As we rank teams this week, each NFL Nation reporter assesses where the teams they cover have gone wrong this season. Some are nitpicks; others (see the city of New York) are gaping holes.
How we rank in our Power Rankings: Our power panel — a group of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities — evaluates how teams stack up throughout the season.
Previous rankings: 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Preseason
1. Seattle Seahawks (5-0)
Week 5 ranking: 2
Biggest weakness: The defense
The Seahawks are 5-0 despite a historically leaky defense. They allowed a combined 1,292 passing yards over their first three games, easily the most to begin a season in NFL history. They had been fine against the run until Sunday night versus Minnesota when they were gashed for 201 yards on the ground. The 2,356 yards Seattle has given up are the most by any team through five games since the 1950 Colts, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Seahawks’ saving grace has been forcing turnovers — they’re tied for second in the NFL with 10 — and getting stops in critical moments, like the stuff on fourth-and-1 against the Vikings on Sunday. — Brady Henderson
2. Green Bay Packers (4-0)
Week 5 ranking: 3
Biggest weakness: Injuries
After they were charmed last season in the health department, the Packers have already been hit harder in four games this year than in all of 2019. Consider whom they’ve played without for parts or all of games so far: Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Equanimeous St. Brown, Marcedes Lewis, Lane Taylor, Billy Turner, Kenny Clark, Christian Kirksey, Kamal Martin and Rashan Gary, among others. They’ve survived so far, and they will get several of those players back, perhaps as soon as this week. But if anything (other than the run defense) can derail this team, it is injuries. — Rob Demovsky
3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
Week 5 ranking: 1
Biggest weakness: Too much pressure on Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes is facing too much pressure even when opponents aren’t blitzing. He has been pressured on 34.7% of his dropbacks when not facing a blitz, the second-highest rate in the league. This disparity is throwing off the passing game’s usual efficiency. It’s easy to blame the offensive line, but that group is 14th in pass block win rate at 60.9%. Mahomes deserves some of the blame. He has a tendency to drift in the pocket, which makes a lineman’s job more difficult. — Adam Teicher
4. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
Week 5 ranking: 4
Biggest weakness: Passing offense
The Ravens were hoping to see Lamar Jackson take the next step as a passer, but that hasn’t consistently happened through five games. Baltimore ranks 31st in passing, averaging 178.8 yards per game. Only the banged-up New York Jets are worse. Jackson recently acknowledged he is “not happy” with the passing game but said he believes there’s plenty of time left in the season to turn it around. With the running game not being as dominant as last season, Jackson has to become more accurate and efficient in throwing the ball if Baltimore wants to beat the likes of the Steelers, Colts, Titans and Patriots in November. — Jamison Hensley
5. Buffalo Bills (4-0)
Week 5 ranking: 5
Biggest weakness: Pass defense
Death, taxes and an elite Bills pass defense. Those are the absolute truths we have become accustomed to over the past two seasons, when Buffalo finished fourth and first, respectively, in passing yards allowed. In typical 2020 fashion, the Bills are polar opposites from their previous selves in that regard, allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game through four games this season. They have battled injuries in both the secondary and at linebacker, neither of which have helped their case; fortunately for Leslie Frazier’s unit, Buffalo’s offense has proved more than capable of winning a shootout. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)
Week 5 ranking: 7
Biggest weakness: The deep ball
Ben Roethlisberger is off to a solid start with 10 touchdown passes, one interception and a 67% completion rate. But one crucial thing is missing from his arsenal: the deep ball. It’s not that Roethlisberger can’t get the ball down the field after elbow surgery; it’s that he is missing his receivers. Big Ben has the highest off-target rate (59%) and fourth-worst completion rate (24% for 4-of-17) on throws 20-plus yards downfield this season, per ESPN Stats & Info data. The veteran quarterback joked after Sunday’s win that maybe the surgeons gave him too much arm strength. — Brooke Pryor
7. Los Angeles Rams (4-1)
Week 5 ranking: 8
Biggest weakness: Kicking
The Rams are hitting their stride on offense and defense, but kicking remains a concern because of inexperience. The Rams selected Samuel Sloman with a seventh-round pick from Miami (Ohio) and stuck with him through a three-kicker competition during training camp. Sloman has connected on 75% of his field goal attempts (6-of-8), which ranks 28th in the NFL. However, it’s fair to question why Sean McVay had the rookie attempt a 53-yard kick in windy conditions in Week 3 at Buffalo (all of Sloman’s other attempts are from inside the 40-yard line). Sloman is 14-of-16 on extra point attempts (87.5%), which also ranks 28th in the league. — Lindsey Thiry
