After five weeks of the NFL season, there are no undefeated teams left with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles both taking their first loss on Sunday.
But while the standings may be relatively bunched together with minimal separation at the top of the divisions, there’s enough clarity at this point to tell apart the contenders from the pretenders — for the most part.
To that end, let’s break down the NFL power rankings into tiers …
Super Bowl or bust
1A. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1): Many have knocked the Eagles off their perch after their first loss, which seems a bit of an overreaction. Yes, they gave up 18 points in the fourth quarter. Yes, it was a bad quarter of football. Nonetheless, they lost 21-17 to a Broncos team everyone has seemingly been touting since last season ended. They’re 4-1, the defending Super Bowl champs and they clearly haven’t played to their top potential on either side of the ball yet. Do they still have Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, the Tush Push and all that talent in the defensive front seven? Yes? OK then.
1B. Detroit Lions (4-1): There’s no denying the Lions have it rolling now, winning four straight since that season-opening loss to the Packers. Detroit is scoring a NFL-best 34.8 points per game without Ben Johnson. Maybe being loaded with talent at every skill position is more important than who is calling the plays. All of that said, last year was going to be the Lions year too and they lost in the divisional round to the Commanders. So we’re not ready to put them ahead of the reigning champs just yet.
3. Buffalo Bills (4-1): The Bills lost 23-20 to an improving Patriots team in a game that went down to the wire. That doesn’t change the fact they have the reigning NFL MVP in QB Josh Allen, who is capable of willing this team to victory any given week regardless of circumstances. Buffalo is 4-1, ranks third in the NFL in scoring (30.6 PPG) and total offense (395.8 YPG) and has been oh-so-close in the postseason for several years now.
Playoff locks
4. Green Bay Packers (2-1-1): The Packers have been the ultimate source of NFL overreaction. When they beat the Lions in Week 1 after the huge trade for defensive game-wrecker Micah Parsons, many immediately tabbed them as favorites in the NFC. Then they lost 13-10 at Cleveland after controlling the game until a big fourth quarter interception set up the Browns for their first touchdown, and a blocked field goal with 27 seconds left set the Browns up for a game-winning field goal of their own. And, of course, the Packers followed with the overtime tie with the Cowboys after a 40-40 shootout. With that, they’ve tumbled down many power rankings list, but not ours. The offense line is getting healthy after the bye, the playmakers are aplenty and the defense will impact plenty of games moving forward.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1): Aside from the Lions, there hasn’t been a more entertaining team than the 4-1 Buccaneers. No deficit seems daunting for the Bucs with Baker Mayfield at the helm. He rallied Tampa Bay back again last weekend in the final minutes, turning a seven-point deficit with 3:18 left into a 38-35 win. But can the Bucs really maintain this high-wire act week after week? All of their wins have come by one, two or three points, and their lone loss to the Eagles was a one-score game as well. That said, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is one of the breakout stars of the league this year, and Mayfield has yet to have all of his top pass-catchers healthy at the same time with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
6. San Francisco 49ers (4-1): Kyle Shanahan is one of the top coaches in the NFL and showed it again last Thursday by guiding an injury-depleted roster led by backup QB Mac Jones to a 26-23 overtime road win over the Rams. The 49ers are 4-1 with the only blemish a five-point loss to the Jaguars. If they get to full-strength offensively (and keep RB Christian McCaffrey healthy) they’ll be as formidable as team come playoff time.
Fun teams on the rise, but it’s still early
7. Indianapolis Colts (4-1): This seems bold for team quarterbacked by Daniel Jones, but the Giants castoff has found new life in Indy. The Colts are second in scoring at 32.6 PPG and fourth in total offense at 381.2 YPG, with running back Jonathan Taylor leading the NFL in rushing (480 yards). That said, it must be noted that three of the Colts’ four wins have been against the Dolphins, Titans and Raiders (who are all 1-4).
8. Washington Commanders (3-2): The Commanders went 12-5 last year and reached the NFC championship game in in QB Jayden Daniels’ rookie season and the first year under head coach Dan Quinn. And with Daniels back Sunday after a two-game injury absence — which included a loss to the Falcons with backup QB Marcus Mariota filling in — Washington looked a lot like that 2024 team again, rolling to a dominant 27-10 road win over the Chargers in Los Angeles.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1): Are the Jaguars too low on this list after winning on the road over the 49ers and home against the Chiefs in back-to-back weeks? Maybe. We’ll even say probably. But we’re going to remain a tad bit skeptical of QB Trevor Lawrence’s transformation until the sample size gets a little bigger. But give first-year head coach Liam Coen all the credit for making an immediate impact and changing the perception of this team in just five weeks.
