NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Vikings claim No. 1 spot! Commanders and Buccaneers soar into top 10

It wasn’t quite the Georgia-Alabama thriller on Saturday night, but the Vikings had to sweat out a win at Lambeau Field that they completely dominated for the first 29 minutes. The muffed punt late in the second quarter opened the floodgates, and the defense took some lumps in the fourth quarter, but Brian Flores’ unit responded with two late turnovers to help stop the bleeding a bit. The Vikings couldn’t have put this one away without Kevin O’Connell going back on the attack late, trusting Sam Darnold to take them home. Even with a few hiccups, Minnesota’s QB did just that on an important field-goal drive that ultimately provided the winning margin. Past Vikings outfits might have coughed this one up, but this team showed toughness and reinforced the idea that it’s going to be a handful all season with the way things are going.

The drop here reflects the reality of the situation. The news on Rashee Rice’s knee injury doesn’t look good, leaving the Chiefs down yet another big playmaker on offense. Already missing Hollywood Brown and Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City really couldn’t afford to lose someone of Rice’s stature, as he was turning into one of the league’s better receivers. Travis Kelce showed he still has some gas in the tank against the Chargers, and Xavier Worthy stepped up in some big moments. Kareem Hunt’s first game with the Chiefs in six years was even a surprising success, as he helped close out the win. But as great as Patrick Mahomes is, his play over the past few years has been more inconsistent than it previously was, and the Chiefs can only ask so much of the defense and special teams every week. They’re still obviously Super Bowl contenders until further notice, but it’s going to take the long road (again) to reach the mountaintop. 

The Lions seemed to get a little of their mojo back Monday night in an explosive offensive performance that saw Jared Goff throw a perfect game — 18-for-18 passing — which he’d never done before. Goff had caught a pass before, but the quarterback told ESPN’s Lisa Salters he’d never logged a touchdown reception prior to snagging Amon-Ra St. Brown’s picture-perfect teardrop of a throw, making Detroit a perfect 19-for-19 through the air. The defense had its hands full with Geno Smith and the Seahawks’ weapons all night, but the forced fumble in the first quarter and the three fourth-quarter stops were strong moments. I didn’t love the late-game execution, with the Lions taking the safety and somehow keeping the Seahawks’ chances alive longer, but Detroit ultimately got it done. I was living in St. Louis during the “Greatest Show On Turf” heyday, and these Lions give me those same vibes: always dangerous, always interesting and often making life harder than it needs to be.

Did you know the Bills hadn’t lost by more than 10 points in 43 regular-season games prior to Sunday night? It’s a testament to how competitive they’ve been in the Josh Allen era, even if Sunday night was quite the thud. Amazingly, they had a chance to flip the game on its head with the Ravens keeping the door open with mistakes. But a trick-play fumble, a Ravens touchdown and a Tyler Bass missed field goal slammed it closed. The offense had its share of issues, but the defense was a problem for the first time since early in Week 1. Buffalo won’t see a rushing attack like Baltimore’s again anytime soon, but the schedule remains tough with three of the next four on the road and several big games on the horizon. The Bills still have an open road in front of them to capture the AFC East title, which is why I’m not too worried, but this performance reminded me a little too much of last season’s darkest days.

EDITOR’S UPDATE: The Bills will try to bounce back from last week’s loss without eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end Von Miller, who has been suspended four games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Miller is tied for the team lead in sacks with three in the first four games.

Following up a blowout road loss with a last-minute home comeback is often a reason to celebrate, but the Texans are making things far more difficult than they need to be, which remains a troubling element of this team. C.J. Stroud can play the role of hero, and Houston needed him to do just that on Sunday. He and Nico Collins are in a rare groove right now, and Stefon Diggs has settled into his role nicely. But the Texans had costly penalties in all three phases, including some especially damaging offensive flags. This team can’t get out of its own way at times, but there’s enough talent and fight to still be encouraged, especially given the blight that has been the AFC South so far this season.