8. Tennessee Titans (3-0)
Week 5 ranking: 6
Biggest weakness: Run defense
The Titans have given up 498 rushing yards through the first three games. Mike Vrabel said it comes down to failing to set the edge, not walling and not swarming to the ball carrier. Running backs have been able to find a seam along the line of scrimmage and take advantage of bad angles or poor tackling to gain chunks of yards. Tennessee is allowing a league-high 5.8 yards per carry. The Titans have won some close games, but they won’t be able to keep doing so if they don’t stop teams from imposing their will through the running game. — Turron Davenport
9. New Orleans Saints (3-2)
Week 5 ranking: 9
Biggest weakness: Penalties
The Saints lead the NFL in total penalty yards and defensive penalties — including a whopping 11 pass interference flags for a total of 244 yards heading into Monday night’s game. You would think that’s an area they could clean up. But it consistently plagued them throughout the first month of the season, with at least two penalties each by starters Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins and Marcus Williams. And it has helped to turn their talented secondary into a question mark instead of a strength early this season. — Mike Triplett
10. Cleveland Browns (4-1)
Week 5 ranking: 14
Biggest weakness: Secondary
The Browns were banking on big things from second-round pick Grant Delpit, but the safety was lost for the season to an Achilles injury in training camp. Days before Delpit’s injury, nickelback Kevin Johnson suffered a lacerated liver in practice; Johnson has since returned but hasn’t yet regained the form he flashed in training camp. Throw in corner Greedy Williams’ shoulder injury, which has sidelined him all five games, and Cleveland’s secondary has yet to reach full strength. As a result, it has struggled at times defending the pass, surrendering 296.4 passing yards per game, third worst in the NFL. — Jake Trotter
11. New England Patriots (2-2)
Week 5 ranking: 10
Biggest weakness: Tight end production
Backup quarterback almost was the choice here after four interceptions in Kansas City in Week 4 (one was more a result of wide receiver Julian Edelman letting the ball slip through his hands). But tight end production in the passing game was ultimately the pick based on a larger, four-game sample size. The Patriots have three catches for 44 yards from their tight ends. This comes one year after they ranked last in the NFL in tight end receptions and targets. — Mike Reiss
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
Week 5 ranking: 11
The Bucs are tied with the Cardinals for a league-leading 42 penalties through five games, with their 410 penalty yards more than that of any other team in the league. They also led the league with 133 penalties last season. They had 11 penalties for 109 yards Thursday night against the Bears, which caused the Bucs to lose three leads and ultimately the game, 20-19. “They stop drives. We had so many third-and-longs, and we just could never get into any rhythm,” Tom Brady said after the contest. “We obviously have a lot of work to do.” — Jenna Laine
13. Chicago Bears (4-1)
Week 5 ranking: 15
Biggest weakness: Rushing offense
The Bears have yet to establish a consistent rushing attack under coach Matt Nagy, who doubles as the offensive playcaller. The Bears enter Week 6 ranked 26th in total rushing yards (477) and dead last in rushing touchdowns (one). For his part, Nagy is eternally optimistic about the prospects of running the football effectively. “I have a lot of faith in our run game, I really do,” Nagy said. “I feel good about that. There is no panic at all. I know for me that part is exciting to figure out ways to get it back on track because that is ultimately going to help our offense.” — Jeff Dickerson
14. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
Week 5 ranking: 12
Biggest weakness: Running game
Guard Quenton Nelson enjoys sporting a hat that reads, “Run the damn ball.” Well, running the ball, a strength of the Colts last season, has been a struggle this season. After finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing in 2019, the Colts now are 19th in rushing yards per game (105.8) and 31st in yards per attempt (3.6). A big factor is the loss of starting running back Marlon Mack (Achilles), but another part is the offensive line not being as dominant as in years past. A better running game will lighten up what has become a heavy load on QB Philip Rivers’ right shoulder. — Mike Wells
15. Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
Week 5 ranking: 17
Biggest weakness: Turnover differential
As in, the Raiders need to stop giving the ball away and start taking it away more. With a minus-4 turnover differential, the Raiders were tied for 25th in that department entering Monday night with seven giveaways (6 fumbles lost, 1 interception) and three takeaways (0 fumbles recovered, 3 INTs). Creating a turnover at just the right time can turn a game, as evidenced by Jeff Heath’s pick of Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter of the Raiders’ upset win at Kansas City on Sunday. Easier said than done, but necessary. — Paul Gutierrez
16. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
Week 5 ranking: 16
Biggest weakness: Interceptions
The Cardinals have just one interception this season, and it came in Week 4, tying them for 29th in the NFL. Only the Texans have fewer. Even though Arizona is tied for seventh in the league with 14 sacks, the Cardinals are hardly getting pressure on quarterbacks. They’re ranked 31st in pressure percentage with a rate of 19.5. Very little pressure puts very little stress on quarterbacks, and stress tends to lead to bad throws and more interceptions. If the Cardinals can get more pressure up front, that will likely translate into more picks. — Josh Weinfuss
17. San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
Week 5 ranking: 13
Biggest weakness: Offensive line
The 49ers have questions all over right now, but many of them are related to injuries. The offensive line dealt with some injuries in camp, which undoubtedly hurt early-season cohesion, but the group is still mostly what the team envisioned in the offseason. Yet the 49ers have yielded 18 sacks, fourth most in the NFL, and rank 22nd in run block win rate. If the Niners can’t regain control of the line of scrimmage consistently, it’s going to be difficult for an offense with plenty of playmakers to get back on track. — Nick Wagoner
18. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
Week 5 ranking: 18
Biggest weakness: Defense
With Dak Prescott out for the season, you would think it would be the offense’s ability to put up points with Andy Dalton at quarterback. But it’s not. It’s on the defense — the entire defense. Cowboys opponents have had 60 drives in the first five games and have scored on 31 of them, with 19 touchdowns and 12 field goals. (And four of those possessions were either taking a knee or running out the clock to kill the half or a game.) The Giants entered Week 5 with 47 points, and their offense scored 24 points on two touchdowns and four field goals. With dynamic offenses to come, the Cowboys’ defense has a lot to fix. — Todd Archer
19. Carolina Panthers (3-2)
Week 5 ranking: 22
Biggest weakness: Run defense
For all the concerns about a young secondary coming into the season, the run defense has been the biggest weakness. The Panthers are giving up 135 yards per game to rank among the bottom half of the NFL. Improving that stat was an emphasis for the new staff after last year’s unit allowed a whopping 143.5 yards rushing per game. That was another reason for drafting run-stopper Derrick Brown in the first round. The Panthers rank as one of the worst teams in the NFL in yards after initial contact. And they have given up eight rushing touchdowns, the most through five games in franchise history. — David Newton
20. Los Angeles Chargers (1-4)
Week 5 ranking: 19
Biggest weakness: Turnovers
The Chargers very well could have started 4-0 instead of 1-3 if it weren’t for their minus-4 turnover ratio. Anthony Lynn, though, is now working with a rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert and a rookie running back in Joshua Kelley (after Austin Ekeler went down with a nasty hamstring injury). The coach has to be a patient or pull out what’s left of his hair to cope. There’s no fun in Costa Mesa right now. And that was before the Chargers had their bye week moved up. — Shelley Smith
21. Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
Week 5 ranking: 21
Minnesota is getting great play out of tackles Riley Reiff and Brian O’Neill, but its pass protection on the interior of the offensive line remains an issue. The Vikings rank 22nd in pass block win rate and can’t establish an effective dropback game because of it. In Seattle on Sunday, Kirk Cousins got hit nearly every time he released the football out of the shotgun in the second half. The QB’s third-quarter fumble after being sacked (a turnover that allowed Seattle to score two plays later) was the direct result of porous pass protection. — Courtney Cronin
22. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)
Week 5 ranking: 20
Biggest weakness: Linebacker
The Eagles have the smallest amount of cap dollars ($4.3 million) committed to linebacker in the NFL, and it shows. Opposing tight ends have racked up 32 catches for 323 yards and five touchdowns through five games. Much of that damage has come with linebackers in coverage. The position is ranked low (last?) on the team’s priority list when it comes to roster construction. While there is some merit to that philosophy given how often defenses are in subpackages these days, the Eagles have taken it to an extreme — and it’s hurting them. — Tim McManus
23. Miami Dolphins (2-3)
Week 5 ranking: 24
Biggest weakness: Running game
The Dolphins’ passing offense is flowing well, but it’s having to offset a rushing attacking that hasn’t found consistency. The Dolphins are averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, 30th in the NFL. Miami’s rebuilt offensive line has held up well protecting Ryan Fitzpatrick but hasn’t established itself as nicely run blocking unit. That coupled with the Jordan Howard addition (18 carries, 14 yards) looking like a bust gives plenty of evidence this is the Dolphins’ biggest weakness. Myles Gaskin is a feel-good story as the Dolphins’ surprise lead back, but they will need to be more productive on the ground to be a true playoff contender. — Cameron Wolfe
