2013 NFL Power Rankings Week 5

And then there were three. Three undefeated teams are all that remain in the NFL after the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks both went down this past weekend. Two of those teams reside in the same division: the tough AFC West. That's right. The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs kept their records clean in close games while the New Orleans Saints dominated yet another opponent. All in a day's work I suppose. Who will be the next to fall? Will it be Denver at home against Jacksonville? Um, no. What about Kansas City at home against Oakland? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened. Or could it be the Saints who will travel to New England. Yeah, that sounds about right. Of the three that is by far the toughest task. Should make for a good game though. But enough about future games. Let's stick with how the teams stack up this week.

1. Denver Broncos (5-0) ~ They survived a shootout in Dallas by scoring 50+ points for the second week in a row against and NFC East team. Talk about unstoppable offense. (Last Week's Ranking 1)

2. New Orleans Saints (5-0) ~ There aren't enough adjectives to describe the season Jimmy Graham is having. He may have been held out of the end zone for the first time all season but grabbed 10 passes for the second time this year and topped 100 yards for the fourth straight game. Those are video game numbers. (LWR 3)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) ~ The Chiefs escaped a close one against the pesky Tennessee Titans but they certainly stymied Chris Johnson's ground attack holding him to a mere 17 yards on 10 carries. (LWR 5)

4. Seattle Seahawks (4-1) ~ Seattle couldn't extend the franchise's best start to a season but as long as they play .500 ball on the road this team will be fine because nobody, and I mean nobody, beats them at home. (LWR 2)

5. Indianapolis Colts (4-1) ~ If they just beat Seattle why are they ranked behind them? Well, because I think Seattle is better overall. That's why. But Indy sure is looking good too. Another fourth quarter comeback for the magician that is Andrew Luck. (LWR 7)

6. New England Patriots (4-1) ~ Tom Brady's streak of 52 straight games with at least one touchdown pass came to an end in Cincinnati. With Gronk expected back next week one can only assume that is a good time to start another one. (LWR 4)

7. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) ~ So far the Bengals have taken down Pittsburgh, New England and Green Bay. This team is for real folks. (LWR 8)

8. San Francisco 49ers (3-2) ~ Second place in the NFC West is up for grabs as Arizona rolls into town. A win here would put the Niners back where everyone thought they would be. (LWR 10)

9. Chicago Bears (3-2) ~ Matt Forte has seen his carries go down each week. With a Thursday game against a reeling New York Giants defense let's see if Marc Trestman and company go back to the run to stop this two game slide. (LWR 6)

10. Green Bay Packers (2-2) ~ Losing star linebacker Clay Matthews ffor the next month with a broken thumb is huge. A date in Baltimore next week against the Super Bowl champion Ravens is also not the friendliest place to try and pick up the first road win of the season. (LWR 13)

11. Baltimore Ravens (3-2) ~ The Ravens went back to the run game after abandoning it in Buffalo two weeks ago to remain perfect at home. (LWR 14)

12. Miami Dolphins (3-2) ~ The bye week is coming at the right time for Miami who will look to regroup after two straight losses followed three wins to begin the season. (LWR 9)

13. Detroit Lions (3-2) ~ Not having Calvin Johnson was not going to help the Lions try and snap a 22 game losing streak in Green Bay. That's right. It has now been 23 years since the Lions won in Lambeau. (LWR 11)

14. Houston Texans (2-3) ~ Last week I defended Matt Schaub. This week, well, I've got nothing. (LWR 12)

15. Tennessee Titans (3-2) ~ I mentioned this above about Chris Johnson. Dude really, really needs to find his groove. He was a factor in the passing game but he has 38 yards rushing on his last 25 carries spread over two games. That is pitiful. (LWR 15)

16. Dallas Cowboys (2-3) ~ If I told you that a quarterback threw for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns in the Dallas-Denver game on Sunday you would not have guessed it was Tony Romo. A losss nonetheless but it deserves a golf clap. (LWR 18)

17. Cleveland Browns (3-2) ~ Easily the most fun team to root for this year. I do feel terrible for Brian Hoyer though who tore his ACL and is done for the year. (LWR 22)

18. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) ~ Hello team with a winning record that I know nothing about. Show me something against San Fran this week and I will sing your praise. (LWR 21)

19. San Diego Chargers (2-3) ~ Philip Rivers has thrown for over 400 yards in back-to-back games. Next up? A Monday Night showdown at home against the red hot Colts. (LWR 17)

20. New York Jets (3-2) ~ Thanks to Joe Flacco's stinker in Buffalo I was knocked out of my Last Man Standing pool early on. Suffice it to say the Jets would have taken me out this week if I were stil alive. (LWR 24)

21. Atlanta Falcons (1-4) ~ In my best Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons voice...ahem..."Worst Super Bowl pick ever". (LWR 16)

22. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) ~ If the season ended today the Eagles would win the NFC East. Think about that for a minute. (LWR 26)

23. Buffalo Bills (2-3) ~ Someone named Thad Lewis will be starting at quarterback for the Bills this week. Sorry Buffalo. And Thad Lewis' parents. (LWR 19)

24. St. Louis Rams (2-3) ~ The St. Louis backfield is a mess. Daryl Richardson has done nothing with the starting job. Isiah Pead has played sparingly and now someone named Zac Stacy is running the ball. (LWR 35)

25. Minnesota Vikings (1-3) ~ I love the signing of Josh Freeman. Maybe the Vikes are realizing that Christian Ponder isn't the one to lead them to the promised land. (LWR 23)

26. Carolina Panthers (1-3) ~ Aside from their 38-0 drubbing of the dismal New York Giants the Panthers look utterly lost. Where is the Cam Newton that took the league by storm as a rookie? (LWR 20)

27. Oakland Raiders (2-3) ~ The Matt Flynn trial is over in Oakland. The quarterback who was brought in during the offseason has been given his outright release. (LWR 29)

28. Washington Redskins (1-3) ~ All I can hear about the Redskins is that they may be forced to change their name. If that is the leading story then you can figure out how the season is going. (LWR 27)

29. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-4) ~ Who would have thought that a week six matchup between the Jets and Steelers could have the Jets playing for first place and the Steelers playing for their first win. I would have thought that would be the other way around at the outset of the season. (LWR 28)

30. New York Giants (0-5) ~ Eli Manning threw three more interceptions and was flagged for three intentional grounding calls as well. This team hasn't done much right yet this year. (LWR 30)

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) ~ For an offense that is averaging 11 points a game it will be a welcome sight to see the Eagles porous defense come to town this weekend. (LWR 31)

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5) ~ Justin Blackmon had a nice first game back from suspension with a game high 136 yards receiving. That's the highlight of the Jags season so far. (LWR 32)