Football is a beautiful, hilarious, and unpredictable game. The ball is oddly shaped, one of the worst teams can beat a good team any given day, and it’s ultimately the best drama we watch on television on a weekly basis.
Week 5 had it all.
It started with the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers upsetting the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. The drama continued Sunday morning, as the Philadelphia Eagles bumbled their lead with only eight seconds remaining after a special-teams gaffe against the Jacksonville Jaguars
in London.
Both “Sunday Night Football and “Monday Night Football” games went into overtime.
All four NFC East teams played and finished the week 0-2-2. New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo tried to win it for the Washington Commanders in overtime, but quarterback Jayden Daniels said, “No thanks.”
We saw the first major trade before the deadline: the Arizona Cardinals shipped wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the one-win Houston Texans.
Three teams remain undefeated, while an equal number remain winless.
The season is just starting to heat up, and the Arrowhead Pride staff is back with updated power rankings.
Biggest riser: Green Bay Packers +10
Biggest faller: Dallas Cowboys -7
This week, along with myself, staff voters were: Maurice Elston, Caleb James, Ron Kopp Jr., Rocky Magana, Jared Sapp, and Matt Stagner.
1. San Francisco 49ers (1st)
Kyle Shanahan has done an impressive job as head coach to start the season. What appears to be the cream of the NFL crop this season remains on top.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2nd)
I fully expect a classic Chiefs-Chargers thriller, in which we make the Chargers look 5-0 instead of 0-5, yet squeak out a win in spectacular fashion to preserve Andy Reid’s amazing post-bye-week record.
3. Baltimore Ravens (6th)
We were subjected to the annual Snoop Huntley primetime game. And it did not disappoint.
4. Buffalo Bills (5th)
Congratulations to Josh Allen on winning the first overtime game of his career. Running back James Cook tried to give the game away twice before it happened, however.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (3rd)
The London Jaguars won in incredible fashion on Sunday.
6. Minnesota Vikings (7th)
Undoubtedly, Week 5 saw Kyler Murray’s best performance as a Viking. If he plays that well, this team could be a legitimate NFC contender.
7. Seattle Seahawks (4th)
Sam Darnold hasn’t looked the same since his glute injury, and aside from JSN, this offense lacks the juice it once had. Chiefs fans owe the 12 a thank you.
8. Los Angeles Rams (8th)
This season is on pace to age head coach Sean McVay a good 30 years.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (10th)
The bye week could be coming at a great time for the Bengals to reset and get some dinged-up players healthy. They then face a favorable upcoming slate of opponents. Their next seven: Ravens, Titans, Falcons, Steelers, Commanders, Saints, and the Browns.
10. Chicago Bears (9th)
Head coach Ben Johnson wanted blowouts. I’d say 31-7 suffices.
11. New England Patriots (16th)
The Pats were a Bills’ blocked field goal away from being tied for first place in the AFC East. Who would have guessed that three weeks ago?
12. Denver Broncos (13th)
I’m worried that despite the Broncos winning games, Bo Nix isn’t playing well enough to justify paying him 60 million per season.
13. Detroit Lions (15th)
The Lions actually could have won this week without scoring over 30 points.
14. New York Giants (17th)
Cam Skattebo owes Jayden Daniels a big thank you.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (11th)
That had to be a long flight home. Horrible way to lose a football game. Three straight losses after a 2-0 start.
16. Green Bay Packers (26th)
The Bears-Packers rivalry is one of the best in sports. I think that’s the only reason the Packers turned it around as they did on Sunday.
17. Carolina Panthers (20th)
The Panthers remain in first place in the NFC South without having played a game.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (12th)
The combined record of teams the Raiders beat: 1-14
The combined record of teams the Raiders lost to: 7-2
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (22nd)
Jaylen Warren is small but mighty.
20. Atlanta Falcons (23rd)
Apparently this team can only function if Michael Penix is under center. And unfortunately for the Falcons, his biggest problem is availability.
21. Dallas Cowboys (14th)
You’ve reached an all-time low when the hot dog guy in the concourse is trash-talking on your quarterback.
22. Cleveland Browns (18th)
Should have seen this one coming. They may have won three in a row, but I’m sorry. You just can’t be taken seriously from week to week, losing to the Jets.
23. Indianapolis Colts (19th)
The very definition of “mid.”
24. Houston Texans (25th)
I’m not sure the trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. solves any of this team’s issues.
25. New Orleans Saints (21st)
The Saints’ offense has plummeted back down to earth. Facing the Vikings’ defense certainly doesn’t help matters.
26. Arizona Cardinals (24th)
That Week 1 upset over the Chargers looks increasingly less impressive the further it gets in the rearview mirror. And it’s never a good sign to trade away a top-5 draft pick three years later.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30th)
You could see Todd Bowles breathe a heavy sigh of relief on the sideline, as he likely saved his job with the upset win over the Cowboys. Also, give it up for KU alum Jalon Daniels.
28. New York Jets (28th)
It’s almost Halloween, and the Jets aren’t completely irrelevant.
29. Washington Commanders (27th)
I never saw the label “game manager” as a negative trait for a quarterback. And this game is a perfect example as to why. Your franchise quarterback simply cannot make that mistake at the end of the football game. But man, was it entertaining.
30. Miami Dolphins (31st)
It’s now week 6. The Dolphins still haven’t held a lead this season.
31. Los Angeles Chargers (29th)
“I’m not sure what the message is,” Jim Harbaugh said after the Chargers’ latest loss which dropped them to 0-5. Yeah, this team’s season is toast.
32. Tennessee Titans (32nd)
One of my good buddies is a Titans fan. He told me this team may legitimately be one of the worst teams in NFL history.