I took my lumps for keeping the Ravens up near the top of the rankings after the 0-2 start, but we’ve seen in the past two weeks what they’re capable of at their most dangerous. They were a little lucky Sunday night’s game didn’t backslide at 21-10 as the Bills gained some momentum, but that’s also a strong fix after watching late breakdowns cost them in their previous two games. The defense was on point, making life tough for Josh Allen and his receivers. And Todd Monken’s offense had a brilliant game plan that included inviting the Bills to rush upfield, creating back-side lanes to run through. That was a big reason why Baltimore averaged 10.4 yards per play in the first half. Once the Bills adjusted, the Ravens went play-action, and Buffalo had no way of stopping them. Guess what? The Ravens are scary again. There just aren’t many teams geared to stopping Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in peak form.

Let the record show that I broadcast my optimism for this team’s chances back in August, but even in my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I’d be approaching true-believer status this quickly. Are the Commanders this year’s version of the 2023 Texans? Consider that Houston started last season with a 3-4 record, and here the Commanders are sitting at 3-1 with only five more road games left on the schedule. There are some truly winnable contests upcoming, along with an absolute hoot of a matchup — Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson — in Week 6. The Daniels magic appears to be real, and the NFC East isn’t nearly the gauntlet some thought it would be. What a refreshing change this year has been so far in D.C., and I can’t wait to see how it ends. But I’m fine going out on a limb here and now saying this team has an excellent chance to make a postseason run. Bookmark it.

The Week 3 loss to the Broncos now doesn’t look so terrible after the Bucs thrashed Philly (and Denver beat the Jets) in Week 4. It was a heartening performance for Tampa Bay’s defense, keeping a shorthanded Eagles offense from getting going while racking up six sacks. And the showing from Baker Mayfield and the offense was just as big a statement after a bad game against Denver. The Bucs kept peppering Philly’s off coverage with quick hitters, nickeling and diming them to death. They limited the negative-yardage snaps (four in 74 plays, not counting a kneeldown to end the game), committed just two penalties on offense and didn’t turn the ball over. The meat of the schedule hits now, with a six-pack of games that includes three divisional contests and three heavyweight matchups against the Ravens, Chiefs and 49ers. I feel better about the Bucs’ chances in that stretch after Sunday’s bounce-back win.

In Jordan Love’s first game back since suffering a knee injury in Week 1, he finished the day with career highs in completions (32), pass yards (389) and touchdowns (four). The problem, of course, was how he started — two first-half INTs that aided in a 28-0 hole — and how he finished, throwing a pick with a little more than six minutes remaining after the Packers had roared back to make it a game. The knee injury might have contributed to his poor accuracy early, but his toughness was remarkable. The Packers repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties, missed field goals, pass-protection issues, dropped passes and turnovers. But even with all of that, they were a few plays from pulling off an all-time comeback. That’s a frustrating loss to a division rival, but by no means a crushing defeat. Green Bay can rebound. 

There will be a lot of quarterback talk this week because that remains a story until Mike Tomlin makes some sort of definitive longer-term call on Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. But the Steelers can look first at their defense as the reason they lost for the first time this season. Two different Colts quarterbacks shredded them on Sunday, including Joe Flacco in his first action this season. Against a Steelers defense that was tops in the league in third-down performance, Flacco hit on six of eight passes for 72 yards and two TDs on money downs. The Colts converted eight of their 15 third downs on the day, including four on third-and-7 or longer. Fields was far more good than bad, although a disastrous sack-fumble cost Pittsburgh in the third quarter. That and a high snap were huge plays that prevented what could have been a huge comeback.