10. Denver Broncos (3-2): The Broncos may look back on those 18 unanswered fourth-quarter points and 21-17 upset road win over the Eagles as a pivotal moment in their season. Many expected Denver to take a leap this season, but a 2-2 start with wins over the lowly Titans and the reeling Joe Burrow-less Bengals didn’t really move the needle. The win Sunday sure did. At their best, the Broncos can lean on their defense for stretches, while the offensive upside is fully attached to second-year QB Bo Nix’s continued development and emergence. We just need to see a little more to fully buy-in.
Not counting them out at all
11. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3): Yes, this is respect for everything we know the Chiefs to be under Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Co. This season hasn’t started well for Kansas City, but losses to the Chargers, Eagles and Jaguars aren’t necessarily damning. Also, Mahomes looked just fine Monday night while passing for 318 yards and leading the Chiefs to a clutch go-ahead touchdown inside the final 2 minutes. The Kansas City defense ultimately let that slip away on some incredible plays by Lawrence and a dumb pass interference penalty in the end zone or else this is a 3-2 team with momentum. And the Chiefs offense has looked different the last two games since speedy WR Xavier Worthy returned from injury. So, no, we’re not sleeping on any Mahomes-Reid team. In fact, they should probably be higher on this list.
12. Los Angeles Rams (3-2): Losing 26-23 at home to the 49ers in overtime — rather, losing to Mac Jones and a depleted 49ers team at home — stings, no doubt. But let’s not overreact. The Rams’ other loss came on the road at Philadelphia, and they handed Indianapolis its lone loss. As long as Matt Stafford and Puka Nacua are healthy, the Rams should find their way to the playoffs — and up these power rankings.
Wait and see (but no Super Bowl this season)
13. Seattle Seahawks (3-2): There’s no doubt the Seahawks are a team on the rise under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald. Letting a late lead slip away at home to Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers on Sunday in a 38-35 loss was a tough outcome, and Seattle also blew a late fourth quarter lead in its 17-13 Week 1 loss to the 49ers. So the Seahawks are that close to really making a statement early this season. QB Sam Darnold is playing well, like he did in the regular-season for Minnesota last year, but the way his Vikings tenure finished still leaves some skepticism as to whether 2024 was an outlier or turning point for the well-traveled former No. 3 overall pick.
14. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2): This season sure started well for the Chargers with a 3-0 start and big division wins over the Chiefs and Broncos. But they’ve lost two straight now, taken real hits to the offensive line and lost their top two running backs — including exciting rookie Omarion Hampton — to injured reserve. With coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert, it’s too soon to sour on the Chargers, but they need to stem the tide soon after losses to the Giants and Commanders.
15. Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1): Are the Cowboys good enough to win the Super Bowl? No. But they are fun to watch with QB Dak Prescott playing some of his best football, even with his top target CeeDee Lamb out with injury. In fact, Dallas is the top offensive team in the NFL statistically (406.6 YPG).
16. New England Patriots (3-2): The Patriots scored one of the biggest wins of Week 5 with second-year QB Drake Maye outdueling reigning MVP Josh Allen in a 23-20 win over the Bills. Maye is already showing himself to be a top-10 quarterback in the league, and the Patriots should only get better over the course of this season and in coming years with Mike Vrabel in charge.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1): Technically, the Steelers could probably fit in the “playoff locks” section, but that’s only because the AFC North is a disaster with the Ravens totally falling apart, the Burrow-less Bengals looking hopeless and the Browns … yeah. But it’s hard to put the Steelers any higher on this list. Mike Tomlin should extend his impressive streak of non-losing seasons, but is this team going to make noise in the playoffs with a soon-to-be 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers (who is averaging just 196.5 passing yards per game)? Doubtful.
18. Houston Texans (2-3): The Texans opened the season with three straight losses to the Rams, Buccaneers and Jaguars before blowing out the lowly Titans and the reeling Ravens. This team seems to have taken a step back after back-to-back 10-7 seasons the last two years, but there’s a lot of football left and DeMeco Ryans is a good coach so, true to this tier, we’ll see.
