Week 5 Power Rankings

We're a quarter of the way into the schedule for each NFL team and it hasn't come without a few surprises and disappointments.  At this point, I'm ranking all 32 teams and giving a bold prediction about each one.

1. Green Bay Packers (4-0)-  The offense is firing on all cylinders and Aaron Rodgers is making a case that he is the best quarterback in the league.  The defense is playing well enough for the offense to be the difference.
Bold Prediction- Green Bay loses once all year and locks up the NFC by Week 15.

2.  New Orleans Saints (3-1)- The poor man's Packers.  Brees is off to a quick start with 1410 passing yards and the running game showed that you don't need one feature back to be effective.
Bold Prediction- 12 touchdowns for Jimmy Graham this year.

3.  Baltimore Ravens (3-1)-  The Ravens defense showed on Sunday night that it is still one of the toughest groups in the league and one of the most opportunistic.  Despite Flacco's poor effort, they find ways to win games against good teams.
Bold Prediction- Baltimore sweeps the division.

4. Detroit Lions (4-0)-  We knew the Lions would be much improved this year, but I'm not sure anyone knew they'd be this improved.  The Lions don't have to play the Packers until Thanksgiving, so they may be able to stay within at least a game of the division lead until then.
Bold Prediction- Stafford to Calvin Johnson produces the highest touchdown total of any QB-WR hookup in NFL history when their careers are over.

5. Houston Texans (3-1)- If it weren't for a 4th quarter hiccup against New Orleans in Week 3, they'd be 4-0.  They showed a lot of poise keeping Pittsburgh from roaring back in the 4th quarter.
Bold Prediction- Arian Foster continues to miss time sporadically throughout the year and Ben Tate is the team's leading rusher at the end of the year.

6. New England Patriots (3-1)-  With Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at the helm, they're always a Super Bowl contender.  Defense still worries me, especially with Jerod Mayo out 6 weeks.
Bold Prediction- Over 130 catches for Wes Welker this year.

7.  San Diego Chargers (3-1)-  For once, they actually are having a strong start to the year, which is dangerous for the rest of the AFC because Philip Rivers just does not lose in December.
Bold Prediction- Ryan Mathews becomes the featured back alone by Week 10.

8.  New York Jets (2-2)-  Record doesn't look too impressive, but they won't have to play the Ravens every week.  Sanchez better step it up though.
Bold Prediction- They beat New England both times in the regular season and win the division.

9. New York Giants (3-1)- Tied atop the NFC East with Washington.  Schedule hasn't been very tough, a win versus the Eagles early could be very helpful late in the season.
Bold Prediction- Giants slip up and miss the playoffs.

10.  Tennessee Titans (3-1)- Matt Hasselbeck is doing his very best to make Seattle regret not signing him every single week.  He clearly doesn't need Kenny Britt all that much.
Bold Prediction- 4,000 yards and 28 TDs for Hasselbeck.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)- Only losses are to top 5 teams, but the injuries are piling up for Pittsburgh.  Baltimore looks much stronger and the early head-to-head loss could prove very costly.
Bold Predicton- Under 20 TDs for Roethlisberger.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)- Schedule hasn't shown much, but they are 3-1. Week 6 matchup with New Orleans looms and will show their true colors.
Bold Predicition- LeGarrette Blount finishes in the top 5 in rushing.

13. Washington Redskins (3-1)- Ryan Torain burst onto the scene in Week 4 with over 100 yards on the ground.  Mike Shanahan must be liking his chops with all these rushing options.
Bold Prediction- No Redskin back rushes for 1000 yards despite over 150 carries for all 3 backs.

14. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)- Big comeback win for the Niners against Philly on the road shows they are the team to beat in the NFC West, although I'm not sure how much weight that really carries.
Bold Prediction- 10+ TDs for Frank Gore.

15.  Buffalo Bills (3-1)-  Week 4 loss to Cincinnati showed that their strong start may have been a fluke.
Bold Prediction- Bills finish the year below .500.

16.  Dallas Cowboys (2-2)- Tony Romo has been a warrior this year playing through injury, but his play has been Jekyll and Hyde.  Collapse against Detroit was just flat out embarrassing.
Bold Prediction- Romo gets it together and Dallas wins the division.

