32. Oakland Raiders (Last Week: 32)
Even with a bye week, the Raiders remain the worst team in the league. No one did particularly worse than the Raiders had in their first four games, and I doubt things will turn around under Tony Sporano.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 31)
The Jaguars certainly look like they have something in Blake Bortles, but the defense still can’t stop anyone and the running game isn’t effective enough to control the clock. Any of these teams in the bottom four could end up with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, but the Jaguars are the most likely candidate behind Oakland.
30. Tennessee Titans (LW: 30)
You can’t allow the largest road comeback in NFL history and be considered anything but one of the worst teams in the league.
29. New York Jets (LW: 28)
Rex Ryan tried to play his Michael Vick card, and he fell flat on his face. Vick couldn’t get anything going, so the Jets are stuck with Geno Smith as their starter for the rest of the season. The secondary is also dreadful, making this a tough season for the Jets to even approach four wins.
28. St. Louis Rams (LW: 29)
Austin Davis has 702 yards and six touchdowns in his past two games. However, no one else on his team seems to be along for the ride. The run game has stagnated, and Davis doesn’t have any consistent receivers to make a semblance of a real offense.
27. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 24)
Even with Teddy Bridgewater coming back this week, nothing about Minnesota’s defense makes me think the Vikings will be competitors in the NFC North this season.
26. Washington Redskins (LW: 26)
There’s certainly a case to be made for Washington over the Texans, Buccaneers and Bills, but right now, I’d much rather be the head coach of those three teams than the Redskins. Pierre Garcon has done nothing the past two games, and Kirk Cousins has been pressured more than anyone else in the league. The defense also just allowed Russell Wilson to rush for over 100 yards Monday night, which is never a good sign.
25. Houston Texans (LW: 15)
I had the Texans up far too high last week, which mainly accounts for the big drop here, but clearly Ryan Fitzpatrick is enough to drag an amazing defense down. Houston could easily drop to below .500 with their next two games against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 27)
Had Tampa found a way to close out the Saints on Sunday, they’d be up much higher, but the way they kept the game close is at least worth a few spots this week. Mike Glennon is clearly an upgrade over Josh McCown, but Doug Martin is as good as done, and an average secondary won’t be enough for the Buccaneers to close out close games later this season.
23. Buffalo Bills (LW: 25)
Kyle Orton was a slight upgrade over E.J. Manuel, but had the Lions even had an average kicker, they would have defeated the Bills. There’s just not enough in Buffalo yet to excite me and rank them above these next three teams.
22. Miami Dolphins (LW: 22)
Miami was on a bye last week, but because of Cleveland’s comeback, they leapfrog the Dolphins. Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill are entering a game against the Green Bay Packers that they certainly won’t win, but if they keep it close and are at least competitive, I’d be willing to put the Dolphins inside the top 20.
21. Cleveland Browns (LW: 23)
Sure, the Browns’ big comeback was against Charlie Whitehurst, but it was impressive nonetheless. There’s a case to be made that Brian Hoyer is the biggest surprise of this season so far, and with Ben Tate healthy, the Browns could be one of the best rushing teams in the league. Still, they need to step up their defense if Cleveland wants to compete in the AFC North.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 19)
Pittsburgh will take on the Browns on Sunday, which is a litmus test for both team’s seasons going forward. The Steelers simply don’t have defensive playmakers anymore, and if Cleveland doesn’t give up the huge plays Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell were able to rip off in Week 1, the Steelers could be in trouble and at the basement of the division.
19. New Orleans Saints (LW: 21)
If anything, New Orleans’ win over Tampa Bay actually made me feel more uneasy about its season going forward than anything. Good teams blow out bad teams, and the fact that the Saints needed overtime to beat a team that lost 56-14 earlier in the season isn’t great. The defense has serious concerns with Jairus Byrd out for the season, and besides Brandin Cooks, New Orleans has failed to get their receivers involved in the offense.
18. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 14)
Through five weeks, Atlanta has the fifth worst rated defense, per Pro Football Focus, and the fifth worst defense in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), according to Football Outsiders. No matter how well Matt Ryan plays, this defense is going to sink the Falcons in important games.
17. New York Giants (LW: 20)
Before I start moving the Giants into playoff territory, they’re going to have to beat more proven teams. So far, they’ve only beaten the Texans (terrible offense), Washington (26th in this week’s rankings) and Atlanta (terrible defense). In the next two weeks, New York faces the Eagles and Cowboys. If they win at least one of those games, there’s a serious conversation to be had about New York competing for a division title.
16. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 16)
Besides the Week 1 loss to Tennessee, Kansas City has had a really tough schedule. The Chiefs are still just one week removed from beating the New England Patriots 41-14, and lost to the 49ers on Sunday, who are ranked inside the top 10 this week. While it’s unlikely the Chiefs win the AFC West, there’s still a chance that they compete for a Wild Card with games against the Rams, Jets and Bills in their near future.
