With five weeks in the books, we’re getting a better idea of which NFL teams are bonafide Super Bowl contenders, dark horses, stuck in the mushy middle, or entering “time to tank” territory.
Still plenty of chaos ahead, with Week 6 featuring a handful of juicy matchups that could carry major playoff implications. With that, let’s dive into our newest edition of the 2024 NFL power rankings.
Which teams are contending for the top spot in this week’s NFL power rankings?
32. New England Patriots (31)
The Pats have now lost four straight, this time falling at home to a Miami Dolphins team that’s already on its fourth quarterback this season.
Jacoby Brissett has been held to under 170 yards passing in all five games. At what point do the Pats give Drake Maye a look? They’re probably 3-2 with him behind center instead of Brissett, just saying.
31. Carolina Panthers (29)
Carolina head coach Dave Canales pulled Andy Dalton out of reach with Sunday’s road game in Chicago and gave Bryce Young garbage time reps. However, Canales said that Dalton will start against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
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That’s now two straight uninspiring outings for Dalton after leading Carolina to a Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Gotta think the starting duties go back to Young if Dalton doesn’t improve next week…right?
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (32)
Trevor Lawrence gave himself an epic 25th birthday present by having a career day and by leading the Jags to their first win of the season.
28 of 34 for 371 yards and two touchdowns to lead Jacksonville to a 37-34 home win over the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts. We’ll see if T-Law can keep the momentum going with a two-game trip in London up next — beginning with the Chicago Bears and concluding with the Pats.
29. Tennessee Titans (30)
The Titans enjoyed an early-season bye after defeating the Dolphins on Monday Night Football last week. Next, they’ll try to pick up their first home win of 2024 when the division rival Colts come to town.
28. Los Angeles Rams (25)
The banged-up Rams put up a heroic effort at home against Jordan Love’s Green Bay Packers, but LA’s lack of game-changers on both sides of the ball was on display in a frustrating 24-19 loss.
The silver lining is that the 1-4 Rams are now on a bye and that Cooper Kupp is expected to be back for Week 7. If they can defeat the Raiders and Vikings at home, they’ll be 3-and-4 and back in the thick of the playoff race.
Big if, though.
27. Cleveland Browns (23)
Another terrible outing by Deshaun Watson, another humiliating loss for the Browns. This time, they were crushed 34-13 by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders — whose feisty unit brought down Watson seven times in the lopsided victory.
Kevin Stefanski says Watson is still the starter. Is that his nice way of saying Cleveland is tanking? Who cares about his contract? Watson should be shown the bench. It should be Jameis Winston’s time already.
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26. Cincinnati Bengals (24)
The Bengals’ 41-38 overtime loss to Baltimore may go down as the top game of the 2024 NFL season, but that means nothing for the losing side.
It’s a shame that Joe Burrow had five passing TDs and almost 400 yards. But a costly late-fourth quarter interception by Burrow allowed the Ravens to force OT, and Evan McPherson’s missed game-winning kick in the extra frame allowed Justin Tucker to play hero for the visitors instead.
At 1-4, it’s easy to write the Bengals off. But the Giants, Browns, inconsistent Eagles, and mediocre Raiders make up Cincy’s next four games. So we wouldn’t rule these guys out JUST YET…getting to 5-4 by Week 10 is very doable.
25. Las Vegas Raiders (21)
The Raiders’ pathetic showing in their blowout loss to Denver wasn’t even the top story in Sin City. Rather, it was news that Davante Adams wants out.
If Vegas wants Adams to stay, the offensive showing did no favors. Gardner Minshew was shown the bench after two back-breaking interceptions — including a game-changing 100-yard pick-six to Patrick Surtain II.
With a miserable schedule coming up, our advice to Raiders fans is to maybe just cheer for a tank job so they can get a top QB prospect next year. And hey, the Golden Knights are back on the ice, so it’s not that bad!
24. New York Giants (28)
One week after dropping a heartbreaker to Dallas, the G-Men came into Emerald City and stunned the Seattle Seahawks. Mistake-free football by Daniel Jones, a 129-yard outburst from NFL rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., and a defense that sacked Geno Smith seven times paved the way to victory.
And what way to close out that win in style: A 60-yard kick six! With the 1-4 Bengals next on the schedule, there’s a clear path to .500 for Brian Daboll’s resilient group here.
23. New Orleans Saints (18)
The Saints put together another lackluster effort against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. No surprise. Mediocrity has become the name of this franchise.
A loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday drops NOLA to 2-and-4. That might remind this organization that they need to begin a full-scale rebuild. Might Marshon Lattimore, Tyrann Mathieu, Cameron Jordan et al hit the trade block if the Saints keep losing?
22. Arizona Cardinals (27)
The Cardinals will probably lose to San Francisco if 49ers kicker Jake Moody doesn’t leave the game due to injury.
But the Redbirds will take a win; however they can get it. A masterful outing by Kyler Murray led Arizona to a 24-23 win in San Francisco to save their NFL season FOR NOW. Instead of 1-4, they’re 2-3 and just one game behind Seattle for tops in the NFC West. Bet against these guys at your own risk.
21. Miami Dolphins (26)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Dolphins did just enough on both sides to beat New England and also prevent their season from going off the rails. There’s plenty of work ahead until Tua Tagovailoa returns, but Miami owes no apologies for beating a soft opponent in the Patriots.
20. Indianapolis Colts (15)
Joe Flacco put up an admirable performance in place of an injured Anthony Richardson, throwing for 359 yards and three TDs in a three-point loss to Jacksonville.
It’s easy to harp on Indy for losing to NFL’s last winless team, but the Jags are better than their record. And they were without their starting NFL QB and superstar running back, Jonathan Taylor, so let’s not freak out yet.
19. New York Jets (14)
It’s Week 6 now, so it’s not an overreaction to wonder if Aaron Rodgers is washed up and if the Jets’ dream team just isn’t meant to be.
Rodgers single-handedly wasted a strong effort by the Jets’ defense in their loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. He threw three costly interceptions — including a pick-six and a game-sealing red-zone pick.
A-Rod isn’t in sync with his receives. He has seven touchdowns and four picks and is averaging under 220 yards per game. If the Jets lose to the Bills on Monday night next week, suspicion that Rodgers is washed up will creep closer to confirmation.
18. Los Angeles Chargers (19)
Most NFL teams don’t like early-season byes, but this was a timely rest week for Jim Harbaugh’s banged-up Chargers. They need healthy bodies to gain ground in the AFC playoff race — namely Joey Bosa, Joe Alt, and Rashawn Slater.
The Chargers’ bid to climb back above .500 begins on Sunday in Denver.
17. Denver Broncos (22)
The Broncos made easy work of the Raiders to pick up their third straight win. It might be time to start respecting Sean Payton, who’s gutting out wins with his ground game and defense despite obvious limitations from rookie QB Bo Nix.
And who says the momentum can’t stop with three middling teams in the Bolts, New Orleans, and Carolina next on their schedule?
16. Chicago Bears (20)
Caleb Williams finally showed Bears fans a glimpse of his future super-stardom against the Panthers. He had the best start of his young career in Week 5, tossing 304 yards and two touchdowns against zero picks in a 36-10 win.
A Week 7 bye looms for a Bears team, who get teams with losing records in three of their next four games. Given the gauntlet that is the NFC North, the Bears really need to win those easy games if they’re to hang around in the playoff race.
15. San Francisco 49ers (11)
We know the 49ers are better than their 2-3 record, but this is still some uncharacteristically sloppy play by Kyle Shanahan’s group.
Jordan Mason fumbled in the red zone with the Cardinals on the ropes, and then Brock Purdy threw a game-sealing pick with a chance to play the hero. We know they got screwed when Jake Moody left mid-game with an injury, but championship teams can’t blow double-digit leads at home against mediocre opponents.
The silver lining here is the 49ers just need a road win in Seattle on Thursday to regain tops in the NFC West. If they lose that, then we enter “The sky may be falling” territory.”
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8)
The Bucs are this week’s winner of the most devastating loss. They had Thursday night in the bag against Atlanta — and a two-game lead for the division in their hands. And they blew it.
This is just who the Bucs are. They’re mediocre like the rest of their division. Some flashes of brilliance — like statement wins over Detroit and Philly — followed by inexcusable losses like this one.
Week 6 against New Orleans isn’t quite a must-win territory, but a loss will raise tension for the Bucs.
13. Seattle Seahawks (7)
An absolute letdown of a week for the Seahawks, whose defense napped through most of Sunday’s stunning defeat to the lowly New York Giants.
Mike Macdonald’s defense was playing like a top-tier unit for three weeks. They’ve now allowed 71 points during their two-game losing skid, and Geno Smith’s careless decisions with the ball aren’t helping matters.
The ‘Hawks can get back on track with a win over San Fran on Thursday.
