Not only do we have a new No. 1 atop the NFL Power Rankings, but the entire top of the list has been shaken up heading into Week 6.
There are but three undefeated teams remaining after five weeks of the NFL season, including one that isn’t quite like the others.
Meanwhile, the preseason Super Bowl favorites have a losing record. The defending Super Bowl champs are an even 3-3 after a loss Thursday night. A remarkable 17 teams have either 3 or 2 wins as mediocrity reigns. And at the bottom of the standings the race for the No. 1 pick is heating up in its own way.
It’s time for some major shakeups to the TeamFB7 NFL Power Rankings, starting at the very top.
(Note: With the power rankings posting on Friday this week, we couldn’t ignore the Denver Broncos’ 17-14 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, so that is factored in here.)
Tier 1 True Super Bowl Contenders
1. San Francisco 49ers (5-0, up 1 spot): A new No. 1 takes its place atop the rankings. While the Kansas City Chiefs were on a bye last week, the 49ers added to their unmatched early season resume with a 32-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Already with wins over the reigning Super Bowl champs and two other 2025 conference finalists in the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, the 49ers have earned the top spot. Just as QB Brock Purdy has earned the MVP buzz he’s getting with 1,196 passing yards, 13 TDs and 2 INTs. Keeping new WR1 Mike Evans (ribs, Achilles) healthy all season will be key, because he and Purdy have showcased quite a connection when Evans (24 catches for 326 yards and 3 TDs) has been on the field.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0, down 1 spot): Kansas City comes off of its bye week with a home game against the winless, desperate Los Angeles Charges. The rest surely served RB Kenneth Walker III well after a busy opening month as he leads the NFL by a wide margin with 134.3 rushing yards per game.
3. Buffalo Bills (4-1, up 2 spots): The Bills scored the biggest win of Week 5, going on the road and outlasting the Los Angeles Rams in overtime, 37-34. That vaulted Josh Allen’s MVP odds back to the top (+240 per DraftKings Sportsbook, just ahead of Purdy at +300) as he rushed for 121 yards and a TD and passed for 210 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT with most of those yards coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. Overall, Allen has 1,249 passing yards, 7 TDs and 4 INTs with 239 rushing yards and 8 scores. Oh, and 2025 NFL rushing leader James Cook is at it again, ranking third in the league with 532 rushing yards with 5 TDs. The Bills haven’t had much chance to see what impact WR D.J. Moore can make as he’s been limited most of the season by a shoulder injury, but it hasn’t mattered much yet as Buffalo’s lone loss came by 3 points to the New England Patriots and the Bills are tied for the NFL lead in scoring at 32.8 PPG.
4. Baltimore Ravens (4-1, up 2 spots): Last season when QB Lamar Jackson was sidelined early, the Ravens collapsed and never fully recovered. So far, they’ve weathered Jackson’s ankle injury, rallying behind backup QB Tyler Huntley to beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, 30-23. Jackson has been ruled out for the Ravens’ Week 6 clash with the Cleveland Browns as well, but he shouldn’t be out much longer. At full strength, the Ravens are as good as any team in the league.
5. Los Angeles Rams (2-3, down 1 spot): We just can’t knock the Rams out of this top tier despite their surprising start, but we’re not alone in that assessment. DraftKings has the Rams still with the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+700), narrowly behind the 49ers. The defense will eventually get prized offseason addition Myles Garrett back from injury, and all the while the offense has lived up to expectations while leading the NFL at 424.4 YPG (despite being middle of the pack at 23.8 PPG). In two games since returning from injury, Puka Nacua has a combined 26 receptions for 263 yards while reigning MVP Matthew Stafford leads the league in passing yards (1,572) and Davante Adams is having a resurgent season, currently sixth in receiving yards at 441 with 4 TDs. Aside from the jet-lagged debacle in Australia in Week 1 vs. the 49ers, the Rams have lost by 4 points on the road to the Denver Broncos and by 3 points at home the Bills.
Tier 2 Contenders
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1, up 3 spots): Yes, the Jaguars were fortunate to steal a win over the Eagles in London last week despite falling behind with 8 seconds remaining and needing a 53-yard kickoff return and 57-yard field goal to win it. But we just can’t justify putting them any lower on this list or behind any of the subsequent teams. A 35-6 win over the Patriots is Jacksonville’s signature victory so far while they lost by one score on the road to the Broncos. The Jags remain in London to take on the Houston Texans this week — that game against a desperate squad trying to salvage its season will be especially telling about this Jacksonville team. But in general, the Jags just look well-coached all-around (going back to last year) and are getting good enough QB play from Trevor Lawrence (1,174 yards, 10 TDs, 3 INTs) to deserve some belief at this point.
7. New England Patriots (3-2, up 3 spots): Another big riser this week. QB Drake Maye has shaken off his early-season funk — whatever that was — and played his best game of the season last week with 374 passing yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs and a rushing TD vs. the Raiders. The Patriots could also have WR1 A.J. Brown (ankle) back as soon as Sunday vs. the New York Jets, which raises the potential for this offense substantially.
