Greg DeMarco’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 5

After 5 weeks, The 49ers hold on to their lead in Greg DeMarco’s 2026 NFL Power Rankings, followed by the Chiefs, Vikings, and Jaguars–all four establishing themselves as the current class of the NFL. See where all 32 teams rank.

After another exciting week of NFL action…along with a few questionable decisions coming from the sidelines…I am back with your Power Rankings for NFL Week 5!

The biggest movers came from some of Week 5’s loudest results. New England and Detroit each jumped 11 spots after the Patriots crushed Las Vegas 45-17 and the Lions hung 45 on Arizona, while Green Bay’s 31-7 rout of Chicago helped the Packers climb seven places and sent the Bears down four. The Raiders suffered the week’s biggest fall at 10 spots, while Buffalo’s road win over the Rams, Tampa Bay finally breaking through in Dallas, and Houston burying Tennessee 26-3 also created significant movement throughout the rankings.

Now–onto the rankings!

Tier 1

1 – San Francisco 49ers (5-0, 1st NFC West, 91.40, NC) San Francisco survived a real challenge from Seattle and remains the league’s only team pairing a perfect record with truly dominant underlying numbers. The 49ers still own the NFL’s best point differential and remain an easy choice for the top spot.

2 – Kansas City Chiefs (4-0, 1st AFC West, 87.19, NC) Kansas City had the week off and still holds firmly in second place. The Chiefs remain unbeaten with a strong point differential and a better adjusted schedule than either San Francisco or Minnesota.

3 – Minnesota Vikings (5-0, 1st NFC North, 83.58, +1) Minnesota keeps answering the only question that ultimately matters: can they keep winning? I still believe the defense is carrying more of the load than the offense, but after five weeks and another road win, I’m comfortable putting the undefeated Vikings ahead of Jacksonville.

4 – Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1, 1st AFC South, 82.90, -1) Jacksonville remains extremely close to Minnesota in the Power Score and owns the stronger schedule along with an excellent point differential. A 4-1 record against that competition keeps the Jaguars firmly in the top tier even after slipping one spot.

Then comes the biggest separation anywhere near the top of the rankings. More than 14 points separate Jacksonville from Buffalo, leaving four teams that have clearly distinguished themselves from the rest of the league through five weeks.

Tier 2

5 – Buffalo Bills (4-1, 1st AFC East, 68.39, +4) Buffalo went into Los Angeles and survived a shootout with the Rams, pushing the Bills back toward the top of the rankings. Their scoring efficiency remains among the league’s best even if the overall dominance hasn’t matched the four teams above them.

6 – Baltimore Ravens (4-1, 1st AFC North, 65.62, +2) Baltimore handled a dangerous Atlanta team on the road and has now won four of five. The Ravens’ schedule hasn’t been especially strong, but the record and positive scoring margin continue doing enough to keep them near the front of the pack.

7 – Seattle Seahawks (3-2, 2nd NFC West, 61.79, -1) Seattle lost, but pushing San Francisco to the wire hardly damages my opinion of the Seahawks. Their strong point differential and PP100 continue to suggest this is much better than an ordinary 3-2 team.

8 – New England Patriots (3-2, 2nd AFC East, 61.74, +11) Nobody made a louder statement this week than New England, which followed the win over Buffalo by demolishing Las Vegas. The Patriots have played one of the league’s toughest schedules, and those quality wins are why I’m keeping them narrowly ahead of Chicago.

9 – Chicago Bears (3-2, 4th NFC North, 61.32, -4) Chicago’s 31-7 loss in Green Bay was the first major blow to what had been an impressive statistical profile. A strong adjusted schedule and positive point differential keep the Bears in this tier, but New England now has the better résumé against better competition.

The second tier contains good teams with legitimate arguments, but none has separated from the pack the way the top four have. From here, the league becomes increasingly congested, with small differences in schedule, efficiency and scoring margin capable of moving a team several spots.

Tier 3

10 – Detroit Lions (3-2, 3rd NFC North, 57.71, +11) Detroit answered last week’s loss by hanging 45 points on Arizona, and the Lions now own one of the NFL’s best PP100 figures. They still need more consistency, but this looks much more like the offense we expected to see.

