The Dallas Cowboys crack the top-10 of our 2022 NFL Power Rankings while the Cleveland Browns spiral downward thanks to another late meltdown
Another weekend of football brought another weekend of excitement. This week kicked off with a showdown between the Dolphins and Bengals on Thursday Night Football and then Sunday brought us the Chiefs against the Bucs.
There was also the first London game as the Saints and Vikings went for a trip overseason. Interesting storylines were also continued as Cooper Rush made it three wins in a row, pushing the Dallas Cowboys into the top 10 of our 2022 NFL Power Rankings. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns lost another game in the final minutes as their roller-coaster season continues.
With all that being said, let’s check in with each team in our weekly rankings.
2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 5
32. Houston Texans
With the Raiders beating the Denver Broncos, the Houston Texans now have the unwanted distinction of being the only team without a win on the season. They do at least have a tie, which happened in Week 1 against the Colts, but since then, it’s been three-straight losses.
They did hang with both the Broncos and Colts, losing in one-score games, but this time they were defeated by 10 to the Chargers. It could have been worse if L.A. didn’t have a penchant for letting teams score on them late, but it still was a loss by more than one score.
The lone bright spot might have been Dameon Pierce gaining 131 yards on 14 carries but outside of that, there wasn’t much to be excited about.
31. Washington Commanders
Last season, the Indianapolis Colts soured on Carson Wentz when he fell apart at the end of the season and couldn’t get them into the playoffs. Now with the Washington Commanders, there’s not much of a chance of them being frustrated about a late-season collapse because they’re not building toward anything at all to start the year.
After a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, they’re now 1-3 — and it’s a surprise they even have that one win since Jacksonville seems to be so much better than them at this point. They do have a couple of games coming up that they should have a chance in, but it’s going to be tough to turn this start around.
30. Carolina Panthers
Now sitting at 1-3, it’s becoming apparent that Baker Mayfield isn’t the answer under center for the Carolina Panthers. It’s also clear that Matt Rhule isn’t going to suddenly find success in the NFL. He was an interesting hire, to begin with, due to his collegiate approach but it raised even more eyebrows when he was mad at his team for scoring touchdowns in practice.
Their latest loss was extremely frustrating as Mayfield had 10 passes batted at the line of scrimmage. Blame his height all you want, but he was across the field from Kyler Murray who doesn’t have as much of a problem as Mayfield, which suggests the issue is as much with the O-line as it is with the quarterback.
Having said that, it feels like another long season for Carolina is on the way.
29. Detroit Lions
Just as everyone expected, the highest-scoring game of the week happened in Detroit as the Lions and Seahawks combined for 93 points. Then again, maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised as the Lions have been involved in several games where points were flying.
They lost in Week 1 to the Eagles 38-35 and then won 36-27 to Washington. Their lowest scoring game was their 28-24 loss to the Vikings but they again poured it on in Week 4. The problem is that they scored 22 of their points in the fourth quarter as they were trying to play catch up.
It feels like Detroit is close but they also can’t seem to put it all together. And close isn’t enough in this league.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s been ugly this season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin has never finished with a losing record but that could change this year. A loss to the New York Jets dropped them to 1-3 on the season and they’re 0-2 at home.
The loss of T.J. Watt has really hurt this defense but a bigger problem has come from their play under center. Mitch Trubisky has been rough and finally got pulled in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett. The first-year player never had a pass hit the ground as he was 10-of-13 for 120 yards but had three interceptions.
He did, however, run two touchdowns with the second putting them up 20-10 but the defense couldn’t hold. Whether or not they turn things around will hinge on how Pickett does going forward.
27. Las Vegas Raiders
Josh McDaniels got his first win as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, and he did it against the franchise he ruined the last time he was a head coach. McDaniels is now 1-3 but the talent on the team suggests they should be better.
They did at least avoid an 0-4 start as Josh Jacobs went off for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while the team as a whole had 212 yards on the ground. Derek Carr didn’t do much but he also didn’t turn it over which was all he needed to do in this one.
Defensively, Maxx Crosby had two sacks as they did just enough to secure the victory.
26. Indianapolis Colts
Right when they made believers of us, they let us all down. The Indianapolis Colts shocked everyone when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs last week. They were unable to turn that momentum into a winning streak though as they fell to 1-2-1 with a 24-17 loss to the Titans.
The Colts had no answers for Derrick Henry and while Ryan Tannehill hardly threw it downfield, he did enough to keep the chains moving. For the Colts, Jonathan Taylor had a disappointing 42 yards on 20 carries and while Matt Ryan had 356 yards passing, it was his usual — a lot of stats with nothing to show for it.
25. New Orleans Saints
The fans in London got their first chance to see some live action this year as the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings headed to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 4. The Saints were without several starters, including Jameis Winston.
