Which Teams Are Making The Move Up?
Week 4 of the NFL season was a wild one that saw the list of undefeated teams trimmed to two between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, who survived stiff test in moving onto 4-0.
Through four weeks, there’s still not much clarity on who the actual contenders are. Seven teams which include the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles are 2-2. Seven teams that include the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins are 3-1.
What we do know is exactly who the bad teams are as the teams at the bottom of the rankings will in all likelihood maintain their dreaded positions throughout the 2018 regular-season.
With that said, here are my NFL Week 5 power rankings.
1. Los Angeles Rams (4-0)
Jared Goff and the Rams showed that they can score when the pressure’s on them to do so last Thursday in a 38-31 win vs the Minnesota Vikings.
The Rams have scored 33+ points in all four games so far, but will be tested vs a surprisingly stout Seattle Seahawks defense on the road this Sunday.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
The Jacksonville Jaguars looked more like the team we saw vs the New England Patriots in Week 2 offensively vs a strong New York Jets defense coming in.
Blake Bortles 388 passing yards in Week 4 were a new career-high, breaking a mark he set back in Week 16 last year vs the San Francisco 49ers with 382 passing yards.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)
Tested in a primetime game in Mile-High, Patrick Mahomes put together a gritty effort in the fourth quarter to bring the Chiefs from 10 down to win 27-23.
While it was statistically Mahomes worst game, the biggest takeaway is his composure under fire. He’ll need to carry that over on Sunday vs the NFL’s best defense in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
4. New Orleans Saints (3-1)
The New Orleans Saints defense turned in their best outing in the first month of the season vs the New York Giants last Sunday in a 33-18 win.
The Saints held the New York Giants to 6.2 yards per completion while allowing only two touchdowns on the day.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)
Philadelphia is 0-2 on the road to begin the season and the pass defense is a concern for Doug Pederson.
Philadelphia is allowing 373.0 passing yards per game on the road which is tied for the third worst mark in the NFL this season.
6. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
The Baltimore Ravens continued their stingy ways defensively vs their arch nemesis last Sunday in a 26-14 win in Pittsburgh.
Outside of a half in which Baltimore surrendered 28 points to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Baltimore Ravens have allowed 37 points in 14 quarters of play.
7. New England Patriots (2-2)
The New England Patriots got back to running the ball in a 38-7 Week 4 win vs the Miami Dolphins. New England rushed the ball 40 times for 175 rushing yards.
They’ll get a Indianapolis Colts team allowing 109.3 rushing yards per game (17th in NFL) on Thursday night.
8. Chicago Bears (3-1)
After doing mostly nothing in the first three weeks, Chicago showed off their offensive repertoire and plethora of weapons all over the field. Mitchell Trubisky (6 TDs) wasn’t the only one to impress last Sunday.
Running back Tarik Cohen finished the game with 174 yards from scrimmage and 1 TD in a 48-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
9. Carolina Panthers (2-1)
The Carolina Panthers had a bye week, but when they get back to work they’ll be preparing to face a New York Giants offense that’s one of the worst in the NFL.
The Giants are averaging 18.3 PPG (29th in NFL). That bodes well for a Carolina Panthers team that’s allowing only 14.5 PPG at Bank of America Stadium this season.
10. Tennessee Titans (3-1)
The Tennessee Titans have won three of their games by a grand total of 9 points, but they’re especially good in this one category.
The Tennessee Titans have the best redzone defense in the NFL. They have only allowed two touchdowns inside their own 20 in the first four games this season.
11. Green Bay Packers (2-1-1)
Green Bay shutout the Buffalo Bills 22-0 last Sunday in a much needed performance from a Packers defense showing leakage in the first three weeks of the season.
Up next, a Detroit Lions team that’s playing better football but are only 1-3 and have struggled defensively to get off the field on third down.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
The Cincinnati Bengals have had their flaws on the defensive side of the ball exposed over the past two games but one thing that’s remained consistent is their offensive firepower.
Cincinnati is averaging 31.5 PPG, the 4th best mark in the NFL.
13. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
Anthony Lynn and the Los Angeles Chargers will take a 2-2 start over a 0-4 start any day of the week, but this team is lacking in consistency. One man who’s not, the longest tenured Charger in Philip Rivers.
The Los Angeles Chargers signal caller has a 110.8 Passer Rating with 11 TDs to 2 INTs to begin the season, putting himself smack dab in the early NFL MVP talks.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2-1)
For a second consecutive week the Pittsburgh Steelers went scoreless in the second half of a game as they are coming off a 26-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home.
One win through the first four weeks is disappointing in the Steel City, but help may be on the way as they face one of the NFL’s worst defenses in the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday.
15. Washington Redskins (2-1)
The Washington Redskins offense may not be explosive on paper, but they’ll enjoy a good matchup vs a Saints defense that ranks among the worst in the NFL.
The Saints rank 30th against the pass with a deceptive ranking against the run as teams have looked to attack New Orleans’ pass defense far more than their run defense.
16. Miami Dolphins (3-1)
The Dolphins failed their opportunity to send a statement to the New England Patriots in embarrassing fashion last Sunday.
