Plus, with every NFC South team winning in Week 5 and the Falcons on a bye, how does that shift positioning?

Tori McElhaney

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. The Atlanta Falcons were on their bye week in Week 5, but, boy, did things shift around them.

The good news for the Falcons is they were able to rest and recover. The bad news for the Falcons is every single NFC South team got a win this week. And yes, that includes the Saints.

However, perhaps the best news for every team on this ranking is that the unbeatens, i.e. the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles, became beaten. Those losses don't shake the rankings too much, but they do shift things around at the top for the first time this season. Let's take a look.

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1

2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 5 result: Beat the Seattle Seahawks, 38-35

Are the Bucs one of the toughest teams to beat in the league right now? It would appear so.

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2

2

Detroit Lions

Week 5 result: Beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 37-24

The Lions' offense is firing on all cylinders. And by the time the Bengals put up 21 in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late.

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3

2

Philadelphia Eagles

Week 5 result: Lost to the Denver Broncos, 21-17

An unbeaten has fallen, but I would argue you could chalk this loss up to a single quarter. Giving up 18 points in the final minutes of a game is a tough pill to swallow, but one bad quarter does not take away from the Eagles still being the team to beat this year.

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4

7

San Francisco 49ers

Week 5 result: Beat the Los Angeles Rams, 26-23

For arguably the first time this season, the 49ers put together a very decisive win over a top-ranked opponent. I don't know what this means for the 49ers moving forward, but they continue to stay in the conversation.

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5

4

Buffalo Bills

Week 5 result: Lost to the New England Patriots, 23-20

It was only a matter of time until the Bills woke up on the wrong side of the bed and had an off day. It happens. And perhaps the Patriots are better than people give them credit for. For those reasons, the Bills can't fall very far.

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6

Indianapolis Colts

Week 5 result: Beat the Las Vegas Raiders, 40-6

The Raiders never had a chance, did they?

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7

Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 5 result: BYE

The Steelers return from their overseas trip to Ireland with a win, plenty of rest days and the Browns on the docket. They're sitting pretty.

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8

3

Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 5 result: Beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28

My jaw dropped when Trevor Lawrence tripped and fell on the 1-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game on Monday night. It hit the floor when he scored.

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9

Seattle Seahawks

Week 5 result: Lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-35

This was a valiant effort by the Seahawks but, alas, the Mayfield Magic continues to find a way.

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10

Green Bay Packers

Week 5 result: BYE

For the third week in a row, I don't know what to do with the Packers. In Week 3, they were upset by the Browns. In Week 4, they tied with the Cowboys. In Week 5, they were off. What am I supposed to do with this?

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11

7

Los Angeles Rams

Week 5 result: Lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 26-23

Despite I think the Rams being the superior team vs. the 49ers, they let them just hang around when they could have pushed this thing to a W.

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12

3

Denver Broncos

Week 5 result: Beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-17

Are the Broncos back, or did they just play out of their mind for a quarter? Unsure.

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13

Minnesota Vikings

Week 5 result: Beat the Cleveland Browns, 21-17

It may have been close, but the Vikings beat the Browns. I guess I am left just as curious as you are: Where do the Vikings go from here and how much if anything does JJ McCarthy's return change things for them?

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14

5

Los Angeles Chargers

Week 5 result: Lost to the Washington Commanders, 27-10

Looking at the stat sheet of this game, one could wonder how the heck the Chargers not only didn't win but how they lost by double digits. But then you see which team's running back averaged 7.9 yards per carry and which team's leading rusher was its quarterback... and no, it's not what you think. And that's the reason the Chargers lost.

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15

7

New England Patriots

Week 5 result: Beat the Buffalo Bills, 23-20

This was a big boon for the Patriots a team I felt strongly going into the season was better than their early losses foretold.

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16

Washington Commanders

Week 5 result: Beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10

This was the bounce-back win the Commanders needed. It's what Jayden Daniels needed, too. Heck, just all around what the organization needed.

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17

Kansas City Chiefs

Week 5 result: Lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-28

I thought there was going to be some Patrick Mahomes, last-second magic in Jacksonville. But alas, all the magic was used up by Trevor Lawrence's tripping touchdown.

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18

Atlanta Falcons

Week 5 result: BYE

Jury is out on whether or not a Week 5 bye was perfectly timed for Atlanta. On one hand, they should get some key players back from injury with the rest. On the other, the time off followed their best offensive performance to date. They can't come out flat against a good Bills team on Monday.

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19

Dallas Cowboys

Week 5 result: Beat the New York Jets, 37-22

The Cowboys did what they were supposed to do against the Jets. That's kind of all there is to say about this game.

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20

Cincinnati Bengals

Week 5 result: Lost to the Detroit Lions, 37-24

Despite the Lions winning by two scores, the Bengals scored more points than I thought they would. So, there's that.

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21

Chicago Bears

Week 5 result: BYE

The Bears have the Commanders on deck in Week 6, which could be a good measuring stick to know exactly where Chicago is.

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22

4

Houston Texans

Week 5 result: Beat the Baltimore Ravens, 44-10

I feel bad for the Texans because if they would have beaten the Ravens like this two or three weeks ago, it would have skyrocketed their rankings. But the Ravens of Week 5 are not who anyone thought they were in Week 1 and that has to be taken into account.

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23

4

Carolina Panthers

Week 5 result: Beat the Miami Dolphins, 27-24

The Panthers ran all over the Dolphins, to the tune of more than 400 total yards, including 239 on the ground. They may have only won by three points, but defensively, the Dolphins couldn't really do much.

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24

10

Arizona Cardinals

Week 5 result: Lost to the Tennessee Titans, 22-21

The Cardinals lost to last week's No. 32-ranked team. 'Nuff said.

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25

7

Tennessee Titans

Week 5 result: Beat the Arizona Cardinals, 22-21

The Titans got their first win of 2025. 'Nuff said.

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26

1

Las Vegas Raiders

Week 5 result: Lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 40-6

Tough day at the office for the Raiders, am I right?

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27

5

Baltimore Ravens

Week 5 result: Lost to the Houston Texans, 44-10

I don't know what to make of the Ravens. They nearly beat some of the league's top teams early, and save for a couple Derrick Henry fumbles, perhaps they would have. But they've been on a backslide that took them from being an unlucky team to... well... a team that lost by 34 to the one-win Texans.

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28

2

Cleveland Browns

Week 5 result: Lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 21-17

The Browns were in this game, but being 3-of-15 on third downs is not a recipe for success, even if your rookie quarterback threw for nearly 200 yards and looked solid.

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29

Miami Dolphins

Week 5 result: Lost to the Carolina Panthers, 27-24

Miami is at a turning point in their season. The Dolphins have lost Tyreek Hill and lost to the Panthers, but things could get even worse in Miami with the Chargers on deck.

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30

1

New Orleans Saints

Week 5 result: Beat the New York Giants, 26-14

Hey, lookie there. The Saints got their first win of 2025.

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31

6

New York Giants

Week 5 result: Lost to the New Orleans Saints, 26-14

The Jaxson Dart voodoo only worked for so long. That is, until he faced the voodoo kings of the bayou.

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32

2

New York Jets

Week 5 result: Lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 37-22

The Jets are the only team in the league with a zero in their record. I actually don't think the Jets are as bad as their record states, but they've tied my hands.

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