8. Chicago Bears (3-2, down 1 spot): The Bears got mixed results in three games without QB Caleb Williams, but Williams is nearing a return from his hamstring injury and officially listed as questionable for Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons. That’s obviously a game-changer for the team and what coach Ben Johnson can do with the offense.
9. Minnesota Vikings (5-0, up 5 spots): At a certain point, we just have to honor the record. The Vikings are the aforementioned undefeated team that doesn’t really look like the other two, in that Minnesota’s offense has been very suspect so far, ranking bottom half of the league in both yards (283.0/game) and points (21.8/game). But QB Kyler Murray played his best game yet as a Viking last week in a 23-13 road win over the Saints, completing 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a TD with 51 rushing yards. What has carried Minnesota to this point is its NFL-leading defense as coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy scheme has given up the fewest points (12.8/game) and second-fewest yards (259.8/game) so far. The Vikings should have a good chance to stay unbeaten while taking on a struggling Colts squad this week.
10. Denver Broncos (4-2, down 2): Yes, the Broncos drop two spots despite their aforementioned overtime win over the Seahawks on Sunday. Almost all of the narrative coming out of that 17-14 defensive slugfest has been about QB Bo Nix’s mounting struggles as he threw for just 107 yards and 0 TDs on 27 passes. Nix is throwing for just 174.8 passing YPG with 6 TDs and 3 INTs and got eviscerated Thursday night by analyst and former NFL QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The advanced metrics aren’t any kinder. The Broncos may be 4-2, but they rank 31st in the NFL in total offense (252.2 YPG) and 26th in scoring (19.0 PPG).
11. Seattle Seahawks (3-3, down 8 spots): The Seahawks are the biggest faller in the rankings. They simply look broken offensively and nothing like their Super Bowl title form yet. That could still change, but the loss of Walker at RB, Zach Charbonnet still sidelined in his recovery from a torn ACL and first-round rookie Jadarian Price struggling mightily before landing on injured reserve as well has decimated the rushing attack, put more pressure on QB Sam Darnold and that’s a bad recipe. Darnold is tied for the league lead with 7 interceptions (including 2 Thursday night) despite playing just four full games. Until the offense finds its identity again, these Seahawks simply can’t be looked at the same as the team that won it all last season.
Fun And Frisky But Too Flawed To Win It All
12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2, down 1 spot): It’s hard to get too excited about the Bengals when they lost back-to-back games to the Steelers and Jaguars and then won by just a touchdown over the tanking, err rebuilding, Dolphins last week while giving up 14 fourth quarter points. Alas, that Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase connection is as fun as ever, though. No teams actually want to go against this offense because of its top-end potential, but the record is what it is.
13. Atlanta Falcons (2-3, no change): The Falcons had a chance to have a freight train of momentum with a third straight win if they could have held on to an eight-point lead in the final 2 minutes vs. the Ravens and their backup QB last week. Instead, that 30-23 overtime loss to Baltimore was a deflating setback after two very impressive wins in weeks prior. Would it have been different if Michael Penix Jr. (ribs) had finished out the game rather than Tua Tagovailoa coming in to throw the game-ending interception in OT? Maybe. Penix is good to go this week in a good test vs. the Bears. Bijan Robinson (580 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards and 5 totals TDs) and Drake London (27 catches for 488 yards) have been on a tear since Penix returned to action.
14. Dallas Cowboys (2-3, down 2 spots): The Cowboys are probably still the team to beat in the NFC East with the division falling apart around them and the first-place Giants unlikely to hold that position all the way. But Dallas sure tripped over itself last week in a 24-16 home loss to the previously winless Buccaneers. It was just the latest reminder that for all the offensive firepower this team has, its defense and overall focus are suspect.
15. Detroit Lions (3-2, up 1 spot): The Lions used a trip to the desert and plum matchup with the Cardinals to get right in a 45-21 win heading into a bye this week, but NFC North showdowns the next two games with the Packers and Vikings will be more telling about Detroit’s potential.
16. Las Vegas Raiders (3-2, down 1 spot): That’s two straight losses now for the Raiders since their 3-0 start under Klint Kubiak, and the 45-17 loss to the Patriots in Week 5 was the team’s first true humbling. Las Vegas managed just 38 rushing yards on 18 carries in that one, and even another elite performance from TE Brock Bowers (8 catches for 110 yards and a TD) couldn’t save the offense.
17. Green Bay Packers (3-2, up 4 spots): For the first time all season, Green Bay looked like a playoff-caliber team in Week 5, beating up on both Bears backup QBs in a 31-7 win. The offensive line remains a big question mark, but if Jordan Love (25 of 31 for 367 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs) and Christian Watson (6 catches for 143 yards and 2 TDs in that win) can remain in sync like that, then this season is still salvageable. Especially when star edge rusher Micah Parsons eventually returns. Meanwhile, starting RB Josh Jacobs has been officially removed from the commissioner’s exempt list and could return to action in the very near future.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2, no change): RB Jaylen Warren is enjoying a belated breakout in his fifth NFL season, ranking tied for sixth in the league with 410 rushing yards while also leading the Steelers in receiving with 19 catches for 230 yards. Pittsburgh has alternated wins and losses to start the season.
