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NFL Power Rankings—Week 5

by Kevin Taylor | October 5 2009

Let's take a look at the NFL power rankings after the Week 4 results are in. Of course, we still have a big Monday night game on tap tonight, as Brett Favre hosts his old team with the packers vs. Vikings.

NFL odds: The current line on the Monday nighter is Minnesota -4.5 and the Over/Under is 46.5.

But let's take an early look at the NFL power rankings for Week 5.

Top of the Class: I thought Denver would slip out of this group, but instead they faced their first real challenge and passed, beating a Cowboys team that doesn't look good at all. But this weekend vs. the Patriots they have the big challenge… we'll see.

Here they are: NFL Power Rankings

1. Indianapolis Colts—no one in the league is better than Peyton Manning right now.
2. New York Giants—they are close to being #1… the most balanced team in the league.
3. New Orleans Saints—Winning without Brees throwing for 300-plus yards. Good practice for later in the year.
4. New England Patriots—Getting better each week
5. Baltimore Ravens—They'll be fine, despite the emotional loss last week.
6. Minnesota Vikings—Better than the rest of the teams behind them, but not by much. And they're a good distance away from the teams ahead of them.
7. New York Jets—Rookie QB struggled vs. a top-tier team. That's to be expected. Still things are bright for the Jets.
8. Denver Broncos—still surprising, but I see a drop, as their offense is going to cause some heartache.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers—still need to the O-line to come together and Troy back at safety, but they'll be a key player late in the season.
10. Atlanta Falcons—Clearly not at the Giants level, but a very balanced NFC team that will be tough to face in the playoffs.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Chicago Bears
14. Chicago Bears
15. Green Bay Packers
16. Cincinnati Bengals
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. San Diego Chargers
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. Arizona Cardinals
21. Houston Texans
22. Miami Dolphins
23. Buffalo Bills
24. Washington Redskins
25. Detroit Lions
26. Tennessee Titans
27. Carolina Panthers
28. Seattle Seahawks
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Tampa Bay Bucs
31. Kansas City Chiefs
32. Oakland Raiders
33. St. Louis Rams