2021 NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Cowboys make statement, Cardinals take the top spot
By Randy Gurzi
The Arizona Cardinals take the top spot in our 2021 NFL Power Rankings after knocking off the Rams and the Dallas Cowboys move up after beating Carolina
There were some exciting games once again this weekend and even a few losses by teams that entered Week 4 undefeated.
One of those losses was the Carolina Panthers being taken down a peg by the Dallas Cowboys and their suddenly hot defense. There was also the Los Angeles Rams who were defeated by the Arizona Cardinals.
With Arizona staying undefeated, they leapfrogged the Rams to the No. 1 spot in our weekly 2021 NFL Power Rankings— and Dallas climbed as well after their big win.
With all that being said, let’s dive in and see how all 32 teams stack up against one another as Week 5 quickly approaches.
New 2021 NFL Power Rankings after Week 4
It looked as though the Jacksonville Jaguars were finally turning things around. They were featured on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals and had a 14-0 lead headed into the half thanks to a six-yard touchdown run by James Robinson and a seven-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But the second half was a different story.
Jacksonville gave up two touchdowns in the third quarter which made it a tie game. Robinson added another touchdown from four yards out to go back on top 21-14 but Joe Burrow found C.J. Uzomah from 31 yards out to tie the game midway through the fourth.
There was still a chance the Jags could pull it off but a 10-play drive that covered 73 yards ended with a 35-yard field goal from Evan McPherson and the Bengals won 24-21.
After the game, head coach Urban Meyer continued to face criticism, including taking some heat for an ugly fourth-and-goal play that went awry. He’s also still getting heat for taking four weeks to realize that Robinson is the best player on the team and should be featured in the offense.
Plenty of NFL fans and pundits questioned the selection of Meyer as the head coach in Jacksonville and after an 0-4 start, it’s becoming harder to find any reason to think those doubters were wrong.