NFL Power Rankings: The Chargers and Bills Emerge in the AFC

Time for our weekly look at the standings and Stoney's NFL Power Rankings.

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I stopped writing NFL Power Rankings a couple of seasons ago ’cause nobody was reading ’em. You know – every sports media website in the world has some form of these power rankings up, so there’s a lot of competition, and the little guys like us lose out in those scenarios. It makes it somewhat pointless to do stuff like this, but whatever happened with Google’s core web vitals update back in May seems to have kicked our traffic into another gear. I guess they like us? Anyway, it made me think that maybe it was worth giving these bad boys another try. So, like I said before I stopped writing these, my NFL Power Rankings are based solely on what has happened on the field so far. I’m not taking preseason expectations or projections into consideration. These rankings are based strictly on what I’ve seen so far this season. Let’s get to it.

NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 5, 2021

1. Arizona Cardinals (5-0) – The San Francisco 49ers did their best to test this undefeated Cardinals team and Arizona rose to the occasion. That defense is swarming, batting passes all over the field. Isaiah Simmons is making huge goal line stops. DeAndre Hopkins is making ridiculous catches. Kyler Murray is making ridiculous throws. This team is as complete as you’ll find in the NFL. They have a big one coming up on Sunday, traveling to Cleveland to play the 3-2 Browns.

2. Green Bay Packers (4-1) – The Packers survived against a game Cincinnati Bengals squad that is a lot better than we thought they’d be. They’ve now won four straight, and that connection between Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams is as strong as it has ever been. They travel to Chicago for a big time NFC North showdown with the Bears on Sunday.

3. Los Angeles Rams (4-1) – The Rams rebounded in a big way after losing to the Cardinals, beating a scrappy Seattle team that was desperate to avoid falling to 2-3. Alas, Matthew Stafford picked apart the Seahawks with a bum finger, and the Rams pulled away in the 3rd quarter. They have the New York Giants in New Jersey on deck.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) – Look, I don’t think the Dolphins are a good football team by any stretch of the imagination, but Tom Brady and this Bucs offense had an impressive day in completely eviscerating Miami. They should continue to handle business with a trip to Philadelphia on the schedule for Thursday night.

5. Los Angeles Chargers (4-1) – All aboard! The Chargers hype train is leaving the station. Justin Herbert is playing at an MVP level. Austin Ekeler is a Swiss Army Knife. Brandon Staley is a football mastermind that has a deep appreciation of a good run game. After outlasting the Cleveland Browns in a 47-42 game that was pure crack, the Chargers now have three quality wins against three quality opponents in consecutive weeks and sit atop the AFC in the standings. They’re legit. YUGE game in Baltimore on Sunday!

6. Buffalo Bills (4-1) – What poise and what polish from this Buffalo team. They handled business in Kansas City on Sunday night, and that defensive front is scary. They have NINE guys that can rotate in and out and make plays. They crowd the line of scrimmage and clog up space for opposing offenses. And, on offense, Josh Allen is playing at an MVP level again. It’s them and the Chargers in the AFC right now. They have a trip to Nashville for Monday Night Football against the Titans ahead of ’em.

7. Dallas Cowboys (4-1) – I know I’ve rattled off a bunch of names playing at an MVP level, but I’m going to go ahead and throw Dak Prescott’s name in the hat as well. The Cowboys lost their season opener to the defending Super Bowl champions, and they haven’t lost since. They beat up on a banged up Giants team, and maybe that game is different without the Giants offense losing their three biggest play-makers. But, this offense is a juggernaut regardless. They travel to New England on Sunday.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-1) – Credit where it’s due – I know this Colts team doesn’t have a very good record, but that comeback win last night was as impressive as it gets in the NFL. Just an all-around gutsy performance with guys making miracle plays to keep ’em in the game. Chief among them was Lamar Jackson who – I know I keep saying this – played at an MVP level. They have some fight. They have some heart. They’re going to be a tough out. They host the Chargers this Sunday.

9. Cleveland Browns (3-2) – The Browns lost a close game that turned into a sprint to the current #1 team in the AFC, and they still had a chance to win it late. Hard to dock them too many points when it feels like this is still a damn good football team. Besides, the rest of the league is middling at 3-2 or 2-3 anyway, and it feels like the Brown are the best of the bunch. They host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which is a massive challenge for a team trying to avoid slipping to 3-3.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) – Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s say it out loud. The Cincinnati Bengals might actually be good. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have been simply electric throughout 2021 so far, and this offense can hang with anyone, as evidenced by the team nearly beating the Packers on Sunday. No moral victories and all, but that was a huge measuring stick game and the Bengals did anything but shit the bed. They travel to Detroit on Sunday.

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY…

AFC

(1) Los Angeles Chargers (BYE)
(7) Denver Broncos @ (2) Baltimore Ravens
(6) Las Vegas Raiders @ (3) Buffalo Bills
(5) Cincinnati Bengals @ (4) Tennessee Titans

NFC

(1) Arizona Cardinals (BYE)
(7) Carolina Panthers @ (2) Dallas Cowboys
(6) Chicago Bears @ (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(5) Los Angeles Rams @ (4) Green Bay Packers

PREDICTIONS

Top 5 NFL Draft order: 1. Jaguars, 2. Texans, 3. Lions, 4. Jets, 5. Dolphins
AFC Championship: Bills @ Chargers
NFC Championship: Packers @ Cardinals
Super Bowl: Bills vs. Cardinals

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley