Who is at the top of the Week 5 Review-Journal’s NFL rankings
Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Chiefs 4-0 (1). Kansas City got a scare on Monday night, but Alex Smith saved the day with another MVP-type performance. The Redskins smacked them in the mouth and the Chiefs responded. They’re for real.
2. Broncos 3-1 (5). Add Marshawn Lynch to the list of star running backs who couldn’t run against the Broncos’ vaunted defense. No fly zone, no run zone.
3. Falcons 3-1 (2). Injuries are starting to catchup to the Falcons. They lost Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu last week, but luckily for the Falcons, they have a bye week coming up.
4. Lions 3-1 (6). The Lions’ defense stepped up to bail out Matthew Stafford, who had a tough outing against the Vikings.
5. Packers 3-1 (7). Aaron Rodgers threw for less than 200 yards and the Packers were held to 91 yards on the ground. Green Bay still beat Chicago by 21.
6. Eagles 3-1 (9). Philadelphia is starting to run the ball well, complementing quarterback Carson Wentz and a top defensive line. The Eagles are here to stay.
7. Steelers 3-1 (8). Will Ben Roethlisberger ever throw for 300 yards again? Antonio Brown isn’t happy with his quarterback.
8. Panthers 3-1 (16). Superman Cam Newton has returned. Hopefully the former MVP continues to play like he did against the Patriots.
9. Patriots 2-2 (3). The Patriots arguably have the worst defense in the NFL. That sounds strange. Tom Brady is still on the team, don’t count them out.
10. Rams 3-1 (17). The Greatest Show on Turf 2.0? OK, too soon, but Jared Goff and Todd Gurley are scoring with ease.
11. Bills 3-1 (19). LeSean McCoy, we’ll come talk to the winners. No one is sleeping on the Bills after an impressive victory in Atlanta.
12. Redskins 2-2 (15). The Redskins lost a close one to the Chiefs, but they impressed a lot of pundits. The Redskins’ smash-mouth football will keep them in contention for a playoff spot.
13. Raiders 2-2 (4). The explosive 2-0 Raiders feels like ages ago. Oakland has lost two straight, forgot how to score and will be without Derek Carr for a few weeks. That’s rough.
14. Seahawks 2-2 (12). The Seattle offense finally showed up last week, but it was against the lowly Colts. They’ll face the Rams for an NFC West showdown Sunday.
15. Texans 2-2 (20). Houston has found its quarterback of the future, Deshaun Watson.
16. Cowboys 2-2 (11). Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott showed up last week against the Rams. The defense stayed at home.
17. Vikings 2-2 (14). First, Sam Bradford injured his knee. Now rookie stud Dalvin Cook is out for the year. The Vikings might have the worst luck.
18. Titans 2-2 (10). Tennessee gave up a humiliating 57 points to the Texans and Marcus Mariota injured his hamstring. AFC South favorites no more.
19. Buccaneers 2-1 (21). Jameis Winston finally had his first 300-yard passing game with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
20. Ravens 2-2 (13). Remember when Joe Flacco was elite? Ravens offense continues to struggle.
21. Jaguars 2-2 (18). The Jacksonville Jaguars, the most inconsistent team in the NFL.
22. Saints 2-2 (23). New Orleans is finally playing defense and Drew Bress continues to be play at a high level.
23. Jets 2-2 (29). The Jets are proving a lot of people wrong. They continue to surprise.
24. Cardinals 2-2 (25). Future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald bailed out the Cardinals from a home loss to the Niners last week.
25. Bengals 1-3 (27). The Bengals faced the Browns at the right time to get their first win of the season.
26. Dolphins 1-2 (22). It doesn’t get worse than a six-point performance against the Jets, right? It does. Being shut out by the Saints’ poor defense is a lot worse.
27. Bears 1-3 (24). Chicago has had enough of Mike Glennon. Let the Mitchell Trubisky era begin.
28. Giants 0-4 (26). Odell Beckham can’t believe the Giants are 0-4. Better believe it. The G-Men have serious problems.
29. Chargers 0-4 (28). Angry Philip Rivers came out versus the Eagles. We’ll see him often the rest of the season.
30. Colts 1-3 (30). Indy held a surprising 15-10 lead going into halftime against the Seahawks. But the Colts don’t have enough talent to keep up with Russell Wilson for four quarters.
31. 49ers 0-4 (31). Like they have done most of the season, the Niners played tough until the end against Arizona before losing a heartbreaker in overtime.
32. Browns 0-4 (32). Cleveland only managed a late-game garbage touchdown against a previously winless Bengals team.