That meant Andy Dalton got the start and he and Kirk Cousins got to face each other overseas again. Last time, they were with Cincinnati and Washington respectively and the game ended in a tie.
This time, there was no tie but not for lack of trying. Dalton moved New Orleans downfield for a 61-yard field goal attempt — Will Lutz had just hit a 60-yarder. He had enough leg but it hit the upright, then the crossbar, and then the ground.
Now at 1-3, the Saints are realizing just how much Sean Payton meant to their success.
24. Chicago Bears
A 2-1 start for the Chicago Bears never felt real. They won against the San Francisco 49ers on a sloppy, wet field but then got run out of the building by the Packers in their next game. They then squeaked out a three-point win over the struggling Houston Texans, only to drop another to the Giants — who are 3-1 but still haven’t looked great.
Chicago feels like they’re in better hands with Matt Eberflus as the head coach following their Matt Nagy era but it’s still hard to tell. There’s a serious lack of talent on the offensive roster, especially at wide receiver. That’s also making it hard to tell just what they have in Justin Field. To summarize, there are a lot of questions about Chicago.
23. New England Patriots
It’s hard to drop the New England Patriots too far because they’re not the same as other 1-3 teams. Sure, you are what the record says you are but they lost to Miami and Baltimore and then took the Green Bay Packers down to the final second of overtime despite being down to their third-string quarterback.
New England is a well-coached team and they’re almost always competitive. It’s weird seeing them struggle but by the end of the season, they will have a much better record. And it might not take that long with Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, the Jets, Indianapolis, and the Jets again coming up.
22. New York Jets
The New York Jets went 1-2 with Joe Flacco under center but were able to turn things back over to Zach Wilson this past Sunday. Wilson was what we expected — average with too many turnovers. The good thing for New York was that Kenny Pickett had more turnovers as he had three picks after taking over for Mitch Trubsiky who also had an interception.
Despite the poor play under center, the Steelers had a lead of 20-10 in the fourth quarter but the Jets pulled off a win with two late touchdowns. They’re now 2-2 and each of their wins came in comeback fashion. They might not be incredibly dangerous but they also cannot be counted out of any game.
21. Cleveland Browns
When the Cleveland Browns schedule came out, the first four games looked winnable. After that, there were seven contests that looked absolutely brutal. Their hope was to finish with a winning record out of the gates and then steal a win or two during the October-through-November gauntlet.
That didn’t happen as they lost to the Jets in Week 2 and the Falcons in Week 4. The truth is, this team overvalued a lot of their talent and their depth is a real issue — evidenced by the way they were bullied on the ground after losing three defensive linemen.
Jacoby Brissett is also proving to be what he’s always been, a limited quarterback that needs to have everything perfect around him. Cleveland is awaiting Deshaun Watson’s return and when he gets back, the focus might very well be on how they get better in 2023.
20. Atlanta Falcons
Two wins in a row for the Atlanta Falcons suddenly have things looking much brighter for them. Their latest win came against the Cleveland Browns, who fought back from a 10-0 hole to take the lead 20-17.
Atlanta continued to fight and their ground game led to two more field goals and a 23-20 victory. They ran for over 200 yards on the ground and the defense forced two turnovers, including one on the Browns’ final drive as they tried to tie the game.
A huge test awaits the Dirty Birds as they take on the Bucs in Week 5, but they have some momentum and a lot of confidence. That could help when it’s a divisional contest.
19. Seattle Seahawks
Sometimes, Geno Smith looks like a journeyman who has trouble finding a long-term home. Other times, he throws for 320 yards with a couple of touchdowns while adding another score and 49 yards on the ground. Yes, those numbers came against the Lions this weekend who are giving up a lot of yards and points but Smith looked great in their second win of the season.
Also looking solid was Rashaad Penny who ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns. As impressive as they were, the defense in Seattle is not what it used to be. They surrendered 45 points (while dropping 48 on offense) and had no answers for the run or pass. They still have a lot of work to do in order to be playoff contenders but they’ve shown a lot of fight early in the year.
18. Arizona Cardinals
Since their Week 1 loss to the Chiefs — which was a blowout — the Arizona Cardinals have looked much better. They beat the Raiders by six and then held their own against the Rams, losing 20-12. Then in Week 4, they went against the Carolina Panthers and won by 10 points.
They harassed Baker Mayfield all day, knocking down 10 of his passes at the line of scrimmage. They also sacked him twice and had two interceptions.
On offense, they ran it well all day, with Kyler Murray running one touchdown, to go along with his two touchdown passes. They’re now 2-2 and still alive in the NFC West — although they do need to start winning against the top teams in order to make a real run.