15. Carolina Panthers (LW: 18)
I’m still not sure what to make of Carolina. If Jay Cutler had made better decisions, the Bears would have cruised to a victory, and Carolina’s running game is hurting (literally and figuratively). With Cam Newton still dealing with his rib injury, he’s been forced to become a better pocket passer, which could be good news for the Panthers in the long-run, but they haven’t been consistent enough to be considered in the playoff running.
14. Chicago Bears (LW: 13)
It seems strange to have the Bears just ahead of Carolina when the Panthers just won that game on Sunday, but for the remainder of the season, I see more promise in the Bears. Matt Forte finally had a breakout game against Carolina, and Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall will keep the Bears in every game this season, but Cutler needs to start making better decisions with the football.
13. New England Patriots (LW: 17)
To borrow a phrase from every other sports writer this week: The death of the Patriots has been greatly exaggerated. The defense stepped up against the Bengals on Sunday night, but the offense is still far from being completely out of the woods.
12. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 5)
Arizona takes a huge dive this week, mainly due to injuries. Calais Campbell, who I think is their best player on either side of the ball, is going to miss at least one game, and Matt Shaughnessy is out for the season. They may also have to start Logan Thomas at quarterback this week. Until Carson Palmer and Campbell return, this team is going to struggle.
11. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 12)
Much like the Saints beating the Buccaneers in overtime, the Cowboys don’t get as much of a boost for needing OT to beat Houston. DeMarco Murray continues to dominate, but the defense can’t give up more huge games similar to the one Arian Foster had against them on Sunday, and they have the potential to give up chunks of yardage against much better offenses such as Philadelphia.
10. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 9)
Baltimore simply could not protect Joe Flacco with Eugene Monroe out, and the passing offense simply looked flat against Indianapolis. The front seven is one of the best groups in the league, but the secondary is now without Asa Jackson, making the Ravens even thinner at corner than they were before.
9. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 10)
Andrew Luck was being chased by Baltimore’s defense all game, but Ahmad Bradshaw looks to be the every-down back Indianapolis has been looking for, which will take the pressure off Luck in future games. The secondary has also been much better than expected, especially against Baltimore without LaRon Landry.
8. Detroit Lions (LW: 6)
Yes, the Lions were just one made field goal out of three misses from winning on Sunday, but it was a terrible loss against an average Bills team. The defense is currently Pro Football Focus’s highest rated unit in the league, and the secondary is finally playing well after several years of being the weakest link in Detroit. Golden Tate’s strong showing is also positive news for the Lions if Calvin Johnson has to miss time.
7. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 11)
Winning does seem to cure a lot of ailments in sports, but I’m sticking by my stance last week that the locker room drama in San Francisco is eventually going to catch up to the team. Still, the win against a solid Chiefs team was a must-win for the 49ers, who have been inconsistent thus far. And with Frank Gore running the ball well again, the offense should have to rely less on Colin Kaepernick throwing the ball.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 7)
The Eagles certainly can’t keep counting on these return touchdowns to win games, but at this point in the season, the Eagles still deserve to be ranked this high. The five teams ahead of Philadelphia have had more convincing wins and have been more consistent, but the Eagles keep finding ways to win games. The next two games against the Giants and Cardinals will show if the Eagles can beat other teams with playoff aspirations.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 2)
Cincinnati had a chance to bury the Patriots in prime time, and just looked flat. A lot of that had to do with the Patriots playing well, but the defense didn’t perform up to the level it was at through three games. A.J. Green may miss Cincinnati’s next game against the Carolina Panthers, but Giovani Bernard has the ability to carry the offense for at least one week.
4. Green Bay Packers (LW: 8)
Green Bay is finally back to where it was at at the beginning of the season. Aaron Rodgers only had to throw the ball 17 times last Thursday to beat the Vikings, and they now look like the best team in the AFC North by a huge margin. It’s also worth noting that Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 1.
3. San Diego Chargers (LW: 4)
For the first time all season, an NFL team recorded a shutout, with the Chargers stifling the Jets. The Chargers added Brandon Flowers in the offseason, which gave them a No. 1 corner, and with Dwight Freeney healthy, they have a No. 1 pass rusher, setting up San Diego’s defense to be successful this season with Philip Rivers playing like an MVP.
2. Denver Broncos (LW: 3)
Given how Denver played, it could have beaten Arizona by much more. The Broncos could be looking at far more blowouts, because Ronnie Hillman might be an upgrade at running back with Montee Ball out and Demaryius Thomas finally got going. The offense is just slightly better than San Diego’s, giving them the edge.
1. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 1)
Despite some dumb mistakes and penalties against Washington, the Seahawks retain the top spot. Richard Sherman completely took Pierre Garcon out of Monday night’s game, and Russell Wilson showed that he’s comfortably a top 10 quarterback in the league. Going forward, the Seahawks can’t afford to have Wilson running around that much, but Percy Harvin did have three touchdowns called back because of penalties. If he converts at least one of those, the game against the Redskins is a blowout.