17.  Oakland Raiders (2-2)- Darren McFadden has been an animal on the ground and showing that he will be a player in this league for quite some time.
Bold Prediction- Over 1500 yards on the ground this year for McFadden.

18. Chicago Bears (2-2)- Thank God for Matt Forte last week or Carolina might have won by 10.  Offensive line can't keep Cutler upright, but maybe they can block for the run game? It must be killing Mike Martz that he has to run it.
Bold Prediction- Forte remains the team's leading receiver for the entire season by a lot.

19.  Atlanta Falcons (2-2)-  Roddy White's preseason comments that Atlanta is the newest version of the 2001 Rams "Greatest Show on Turf" is appearing quite comical.  Their play this year has been quite worrisome, especially given play of New Orleans, and Tampa Bay to a certain degree.
Bold Prediciton- Atlanta is the newest victim of the NFC South winner not repeating.  They finish 3rd in the division and miss the playoffs.

20. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3)-  "Dream Team" label is officially dead and there may be too many egos in the locker room.  Players called a "players only" meeting on Monday instead of taking their customary day off, which proves there is some trouble in paradise.
Bold Prediction- Eagles finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

21.  Arizona Cardinals (1-3)- Questionable call against the Giants possibly cost them the game, but a week 5 matchup with Minnesota could get them back on track.
Bold Prediction- 100 yards and 2 TDs for Fitzgerald this week in a win against the Vikes.

22.  Carolina Panthers (1-3)- Cam Newton's progress with a short offseason has been nothing short of remarkable.  I may soon have to eat my words that he will be a bust.  Needs to tone down the mistakes though if he wants his stats to translate into Ws.
Bold Prediction- 12 rushing TDs for Newton this year.

23.  Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)-  Cam Newton has gotten all of the attention, but the most impressive rookie QB may actually be Andy Dalton, who has led a team most people expected to be horrendous to a 2-2 start.
Bold Prediction- 1000 yards receiving for rookie WR A.J. Green this year.

24.  Cleveland Browns (2-2)-   Not really sure what to make of the Browns so far.  They're 2-2, but their only wins are against 0-4 teams.
Bold Prediction- Under 1000 yards on the ground this year for Peyton Hillis, even though he is a tank.

25.  Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)-  Blaine Gabbert has shown signs of excellence along with his growing pains.  Having his second career start come against New Orleans probably wasn't fair.  He needs some weapons.
Bold prediciton- Maurice Jones-Drew's total yards this year is within 500 yards of Gabbert's total passing yards.

26.  Denver Broncos (1-3)- Don't put much weight into the loss against Green Bay, it was Green Bay.  Divisional foes will be a better Litmus test.
Bold Prediction-  Tebow starts the last 6 weeks of the year as the Broncos are out of contention early and the fans get restless.

27. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)- Whoever decided that they should not re-sign Hasselbeck and sign Tavaris Jackson should never be allowed to hold any position in football ever again.  2 point loss to Atlanta wasn't terrible, however.
Bold Prediciton-  We see Charlie Whitehurst as starter before the end of the year.

28.  Kansas City Chiefs (1-3)- After looking like the worst team in NFL history through the first two weeks, they got a win in Week 4 against the winless Vikings.  A week 5 matchup with Indy should do wonders for their confidence.
Bold Prediction- 100 yards and a TD on the ground in Week 5 for Thomas Jones.

29.  Minnesota Vikings (0-4)-  They have held a lead in every game this season and have no wins to show for it.  How on God's Green Earth can you not close out games with Adrian Peterson in the backfield?
Bold Prediction- Christian Ponder is the team's Week 10 starter after the bye.

30.  Miami Dolphins (0-4)- The team says Tony Sparano is the guy for the job, but how can they seriously say that after their much-publicized pursuit of Jim Harbaugh in the offseason?  The team is in trouble.
Bold Prediction- Sparano is fired after Week 8 after a 1-7 start.

31.  St. Louis Rams (0-4)- They made it interesting at the end of their Week 4 loss to Washington, but their -67 point differential is God-awful.  Where is Mike Sims-Walker?
Bold Prediction- Rams go 2-14 this season.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-4)-  Who knew Manning made this much of a difference?  The defense is just not good enough to make up for their quarterback being 67 year-old Kerry Collins or wannabe-bro Curtis Painter.  Seriously what is up with that guy's hair?
Bold Prediction-  They steal a win from KC in Week 5.