17. Tennessee Titans
An 0-2 start feels like a lifetime ago to the Tenessee Titans. They were shocked by the New York Giants in Week 1 and then the Buffalo Bills blew up on them in the following game. Since then, they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders by two and now handed the Indianapolis Colts a seven-point loss in their own stadium.
Derrick Henry was dominant with 114 yards and a touchdown and Ryan Tannehill was very efficient. He threw for just 137 yards but had two touchdown passes and no picks. He made the plays he needed to and the defense held Indy to just 17 points. That’s a recipe for success and they’re suddenly tied with the Jags for first place in the AFC South.
16. San Francisco 49ers
Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Los Angeles Rams
A 1-2 start is less than ideal for the San Francisco 49ers and things might not be getting much better for them as they’re hosting the defending Super Bowl Champions on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
The Rams shook off a slow start and have won their last two, while the Niners are still struggling to find some consistency. Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t looked great and the frustration he’s shown with Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling is beyond concerning.
Of course, winning cures everything, so a victory against the Rams would make everything great again. But it won’t be easy to accomplish that.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Week 1 loss to Washington makes no sense as we enter Week 5. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a much better team in 2022 than anyone expected and they were able to threaten the Eagles on Sunday — who just so happen to be the final undefeated team.
Their offense struggled with the Philly defense, which help them to just seven points in the final three quarters but they still proved they can go against anyone with this game — as well as the win over the Chargers in Week 3.
Jacksonville is still tied for first place in the AFC South and they’ve looked like the best team in the division so far.
14. Denver Broncos
When the Denver Broncos added Russell Wilson, it seemed as though they would be in store for a big season. So far, it’s been quite a letdown as they entered this weekend without scoring more than 16 points in a game. They did at least put up 23 against the Raiders, but that wasn’t enough since they surrendered 32.
Josh Jacobs carved their defense up to the tune of 144 yards and two touchdowns. Denver, on the other hand, couldn’t get much going on the ground other than Wilson putting up 29 yards and a touchdown on four rushes.
They had a chance to make some ground in the AFC West and bury Vegas by sending them to an 0-4 start. They were unable to do so and now sit at 2-2 with plenty of questions to answer.
13. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers were not a happy team as they headed into Houston. They were thoroughly embarrassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars the week before, but that wasn’t going to happen to them again.
This time, Justin Herbert threw for 340 yards with two touchdowns, and Austin Ekeler added two scores on the ground — as well as catching one of the touchdown passes. Mike Williams went off with 120 yards on seven receptions and Gerald Everett continued his strong season with 61 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, they had two interceptions and two sacks. The big concern though has to be how they continue to let teams score on them late. That’s something they have to figure out or they could drop a few games they really need.
12. New York Giants
A loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football ended their hot 2-0 start but the New York Giants didn’t let it affect them going forward. They shrugged off the loss and improved to 3-1 with a 20-12 win over the Chicago Bears.
Saquon Barkley went off with 146 yards and Daniel Jones was again limited with his arm but ran for 68 yards and two touchdowns. They continue to struggle with finding a No. 1 receiver but the defense had six sacks.
That coupled with the run game was enough to keep the score low, which is exactly what the Giants want right now. They’re not where they want to be personnel-wise, but the confidence level is high, which hasn’t been the case for quite a while.
11. Baltimore Ravens
Facing the Bills, the Baltimore Ravens were looking for a statement win and came out on fire. They were up 20-3 and looking ready to score a huge win. Then, things fell apart.
Buffalo scored 20 unanswered to walk away with a 23-20 win but the Ravens have no one to blame but themselves. A long drive near the end of the fourth quarter ended when they passed on an easy field goal and attempted a fourth-down play, which was intercepted by Jordan Poyer.
The Bills then marched down the field and kicked a 21-yarder as time expired. As frustrating as this loss was, the Ravens have to figure out why they can’t hold leads. Two weeks prior, they surrendered 28 points to the Dolphins in the fourth quarter, blowing a 28-7 lead in the process.
Tom Brady isn’t used to two-game losing streaks but he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the middle of one right now. There will be those who want Brady to be done that will scream from the rooftops that this is the end for TB12 and the Bucs. But it’s not.
They lost in a defensive battle with the Packers last week and this Sunday, they had a Kansas City Chiefs team that was annoyed about losing last week and wanted to prove something to the team that beat them in the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
It was a perfect storm but with Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Carolina up next, they’ll get back on track.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
It seemed as though everyone was ready to write the Cincinnati Bengals off this season. Then they showed up to Thursday Night Football with their all-white gear and handed Miami their first loss of the season.
The Bengals wound up with a two-score win but it might have been closer if not for the extremely ugly injury suffered by Tua Tagovailoa. Even if he was able to play the whole game, Cincinnati was prepared to prove themselves, and the key to this has been an improved offensive line.