12. Philadelphia Eagles (12)
The Week 5 bye was also a good time for the banged-up Eagles. They’re expected to have NFL superstar wideouts AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith back for Week 6 against the one-win Browns, so this is a “get-right” game if we’ve ever seen one.
No excuses now for Nick Sirianni’s squad.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (6)
One week after losing in Indy, they failed to close out a coulda-shoulda-woulda game at home against Dak Prescott’s visiting Cowboys.
Justin Fields wasn’t awful, and the defense played well for the most part before Prescott’s game-winning strike to Jalen Tolbert. But the offense still hasn’t found its rhythm, having only exceeded 20 points once.
It might be Russell Wilson’s time to start when he’s healthy and cleared to return. On the bright side, games against the Raiders, Jets, and Giants open up a nice road to strengthening their early-season playoff push.
10. Atlanta Falcons (17)
Kirk Cousins’ 509-yard, 4-TD game led the Falcons to an improbable comeback over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that moved them into a tie for tops in the NFC South.
That’s now three comeback wins from Captain Kirk, who’s starting to look like the four-time Pro Bowler Atlanta played for in free agency. With the offense just finding its rhythm now, it’s not a stretch to say the Falcons are the team to beat in the division now.
9. Dallas Cowboys (16)
Most of you are probably like us in that you don’t trust them to do much come playoff time. But back-to-back one-score wins on the road have calmed some of the tension in Big D.
Love or hate him, Dak Prescott had a defining moment with that game-winning drive against the Steelers. Mike Zimmer’s D has come together after a tough two-week stretch, but a real test awaits when the Detroit Lions come to Jerry World this Sunday fresh off a bye.
8. Buffalo Bills (4)
Yes, it’s not fun to lose back-to-back games — especially against a pair of Super Bowl contenders in your conference. But the Bills nearly beat a powerhouse Houston team without Von Miller and top receiver Khalil Shakir, so we’re not going to harp on Josh Allen’s group.
BUT…if they lose on Monday night to a Jets team that hasn’t figured much out offensively? Then Bills fans can enter panic mode. Let’s see if they can bounce back in a pivotal divisional clash.
7. Green Bay Packers (13)
The Packers narrowly escaped La La Land with a 24-19 win over the Rams. It’s not their prettiest effort, but 3-and-2 is nothing to complain about, especially when you look at their NFL division.
It’s only a matter of time until Jordan Love and the offense regain their elite form. They have a nice opportunity here with the Cardinals and their sluggish defense coming to Lambeau Field.
6. Washington Commanders (9)
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders made easy work of Cleveland to improve to 4-1 on the year. It just might be time to take these guys seriously, with an offense averaging 31.0 points per game through five weeks.
Dan Quinn’s group can really put themselves on the map with a road win over Lamar Jackson’s Ravens on Sunday.
5. Baltimore Ravens (10)
Remember when the Ravens were 0-2? Well, how about a three-game winning streak via unstoppable-ness from Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry?
The 2023 AFC runner-ups defeated Joe Burrow’s Bengals in the Jungle despite bringing their C-level game for long periods. There’s a case to be made that they’re the Chiefs biggest threats in the AFC.
4. Houston Texans (5)
Some miscues by CJ Stroud, and the offense nearly let the Bills pull out a win in Houston despite trailing by 17. But as championship NFL teams do, Stroud and the Texans got their act together in the waning minutes to close out the game.
A last-second Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal propelled Houston to 4-1. With the one-win Pats next on the schedule, Houston is in a great position to strengthen their division lead.
3. Detroit Lions (3)
The Lions were on bye week while Motor City got treated to thrilling Detroit Tigers playoff baseball. Now, it’s time for Dan Campbell’s group to get back to work.
Detroit has a crucial two-game road trip here, with the Cowboys and Vikings next on the schedule. Fasten those seatbelts, Lions fans.
2. Minnesota Vikings (2)
Sam Darnold came back to earth in London against the Jets, but Brian Flores’ lights-out defense saved the day with utter dominance of old nemesis Aaron Rodgers. The result? A 23-17 win that moves Minnesota to 5-0 heading into their bye week.
Pretty sure the most die-hard Vikings fans didn’t have 5-0 at their bingo card, so embrace it and hope that they can continue the momentum after the bye.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
No Rashee Rice. No Hollywood Brown. No, Isiah Pacheco. No problem.
The Chiefs made relatively easy work of the visiting Saints at Arrowhead to improve to 5-0 heading into their bye—just another week at the office for Patrick Mahomes and company.
KC gets a well-needed off week before they visit the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch in Week 7.
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