NFL Power Rankings: The Good, Bad and Ugly Following Week 5

Every week, B/R NFL Lead draft writer Matt Miller graces us with his power rankings, and this week is no different. So, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 5.

 

The Good

St. Louis Rams

Whatever Jeff Fisher is preaching out in St. Louis, his players are buying in. The 3-2 Rams are for real, and they're a force to be reckoned with in an NFC West division that's been much better than advertised. 

The Rams now sit eighth in Miller's Power Rankings after beating the once-undefeated Cardinals at home. They're up six spots from No. 14 last week. 

I'm not sure I'd put the Rams as a top-10 team just yet because I don't think they have the offense to be a playoff team. Quarterback Sam Bradford completed just a third of his passes against Arizona, and they've struggled to find good rhythm this year. 

Regardless of the offense, the Rams are still a tough out for any team, especially in St. Louis. They might not be a Playoff team yet, but they're on the cusp. 

Chicago Bears

Another week and another good win for the Chicago Bears. More importantly, the Bears are now 2-1 on the road, and we all know how hard it has been for teams to win on the road this year. 

The 4-1 bears now sit in the sixth position in the Power Rankings, up five positions from last weeks poll and it's well deserved. 

After heading into halftime in Jacksonville tied at three, the Bears exploded to score 38 second-half points and hold the Jags to none. 

The Bears defense is reeling, and for the first time in a long time, they have an offense that can keep pace. With the way Chicago's defense is creating turnovers and big plays and the way their offense is playing, it's not out of the question to call them contenders right now. 

 

The Bad

Green Bay Packers

It has not been a pretty start for the Packers in 2012. 

After leading the Colts 21-3 at halftime, Green Bay's offense was shut down in the second half and were outscored 27-6, leading to an Indianapolis victory. 

The Packers are now 0-2 on the road, and their offense doesn't quite look like the one we've become accustomed to seeing. Defensively, they look a little better in 2012 but still not anything to write home about.

If Green Bay doesn't turn it around soon, they could end up in big trouble. Their last-second loss in Indy dropped them only five spots to No. 10, but more trouble could be on the way.

Cincinnati Bengals

 The Bengals had a great chance on Sunday to walk away with a home win and head into the rival Cleveland game with a 4-1 record. But a poor game plan and defensive play turned that right around and they lost at home to the Miami Dolphins.

Cincinnati fell six spots to No. 14 this week and for good reason. I'm not really sure why the Bengals didn't challenge Miami deep with a receiver like A.J. Green and Andy Dalton's decision-making has been questionable, at times, this year.

If the Bengals want to make it back to the playoffs, they're going to have to win home games like this and not give them away. Coming off two straight road wins, Cincy looked to be in good position, but now, they're a middle-of-the-road team once again.

 

The Ugly

 Buffalo Bills

Has there been a worse team in the last six quarters than the Buffalo Bills?

No. Simply, no.

Since leading the Patriots 14-7 at halftime of Week 4, the Bills have been outscored by the Pats and 49ers a whopping 90-17. That's unheard of.

Defensively, the Bills haven't lived up to all the preseason hype. Their front four who were supposed to be the elite pass-rushing group featuring Mario Williams has been nothing but a bust.

Buffalo needs to right the ship quick, or they could find themselves way out of the division race. I still think this is a very talented team, but you can only do so much if everybody isn't giving their all.

Kansas City Chiefs

 A lot of things have gone wrong in 2012 for a Chiefs team that was supposed to compete for a division title. Sunday was no different.

After the defense and run game kept the team in competition with a very good Baltimore Ravens team, it became apparent that the Chiefs passing game isn't going to cut it. And the fans let quarterback Matt Cassel know.

After Cassel went down with an apparent head injury, disgruntled fans cheered the much-maligned quarterback while he was on the field. This obviously didn't sit well with Chiefs players or the media.

The fact that Chiefs fans would cheer to bring a guy like Brady Quinn in is something distressful in itself, but this team is heading down the wrong road and quick. Considering they play in the AFC West, they're not out of it yet, but they're quickly moving out of the picture.

 

Follow on Twitter: @dsnyder34 

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1365493-nfl-power-rankings-the-good-bad-and-ugly-following-week-5

Mike Fontenot Brett Pill Pat Burrell Jhan Marinez Anibal Sanchez John Baker