NFL Power Rankings 2016: Week 5 Standings, Team Stats and Season Review

As surprising as it might seem, we’re now roughly a quarter of the way through the 2016 NFL season. While some things have gone as expected, there have been plenty of surprises popping up around the league.

It’s not too shocking to see the defending champion Denver Broncos sitting at 4-0, but few could have expected the Philadelphia Eagles to also be undefeated heading into Week 5.

The Cleveland Browns remain the league’s only winless team—as many might have expected—but teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts are also near the bottom, sitting at 1-3.

We’re going to take a look at how each of the 32 teams stacks up. We’ll examine the current standings, look at some key statistics and provide our Week 5 power rankings. We’ll also take a look at some key storylines to come from the first month of the season.

Standings

Power Rankings

Notable Storylines and Stats

Brady-Less Patriots Go 3-1

If you had told New England Patriots fans their team could go 3-1 during quarterback Tom Brady’s suspension, most would have happily taken that start to the season. The way the four-game stretch ended, however, has placed a bad taste in the collective mouths of Patriots nation.

New England was forced to start banged-up rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the Week 4 game against the Buffalo Bills. The end result was the team’s first-ever shutout loss at Gillette Stadium.

“We just didn’t have a very good day today,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said after the loss, per Eric Wilbur of Boston.com. “I think we’re a better team than we showed today. But we just didn’t do anything well enough today.”

The important thing, though, is the Patriots did enough things well to get to 3-1. They did it without Brady for all four games, without backup Jimmy Garoppolo for two games and with only brief sightings of star tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Notable Stat: 135.5

During Brady’s absence, the Patriots have largely been a run-oriented team. They have averaged 135.5 yards per game on the ground, third most in the NFL. The team has leaned heavily on LeGarrette Blount, who has 352 yards and four touchdowns on 88 carries.

Through four games, LeGarrette Blount’s four rushing TDs are tied for third most in Patriots history behind Marion Butts (5) & …

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