Here are my 2009 NFL Week 5 NFL Power Rankings. Let’s start with a team nobody wants to play right now.
1. New York Giants-There is a reason this team is atop the 2009 NFL Week 5 NFL Power Rankings. Consistency. Not only did the Giants pull off a huge road win at Dallas but the defense appears to be back for real this season. If Eli Manning stays healthy then the sky is the limit in 2009. The Giants are 4-0 and it looks like they could roll through the division if the team continues to play the way it has through 4 weeks. 13-14 wins isn’t out of the question for this team
2. New Orleans Saints-Give credibility to a team that deserves it. The New Orleans Saints are undefeated and dominating teams this season. The Saints have outscored their opponents 144-66 in the 4 wins. Drew Brees is an obvious All Pro and the Saints are going to be hard to stop.
3. Indianapolis Colts-Peyton Manning is on one of those early season rolls once again. Peyton has a way of making every receiver look terrific and the Colts defense is showing signs of real life this season. Dwight Freeney is worth every single penny he gets paid. That’s a huge reason the Colts are third in the 2009 NFL Week 5 Power Rankings.
4. New England Patriots-I know, the Pats lost a game already. But Tom Brady isn’t about to slip in the ratings anytime soon. You kind of just have this gut feeling the Patriots will be there at the end of the season despite for them what could be called some early season struggles.
5. Minnesota Vikings-Favre has the Vikings at 4-0. But the Vikings aren’t destroying people or else they would be higher on the list for the 2009 NFL Week 5 Power Rankings. With wins over Cleveland and Detroit, the Vikings aren’t really legitimate until they win a big road game in my eyes. Mark October 25th on your calendar down because that’s when they travel to Pittsburgh.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers-I know the Steelers are 2-2. But they are still legitimate contenders for another run at the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh will scratch and claw to 10-12 wins again this season. The defense will turn it up and notch and so will Big Ben when need be.
7. Chicago Bears-The Bears are 3-1 under Jay Cutler. The difference in quarterback might be the only reason I’ll rank them ahead of what appears to be a strong defensive unit in Denver. The Bears meanwhile have been lights out of late and if the defense survives somehow without Urlacher this could be a serious darkhorse team in the playoffs in 2009.
8. Denver Broncos-Normally a 4-0 team that’s given up less than 30 points wouldn’t be ranked this low in the 2009 NFL Week 5 Power Rankings. But the Broncos just aren’t that believable yet. This was a .500 team last season and they lost Jay Cutler. We’ll see what happens when they host New England this week. It might be back to the chalkboard for a team that has been very impressive in it’s last three wins. The win over Cincinnati was a miracle and perhaps changed the momentum for this team. Their only legitimate win was over Dallas. But the Cowboys are flat out struggling and Tony Romo was just off this weekend.
9. San Francisco 49’ers-I can’t believe I am putting the 49’ers this high this early. Too many things could fall out of place in the next few weeks. But for now, the 49’ers are in the top ten with a 3-1 record. Singletary has that defense eyeballing opponents with the same intense nature he once played with. Arizona will probably still win the division but let the 49’ers ride this one for a little while.
10. Baltimore/Atlanta(tie)-The Ravens and Falcons are both formidable opponents on a weekly basis. But both lack that little something to move up the charts in the 2009 NFL Week 5 Power Rankings. Both are strong enough to make the playoffs and make a little noise but at this point everyone is well aware of that.
That’s it for the 2009 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings. Cincinnati was close but no cigar this week. The Bengals are still the Bengals for now. But a few more wins could help them establish some credibility and move up the NFL Power Rankings in Week 6 and 7. The Eagles without Donovan McNabb aren’t going to cut it. And the Cowboys are just mediocre until they figure something out or make adjustments.
