Sportsnaut
NFL Week 5 delivered some fantastic matchups, including a short-handed San Francisco 49ers team winning on a short week in Los Angeles and the Denver Broncos rallying for a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. It delivers plenty of shake-ups when stacking up the worst and best NFL teams right now.
Let’s dive intou our latest NFL power rankings after Week 5, evaluating how all 32 teams performed.
The Buffalo Bills look unquestionably like the best AFC team right now entering Sunday Night Football. While that season-opening comeback win over Baltimore doesn’t look quite as impressive nearly a month later, what matters is the 3-0 record with both Josh Allen and James Cook playing at All-Pro levels. As long as the Bills’ defense can holds its own, this team shouldn’t be upset by New England on Sunday night.
The Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFC. Since that wake-up call in Week 1 at Lambeau Field, Detroit has been taking out its frustrations on every opponent in its wrath. Cincinnati was the latest to experience that on Sunday, witnessing this Lions’ machine fire on all cylinders without even a hiccup. Now heading to Arrowhead Stadium, Detroit can make another statement on national television.
Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers just find ways to win. Defeating the Seattle Seahawks seemed improbable given all the injuries this team is dealing with. Yet, against a top-five defense in Seattle, Baker Mayfield put on a masterclass through the air (11.5 ypa, 2-0 TD-INT, 379 passing yards) and then the ball bounced Lavonte David’s way for an interception that set up the game-winning kick. Tampa Bay remains a Super Bowl contender, even if it isn’t getting a ton of national attention.
Well, A.J. Brown will have even more to voice his frustration about now. The Philadelphia Eagles‘ got DeVonta Smith more involved on Sunday, but the end result was still a woefully bad third-down offense (2-for-11) and this team choking away a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. Once again, the finger has to be pointed at an offense that totaled just 48 yards on its last five scoreless drives and much of that came in the closing seconds against a prevent defense.
The Kansas City Chiefs have some semblance of a passing game now. Xavier Worthy’s return helped that and the looming arrival of Rashee Rice will bring the No. 1 receiver, who can move the chains and deliver yards after catch. Kansas City should be favored on Monday night over the Jaguars, especially if the defense maintains how it’s been performing in recent weeks.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have an opportunity to put the NFL on notice if they can get a Monday Night Football win over Kansas City. Liam Coen has completely transformed the Jaguars’ ground game, and the...
