Week 5 Rankings

32.  Indianapolis Colts  (0-4)  Last week: 31
The Colts look better every week and had chances to win in their last two in Tampa and against Pittsburgh.  Curtis Painter seems to have outplayed Kerry Collins and should be the starter going forward.  Hosting the Chiefs this week could result in their first win.

31.  St. Louis Rams (0-4)  LW: 27
The Rams have looked abysmal in their last two losses (to the Ravens and Redskins).  They have a bye this week before traveling to Green Bay and Dallas the next two weeks.  The second half of their schedule gets softer, but this team will likely start 0-7.

30.  Miami Dolphins (0-4)  LW: 28
Matt Moore played well in relief of Chad Henne, and he may have the job going forward.  The Dolphins have a bye this week as they try to figure out their identity on offense.  And their defense has major issues to fix.

29.  Minnesota Vikings (0-4)  LW: 26
The Vikings lost to the hapless Chiefs, 22-17 last week, and head home to face Arizona.  Donovan McNabb has been awful.  Is it time to see what Christian Ponder can do?

28.  Kansas City Chiefs (1-3)  LW: 32
The Chiefs finally got a win last week, and they travel to Indianapolis looking to make it two straight.  Cassel is looking better (though they still need to upgrade at QB) and Dwayne Bowe is beginning to emerge.  Their defense is making the biggest strides, however.

27.  Seattle Seahawks (1-3)  LW: 30
The Seahawks came from way behind, but they fell short against Atlanta, 30-28.  Tarvaris Jackson played his best game as a pro, throwing for 319 yards and 3 TDs.  This week they travel to New York to play the Giants.  Tall order, seeing as this team only seems to play well at home.

26.  Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)  LW: 25
The Jaguars are not an awful football team.  They just aren't very talented.  Their defense held New Orleans to 23 points last week and they host Cincinnati this week, which is a very winnable game.

25.  Denver Broncos (1-3)  LW: 24
Losing big in Green Bay was not a surprise.  This week the Broncos host the Chargers, needing to spring an upset to stay relevant in the AFC West.  If Kyle Orton doesn't start well, the fans could make this one a home field disadvantage, with their booing and Tebow chants.  Brandon Lloyd and Willis McGahee have been very good, but the Broncos defense stinks.

24.  Cleveland Browns (2-2)  LW: 22
The Browns are 2-2 after playing the Bengals, Colts, Dolphins, and Titans.  How good could they be?

23.  Arizona Cardinals (1-3)  LW: 23
The Cardinals will rue their missed chances after losing 31-27 to the Giants last week.  Beanie Wells has has best game, running for 138 yards and 3TDs, but the pass defense continues to struggle mightily.  They need to go into Minnesota and beat the Vikings this week.

22.  Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)  LW: 29
The Bengals ruined one of the feel good stories of the year when they beat Buffalo 23-20 last week.  This week they travel to Jacksonville to play another winnable game.  The Bengals boast the league's number one defense, and it should stay that way for awhile with coming games against the Jaguars, Colts, and Seahawks.

21.  Carolina Panthers (1-3)  LW: 21
The Panthers gave up a punt return and interception for touchdowns and still only lost 34-29 to the Bears.  Steve Smith is having a resurgence this year.  They have a tough matchup against the Saints this week.  Could be a track meet.
 
20.  Atlanta Falcons (2-2)  LW: 18
When do you drop two spots after a win?  When you need a missed field goal to beat Seattle, 30-28.  The Falcons defense is a mess right now, though their offense finally looks to have gotten on track.

19.  Philadelphia Eagles (1-3)  LW: 14
What is wrong with the Eagles?  They were the better team last week, but they blew a 23-3 lead in losing to San Francisco, 24-23.  They are lacking a killer instinct.  What's more, they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills this week.  The Eagles need their defense to step up or it's going to be a long year.

18.  Chicago Bears (2-2)  LW: 17
The Bears ran all over Carolina, but barely won the game.  This week they travel to Detroit to take on the 4-0 Lions on Monday night.  Matt Forte is the key to this offense; the less they have to rely on Jay Cutler, the better.

17.  Washington Redskins (3-1)  LW: 17
Rex Grossman is looking more and more like Bad Rex these days.  The Redskins have a very good defense and a good running game, so they don't need Rex to be elite, just decent.  They have a bye this week before hosting the Eagles in Week Six.

