Five weeks of the 2022 NFL season are in the books, and there are starting to be more and more knowns across the league.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are dominant teams that just find ways to win. These teams will more than likely continue their quests in January.
The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons continue to slip as some of the worst teams in the NFL. Their eyes are on the 2023 NFL draft.
There is still plenty to be sorted out though with 13 more weeks of NFL action on the table. Here are the power rankings through Week 5.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-4)
Last week: No. 31
When you are the first team to fire your coach, you’re the worst team in the NFL for that week. That’s the Rhule.
31. Washington Commanders (1-4)
Last week: No. 29
Washington is getting harder and harder to justify as anything other than a dumpster fire. The organization took a gamble on Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback, and he is looking more like his 2020 self than anything else.
30. Detroit Lions (1-4)
Last week: No. 26
The Lions were seemingly doing well through the first three games of the season, but they had trouble with the Seahawks last week and were shutout on the road against the New England Patriots. The Dan Campbell way may need a refresher in the Motor City.
29. Houston Texans (1-3-1)
Last week: No. 32
There is nothing easy for the Texans. Even their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was a hard-fought slobber knocker where the first team that scored a touchdown won. At last the Texans were able to close out a game, but this low-scoring formula doesn’t bode well for the rest of their schedule. Bring on the bye.
28. Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
Last week: No. 27
The Falcons went on the road and played the best team in their division. It was a respectable game, and Atlanta only lost by a touchdown margin. Things could be a lot worse for the Falcons at this point in the season, but they still have much to prove to get out of the bottom-10 of the power rankings.
27. Seattle Seahawks (2-3)
Last week: No. 29
Seattle managed to fail upward due to the teams ahead of them faring worse in Week 5. Nevertheless the Seahawks could have made a statement against the Saints that they weren’t in the same bracket of teams that are retooling or rebuilding in 2022. Instead they played down to the level of Saints and dropped below .500. With running back Rashaad Penny out, even more of the burden falls upon Geno Smith.
26. Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)
Last week: No. 25
The Raiders held a 17-point lead over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football and squandered the opportunity. Las Vegas has all of the firepower, but they can’t seem to close out games. By December, if the Raiders start to put it together, they could be the best example of a good team with a bad record; the perfect spoiler.
25. New Orleans Saints (2-3)
New Orleans wasn’t jetlagged following their heartbreaking loss in London last week. Taysom Hill was an integral part of the Saints rebounding with a victory over the Seahawks. New Orleans may not be the top team in their division, but they are starting to put together a foundation to be a formidable team later on in the schedule.
24. Cleveland Browns (2-3)
Last week: No. 23
The Browns are trending downward, which doesn’t do well for their prospects to make noise in the postseason once they get their quarterback situation straightened out. The one saving grace, if any, is that the Los Angeles Chargers are starting to hang around as a good team, but it illustrates the growing gap between Cleveland and the good teams.
23. Chicago Bears (2-3)
Last week: No. 24
The Bears were right there at the end with the Minnesota Vikings, who are undisputed division leaders, but fumbled the game away late in the fourth quarter. It is one thing to hang around with teams like the Texans in the fourth quarter; it is another to still be in it against the Vikings on the road. Chicago still needs to add wins to give credibility to the Matt Eberflus era.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4)
Last week: No. 21
Pittsburgh is taking a step back with the insertion of Kenny Pickett into the lineup, but with the hope that it will leads to bounds forward for the long-term. Throw in the absence of T.J. Watt, and 2022 is quickly becoming a season to forget for the Steel City.
21. Denver Broncos (2-3)
Last week: No. 22
It almost would have been better if the Broncos would have kicked the field goal and played for a tie against the Indianapolis Colts. It isn’t that the Broncos are sub .500; the AFC West is a tough division. It is that the pairing of Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson to this point has looked like the offense is mimicking the worst of Wilson in Seattle and the worst of Denver quarterback play prior to his arrival.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3)
Last week: No. 19
The Texans have owned the Jaguars, and Week 5 represented an opportunity to exorcise a demon for the organization and show they were headed in the right direction with Doug Pederson. Instead they showed they are in the same Bermuda Triangle with Houston that the Indianapolis Colts are at TIAA Bank Field.
19. Miami Dolphins (3-2)
Last week: No. 13
That the Dolphins have gone from Tua Tagovailoa to Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson at quarterback tells you all that is relevant about the direction of the team. Until Miami is able to get their starter back under center, they will continue to look hapless and vulnerable.
18. Arizona Cardinals (2-3)
Last week: No. 16
The Cardinals have one more week to endure until Kyler Murray can start getting reinforcements. The matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles would have been interesting to see if the Cardinals indeed had those weapons. The NFC West is still not out of reach with the Los Angeles Rams tumbling.
17. New York Jets (3-2)
Last week: No. 20
Getting to .500 at the five-game mark has to be a great feeling for Jets fans, who had to endure the Adam Gase era and the humbling beginnings of the Robert Saleh regime. With Zach Wilson under center, the Jets are more of a problem for teams than they were in the early part with Joe Flacco. October will really tell the tale of where the Jets are as an organization.
