PFT’s Week 5 2024 NFL power rankings

1. Chiefs (last week No. 2; 4-0): The team that seems to always find a way in the postseason is always finding a way in the regular season.

2. Lions (No. 3; 3-1): The Jared Goff trade will pay dividends for the Lions long after Matthew Stafford has retired.

3. Vikings (No. 7; 4-0): Between the players and the coaching on both sides of the ball, they’ve got the most balanced team in the league.

4. Buccaneers (No. 8; 3-1): Shaking off an ugly loss with a convincing win is one of the hallmarks of a great team.

5. Bills (No. 1; 3-1): How could a team lack “urgency” when facing a Ravens team that urgently needed a home win?

6. Texans (No. 9; 3-1): How differently would we feel about Houston if they hadn’t pulled off a win over the Jaguars?

7. Steelers (No. 4; 3-1): With three of the next four games in prime time, a string of losses could get Russell Wilson back to “100 percent.”

8. 49ers (No. 11; 2-2): They’re still one of the best teams in the league, when healthy. (They’re pretty damn good when not healthy.)

9. Commanders (No. 15; 3-1): The 2024 Commanders are looking like the 2023 Texans. And maybe even better.

10. Packers (No. 6; 2-2): Someone should have talked Jordan Love into waiting another week or two.

11. Ravens (No. 14; 2-2): Lamar Jackson was the MVP in 2023. Derrick Henry could end up being the MVP in 2024.

12. Eagles (No. 5; 2-2): Getting embarrassed in the place where they were embarrassed in the playoffs is the kind of thing that gets a coach fired.

13. Falcons (No. 13; 2-2): They’ve handled a tough early-season schedule well, but they need to do a lot more.

14. Saints (No. 10; 2-2): They should have banked some of those 91 points from the first two games.

15. Broncos (No. 21; 2-2): If the offense ever catches up to the defense, they’ll be dangerous.

16. Seahawks (No. 16; 3-1): Their loss was arguably more impressive than any of their wins.

17. Jets (No. 12; 2-2): The Jets won’t contend if Aaron Rodgers keeps yo-yoing between MVP and AARP.

18. Colts (No. 20; 2-2): Having Joe Flacco behind Anthony Richardson is perhaps the best quarterback move the Colts have made since Andrew Luck retired.

19. Cowboys (No. 23; 2-2): No Micah? Big problem.

20. Chargers (No. 19; 2-2): Even with all the injuries, they gave the Chiefs fits.

21. Bengals (No. 22; 1-3): Sunday’s game against Baltimore is the closest to a must-win any team will ever face in Week 5.

22. Bears (No. 27; 2-2): For as much as they’ve struggled, 2-2 looks pretty good.

23. Cardinals (No. 17; 1-3): They’re better than last year. Without more wins, it won’t matter.

24. Rams (No.18; 1-3): They need to get some of their guys back before the wheels come off.

25. Giants (No. 24; 1-3): If only they’d kept Saquon Barkley.

26. Titans (No. 31; 1-3): Will Levis saved Brian Callahan from having to bench him.

27. Raiders (No. 30; 2-2): Unless they go on a run, we’ll possibly never see Davante Adams in a Raiders uniform again.

28. Dolphins (No. 26; 1-3): The fans on Monday night definitely weren’t chanting “Tuuuuu-a.”

29. Browns (No. 25; 1-3): The Browns continued to be handcuffed by the worst trade-and-sign of the salary-cap era.

30. Patriots (No. 28; 1-3): It’s Drake Maye time.

31. Panthers (No. 29; 1-3): Yes, Week 3 said more about the Raiders than it did about the Panthers.

32. Jaguars (No. 32; 0-4): Is it the coaches’ fault? Is it the players’ fault? It’s everyone’s fault.