NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Cowboys, Pats rising at quarter mark; unbeaten Vikings fall out of top 10

The 49ers found choppy waters against the Broncos. That didn't deter them from reaching their destination. The usual suspects -- Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle -- banded together to revive San Francisco's offense in the second half, and with the defense delivering its best showing since Week 1, the Niners achieved an impressive win over a legitimate contender.

The average fan might view Sunday's four-quarter battle with the Raiders as a red mark on Kansas City's résumé. Not me. Las Vegas is scrappy and worthy of respect. Lesser teams would have crumbled in the desert. The Chiefs did the opposite, delivering timely, game-altering plays in the fourth quarter and holding on for a win made possible by the strength of their balanced, dynamic offense.

One week after falling to the Commanders in one of the biggest upsets of the young season, Seattle rebounded, handling a Chargers team that is gifting opponents opportunities on a weekly basis. The Seahawks jumped out to a 27-6 lead over the wayward Bolts before taking their foot off the gas a little too early, allowing Los Angeles to make things interesting before the clock struck zero.

The Ravens proved early on that they were the superior team on Sunday, stuffing the Titans in a second quarter goal-to-go situation and taking a 24-7 lead into halftime. Tennessee found life late to make it a one-score game, but that happened only after Lamar Jackson exited due to an ankle injury, a development that leaves me somewhat concerned about Baltimore's short-term potential.

Denver traveled to Santa Clara with an opportunity to prove itself as an elite contender in Week 4 and battled commendably for most of the afternoon. Familiar pitfalls resurfaced, though. The Broncos couldn't generate offense consistently and gifted the 49ers an opportunity to score in a 3-3 game. They woke up offensively far too late. They also lost both of their starting cornerbacks to injury, taking some of the teeth out of their stellar defense and leaving me with the same disappointed feeling. Denver's slight tick up in this week's Power Rankings comes courtesy of Buffalo's fall.

The Jaguars have established a clear identity through four weeks: The offense seeks to establish a credible running threat and then works off the efforts of Trevor Lawrence, allowing the defense -- a unit that is better than its reputation suggests -- to do its job by earning an extra possession or two for Lawrence and Co. In Week 4, that strategy saw Jacksonville build a 10-point lead by halftime and secure a big road win over a talented Bengals team. The Jags' 13 penalties prevented them from enjoying an easier second half, though. That's something they’ll need to clean up.

After snatching victory from the powder blue and gold jaws of defeat in Week 3, Buffalo followed up that uneven showing with another perplexing performance. The Bills inexplicably went away from reigning NFL rushing king James Cook, gave up too many big plays to a Patriots offense that entered Week 4 searching for answers, and then saw their most trusted member, Josh Allen, toss away possession in the biggest moment. They're 3-1, but the Bills have messes they need to clean up before Halloween.

The "D" in Dallas stands for dichotomy. The 2026 Cowboys boast an incredibly explosive offense capable of carrying them to wins, but also must overcome their leaky defense. On Sunday, they managed to do so in thrilling fashion, scoring a final-minute touchdown to take down the Texans and win the battle of the Lone Star State. The 'Boys are moving up this week because of how they impressed me with their mettle amid adversity -- although I'm still highly concerned about their defensive liabilities.

Sunday's loss to the Jaguars showed the value of Ja'Marr Chase to Joe Burrow and the rest of the Bengals' offense. Chase's first-half exit forced Burrow to look elsewhere, with the quarterback leaning heavily on Tee Higgins and Dohnte Meyers amid a frantic comeback attempt necessitated by the mistakes Cincinnati made earlier in the contest. Burrow threw two interceptions in a sloppy outing, a home game the Bengals will regret losing.

One of the most lopsided victories in recent memory finished in favor of Chicago, a team led by a coach who might be quarterback-proof. In the last two weeks, Ben Johnson has directed offenses led by second- and third-string quarterbacks, and the Bears haven't missed a beat. Chicago's win over the Jets was especially stunning when considering the time of possession (42:45 to 17:15) and total-plays differential (89 to 32), wide margins you simply don't see in the modern NFL. It's a testament to Johnson's ability as a coach.

I’ll admit that I’m not buying in. I think the Vikings are one of the most fraudulent 4-0 teams you'll ever see. Their offense is downright putrid and makes for a difficult viewing experience each week. Their defense, meanwhile, is special and once again carried them to a win, this time over the lowly (but scrappy) Dolphins. I'm left wondering how long they can get away with that style of play. Through four weeks, nobody has rankled them.

