Football is a beautiful, hilarious and unpredictable game. The ball is oddly shaped, one of the worst teams can beat a good team on any given day, and it’s ultimately the best drama we watch on television every week.
It started with the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers upsetting the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. The drama continued Sunday morning, as the Philadelphia Eagles blew their lead with just eight seconds left after a special-teams gaffe against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Both “Sunday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football” games went into overtime.
All four NFC East teams played and finished the week 0-2-2. New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo tried to win for the Washington Commanders in overtime, but quarterback Jayden Daniels said, “No thanks.”
We saw the first major trade before the deadline: the Arizona Cardinals sent wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the one-win Houston Texans.
Three teams remain unbeaten, while an equal number remain winless.
The weather is just starting to warm up, and the Arrowhead Pride the staff returns with updated power rankings.
Biggest riser: Green Bay Packers +10
Biggest faller: Dallas Cowboys -7
This week, along with myself, the staff voters are: Maurice Elston, Caleb James, Ron Kopp Jr., Rocky Magana, Jared Sapp, and Matt Stagner.
1. San Francisco 49ers (1st)
Kyle Shanahan has done an impressive job as head coach to start the season. What seems to be the cream of the NFL crop this season remains at the top.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2nd)
I fully expect a classic Chiefs-Charger thriller, where we make the Chargers 5-0 instead of 0-5, but squeak out a win in spectacular fashion to preserve Andy Reid’s amazing post-bye-week record.
3. Baltimore Ravens (6th)
We were subjected to the annual Snoop Huntley primetime game. And it didn’t fail.
Congratulations to Josh Allen for winning the first overtime game of his career. Running back James Cook tried to give the game away twice before it happened, however.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (3rd)
The London Jaguars won in incredible fashion on Sunday.
6. Minnesota Vikings (7th)
Without a doubt, Week 5 saw Kyler Murray’s best performance as a Viking. If he plays that well, this team could be a legitimate NFC contender.
7. Seattle Seahawks (4th)
Sam Darnold hasn’t been the same since his glute injury, and aside from JSN, this offense lacks the juice it once had. Chiefs fans owe 12 a thank you.
8. Los Angeles Rams (8th)
This season is on pace to age head coach Sean McVay at a whopping 30 years.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (10th)
The bye week could come at a good time for the Bengals to reset and get some stepping-up players healthy. They will then face a favorable upcoming slate of opponents. Their next seven: Ravens, Titans, Falcons, Steelers, Commanders, Saints, and the Browns.
Head coach Ben Johnson loves blowouts. I’d say 31-7 is good enough.
11. New England Patriots (16th)
The Pats were one field goal blocked by the Bills from tying for first place in the AFC East. Who would have thought it was three weeks ago?
12. Denver Broncos (13th)
I’m concerned that despite the Broncos winning games, Bo Nix isn’t playing enough to justify paying him 60 million per season.
The Lions could have won this week without scoring more than 30 points.
14. New York Giants (17th)
Cam Skattebo owes a lot to Jayden Daniels.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (11th)
That should be a long flight home Terrible way to lose a football game. Three straight losses after a 2-0 start.
16. Green Bay Packers (26th)
The Bears-Packers rivalry is one of the best in sports. I think that’s the only reason the Packers turned it around like they did Sunday.
17. Carolina Panthers (20th)
The Panthers remain in first place in the NFC South without a game.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (12th)
The combined record of the teams the Raiders beat: 1-14
The combined record of the teams the Raiders lost to: 7-2
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (22nd)
Jaylen Warren is small but mighty.
20. Atlanta Falcons (23rd)
It seems like this team will only work if Michael Penix is under center. And unfortunately for the Falcons, his biggest problem is availability.
21. Dallas Cowboys (14th)
You hit an all-time low when the hot dog guy in the concourse is talking trash to your quarterback.
22. Cleveland Browns (18th)
I should have seen this coming. They may have won three in a row, but I’m sorry. You can’t be taken seriously from week to week, losing to the Jets.
23. Indianapolis Colts (19th)
The very definition of “middle.”
24. Houston Texans (25th)
I’m not sure a trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. will solve it. any of these team issues.
25. New Orleans Saints (21st)
The guilt of the Saints fell back to earth. The Vikings’ defensive tackle certainly didn’t help matters.
26. Arizona Cardinals (24th)
The Week 1 upset over the Chargers is looking increasingly unimpressive as it comes out of the rearview mirror. And it’s never a good sign to trade a top-5 draft pick three years later.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30th)
You can see Todd Bowles breathing a sigh of relief on the sideline, as he probably saved his job in the boring win over the Cowboys. Also, hand it for KU alum Jalon Daniels.
It’s almost Halloween, and the Jets aren’t completely irrelevant.
29. Washington Commanders (27th)
I never saw the label “game manager” as a negative trait for a quarterback. And this game is a perfect example of why. Your franchise quarterback can’t make that mistake at the end of a football game. But man, is it entertaining.
30. Miami Dolphins (31st)
It’s week 6 now. The Dolphins are still not leading this season.
31. Los Angeles Chargers (29th)
“I’m not sure what the message is,” Jim Harbaugh said after the Chargers’ latest loss that dropped them to 0-5. Yes, this team’s season is toast.
32. Tennessee Titans (32nd)
One of my good friends is a Titans fan. He told me that this team could legitimately be one of the worst teams in NFL history.