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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Tim Weaver

NFL Power Rankings Week 5: 49ers rise to the top, Seahawks up 1 spot

USA TODAY Sports NFL 49ers USA TODAY Network Brock Purdy David Richard Denny Simmons Gary A Vasquez Jamie Germano Jenna Watson

Each of the last two weeks the team that we have picked for the top spot in our NFL power rankings has lost. First, the Cowboys got upset by the then-last ranked team on our list in the Cardinals. Then, the Dolphins gave up 48 points in a loss to the Bills a week after dropping 70 on the Broncos.

This time around we’re hoping some of that bad first-place luck rubs off on a division rival.

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The new order at the top

In any case, the 49ers are a deserving candidate for the No. 1 spot on our list. Admittedly dominant all year, our questions were about Brock Purdy and how he might affect the ceiling for this team. On Sunday Purdy answered with his best game of the season, completing 20 of 21 pass attempts for 283 yards, a touchdown and a 134.6 passer rating.

Below them there is Buffalo, fresh off their destruction of the Dolphins courtesy of an absolute gem from Josh Allen, who’s recovered from his horrific Week 1 performance and looks like himself again.

Next there’s the Eagles, who continue to win by margins too slim to call them the heaviest heavyweight in the NFC. Then there’s the Chiefs, who very nearly lost to the Jets as Patrick Mahomes had an uncharacteristic off-game. As such they’ve dropped two spots despite winning the game.

Seahawks up one spot

As for Seattle, they came into last week at No. 10. As dominant as they looked against the Giants last night we could only bump them up one spot. Mostly this is on account of poor competition – as Brian Daboll’s team looks absolutely nothing like the gritty and overperforming group we saw last season. There’s also the matter of injuries, which piled up in a bad way on MetLife’s atrocious playing surface. Their early bye week couldn’t have come at a better time.

Breaking down the middle

There are a ton of teams that head into Week 5 with a 2-2 record, which means that things are packed in the middle and it’s difficult to sus out which teams will rise and which will fall as the season progresses. The Packers, Saints, Chargers and Commanders in particular could either wind up in the playoffs or with a dreaded 8-9 record – too good to get a top draft pick and not good enough to make the postseason.

Carolina now at the bottom

As for the bottom of our list, by rights it should go to the lowly Chicago Bears who blew a three touchdown lead to Sean Payton’s Broncos. However, they do have an advantage in that they now hold the top two picks in next year’s NFL draft. It only makes sense that the team who surrended theirs to Chicago and is also 0-4 should now be ranked No. 32.

Here’s how we rank all 32 teams heading into Week 5…