team when it’s all said and done.
8) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs got back to their winning ways. The defense still has a lot to prove, but they have the benefit of the doubt.
7) Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have impressed at every turn. The offense looks strong. The defense looks strong. This is the breakout team of 2021.
6) Arizona Cardinals
You could make a case that Arizona should be at the top of this list. They’ve passed every test with flying colors. I just need more than four games to declare them the best team in the league.
5) Green Bay Packers
The Packers are great on paper and they’re 3-1. They have left me wanting a little bit more, but it’s hard to dominate every week even for great NFL teams
4) Buffalo Bills
Speaking of domination, the Bills have looked unstoppable the last two weeks. They are firing on all cylinders right now.
3) Los Angeles Rams
The Rams had a big let down game vs the Cardinals. However, they’re also the team that crushed the defending Champs last week. I won’t overreact to one loss in October.
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yes, the Bucs are signing starting corners off the street. Despite that they keep rolling along. This offense will win them a lot of games with whoever is playing in the secondary.
1. Cleveland Browns
The defense looks incredible, especially up front. The rushing offense is one of the best in the league. This is the kind of old school football I love. No one wants to see this team come playoff time.