16.  San Francisco 49ers (3-1)  LW: 19
Amazingly, the 49ers came from twenty points down to beat the Eagles 24-23 to win both games of their eastern road trip.  Their running game has gotten on track and Alex Smith has looked competent when he is allowed to throw downfield.  They will get a big test when the Bucs come to town this week.

15.  Tennessee Titans (3-1)  LW: 20
The Titans look like they are for real after their 31-13 pounding of Cleveland last week.  They travel to Pittsburgh this week looking to prove it.  Matt Hasselbeck has been great, but you have to wonder how good this team could be with a healthy Kenny Britt.

14.  Oakland Raiders (2-2)  LW: 10
The Raiders were smoked by New England 31-19 last week, and they travel to Houston to play another tough game this week.  Oakland is good enough to beat the Texans without Andre Johnson, but they must stop the run (which they have not done so far this year) to do it.

13.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)  LW: 15
The Bucs escaped with a 24-17 win over the Colts on Monday night, where they failed to assert themselves as a top team.  They travel to play a sneaky good San Francisco team this week.  LaGarrette Blount finally got going against the Colts and Josh Freeman was unspectacular, but effective as usual.

12.  Buffalo Bills (3-1)  LW: 7
The Bills struggled mightily on offense throughout their 23-20 loss at Cincinnati last week.  They should put up better numbers against the Eagles this week, but a win would be better.  Their defense will be tested, and they may not be up to the task.

11.  Dallas Cowboys (2-2)  LW: 11
The Cowboys finally reach their bye week and have a great chance to finally get healthy.  They are extremely talented, but thin, so they should be tough when healthy.

10.  New York Giants (3-1)  LW: 13
The Giants just keep winning and a home game against Seattle this week shouldn't change that formula any.  They were lucky to escape Arizona with a 31-27 win.

9.  Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)  LW: 8
The Steelers were physically defeated by the Texans, and they have a lot of injuries right now.  They have struggled on defense this year and their offensive line has been Bear-esque (that's not a compliment).  But if Roethlisberger is healthy they should still handle the Titans.

8.  New York Jets (2-2)  LW: 5
Mark Sanchez looked shell shocked late in the Jets 34-17 loss to the Ravens on Sunday night.  The Jets need to get back to running the football.  A date with the Patriots may actually help.  The Pats defense has been awful and the Jets have handled the New England offense well lately.

7.  San Diego Chargers (3-1)  LW: 12
The Chargers have not looked impressive this year, but they keep winning.  Philip Rivers finally avoided throwing an interception for the first time this year, but this is another team that is having injury problems.  They travel to Denver this week to play a classic trap game.

6.  Detroit Lions (4-0)  LW: 6
The Lions are ranked this low because they have been largely outplayed the last two weeks, though they have come from behind to win both games.  Dallas totally dominated the Lions last week, but Detroit escaped with a 34-30 win.  The Lions host the Bears on Monday night in what could be a great game.

5.  Houston Texans (3-1)   LW: 9
The Texans looked great against Pittsburgh last week, winning 17-10.  Andre Johnson's hamstring injury is a major concern, but when he returns this team could do some major damage.  Their defense is ferocious.

4.  New Orleans Saints (3-1)  LW: 3
The Saints continue to roll as they easily beat Jacksonville, 23-10.  Jimmy Graham is an emerging stud at TE.  A trip to Carolina should test their questionable defense.

3.  New England Patriots (3-1)  LW: 2
The Patriots responded to their loss by returning to running the football in a 31-19 win over the Raiders.  Steven Ridley is an emerging force on the ground.  Next the Patriots take on their nemesis, the Jets.

2.  Baltimore Ravens (3-1)  LW: 4
The Ravens defense was awesome on Sunday night, scoring three touchdowns!  Joe Flacco needs to be more consistent, but this team looks tough.

1.  Green Bay Packers (4-0)  LW: 1
The Packers are looking great through four weeks, though they haven't played a good team since opening night.  A trip to Atlanta on Sunday night shouldn't be too tough of a test, but the Falcons are sure to have revenge on their minds after the playoff beatdown Green Bay put on them last year.