8. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
The 3-2 Los Angeles Rams lost a disappointing game on Thursday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. While that should have absolutely been a win, the Rams will be fine and are continually a top team in the NFL with Sean McVay in the picture. He's going to get this ship on the right track, and it would not shock me if the Rams did end up winning the NFC West yet again.
An elite head coach who is probably going to end up in the Hall of Fame one day, McVay is eighth in our head coach power rankings approaching Week 6.
7. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Sean Payton is doing another great coaching job through the first five weeks. Denver had a short week after their Monday Night Football win over the Cincinnati Bengals, as they traveled across the country and played the Eagles in a 1:00 PM early-window game in Week 5. The Broncos being able to mount a fourth-quarter comeback at Philly was really something, and it now seems like Payton and the Bo Nix-led Broncos have their signature win that could really open things up.
With two more very winnable games coming up in the coming weeks against the Jets and Giants, the 3-2 Broncos could go from 1-2 to 5-2 in the blink of an eye. Payton-coached teams typically turn it on in October as well, so the breakout could continue this month as well.
6. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots look significantly better in 2025 than they were at any point in 2024. The team is now 3-2 on the season after a huge win over the Buffalo Bills, and it's really not a shock that the Patriots are trending in the right direction. This team has won three of their last four games after a sloppy Week 1 loss against the Raiders.
All in all, Vrabel is up to his old tricks again and has done an amazing job with this upstart team. Second-year QB Drake Maye has played out of his mind, and it feels like this team is plenty good enough to get into the postseason this year. Vrabel is sixth in our head coach power rankings.
5. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-1 on the season after a huge win against the Seattle Seahawks. Simply put, this is one of the best teams in the NFL, and they have been insanely consistent in the Bowles era. Baker Mayfield is playing MVP-level football, and the entire operation is just well-run and well-coached.
Bowles deserves a ton of credit for helping this franchise stabilize after both Tom Brady and Bruce Arians left the picture several years ago. He's fifth in our head coach power rankings, as the Bucs look poised to again win the NFC South and earn a top seed in the playoffs, but a deep playoff run has eluded them for a while now.