There are no moral victories here, but the Raiders sure have plenty to be proud of after their narrow Week 4 loss to Kansas City. The upstart Las Vegas squad battled with big brother for four quarters and nearly handed the Chiefs their first loss of 2026. Kirk Cousins is playing fantastically, and the defensive additions have helped transform the team from an also-ran into a squad that deserves a ton of respect. I'm not sure how the story will end, but I'm glad we're along for the ride.

For three quarters, serious, nearly existential questions began to build for these Rams. They’d fallen behind in Philadelphia and couldn’t get out of their own way offensively, raising the specter of a 1-3 start to a season that began with immense hype. But Sean McVay’s squad proved something amid the chaos of a fourth-quarter comeback: L.A. is not going to lay down, no matter the odds. Matthew Stafford needs to be better, though.

After a rough Week 3 showing, Bryce Young returned to top form, carving up Detroit’s defense for 329 passing yards and two touchdowns. Chuba Hubbard did his part, too, finishing with 122 rushing yards and two TDs, while Tetairoa McMillan produced a career night, catching 14 passes for 192 yards and two scores. That’s an explosive offense, folks. The Panthers notched their most impressive win of the season despite missing several key players, including WR2 Jalen Coker, which makes their latest triumph even more notable.

Prime-time Bijan Robinson struck again, and this time, he brought his surname pal, Brian Robinson Jr., to the party. The two combined for five touchdowns on the ground, opening up plenty of passing opportunities for Michael Penix Jr. and allowing Atlanta to steamroll New Orleans in emphatic fashion. We should be cautiously optimistic as of now because it is only two stellar showings, but the early-season panic that preceded Penix’s return feels as if it happened months ago. We’ll find out if these Falcons are for real over the next three weeks in home games against Baltimore, Chicago and San Francisco.

We saw on Sunday night that the key to beating the Lions is doing everything possible to bottle up Jahmyr Gibbs. A less effective Gibbs meant Jared Goff was forced to look elsewhere, leading to a couple of fruitless drives in the fourth quarter of a winnable game that ended in a loss. Detroit’s defense couldn’t limit Bryce Young, and its offense encountered a collection of potholes in crunch time.

Hey, look at that: a three-game winning streak for the Browns, a team I thought might not eclipse four wins this season. They’re tied for first in the AFC North and have regained their defensive identity, harassing Aaron Rodgers all Thursday night. Even better: Deshaun Watson and the offense found a rhythm before the fourth quarter. Cautious optimism reigns here, because I’m not certain Cleveland has beaten a good team yet.

What a bounce-back effort from the Patriots, a team that Mike Vrabel was rightfully concerned about after its disaster in Jacksonville one week prior. Drake Maye started to get back on track Sunday, delivering a few clutch plays after struggling mightily to start the season. A road win over Buffalo is big in the AFC East race and represents a return to competence for the Patriots. Now they need to prove it wasn’t a fluke.

I remain flummoxed by the Giants. Their defense played the part I expected early in Sunday’s game, serving as a turnstile against the Cardinals’ offense and allowing the opponent to take a 14-3 lead rather quickly. But John Harbaugh’s team is mentally tough and gritty, which it demonstrated with a comeback effort, its defensive improvement and the final goal-line stand (for a second straight week). Jameis Winston will always provide us with a roller coaster of an experience, but he deserves credit for making a few quality plays in this one. Going forward, I’m still not sure what the Giants' winning formula is.

One week after losing a wild, back-and-forth battle to the Raiders, the Saints became a sieve. Atlanta ran all over New Orleans on Monday night, piling up 205 rushing yards and detonating a Saints team that simply couldn’t resist whatever it was the Falcons wanted to do offensively. Tyler Shough did his best to try to keep the Saints in the game and ripped a handful of excellent throws, but the offensive onslaught and the relentless pressure generated by Atlanta’s pass rush was simply too much to overcome, exposing New Orleans’ mortality and dampening its outlook after four weeks.

Sunday's loss to the Rams represented a new low for Philadelphia’s offense, which was missing a collection of key contributors. Its performance could be excused by the absences, including an early exit from Saquon Barkley, but the fashion in which the Eagles let the game slip away is more concerning. Philly’s defense hasn’t been as good as expected, either. This team must figure things out quickly with Jacksonville, Carolina and Dallas up next.