16. New England Patriots (2-3)
Last week: No. 18
Even though the Patriots are below .500, it still feels like quite the accomplishment they won two games so far. Bill Belichick found a way to navigate the quarterback issues in Week 5. The challenge going forward will be to keep rookie Bailey Zappe in favorable situations that allows the Patriots’ run game and defense to win games.
15. Indianapolis Colts (2-2-1)
Last week: No. 17
Jonathan Taylor being out made things look bleak for the Colts, but they found a way to gut out a tough road win and keep pace with the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South. Indianapolis has to fix the offense fast or fortify on defense.
14. San Francisco 49ers (3-2)
Last week: No. 14
The 49ers beat up on the worst team in the league and got their coach fired. It is kind of what a division leader is supposed to do. They did have a productive offensive showcase with Jimmy Garoppolo completing 18 passes on 30 attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns. San Francisco needs to ride the hot hand and let Trey Lance watch.
13. Los Angeles Rams (2-3)
Last week: No. 8
Something is wrong with the Rams’ offense, and it could be that they have played the 49ers and Cowboys defenses in a 168-hour span. Nevertheless Los Angeles has to get it turned around or the tale of the NFC West will be about the Cardinals versus Niners and not the Rams defending their Super Bowl.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)
Last week: No. 12
The Chargers are starting to come alive despite their frustrating start to the season. Los Angeles will need to maintain the momentum they have built throughout the two-game win streak and start stacking more if they hope to catch the Kansas City Chiefs at some point down the line.
11. New York Giants (4-1)
Last week: No. 15
The Giants managed to weather the early storm from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers and came out strong in the second half. New York has undergone an attitude shift with coach Brian Daboll and Don “Wink” Martindale as defensive coordinator. No doubt the Giants should be contenders for a wild-card spot in January, but can they truly be the Cinderella to capture the division crown? October will be an interesting thread to unravel.
10. Green Bay Packers (3-2)
Last week: No. 5
Having a 10-point halftime cushion should have been enough for a Rodgers-led team to close out against a young team still trying to find its identity. The losses Green Bay has taken this year to the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants leave a question as to whether the Packers are a reliable team in 2022.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
Last week: No. 4
The Bengals had a chance to shrug off their inconsistencies, but they weren’t able to do it against the Ravens in prime time. Even though Cincinnati remains the defending AFC North champions, they feel like they have lost command of the division to Baltimore.
8. Tennessee Titans (3-2)
Last week: No. 11
The Titans appear to be back on their winning formula as Derrick Henry had 28 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn’t have to do much as he went 15-of-25 for 181 yards and a touchdown. It is a long season, and last year showed that the attrition of the regular season got to their playmakers. So far, so good.
7. Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
Last week: No. 9
Cooper Rush is doing a great job of allowing the Cowboys defense to remain in a position where they can remain aggressive, which has been the true secret sauce with Dak Prescott gone. The offense is still bottom-10 worst in the NFL in consequential metrics such as points per game, third down conversions, and red zone efficiency.
6. Minnesota Vikings (4-1)
Last week: No. 10
Minnesota can only play who is on their schedule, but the fact that they are leading the NFC North with a rookie coach and the whole offense looks revitalized is a positive sign for 2022. If the Vikings can keep the momentum throughout October, it should set them up for a November where they can really make a statement as to how the Kevin O’Connell experiment is going.
5. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
Last week: No. 7
Things appear to be going to the Ravens’ way. The win was much needed after two straight weeks of John Harbaugh’s gambles not paying off. Aside from the Bengals, the Ravens may not face another credible threat from inside the AFC North.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
Last week: No. 6
Tampa Bay needed a tune-up game against a division foe like the Falcons. What the rest of the NFL is waiting to see is how the Bucs are able to hold up against better competition. Nevertheless getting a division win can be chicken soup for the soul for a contender finding consistency.
3. Buffalo Bills (4-1)
Last week: No. 3
Good teams find ways to bully teams that aren’t in their same bracket, and that is precisely what the Bills did to the Steelers at home with a 38-3 smackdown. If not for the loss to the Miami Dolphins, who are unraveling, the Bills would be one of the last undefeated squads in the league.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
Last week: No. 2
Good teams also find ways to come back down 17-0 at home against a division rival that knows them about as well as they know themselves. The Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce connection was outstanding with four touchdown passes. The Chiefs usually are hot through this part of the schedule, which should allow them to build a nice beachhead for when the attrition of the regular season catches up to them in December.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (5-0)
Last week: No. 1
The Eagles can only play who is on their schedule, and if 5-0 is so easy in the NFL, where are the other teams? Even with Cooper Rush under center, the Eagles will get a real test in Week 6 when they take on the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. If the Eagles are undefeated by that point, it is hard to argue against unseating them as No. 1 in the power rankings.