The only positive to take away from the game is that the Dolphins forced Tom Brady into two interceptions. Over the last four yearsTom Brady has thrown two interceptions in a regular-season game three times, two of those have come vs the Miami Dolphins.
17. Minnesota Vikings (1-2-1)
The Minnesota Vikings defense has fallen apart in 2018 and it starts with the secondary.
A season after allowing only the fewest passing yards per completion at 6.0, the Minnesota Vikings are allowing 9.2 passing yards per completion (30th in NFL) and a 105.9 Passer Rating, 27th in the NFL.
18. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
The Dallas Cowboys got a superhuman effort out of Ezekiel Elliot in Week 4. Elliot finished the game with a career-high 240 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
He’ll be challenged on Sunday vs a Houston Texans defense allowing the only 3.5 yards per carry, 5th in the NFL.
19. Seattle Seahawks (2-2)
The Seattle Seahawks may have won on Sunday at Arizona, but the loss of All-Pro safety Earl Thomas (leg) for the rest of the season could spell doom for a young defense that needs his leadership on the backend.
Facing a Los Angeles Rams team this Sunday that’s scored 33+ points in each of its first four games makes it even a taller task for Pete Carroll’s team.
20. Denver Broncos (2-2)
The Denver Broncos mustered a strong enough effort to pull off a upset of the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, but it was not to be.
When Denver signed Case Keenum this offseason they were hoping for the quarterback who guided the Minnesota Vikings to a 13-3 mark.
Through four games that hasn’t come to fruition. Case Keenum has thrown for 988 passing yards with 3 TDs and 6 INTs to go along with a 72.1 Passer Rating.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense was a concern well before the season began and now its threatening to turn a once promising season into an expected flop.
Tampa Bay has surrendered 34.8 PPG, the worst mark in the NFL. They have also allowed 13 TD passes, also the worst in the NFL.
22. Atlanta Falcons (1-3)
The Atlanta Falcons offense has clicked for three straight weeks, but the injuries have caused their defense from the past two seasons to completely lose their identity as a unit.
Over the past two weeks the Atlanta Falcons have surrendered 80 points in their own building, ruining the efforts of Matt Ryan and a talented Falcons offense.
23. San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
Head coach Kyle Shanahan liked what he saw vs the Los Angeles Chargers pass defense, and in doing so completely forgot about the NFL’s leading rusher coming into Week 4 in Matt Breida.
Maybe not.
In the first four games of the season Matt Breida has completely outperformed his expected production given his touches as he’s barely averaging over 11 touches a game.
24. Cleveland Browns (1-2-1)
The Cleveland Browns defense wasn’t helped by two turnovers by Baker Mayfield in their own territory as Oakland scored off both of those turnovers.
In Week 5 Mayfield will face a far tougher test in the Baltimore Ravens who through the first four weeks are allowing the third fewest points in the NFL at 16.3 PPG.
25. Detroit Lions (1-3)
The Detroit Lions problems vs the run to begin the season have been amplified given their 1-3 record to start the season.
The Detroit Lions are allowing 157.8 rushing yards per game, the worst mark in the NFL.
26. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
The Oakland Raiders finally came to life in the fourth quarter to win a game this season.
Jon Gruden’s team scored 21 points in the fourth quarter vs the Cleveland Browns to send the game to overtime where they would win 45-42.
27. New York Jets (1-3)
The New York Jets pass defense, which had been stellar to start the season, showed plenty of cracks vs the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jets allowed 388 passing yards last Sunday, the most passing yards allowed in the Todd Bowles era.
28. New York Giants (1-3)
Eli Manning is completing 74.2 percent of his passes but that hasn’t kept the New York Giants offense from falling into ineptitude.
That may have something to do with the Giants offensive line allowing among the worst quarterback pressures in the NFL to start the season.
29. Houston Texans (1-3)
Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans benefited from playing it safe as it resulted in a aggressive decision by Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts to go for it from their own 43-yard line to win 37-34 in OT.
Deshaun Watson on a week-by-week basis is now starting to look like the quarterback we saw last season. Watson finished the game with 375 passing yards, 2 TDs and 1 INTs.
30. Indianapolis Colts (1-3)
The Indianapolis Colts got a vintage performance out of Andrew Luck who in his last two games averaged well under six yards per completion.
Luck finished the game with 462 passing yards and 4 TDs in a 37-34 loss at home to the Houston Texans.
31. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
The Buffalo Bills were held to 145 total yards and 3-for-16 on third down vs the Green Bay Packers in a 22-0 shutout at Lambeau Field.
The Bills haven’t been able to get much of anything from LeSean McCoy, who in three games this season has rushed for 85 rushing yards on 21 carries.
32. Arizona Cardinals (0-4)
Josh Rosen may have exceeded expectations in his first career start (15-for-27, 180 passing yards and 1 TD) but the Cardinals are still winless in spite of his efforts.
The last two weeks have been a vast improvement, however, as Arizona has lost their last two games by a combined five points. They dropped their first two games by a combined 52 points.
What are your thoughts on this week’s power rankings for Week 5? Leave your comments below!