LWOS Braintrust Week 5 NFL Rankings: 49ers, Chiefs, and Seahawks At the Top
Week 4 of the NFL season produced a few eye-opening results, with Cleveland coming back to down Pittsburgh and New England knocking Buffalo off the #1 ranking with a road win against their division rival. Our Week 5 NFL Rankings showcase the league’s best and worst. There are twelve 2-2 teams who have us wondering if they are on the rise or fall(Broncos, Rams, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, Bengals, Colts, Packers, Falcons, Lions, Panthers, Steelers). Five teams are winless. Letś take a look at how the rankings look with expert rankings from ESPN, NFL.com, CBS, SI, Pro Football Talk, and Yahoo.
LWOS Braintrust Week 5 NFL Rankings: 49ers, Chiefs, and Seahawks at the Top
Week 5 NFL Rankings: Biggest Risers
The New England Patriots(#21 to #13) and Atlanta Falcons(#25 to #18) saw the biggest jumps after their Week 4 wins. The Patriots´ surge was due to downing previously unbeaten Buffalo 29-26. Atlanta´s offense exploded for the second week in a row, as the Falcons defeated New Orleans 45-24. Both teams improved to 2-2, and if Week 4 is any indication, each has figured things out in the quest to earn a playoff berth.
Oct 5, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo (0) celebrates after the game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Week 5 NFL Rankings: Biggest Stock Dips
The Pittsburgh Steelers (#22 to #15) and New Orleans Saints (#24 to #17) saw the biggest declines. In the Steelers´ case, their loss to division rival Cleveland, due to a second-half collapse, was the reason for falling out of the top 20. The Saints were blown out by the Falcons at home on Monday night, with a defense that struggles to stop the Falcons at all.
Oct 1, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) in the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Week 5 NFL Rankings: Firmly in the Battle for #1
The Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans are tied for first, the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, that is. Joining the bottom-dwellers at 0-4 are the Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Chargers. Miami and Tennessee have the best shot at the worst record, considering the lack of talent on each roster. Although the Texans, Buccaneers, and Chargers have quite a hole to dig out of, each was a solid playoff pick entering this season, and has too much talent to seemingly have a chance at the league´s worst record.
Oct 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) makes a catch during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
LWOS Braintrust Week 5 NFL Rankings: 49ers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Jaguars, and Bills #1-5
Rank Last Week Record Team ESPN NFL.com CBS SI PFT Yahoo The Braintrust LWOS Braintrust Ranking
1 2 4-0 San Francisco 49ers 1 1 1 5 1 2 1 1.5395
2 3 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs 2 2 2 3 2 1 2 1.9755
3 4 3-1 Seattle Seahawks 4 3 4 1 5 6 5 4.153
4 6 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars 3 6 5 2 3 7 4 4.276
5 1 3-1 Buffalo Bills 6 7 6 4 4 4 6 5.358
6 8 4-0 Minnesota Vikings 5 11 3 13 8 3 3 6.305
7 7 3-1 Baltimore Ravens 7 4 7 8 10 5 7 6.902
8 5 2-2 Denver Broncos 11 5 11 9 6 13 11 9.364
9 9 2-2 Los Angeles Rams 9 13 9 6 7 8 8 8.6285
10 10 3-1 Chicago Bears 8 10 8 7 9 11 9 8.9215
Week 5 NFL Rankings: A Blend of 3-1 and 2-2 Teams
Rank Last Week Record Team ESPN NFL.com CBS SI PFT Yahoo The Braintrust LWOS Braintrust Ranking
11 13 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders 10 12 10 10 11 14 10 10.963
12 16 2-2 Dallas Cowboys 12 8 12 11 18 21 12 13.4425
13 21 2-2 New England Patriots 15 18 15 12 13 9 14 13.846
14 11 2-2 Cincinnati Bengals 14 9 14 16 15 17 15 14.2155
15 12 2-2 Philadelphia Eagles 13 21 13 19 17 10 18 15.9925
16 19 3-1 Cleveland Browns 16 17 16 15 12 20 13 15.333
17 18 3-1 New York Giants 17 19 17 21 16 18 19 18.0445
18 25 2-2 Atlanta Falcons 19 15 19 24 20 24 16 19.1685
19 14 2-2 Detroit Lions 20 16 20 18 21 26 17 19.575
20 23 2-2 Carolina Panthers 18 14 18 14 19 16 20 17.294
Week 5 NFL Rankings: Third Tier Full of Questions
Rank Last Week Record Team ESPN NFL.com CBS SI PFT Yahoo The Braintrust LWOS Braintrust Ranking
21 20 2-2 Indianapolis Colts 22 22 22 17 22 19 21 20.9135
22 15 2-2 Pittsburgh Steelers 21 25 21 23 14 22 22 20.9615
23 24 2-2 Green Bay Packers 24 27 24 22 23 15 23 22.7295
24 17 1-3 New Orleans Saints 23 20 23 25 25 23 26 23.664
25 22 0-4 Houston Texans 26 23 26 20 24 26 25 24.432
26 26 1-3 Washington Commanders 28 28 28 26 26 25 24 26.3295
27 29 1-3 Arizona Cardinals 25 26 25 29 27 27 27 26.516
28 27 1-3 New York Jets 29 24 29 27 28 28 30 27.9675
29 28 0-4 Los Angeles Chargers 27 31 27 28 29 29 28 28.453
30 30 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 30 30 30 30 30 29 29.811
Week 5 NFL Rankings: Bottom-Dwellers
Rank Last Week Record Team ESPN NFL.com CBS SI PFT Yahoo The Braintrust LWOS Braintrust Ranking
31 31 0-4 Tennessee Titans 31 32 31 31 31 31 32 31.334
32 32 0-4 Miami Dolphins 32 29 32 32 32 32 31 31.376
The Last Word
Four weeks into the season, we have more questions than answers about how teams stack up. Although the top of our rankings shows some powerhouse teams, there is a huge pack of teams in the middle that have a lot to prove. Which of the 3-1 and 2-2 teams belong in any list of playoff-worthy contenders? Do any 1-3 teams have a chance to contend? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to Week 5.
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