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Bair's Week 5 Power Rankings: Cardinals shoot to the top, Chargers charge, Falcons fall after Washington loss

Bills and Cowboys are red hot, Saints are floundering and Chiefs are waking up

power.rankings_wk5

Sunday night's game between the Buccaneers and Patriots felt like a big game, with all the hoopla surrounding Tom Brady's return to Gillette Stadium.

It lived up to the hype, with the greatest ever doing things that goats do.

Another team from the southwest is doing something no one expected. The Cardinals are unbeaten at 4-0, including Sunday's victory over last week's top team. That means they vault all the way to the top spot.

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The Falcons dropped, as you'd expect after that heartbreaker against Washington they simply should've won.

There was more shuffling this week, but not as much as the week prior, with the haves creating separation from the have nots.

Let's take a look at the league's hierarchy heading into Week 5 in our NFL Power Rankings:

(4-0)
1
6
Cardinals_Table
Arizona Cardinals
The last unbeaten team. Put some respect on their name.
(3-1)
2
1
Rams_table
Los Angeles Rams
Rams reign at the top didn’t last long, stolen by someone in their own division
(3-1)
3
1
Bucs_table
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady just wins games. What a competitor.
(3-1)
4
1
Bills_table
Buffalo Bills
Bills are hot again. They’re the AFC’s finest right now.
(3-1)
5
1
Packers_table
Green Bay Packers
Remember that freezing cold take that Aaron Rodgers was too distracted this offseason to play well? Yeah. That didn’t age well.
(3-1)
6
4
Chargers_table
Los Angeles Chargers
We all know what Justin Herbert can do. That defense ain’t half bad, either.
(3-1)
7
7
Cowboys_table
Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott has the Cowboys humming. He’s playing near perfect football these days.
(3-1)
8
3
Raiders_table
Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders fans dominate the Chargers faithful in L.A., just as they did in S.D. They didn’t dominate on the field Monday night. Gut check for a previously unbeaten team.
(2-2)
9
1
Chiefs_table
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs put up 42 points. Pat Mahomes had five touchdowns. The sleeping giant is awake.
(3-1)
10
1
Browns_table
Cleveland Browns
The Browns can play some defense. And run the ball. That's a winning combo.
(3-1)
11
2
Ravens_table
Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh went for the rushing record over a kneel down. That’s exactly what he should’ve done.
(2-2)
12
1
Seahawks_table
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson’s always a threat. Even on a Seattle team that isn’t as stacked as previous years.
(2-2)
13
7
49ers_table
San Francisco 49ers
Is Trey Lance ready for primetime? We’re about to find out.
(3-1)
14
1
Panthers_table
Carolina Panthers
It would be easy to welcome Carolina back to Earth after losing for the first time, but I think these Panthers are tougher than we originally thought.
(3-1)
15
3
Bengals_table
Cincinnati Bengals
I keep waiting for the Cincinnati crash. Hasn’t happened yet.
(2-2)
16
4
Titans_table
Tennessee Titans
You think they miss Arthur Smith? Seems like they do.
(3-1)
17
Broncos_table
Denver Broncos
Broncos lost and Vic Fangio didn’t take it well throwing shade at John Harbaugh’s Ravens. Losing ain’t fun.
(2-2)
18
2
Saints_table
New Orleans Saints
Gave one away. The Falcons can sympathize. Even with a rival.
(2-2)
19
5
Washington_table
Washington Football Team
I watched every snap of Falcons-WFT live. Still can’t believe Washington won that game.
(1-3)
20
1
Patriots_table
New England Patriots
Lost to Tom Brady on a last-minute field goal. Pats finally got a taste of their own medicine.
(1-3)
21
2
Vikings_table
Minnesota Vikings
Vikings lose a lot of close games. That can start messing with your head and flush a promising season down the drain.
(1-3)
22
2
Steelers_table
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin has never had a non-winning season as head coach. Looks like that streak’s gonna snap.
(1-3)
23
4
Colts_table
Indianapolis Colts
Colts get up off the mat because Carson Wentz helped his team instead of hurt it.
(2-2)
24
2
Bears_table
Chicago Bears
Worst .500 team in the league. Not sure how many will travel to the ‘burbs to see this product.
(1-3)
25
2
Eagles.png
Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles looked good in the season opener. Rarely since.
(1-3)
26
3
Dolphins_table
Miami Dolphins
Once a trendy playoff pick, the Dolphins are sinking fast. Can they come up for air before it’s too late?
(1-3)
27
5
Jets_table
New York Jets
Was that result against Tennessee a get-right win or an aberration? Falcons will find out in London next week.
(1-3)
28
3
Falcons_Table
Atlanta Falcons
The home team should be 2-2 and ranked somewhere in the high 20s. Couldn’t close against Washington. Arthur Smith’s gonna have to work on that
(1-3)
29
1
Giants_table
New York Giants
Jets get a win! Giants get a win! Everybody (but Jax and Detroit) gets a WIIII—IINN!!!
(1-3)
30
1
Texans_table
Houston Texans
Texans are getting worse as the season goes on. Can’t win if you can’t score.
(0-4)
31
3
Lions_table
Detroit Lions
Lions have played some close ones. Close might be as close as they get to a win.
(0-4)
32
1
Jaguars_table
Jacksonville Jaguars
Urban Meyer has to apologize for getting caught in a somewhat compromising position. The city of Jacksonville going to get one for the product put on the field?
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Falcons Final Whistle | A Postgame Podcast

Break down the hottest topics surrounding the Atlanta Falcons and how they can impact the team's success with Falcons Insiders Scott Bair, Tori McElhaney and Terrin Waack. Like and subscribe to join us for the lively debate on Falcons Final Whistle.

Welcome to Falcons Final Whistle – an Atlanta Falcons football postgame podcast during the season that shifts gears in the offseason to answer a pressing question about the team's future each week through free agency, the NFL Draft and the offseason program.

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