You knew it was going to be a long, hard fight Monday once it became clear Geno Smith was throwing a heater but the Seahawks couldn’t stop the Lions to save their lives. Smith had one of his best outings, delivering big throws time and time again in a 395-yard effort, while Kenneth Walker III was absolutely possessed in his first game back from injury, barreling through half of Michigan in a three-touchdown performance. It still wasn’t enough. Mike Macdonald’s injury-riddled defense gave up a season high in points … 10 minutes into the second quarter. Seattle had allowed 43 points in 12 quarters entering the game, but gave up 42 to the Lions. Not one Jared Goff (or Amon-Ra St. Brown) pass hit the ground. It was a hard fall for the Seahawks’ D after the strong start, but Seattle played competitively all night and made Detroit work for the win. There’s still a lot to be encouraged by, but which defense will show up this week against the Giants? My money is on more of the group we saw in Weeks 1 to 3, especially if the ‘Hawks can get healthier up front.

Soundly beating the Patriots was a step in the right direction, but the injuries and self-inflicted mistakes are too plentiful to sustain. Fred Warner made the first big play of the game with his thrilling pick-six, but he left the game with an ankle injury and didn’t return. George Kittle returned from injury, along with Deebo Samuel, but even Kittle left the game for a spell before returning. Kittle scored late in the second quarter to make it 20-0, but the Niners had two touchdowns called back by penalty on the drive. They also coughed up a fumble on a kick return that led to the Patriots’ only TD, and Brock Purdy kept the door open with a fourth-quarter interception in a two-score game. The 49ers played with fire on Sunday and got away with it against a lesser team. Cleaning things up during this next four-game span — and getting better injury luck — will be absolutely critical to getting back to where they want to be.

It wasn’t shocking that the Eagles lost a tough road game without Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but it was a bit unnerving to see how it went down. They showed a lack of life early on, falling behind 24-0. The Eagles rallied, and they absolutely had a chance to steal one after Kelee Ringo’s stirring return of a blocked extra point. But the defense took two big steps back after a fine performance at New Orleans, allowing the Bucs to move the ball all game. Tampa had at least one first down on every single drive and 29 of them for the game. Jalen Hurts’ fumble late in the third quarter also prevented any hopes of a comeback. It was his only turnover of the game, but he’s now up to 27 of them since the start of last season. Without Hurts displaying better ball security, a shorthanded Eagles squad isn’t going to win many games. This will be a frustrating bye week, but they’ll have the chance to get healthier and get back on track.

New Orleans’ offense has come back to Earth. After the 91-point outburst in Weeks 1 and 2, the Saints have not been as consistently dangerous in the two losses since then. After Taysom Hill scored the team’s first two touchdowns on Sunday, he left the game with an abdomen injury, and it felt like the Saints really missed him after that. Alvin Kamara still battled through a few injuries to turn in another big game, and Chris Olave came alive in the second half, but the Saints missed on their chances to take control early on with a number of stalled drives. Injuries are starting to mount on both sides of the ball, too. Along with Hill, the Saints were without multiple starting offensive linemen, and the defense was shorthanded with Demario Davis out and Tyrann Mathieu (groin) leaving the game early. The next four games, starting with the Chiefs on the road, look daunting. Can New Orleans get back on track?

A sack of Aaron Rodgers on the first play of Sunday’s game set the tone. It was followed by Garrett Wilson losing a fumble on the third offensive snap of the game. The Jets had three penalties inside their own 5-yard line on their second drive. Breece Hall went nowhere on the third possession. They had false start penalties on third-and-3 and fourth-and-goal (from the Broncos’ 1-yard line) on their next two possessions. On and on it went for New York, which could have brought back the 2023 offense to turn in that kind of effort on a rainy, dreary day. It spoiled a great game from the defense, which only allowed Denver to mount one drive of more than 41 yards. Amazingly, the Jets had a chance to win, but their final three drives came up short, with Greg Zuerlein missing a go-ahead kick in the last minute. Every time we think they’re making incremental progress, the Jets take a step back.

