Week 5: Power Rankings: Where does Kansas City land after first loss?

How far did the Chiefs drop in the Week 5 NFL Power Rankings?

The Kansas City Chiefs were stunned by the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday which has completely shaken up the top tier of this week’s NFL Power Rankings. Kansas City looked as though they were lost defensively, allowing the Raiders receivers get behind them on multiple occasions for enormous gains. Offensively they sputtered when Sammy Watkins went down with a hamstring injury.

The Raiders likewise have moved up and the Chargers down. Los Angeles just couldn’t quite hold on against the New Orleans Saints. While they are better than their record indicates, it has not been great for them this season. Denver has not been able to play due to their game being postponed. Further than the AFC West, there were some other games that shook up the order.

Tennessee Titans took control of their game against the Buffalo Bills. Although they were out of commission for a long time, they made the Bills look like they were undeserving of being considered a top-tier team at the beginning of the season. The Bears knocked off their first formidable opponent of the season. The Browns won again. There is now a new number one.

Here is this week’s NFL power rankings.

The Packers find themselves at the top as beneficiaries of the loss that the Chiefs suffered to the Raiders. Aaron Rodgers and company have owned every game that they have played. When healthy, the Packers are easily a top three team in overall talent. Green Bay has a formidable defense as well. The linebackers are not great, but the defensive backfield and defensive line are. Darnell Savage, Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, and Adrian Amos are a great combination that will look even better in a few seasons. Look for Green Bay to be a Super Bowl competitor this season.

Pete Carroll’s bunch doesn’t seem to stop anyone until right at the end of the game when they have to. Russell Wilson is performing at the highest level of his career and DK Metcalf looks like he is emerging as an All-Pro. If the Seahawks can get more consistency on defense, they will be in contention for the NFC ticket to the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs do this every year. Under Andy Reid, the Chiefs have incredible success but seem to drop games to teams to whom they should never lose. After an incredible winning streak against the Raiders over the years, it was bound to happen at some point. The Chiefs defense looked lackluster and the offense lacked explosiveness when Watkins left the game. That being said, it is hard to see a scenario in which the Chiefs fall anywhere below the third spot at this time.

The Titans find themselves catapulted by a huge showing against the Buffalo Bills. Derrick Henry threw Josh Norman and the world watched as the Titans were put back into the spotlight. The team, simply put, finds ways to win. Although the team has been ravaged by COVID-19 and will likely face stiff punishment from the league, they are, for now, a top five team in the NFL.

Lamar Jackson is electric. The Ravens beat the brakes off of the Bengals by shutting down Joe Burrow‘s offense. The Ravens seem to be just as dominant as ever, but will need to showcase the same capabilities against tougher competition. They have yet to beat a top tier team in the NFL this season.

The Steelers, similarly to the Ravens, have not yet beaten a team that they can truly be proud of defeating. That being said, the Steelers offense seems to be playing at a higher level than many anticipated for the season. Further, Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL and gets the most out of a very talented defense. The Steelers and Ravens matchups will be truly fascinating to watch this season.

The Bills found themselves on the wrong end of a beatdown on Tuesday night. Although the Titans were impressive, the Bills deserve to take a slide in the power rankings for their performance. Tennessee has not had a solid week of practice in weeks and have hardly been in their own facilities. How could Buffalo allow them to come in and throttle them like that? Certainly this loss raises questions about Buffalo’s legitimacy at the top of the rankings.

The Saints are clearly not the same team that we have seen in previous seasons. The Chargers came close to knocking them off in a very tight contest this week. Drew Brees and the offense does not seem as electric and heavily relies on Alvin Kamara to make big plays. Further, they have a lot of work to do on the front end of their defense if they hope to claw their way back into the top five.

The Rams are outperforming expectations. After a disappointing season last year, they have found their footing and look as determined as ever to prove the critics wrong. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp continue to be the most underrated receiving duo in football and it turns out that Sean McVay is a good coach. Who knew? The Rams have some difficult games approaching that should quickly determine whether they are contenders or pretenders.

The Chicago Bears just continue to win games. Sure, Tom Brady is not what he once was, but for once, the Bears proved themselves capable of winning a big game. With a stellar defense and now competent quarterback play from Nick Foles, the Bears have a real opportunity to compete for a playoff spot. Da Bears found themselves in the biggest leap of the week, moving up 6 spots.