11 – Cincinnati Bengals (3-2, 4th AFC North, 55.37, +7) Cincinnati took care of Miami and continues to maintain a healthy positive point differential. The weaker adjusted schedule keeps the Bengals from climbing even higher despite a profile that looks increasingly respectable.

12 – Carolina Panthers (2-2, 1st NFC South, 54.92, -1) Carolina was idle, but the Panthers remain the unusual team whose underlying numbers continue to outpace their record. A positive point differential and strong schedule are enough to keep them ahead of several 3-2 teams.

13 – Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2, 3rd AFC North, 53.74, +7) Pittsburgh’s win over Indianapolis moved the Steelers above .500 and gave the model much more to work with. Their profile remains fairly ordinary, but three wins against a respectable schedule carries weight.

14 – Denver Broncos (3-2, 2nd AFC West, 52.56, +2) Denver finally turned another difficult matchup into a victory by beating the Chargers. The Broncos still have a negative point differential, but one of football’s toughest schedules continues to provide important context.

15 – New York Giants (3-1-1, 1st NFC East, 51.39, -5) The tie with Washington leaves the Giants with a .700 winning percentage because an NFL tie counts as half a win and half a loss when calculating Win% (per the NFL’s own guidelines). The bigger concern is that New York has barely outscored its opponents while playing one of the league’s weaker schedules.

16 – Las Vegas Raiders (3-2, 3rd AFC West, 49.96, -10) Las Vegas suffered one of the week’s biggest collapses, getting blown out 45-17 by New England. The Raiders still have a strong PP100, but their point differential and résumé took a massive hit.

17 – Green Bay Packers (3-2, 2nd NFC North, 49.46, +7) Green Bay finally gave me something to feel better about, dominating Chicago after several weeks of concern. The Packers still have a negative overall scoring margin, so one impressive Sunday isn’t enough to erase every question about this team.

This is the broadest tier (8 teams) because there simply isn’t much separating the NFL’s middle right now. Detroit sits at 57.71 and Green Bay at 49.46, but every team in between has enough strengths and weaknesses that one Sunday can significantly reshape the order.

Tier 4

18 – Cleveland Browns (3-2, 2nd AFC North, 46.18, -6) Cleveland’s loss to the Jets exposed the biggest concern in its profile: the Browns keep carrying a negative scoring margin despite a winning record. At 3-2 they remain relevant, but the numbers are becoming harder to dismiss.

19 – Los Angeles Rams (2-3, 3rd NFC West, 46.00, -5) The Rams lost again, but taking Buffalo down to the final moments matters when evaluating how good this team actually is. Their 2-3 record has come against one of the NFL’s toughest schedules, although the poor PP100 continues holding them back.

20 – Dallas Cowboys (2-3, 3rd NFC East, 42.75, -7) Dallas followed an encouraging win with a home loss to Tampa Bay, dropping below .500. The Cowboys remain efficient at turning yards into points, but they aren’t producing enough wins for that metric to carry them.

21 – Atlanta Falcons (2-3, 2nd NFC South, 42.04, -4) Atlanta’s raw Power Score places them just behind Indianapolis, but this is my one manual adjustment of the week. I believe the Falcons are the better team with Michael Penix running the offense, although they can’t use the games without him as an excuse forever.

22 – Indianapolis Colts (2-3, 2nd AFC South, 42.41, -7) Indianapolis remains the league’s PP100 leader, but the Colts have now lost three games and carry a negative point differential. That efficiency number is fascinating, but at some point it needs to translate into more victories.

23 – New York Jets (2-3, 3rd AFC East, 40.05, +2) The Jets earned a useful win over Cleveland and suddenly find themselves only one game below .500. Their overall profile remains modest, but they’re beginning to give the numbers something positive to reward.

The statistical gap below the Jets is significant. This next group contains teams that still have enough evidence to avoid the bottom of the rankings, but every one of them has already accumulated serious problems through five weeks.

Tier 5

24 – Philadelphia Eagles (2-3, 2nd NFC East, 33.41, -2) Philadelphia has now lost three straight after falling to Jacksonville in London, and the underlying profile isn’t offering much reassurance. A negative point differential against a relatively light schedule is a difficult combination to defend.

25 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4, 3rd NFC South, 31.86, +3) Tampa Bay finally got its first win by going into Dallas and beating the Cowboys. I considered moving the Buccaneers above Philadelphia, but one victory isn’t enough yet—I need to see them build on it.

26 – Houston Texans (1-4, 3rd AFC South, 28.68, +3) Houston finally broke through with a decisive win over Tennessee, and the Texans now have an almost neutral point differential despite the ugly record. That’s enough to suggest they may be better than 1-4, but the hole remains substantial.

27 – New Orleans Saints (1-4, 4th NFC South, 27.67, -4) New Orleans continues to face a difficult schedule and remains reasonably efficient in PP100, but the losses are piling up. The Saints have now been outscored badly enough that schedule strength can only provide so much cover.

28 – Washington Commanders (1-3-1, 4th NFC East, 26.24, -1) Washington’s tie with the Giants counts as half a win and half a loss for the Win% pillar, producing a .300 winning percentage (per the NFL’s own guidelines). Even with that small boost, a -6.80 average scoring margin leaves the Commanders firmly in the lower tier.

There is nearly a nine-point drop after Washington, creating a clear statistical separation before Arizona. The Cardinals aren’t winless, but their overall performance has been much closer to the league’s bottom teams than to the group above them.

Tier 6

29 – Arizona Cardinals (1-4, 4th NFC West, 17.34, -3) Arizona was overwhelmed by Detroit, and the Cardinals are now being outscored by more than 10 points per game. Their efficiency isn’t terrible, but virtually everything else in the profile has moved in the wrong direction.

Arizona is struggling, but even the Cardinals sit almost nine full points above the final group. The bottom three are the NFL’s only remaining winless teams, and their scores make them a distinct class of their own.

Tier 7

30 – Miami Dolphins (0-5, 4th AFC East, 8.55, +2) Miami has faced the toughest adjusted schedule in the league, but there is no hiding a winless record and a -12.40 scoring margin. The Dolphins remain abysmal, and the loss of Achane only makes their outlook harder to trust going forward.

31 – Los Angeles Chargers (0-5, 4th AFC West, 6.84, NC) The Chargers remain winless after another competitive loss, this time against Denver. Their underlying numbers are slightly less disastrous than Tennessee’s, but five games without a victory leaves very little room for optimism.

32 – Tennessee Titans (0-5, 4th AFC South, 1.14, -2) Tennessee’s 26-3 loss to previously winless Houston sends the Titans to the bottom. A double-digit negative scoring margin, the league’s weakest PP100 and an 0-5 record leave almost nothing in the profile to argue against it.

Here is your answer key to how I am actually ranking these teams:

• Win Percentage is the foundation because, ultimately, winning is what matters most in the NFL. It carries the greatest influence in our rankings, while the other factors help determine which teams are stronger than their records alone might suggest.
• Point Differential measures how decisively a team has performed across the season, using its average scoring margin with an overall cap of 17 points in either direction. That rewards dominant teams while preventing extreme blowouts from carrying too much weight.
• Adjusted Strength of Schedule measures the quality of the opponents a team has faced based on their combined winning percentage. To keep a team from artificially weakening its own schedule by beating those opponents, I exclude every game those opponents played against the team being ranked.
• Points Per 100 Yards, or PP100, measures how many total points a team scores for every 100 offensive yards it gains. Because those points can come from short fields, turnovers, defensive scores and special teams as well as sustained offense, PP100 gives me a broader look at how efficiently the entire team turns opportunities into points.

Overall listed score is out of 100, no one factor accounts for more than half of the overall score.

Each category is measured against the league leader in that statistic, producing one overall Power Score that determines the rankings. The exact weighting is mine alone, but the goal is simple: reward winning first, then use dominance, competition and scoring efficiency to separate teams that the standings alone cannot.

Another important detail: the teams are placed into tiers–and I do “reserve the right” to move a team within a tier, and on the rarest occasion, allow a team to jump tiers. Like I said, this isn’t just “numbers,” I watch football with my eyes, too.