The fact that we’re once again talking about an Anthony Richardson injury — after a dramatic win over a previously unbeaten team, no less — is a troublesome development. It doesn’t seem like the injury that forced Richardson to the sideline Sunday will significantly hamper his availability going forward. Still, it was a reminder that the best quarterbacks are not only playmakers, but they’ve also mastered the art of self-preservation. That’s how guys like Joe Flacco have managed to hang around the game and be successful for so long. Thankfully, Flacco was there to earn the save in place of Richardson and perhaps give the second-year QB a lesson in simplifying things, taking what’s there and, when there’s no play to be made, living to fight another day. The Colts have turned an 0-2 start on its head and can make things interesting in what looks to be a two-horse race right now in the AFC South. Keeping Richardson healthy is a big part of that, even with Flacco at the ready.

The injuries to Demarcus Lawrence (mid-foot sprain) and Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain) put a real damper on last Thursday’s narrow road win, and they are a big reason that the Cowboys aren’t moving up this week. Parsons has never missed a game at any level of football before, so you know he’s not in great shape right now if he’s a question mark for Sunday. The schedule also doesn’t get any easier. The run defense made a statement against the Giants, and it’s nice to know that essentially your fifth-string cornerback can come up with the game-clinching interception, but the Cowboys can’t keep living this highwire life every game, especially without the benefit of a difference-making ground attack. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb can rally this team, but it’s going to be some heavy lifting these next two weeks before the bye.

EDITOR’S UPDATE: Lawrence will miss at least four games after the team announced on Tuesday that he has been placed on injured reserve.

To what degree should we hold a close loss against this team? Despite not having Joey Bosa, Rashawn Slater, Joe Alt or Derwin James, and with Justin Herbert hobbled, the Chargers were in a position to seize control late against the Chiefs. As for the negatives, the Bolts were neutered offensively after the opening drive, failing to finish off their only two promising possessions of the second half by missing a long field-goal try and turning it over on downs at the Kansas City 3-yard line. Herbert struggled after a hot start. The offensive line was overwhelmed much of the day, erasing the run game. And the receivers only made a few plays of note. So L.A. still fell, even with Jesse Minter’s defense turning in a whale of a performance. The Chargers can rally from this after a well-timed Week 5 bye, but they’re noticeably lacking in big-play pop right now.

The Falcons will take a win over the rival Saints any chance they can get, especially when it comes in dramatic fashion, and we should expect nothing less at this point. That’s now four games this season that came down to the final minute for Atlanta. Kirk Cousins and Co. are 2-2 and in decent shape, but their issues are far from solved. Offensive touchdowns are still hard to come by, and the Falcons aren’t likely going to win too many more games this season where they score zero of those. They logged one TD each on special teams and defense and had a pretty Bijan Robinson TD catch called back on a questionable holding call, but that play was the one and only red-zone snap they took the entire game. Cousins and the passing game still aren’t clicking right now. Give the defense credit for making big stops, but Atlanta has to figure out how to be more consistently explosive.

Style points are one thing, but at least in the case of Sunday’s game, the Broncos will take a second straight road win. The defense has now allowed 29 points over the past 12 quarters and held each of its past three opponents to 251 yards or fewer. The weather on Sunday might have helped keep the score down, as did the Jets’ rash of penalties, but there’s no denying this Denver defense has come out with hardhats on this season. The Broncos took Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson out of the game and sacked Aaron Rodgers five times with an aggressive, blitz-heavy approach. You’d like to see more from Bo Nix and his wide receivers, but they did just enough with two second-half scoring drives to (barely) finish it off. Is the AFC West open with the Chiefs and Chargers banged up? The chance to make a run is now, with three of the next four at home against a softer part of the schedule.

Losing to Andy Dalton and the Panthers wasn’t an option if the Bengals wanted to play meaningful football this season. The defense got off to a good start with a fourth-and-goal stop on the opening drive and an interception on the second. But Cincinnati ended up in a four-quarter fight, allowing too many Carolina conversions, keeping it a close game until a late field goal salted it away. The offense shares some of the blame, too, with its second-half miscues. But Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase found their mojo again, and Chase Brown broke out for his best all-around game as a pro. Also a special hat tip to rookie TE Erick All Jr., who looks like a fourth-round steal. He had four catches on four targets, converted two second-half first downs and made his presence felt as a blocker. The Bengals remain behind the sticks this season, so to speak, but Sunday kept their dim hopes alive. 

Two big offensive issues were addressed Sunday: the run game and Caleb Williams‘ ability to handle the blitz. The Bears entered the day with one of the worst rushing attacks in the league, but they left with hope after getting D’Andre Swift going, while Roschon Johnson secured three key second-half conversions. Williams wasn’t perfect, but he completed seven of his eight passes for 65 yards and a touchdown vs. Rams blitzes. The Bears still have to solve their first-quarter doldrums; they’ve scored just three points all season in their games’ first 15 minutes. The defense gave Chicago its first spark with a fumble recovery in the red zone, and it closed things out with an interception. The margin for error remains small, while the passing game keeps making gradual steps forward, but the Bears find themselves in decent shape at 2-2, with two winnable games upcoming before the bye.

The Rams had plenty of chances to take control of Sunday’s game on the road despite missing their top two wide receivers and two starting offensive linemen. That’s the silver lining to a frustrating loss in Chicago, but the reality is that they settled for too many field goals (and missed one) and gave away points with turnovers, which quashed all the feel-good momentum gained in a season-saving win in Week 3. One way or another, they’re going to have to come up with solutions for maintaining and finishing drives that make progress but ultimately come up short. The pass-rush potential of this team has me a little excited, but the defense’s difficulties stopping the run and making game-changing plays have really cost Los Angeles. 

I have a feeling the Raiders are going to keep us guessing all season. They made quite the statement by winning without Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams, Michael Mayer and others, and digging themselves out of a 10-0 hole against Cleveland early made it even more impressive. But do we put more stock into that triumph and the shocking win over the Ravens? Or do we harp on how feeble Las Vegas looked in losses to the Chargers and Panthers? Among the unexpected developments this week were the emergence of the run game against what is purported to be one of the league’s better defenses, as well as the Raiders’ defense absolutely clamping down after the Browns’ opening TD drive. This remains a tricky team to handicap, but you have to admire Antonio Pierce’s club responding in a big way after he called out some players for making “business decisions” the week prior.

EDITOR’S UPDATE: Adams informed the Raiders on Monday that he would prefer to be traded, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday.

At their best this season, the Cardinals have shown the ability to hang with some of the better teams in the league. At their worst, they look far from the playoff picture. The offense has to find a way to draft off early momentum; the unit tends to start well and peter out as the game goes on, the Rams game notwithstanding. But defensively, the performance Sunday was dreadful. The Commanders had their way with Arizona for most of the game, with receivers running freely through the secondary and backs consistently finding huge gaps to blast through. I’ve dished plenty of praise Jonathan Gannon’s way since he took over; it’s put-up-or-shut-up time now. The Cardinals are 1-3 and face a daunting October slate. This stretch will determine whether the team can make any kind of a run this year, or if it will remain in rebuild mode for another season.

The Titans rolled into their bye week with their first victory of the season, turning in a great defensive performance against a Dolphins offense that has been badly hindered at quarterback. Tennessee, which seemingly took one step back defensively in each of the first three games, will take it. Yet the bigger story might be the health of QB Will Levis, who was knocked out in the first half with a shoulder injury. He still managed to sneak in his weekly turnover before leaving, but backup Mason Rudolph was merely fine — not great — in his place. There might have been a juicer bye-week story had Rudolph lit it up, but this win was more about Tennessee’s defense holding Miami to 3.4 yards per play. We’ll see about Levis’ health, though Brian Callahan has stuck with him to this point despite his shaky play.