Sometimes an unfortunate injury produces a favorable outcome for the opposition. That’s part of what helped the Colts on Sunday, as they capitalized on Marcus Mariota’s exit, overcame two Daniel Jones turnovers (which are becoming a concerning problem) and recorded some quality victories for their maligned defense against a third-string rookie quarterback. You’ll take any and every win in this league, although this one doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence in these rankings.

I think it’s safe to remove the “elite” tag from the Texans’ defense. For a second straight week, C.J. Stroud gave Houston a late lead, and the defense failed to protect it. Kamari Lassiter had an especially terrible day, giving up eight receptions for 136 yards on 11 targets as the closest defender, per Next Gen Stats. Houston’s defense didn’t generate organic pressure, resorting to blitzes against a quarterback (Dak Prescott) you certainly should not blitz often. The Texans paid the price and have wasted a rather strong stretch from Stroud, who is no longer the problem in Houston.

The Jets I’ve believed in punched me in the gut in a remarkably lopsided loss to Chicago. The numbers are staggering: New York ran just 32 plays to Chicago’s 89 and was outgained in yardage 492-157. This is a staggering setback that requires an entire team to look long and hard in the mirror, which is a disappointing stage to reach when I’ve seen this squad's (unfulfilled) potential, I swear! That said, I don’t know how much longer I can stay on this bandwagon.

The Steelers’ offense fell back into a rut for most of Thursday night, and the relationship between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy seemed to sour further -- that is, until a desperate fourth quarter saw Rodgers and DK Metcalf suddenly torch Cleveland’s secondary for a game-tying score. The late outburst doesn’t paper over the earlier issues, though, and Pittsburgh’s defense failed to get after Deshaun Watson despite facing an offensive line that was missing two of its starters (and replaced one with a rookie). The jury is still out on the Steelers, who seem like a middling-at-best team right now.

I thought I could count on Arizona’s offense to produce at a competitive rate on a weekly basis. The unit did so in two of its first three games and continued to do so on the first two drives against the Giants. Unfortunately, the rut the Cardinals entered (and their failure to find the end zone late) has shaken my confidence in this team. For once, the defense did its part to give Arizona a chance -- at least early -- and the offense failed to capitalize. Perhaps this is what I should have expected from the Cardinals all along.

The Packers won on Sunday in Tampa, which is nice. It was an ugly one and included the loss of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (for the season), but at least Green Bay held off the angry mob for a week. The rushing attack was a little bit better (finally), taking some pressure off Jordan Love, but this is still far from the product we expected from the Pack.

Things went from bad to worse for Washington when Marcus Mariota exited Sunday’s game overseas, leaving the Commanders with rookie third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis as their last hope. The ensuing results didn’t surprise anyone, but I’d like to give Washington’s defense credit for continuing to exceed expectations, even after giving up 30 points. This D is better than that number suggests. Hopefully Washington's starting quarterback can return soon.

Haters who haven’t watched the Dolphins will call them the worst team in the league. I am not a hater. Miami is on a slow-but-steady track of improvement, showing signs of progress with each week. It's still a low-ceiling offense and the team remains winless, but I see the vision Jeff Hafley has for the Fins.

It's gone from bad to worse in Tampa, where rookie Jalon Daniels did some decent things while also throwing two interceptions in a three-point loss. There isn’t much good to write about this team in any department (although I was happy to see Sean Tucker get a few touches), and it sure feels like this franchise is headed toward a crossroads.

The Chargers’ offense is broken, Justin Herbert’s attempt to play hero is actively hurting their chances, and Jim Harbaugh is being forced to answer questions regarding OC Mike McDaniel’s job security. It’s clear Herbert isn’t yet comfortable in McDaniel’s offense, and a rash of offensive line injuries worsened matters against the defending champs on Sunday. Credit is due to the Chargers for fighting back, but as of now, it’s difficult to find any confidence in them.

Tennessee is another team operating with a low-ceiling offense, but not necessarily because the roster lacks talent. It seems like a unit that needs more time on task in Brian Daboll’s system. Cam Ward is struggling to find himself in the scheme, which isn’t exactly utilizing his greatest strengths, either. The margin for error for this Titans team is incredibly slim because of its own difficulties, which is why the Ravens were able to coast through a second half without Lamar Jackson and hang on to win.