19. Baltimore Ravens (1-4): Time is running out to turn things around, and maybe the Ravens’ messy injury situation will keep that from happening. But this was one of the best teams in the NFL last season and expected to be so again this year. If star QB Lamar Jackson gets healthy and RB Derrick Henry gets rolling, the upside will always be there. It’s simply too soon to count out Baltimore. But the turnaround has to start soon.
Uninspiring but not dead yet
20. Minnesota Vikings (3-2): Somehow this team is 3-2 despite rookie QB J.J. McCarthy looking entirely unready for the moment in a 22-6 Week 2 loss to the Falcons before missing the last three games due to injury as well-traveled backup Carson Wentz went 2-1 with wins over the Bengals and Browns. The Vikings have a bye this week as McCarthy returns to practice. The rest of the roster is talented enough as it showed in going 14-3 last season, but it’s hard to think either McCarthy or Wentz can get this team back to the playoffs. Minnesota is surely missing Sam Darnold about now.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3): The Bengals have looked hopeless in three straight losses since Joe Burrow’s toe injury that is expected to sideline him at least two months with no guarantee he plays again this season. So much so they just acquired Joe Flacco from the Browns. That may be the only reason we don’t have the Bengals in the bottom tier — can Flacco find some late-career magic one more time and keep this team afloat for a late-season Burrow return? He hasn’t been great this season, so probably not, especially behind Cincinnati’s bad offensive line.
22. Atlanta Falcons (2-2): It’s hard to see the Falcons catching the Buccaneers in the NFC South, and in general it just doesn’t look like second-year QB Michael Penix is ready to lead this team to a wildcard spot. Atlanta’s two wins came over Minnesota during McCarthy’s disastrous second career start and against the Commanders with backup QB Marcus Mariota. The Falcons also lost 30-0 to the Panthers, which is rather damning. At 2-2, it’s certainly too soon to write them off, but consider the Falcons longshots for the postseason.
23. Chicago Bears (2-2): The Bears won their last two games — over the Cowboys and Raiders — so it’s worth giving new head coach Ben Johnson and second-year QB Caleb Williams a longer look before levying a verdict.
Better luck next year
24. Arizona Cardinals (2-3): The Cardinals may be better than some of the teams right above them on this list, but they’re not better than the other three teams in the NFC West and already in last place. QB Kyler Murray is now questionable with a foot injury this week, the Cardinals are already down their top two running backs, etc.
25. New York Giants (1-4): Losing star WR Malik Nabers to a season-ending knee injury was a brutal blow for a team that was trying to create some momentum around rookie QB Jaxson Dart and rookie RB Cameron Skattebo. Dart will have his moments while learning on the fly, but this isn’t a playoff team.
26. Carolina Panthers (2-3): The Panthers have wins over the Falcons and Dolphins, but they got beat badly in road games at Jacksonville and New England. That’s a clear gauge of what this team is — feisty enough to beat some other bad teams but not ready to compete with the upper half of the league.
27. Miami Dolphins (1-4): The Dolphins showed some life in beating the Jets two weeks ago, but they lost WR Tyreke Hill for the season and then lost to the Panthers. It’s to see many more wins on the schedule, though the offense still has potential when things are clicking.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (1-4): The Raiders have lost four straight since beating the Patriots in Week 1. They got run off the field this past weekend by the Colts, 40-6. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to veteran head coach Pete Carroll after his first season has started so inauspiciously. Not having star tight end Brock Bowers at full strength has certainly hurt.
29. New Orleans Saints (1-4): The Saints got their first win over the weekend, 26-14 over the Giants. There are enough winnable games on the schedule the rest of the way to maybe add a few more.
30. Cleveland Browns (1-4): The Browns at least have a capable defense. Beyond that … it’s rookie QB Dillon Gabriel’s show now, which is asking a lot of a third-round draft pick.
31. Tennessee Titans (1-4): The Titans got their first win last weekend, rallying for a 22-21 win over the Cardinals. This season is purely about developing No. 1 draft pick QB Cam Ward.
32. New York Jets (0-5): The poor Jets. They changed the head coach and quarterback and look even worse than last year.