After two weeks of major struggles, they finally started to protect Joe Burrow and he was sacked just once in this game. If this continues, they could make a run at the AFC North and again be a team to watch in the postseason.
8. Dallas Cowboys
One day, many of us will be telling our children about the legend of Cooper Rush. The unheralded quarterback who replaced an injured Dak Prescott and became the first quarterback in Dallas Cowboys history to win his first four starts.
So that might be a bit much, but Rush has done everything asked of him and this time, he led them to a victory over the Washington Commanders. What’s most impressive though is how good this defense has been. They held Washington to just 10 points and have yet to surrender 20 points in a game.
They’re also getting healthier with Michael Gallup back and Prescott is reportedly getting close. They still have a lot to prove before overtaking the Eagles but they’re staying within striking distance.
7. Minnesota Vikings
They were knocked down a peg by the Eagles in Week 2, but outside of that, the Minnesota Vikings have been very good to start this season off. They scored a win over Green Bay in Week 1 and now have two wins in a row over scrappy teams in Detroit and New Orleans.
Their win over the Saints took place in London as they were the early game on Sunday. New Orleans continued to fight back but the Vikings did enough to secure a three-point win, scoring their final points on a 47-yard field goal from Greg Joseph. The Vikings’ kicker was 5-of-5 on the day and played a huge part in their win.
6. Miami Dolphins
After a 3-0 start, the Miami Dolphins suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. While the loss matters in the standings, it means very little compared to the major issue from this game.
Tua Tagovailoa was allowed to come back into a game in Week 3 when he was clearly wobbly and appeared to have suffered a concussion. Somehow, he wasn’t placed in the protocol and was on the field again four days later, and suffered an even worse injury as his head hit the turf and he appeared to lose control of his hands for a minute.
Miami has been much better on the field this season but they need to take care of their players better and Tua has to learn to also be honest with himself and avoid doing more damage.
5. Los Angeles Rams
Plays on Monday Night Football vs. San Francisco 49ers
After losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Los Angeles Rams secured victories over the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. The bad news for the Rams is that both those teams haven’t looked great so far this season. The good news is that the 49ers haven’t either.
Coming in at 1-2 and with concerns about Jimmy Garoppolo and his happiness with the play-calling, the 49ers are trending in the wrong direction. The Rams can move to 3-1 if they knock off the home team, and that would give them a solid lead in their division — which was supposed to be much better than it has been so far.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
No one expected the Kansas City Chiefs to lose to the Colts in Week 3, but they made sure to get that taste out of their mouths on Sunday Night Football in Week 4. Facing the Bucs, who beat them in the Super Bowl following the 2020 season, the Chiefs made a statement. They frustrated Tom Brady early and while he eventually got Tampa Bay’s offense moving, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City had already built an insurmountable lead.
Now at 3-1, they’re in control of the AFC West and already have a win over the Chargers. They play the Raiders next week and a win there would really put them ahead in the division race.
3. Buffalo Bills
Trying to shake off a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, the Buffalo Bills had a tough task ahead of them as they headed to Baltimore this past weekend to take on the Ravens. At first, it looked as though things were going to get ugly as they were down 20-3 in the second quarter.
The defense stood tall after that and the offense chipped away at the lead. Josh Allen had a touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie and then ran one in from 11-yards out. Finally, Tyler Bass hit a 21-yard field goal after Jordan Poyer’s pick gave them the ball back with a tie score.
Buffalo withstood everything Baltimore could throw at them and they bounced back. They weren’t able to close things out against Miami, so this was a huge win that likely lifted some weight off their shoulders.
2. Green Bay Packers
In Week 3, the Green Bay Packers beat the Tampa Bay Bucs by two points and then had another close contest this weekend against the New England Patriots. With Mac Jones out due to a high ankle sprain, the Pats also lost Brian Hoyer in this game and Bailey Zappe did all he could to keep it close.
He wasn’t bad but it was the run game that really have the Pack problems. New England ran for 167 yards which kept it close. In fact, the game went to the final seconds of overtime but the Green Bay rushing attack of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon proved to be too much as a Mason Crosby kick ended the upset bid.
Aaron Rodgers didn’t have insane stats but he did what he needed to and led his team to a 3-1 start, with those three wins now coming in a row.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
With the Cincinnati Bengals knocking off the Miami Dolphins, that left the Philadelphia Eagles as the only remaining undefeated team. They were then tested by the suddenly talented Jacksonville Jaguars, who jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Sunday.
Philly stayed calm and fought their way back into the game by dropping 20 points in the second quarter. From there, they just had to hold off the Jags and walked away with an eight-point win.
As has been the case all season, they were great on the ground with 210 yards and four touchdowns. They added four sacks and an interception as the defense continues to shine. This showing was enough for them to take the No. 1 spot this week as they continue their impressive run to start out the 2022 season.