This move up is more of a function of teams shifting around the Giants. We’ll be on Malik Nabers watch as they head into a tough game against the Seahawks. Nabers turned in another terrific performance last Thursday, until he had to leave with a concussion, coming out following a play where he failed to haul in what would have been a great fourth-down catch. The Giants are already running so much of the offense through the rookie star, and Daniel Jones has played better since his poor showing in Week 1 — it’s frightening to imagine this unit without Nabers right now. The backfield lacks explosion, there’s no tight end threat and the offensive line, while improved, remains a below-average group for the moment. This next stretch of games will tell us whether the Giants can show more life and make something of 2024. It’s a lot easier to picture that happening with Nabers playing.

The offense has yet to surpass the 18-point mark in four games, and a defense that had earned a reputation as one of the league’s very best cannot make that same claim in 2024. Staked with a 10-0 lead, Cleveland allowed a Raiders team missing multiple starters (including Davante Adams) to score four times in its next five drives. The Browns settled down and generated an opportunity to give themselves a shot with a fourth-quarter scoop-and-score. But the offense couldn’t pick up the slack. A third-quarter INT off Amari Cooper‘s hands stung, and then Cooper’s 82-yard TD being called back on a questionable holding penalty was an absolutely crushing blow in Sunday’s loss. This team just isn’t built to sustain those kinds of mistakes right now.

In spite of the painful turn offensively in the past three losses, I think sticking with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback remains the right call. Why? Well, none of us on the outside really know how Drake Maye is developing, but the Patriots certainly do, and in light of their pass-protection issues right now, why would giving the ball to Maye help matters? Against the Niners on Sunday, Brissett took six sacks and was hit several more times. His pick-six was his biggest mistake of the game, but he wasn’t helped by Rhamondre Stevenson losing a fumble in the first quarter and being stopped on fourth down in the second. This offense is just in rough shape. The Patriots’ three scores Sunday came on “drives” of minus-6, 27 and 32 yards. What does that tell you? If New England’s defense isn’t securing pristine field position, the offense’s chances of scoring are remarkably low. The Week 1 upset over Cincinnati feels more and more like a distant memory.

The low point of Monday’s loss to the previously winless Titans might have come with the Dolphins down 22-6 in the fourth quarter, when cameras peered in on Mike McDaniel’s expressionless, stone-cold face. A few feet behind him was Tyreek Hill, barking to anyone who’d listen. Jordan Poyer had just been officially ruled out of the game with injury. On the field, an illegal shift — Miami’s eighth of 10 penalties on the night — wiped out a fourth-down conversion by Tyler Huntley, this week’s starting QB. A few minutes later, Huntley would be called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a Tennessee safety. It was just an awful night for the Fins. The clock couldn’t run down fast enough. There’s a chance for a win with the Patriots up next, but the season feels completely wayward right now.

Once again, benching Bryce Young for Andy Dalton looked like the right decision, as Dalton kept the chains moving all game against the Bengals and played well, even with a tipped-pass interception. He has limited the sacks (zero on Sunday) and helped stretch the field, two things Young was unable to do, which has given receivers such as Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette a chance to showcase their skills to a greater degree. Johnson dropped a would-be TD on the opening drive, but he’s come alive with Dalton under center. The run game also showed more juice, although a leaky Bengals defense was partly responsible for that. Still, the entire operation looks better, even as the Panthers remain in the infancy stages of their rebuild. 

There’s no way to sugarcoat an 0-4 start to the season, but the frustration is really amplified when you realize the Jaguars had chances to win three of their games, including Sunday’s dagger of a loss in Houston. However close the defeats were, the spotlight glare is now casting down brightly on Doug Pederson, who, after the game, lamented that, “as coaches, we can’t go out there and make the plays, right?” That felt like a condemnation of his players for not finishing off one of their better performances of the season. Whether effort or scheme was to blame, the offense had chances to put the game away and couldn’t. The red-zone turnover on downs while holding a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter dropped Jacksonville’s chances of winning from 75 percent to 60.3, per Next Gen Stats, and the quick three-and-out with three minutes left to play hurt nearly as much. It has been a season of missed opportunities so far, and it’s hard to see the Jaguars pulling out of this skid to salvage their year.