19. Carolina Panthers (2-2, up 1 spot): The Panthers, of course, have also alternated wins and losses so far, just as they did for most of last season. Carolina is coming off a bye as it travels to Philadelphia this week with a prime opportunity against a beleaguered and depleted Eagles team. Bryce Young will look to build on his strong start (1,268 passing yards, 9 TDs and 2 INTs).
It Doesn’t Look Right, But This Is Where They Belong For Now
20. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3, down 3 spots): Three-fifths of the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning offensive line from just two years ago is now gone (retired right tackle Lane Johnson, traded center Cam Jurgens) or injured (standout left guard Landon Dickerson). QB Jalen Hurts is out with a blood clot. RB Saquon Barkley (hamstring) is out, backup RBs Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley are on injured reserve and star WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) could miss a third straight game. It’s not sunny at all right now in Philadelphia.
21. Houston Texans (1-4, up 2 spots): For one week at least, the 2026 Texans looked something like the 2025 Texans while dominating the lowly Titans in a 26-3 win last week for their first victory of the season. But now they go to London to play a very good Jaguars team that will tell us a lot more about whether head coach DeMeco Ryans taking over defensive play-calling truly changed anything. Newly acquired WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is set to make his debut for Houston, giving the offense another weapon.
Good Enough To Play Spoiler On Any Given Week
22. New York Giants (3-1-1, up 4 spots): Is this too low to rank a team that is currently in first place in the NFC East? On the surface, yes, but does anyone believe the Giants with Jameis Winston at QB the rest of the way are making the playoffs or actually better than any team higher on this list? Also, they should be 3-2 had the Commanders not blown the overtime outcome last week. But hey, John Harbaugh is doing a great job resetting the franchise and better days are surely ahead in the years to come.
23. Indianapolis Colts (2-3, down 4 spots): When the most notable thing about a team’s season is the unusual behavior of its owner, — in this case Carlie Irsay-Gordon standing on the sideline during games taking notes and conferring with coaches — then that says it all.
24. Cleveland Browns (3-2, down 2 spots): A 17-12 loss to the Jets snapped Cleveland’s three-game winning streak and brought the overachieving Browns back down to reality again as Deshaun Watson passed for only 155 yards and 1 TD while completing less than half of his passes (15 of 33).
25. Washington Commanders (1-3-1, up 2 spots): Can Dan Quinn possibly recover from the overtime debacle last week, letting time run out without even attempting a short field goal to win the game? Doubtful. But Jayden Daniels made it through his return without reinjuring that left non-throwing elbow, throwing for 199 yards and rushing for 103 yards and 2 scores in that tie vs. the Giants.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4, up 3 spots): The Bucs pulled off the biggest upset of Week 5, beating the Cowboys on the road in undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels’ second start. Daniels will make another start this week before Baker Mayfield likely returns the next game. Bucky Irving sparked the Bucs last week with 165 rushing yards and 2 total TDs and will need to continue to carry the offense if Tampa Bay is going to climb out of this early season hole — which in the NFC South is still a viable possibility.
27. Los Angeles Chargers (0-5, down 3 spots): The offensive line is a disaster (again), QB Justin Herbert looks broken (187.4 passing YPG, 5 TDs, 7 INTs and 17 sacks) and coach Jim Harbaugh seems to have no idea how to fix any of it.
28. New Orleans Saints (1-4, down 3 spots): The Saints bandwagon has emptied out quickly after back-to-back humbling losses to the Falcons and Vikings, including mustering just 142 offensive yards last week vs. Minnesota. Even team owner Gayle Benson seems to be questioning the direction of the team.
29. New York Jets (2-3, down 1 spot): Edge rusher David Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, had 3 sacks last week and has 5 in his first five games now, putting himself squarely in the conversation for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Race For The No. 1 Overall Draft Pick
30. Arizona Cardinals (1-4, no change): The Cardinals officially gave up on former No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., shipping the struggling WR to Houston for a 2027 second-round pick and late-round pick swap. Arizona shouldn’t stop there and would be wise to sell off any other marketable pieces in what is now set to be another lost season with that No. 3 overall pick inadvisably spent on RB Jeremiyah Love (245 rushing yards on 3.7 YPC) predictably making no difference whatsoever for a team with so many weaknesses. An uncompetitive 45-21 loss to the Lions last week was the clear sign that this ship is sunk again.
31. Tennessee Titans (0-5, no change): Dead-last in scoring at 11.6 PPG and yards 246.4 per game, this simply isn’t a fun team to watch. The Titans should be open-minded about moving on from Cam Ward (896 passing yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs) and taking a QB at the top of the 2027 NFL Draft.
32. Miami Dolphins (0-5, no change): The Dolphins have played the Vikings and Bengals to within a score each the last two weeks. And here’s a positive — rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is one of the favorites for Defensive Rookie of the Year with 57 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and an interception already.
