NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Post-Thursday Night Football Standings, Review

The Arizona Cardinals upended the San Francisco 49ers on the Week 5 edition of Thursday Night Football, which didn’t register as much of a surprise in the world of power rankings.

There, the Cardinals had dipped in recent weeks thanks to a two-game skid but still figured to come out ahead of the one-win 49ers on a short week. Arizona’s victory fits what should be the larger theme of Week 5.

As a whole, things have started to fall into place when it comes to power rankings. The New England Patriots have Tom Brady back and shouldn’t climb or fall much. Surprises such as the Carolina Panthers have hit a deserved slot, while a climber such as the Philadelphia Eagles doesn’t figure to go anywhere.

Before Sunday’s action gets underway, a review of the NFL hierarchy.

Week 5 NFL Power Rankings

Odds relayed by Odds Shark.

Atlanta Falcons

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A major climb could await the Atlanta Falcons. 

Other than a win against the 3-1 Oakland Raiders, the Falcons started the year in an odd way, besting the New Orleans Saints on the road but losing their opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Many might clamor for Atlanta to have a higher rank already because of the Week 4 beatdown of the Panthers. But as hinted in the intro, Carolina isn’t anywhere close to the team most figured it would be, so beating up on a 1-3 outfit isn’t as impressive as it could be.

Not that the Falcons didn’t put on a show, with MVP favorite Matt Ryan throwing for more than 500 yards, 300 of which went to star wideout Julio Jones. But as Troy Renck of Denver7 ABC pointed out, the real test awaits in Week 5:

#Falcons average 38 points. #Broncos allow 16 per game. Denver’s D is embracing the challenge of slowing down Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) October 6, 2016

Atlanta beating the Denver Broncos on the road is the type of win …

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