Week 5 NFL Power Rankings

Another week of action and 5 teams remain flawless. The Colts, Giants, Saints, and Vikings have lived up to expectations thus far while the Broncos have been a pleasant surprise. The Monday Night game between the Packers and the Vikings in the Brett Favre bowl definitely delivered. It was Favre's best game this year and maybe one of his best games in the last three years. There was definitely a different feel than most regular season games. The Saints showed how good they could be when they are balanced on offense and are playing at a high level on defense. This team might finally be complete enough to make a serious Super Bowl run. This week we saw one of the problems with the new protect the QB rule. I definitely believe that QBs need to be protected because they are always in the line of fire, but giving special watch to "the golden boy" Tom Brady while others are getting slammed is a complete farce. This rule is open to discretion...start calling it all the plays that look cheap and not ones where a guy clearly misses the quarterback. I'm not the biggest Tom Brady fan and this week needless to say I was not happy with those two calls.

There is a little shakeup at the top this week as the Colts leap frog the Giants. The Broncos jump into the top 10 and the bottom few are pretty close in mediocrity.

2009 Power Rankings (going into Week 5):

1.(2) Colts (4-0): Peyton Manning keeps getting it done and looks better than ever. A weak Titans' defense is the next target for the Colts.
2.(1) Giants (4-0): Eli Manning is a little banged up, but probably won't have to do too much when Oakland comes to town.
3.(4) Saints (4-0): The first two weeks it was the passing game, then it was the ground game, and this week it was the defense that won the game. This team looks very complete and enters their bye feeling very good.
4.(5) Vikings (4-0): Number 4 strikes again! He may have said it wasn't revenge, but he played especially well. Must have been cause it was Monday Night. And oh yea...Jared Allen is a beast. This team is starting to hit their groove.
5.(5) Jets (3-1): Mark Sanchez welcome to the NFL and the true road experience. Sanchez showed that he is still a rookie, but he will learn from the loss and be better for it.
6.(3) Ravens (3-1): They gave the Patriots everything and still fell a little short. There may have been a couple questionable calls, but WR Mark Clayton needed to make that catch. That is what cost the Ravens the game, period.
7.(7) Patriots (3-1): Well after a couple shaky games, the Patriots win back to back big games. Tom Brady needs to act like an NFL player and let the defenses play and not cry if he gets hit.
8.(13) Broncos (4-0): Not many expected them to be 4-0 at this point. A good amount didn't even expect them to win 4 games through 16 games. This team is winning with defense. Next week they get their biggest challenge: the Patriots. Let's see how good this team really is.
9.(8) Falcons (2-1): A week off allowed them to regroup after the Patriots' loss. Now they get the 49ers to start the rest of the season...let's see how they respond against another good team.
10.(9) Eagles (2-1): The team got banged up early on, but it looks like both QB Donovan McNabb and HB Brian Westbrook will be back this week. This team could become one of the best teams with both of those guys on the field.
11.(12) Bengals (3-1): The Bungles are back to the Bengals. They were very close to being 4-0 and continue to show the league that they are back. It looks like QB Carson Palmer is healthy again and WR Chad Ochocinco is focused again.
12.(14) 49ers (3-1): One miracle play from being 4-0. Way to come back after a loss: 35-0 blanking of the Rams. This team is exceeding expectations and Coach Mike Singletary is keeping them humble, which will keep them focused each week to play hard.
13.(10) Packers (2-2): They fell a little short against Brett Favre and the Vikings. Despite being hit and pounded all night by Jared Allen and the Vikings' defense, QB Aaron Rodgers played a great game. The rematch should be good in a month.
14.(13) Bears (3-1): They are playing better than last year and put a beatdown on the lowly Lions. They make the NFC North very much a three way race.
15.(16) Steelers (2-2): HB Rashard Mendenhall was unleashed on the Chargers this week. They built a big lead and that was probably what saved them in the end. They need to get a killer instinct at the end of the game or this team is in jeopardy of losing more games than they should.
16.(11) Chargers (2-2): They were very flat for three quarters and fell a little short of a big comeback victory in Pittsburgh. That seems to be their biggest issue this year: playing a complete 60 minute game. When they master that, they will be a top contender.
17.(19) Cardinals (1-2): A week off to recover after a big loss to the Colts. Now they turn to the Texans. Should play better.
18.(21) Jaguars (2-2): They looked bad for the first two weeks, but after the last two weeks they are showed the potential that was expected of them last year. They could make a run and challenge the Colts at this rate.
19.(20) Texans (2-2): Last week was almost like a bye for the Texans. They looked especially good against a sorry Raiders team. A nice test against the Cardinals looms next.
20.(14) Cowboys (2-2): This team is underachieving. Or are they not as good as many think. QB Tony Romo is not playing like a top quarterback and is definitely dragging the team down. The running game was stalled in the second half and thus opened the door for the Broncos.
21.(25) Dolphins (1-3): Finally, they were able to break through for a win. They were able to use the running game to get a victory, but will need QB Chad Henne to improve in order to win games when the running game isn't working.
22.(26) Redskins (2-2): They barely survived another game they were supposed to win. A win is a win I guess. But this team needs to seriously improve the offense when they are playing good to great teams.
23.(18) Titans (0-4): I don't think anyone would have predicted this start. They might be missing their defensive coordinator and DT Albert Haynesworth as their defense is giving up lots of yards and points this year. Next up: Peyton Manning and the Colts. Not good.
24.(23) Panthers (0-3): Hopefully after a week off, they will come out inspire this week. Things don't look good this year for them.
25.(22) Bills (1-3): This whole shotgun-no huddle offense is not really producing like expected. They definitely need to go back to the drawing board.
26.(24) Seahawks (1-3): Without QB Matt Hasselbeck, this team is very average to bad. They are in a very similar situation as last year when they went 4-12.
27.(27) Raiders (1-3): It looked like the black hole was getting brighter, but got darker that fast. This team can't do anything right. There so-so defensive is their best phase of the game. Another bad season looks likely.
28.(28) Lions (1-3): Back to losing...in a big way. They got the taste of victory and quickly went back to the flavor of defeat within a week. Hopefully QB Matt Stafford recovers in order to give this team a chance to play competitive this year.
29.(29) Chiefs (0-4): They were getting blown out and couldn't tackle. This team is still very young and inexperience.
30.(30) Buccaneers (0-4): They came close to a victory, but still remain without a win. They have many holes and it looks like a long season ahead.
31.(31) Browns (0-4): The offense played better this week and it took overtime for them to lose. They might have a spark with QB Derek Anderson. Time will tell.
32.(32) Rams (0-4): HB Steven Jackson looks to be on an island by himself. This team is sad. They have been shutout in two of the four games thus far. Wow.

There are 5 undefeated teams going into week 5, lets see how many can keep up their winning ways. On the flip side, will any of those handful of winless teams get a win this week.