24. Houston Texans (1-4)
Week 5 ranking: 23
Through five games, the Texans have only gotten one first down on their opening drives. That one came Sunday, when Deshaun Watson threw a 36-yard pass to Brandin Cooks on Houston’s first offensive play of the game. Still, the Texans didn’t get another first down on the drive. And they have yet to score on their opening possession. That might be OK against the now 1-4 Jaguars, but Houston needs to get off to a faster start if it wants to keep pace with some of the better teams coming up on the schedule, including the Titans and Packers. — Sarah Barshop
25. Detroit Lions (1-3)
Week 5 ranking: 25
Biggest weakness: Literally the entire defense
Where to begin. The Lions have given up more rushing yards per game (170.3) than any team in the NFL and have allowed 5.16 yards per rush. Detroit is yielding 405 yards per game in total and 6.16 yards per play. They can’t get off the field — No. 31 in first downs allowed per game (27.3) — and can’t sack the quarterback (five sacks in four games). Even defensive end Trey Flowers, when asked about the team’s lack of pass rush, said it hadn’t been in enough pass-rush situations because teams are running so well on them. It has led to an inefficient defense and putting more pressure on the offense to have to score on every possession. — Michael Rothstein
26. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1)
Week 5 ranking: 27
Biggest weakness: Offense
Is it acceptable to lump the entire offense into this category? Because every offensive metric is, uh, not ideal. Yards per play, red zone efficiency and touchdowns per drive are among the categories in which the Bengals rank near the bottom of the league. Having a shaky offensive line, a lack of explosive wide receivers, a rookie quarterback and a relatively inexperienced playcaller have all factored into the lack of points. The Bengals will need all of that to improve pretty soon. — Ben Baby
27. Washington Football Team (1-4)
Week 5 ranking: 26
Biggest weakness: Offense
Washington ranks 30th or worse in a number of key offensive categories: points per game, yards per game, third down, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, total QBR and sacks per pass attempt. The team benched quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. after four starts, but there’s a lot more that needed to be done around him. The defense isn’t playing well or consistently, but it’s the offense that has been bad across the board. The hope for Washington is that in the next five weeks it plays three defenses ranked 23rd or worse in yards allowed per game: Dallas, Cincinnati and Detroit. Now is the time when they need to show growth. — John Keim
28. Denver Broncos (1-3)
Week 5 ranking: 28
Biggest weakness: Takeaways
The Broncos’ lackluster scoring offense isn’t far behind their defense’s inability to create takeaways in terms of the team’s biggest weakness after four games, but the two go together. The team has lost the turnover battle in three of its games, including a minus-3 effort in their only win over the struggling Jets. They have forced turnovers in just one game — their Week 2 loss in Pittsburgh. Their two takeaways tie them with Houston for last in the league. As a result, they haven’t created many short fields for an offense that has used three quarterbacks already and has lost its best wide receiver — Courtland Sutton — for the season with a knee injury. — Jeff Legwold
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
Week 5 ranking: 30
Biggest weakness: Defense
The Jaguars have given up 30-plus points in four consecutive games, something that’s only been done twice before in franchise history (2013 and 2014), and they’re allowing 417 yards per game. They can’t blame injuries, because the three starters who missed Sunday’s game (DE Josh Allen, LB Myles Jack, CB CJ Henderson) have been on the field in every other game. The front hasn’t gotten much pressure, and coordinator Todd Wash doesn’t like to blitz much anyway, but the Jaguars haven’t gotten home when they have blitzed. This side of the ball needs an infusion of talent. — Mike DiRocco
30. Atlanta Falcons (0-5)
Week 5 ranking: 29
Biggest weakness: Defense
Yes, Matt Ryan hasn’t thrown a touchdown over the past two games, and the 0-5 Falcons are built to rely on offense. But the defense can’t continue to surrender 32.2 points and 446 total yards per game. And it can’t continue to blow big fourth-quarter leads like it did against the Cowboys and Bears. — Vaughn McClure
31. New York Giants (0-5)
Week 5 ranking: 31
Biggest weakness: Scoring touchdowns
32. New York Jets (0-5)
Week 5 ranking: 32
Biggest weakness: Football
The Jets aren’t good at anything, so it’s hard to pinpoint one weakness. They’re one of only four teams in the past 30 years (and the first since the 2013 Jaguars) to lose their first five games by multiple scores. They’ve lost by at least nine points in every game, as the offense has managed only six touchdowns. They’ve given up at least 27 points in every game, and the defense, which kept them in many games last season, is yielding 395 yards per game. It’s a dumpster fire. — Rich Cimini
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