Riggo’s Week 5 NFL Power Rankings: Texans Looking Strong
By Jeff Johnson
The teams that everyone figured would be good prior to the season are starting to bubble up to the top (except for the Saints and Arizona.) I continue to think anyone in the current top 6 are Super Bowl contenders, but I could see any of the current top 11 making a strong run in the playoffs. Cardinals fans, go ahead and scream. I will give credit for the home win against the Eagles, but after that, things look shaky for the only team to ever go 4-0 and not gain 300 yards in a game yet. Don’t look now but the Vikings, jumping 4 spots to 17, and sitting atop the NFC Central might be this year’s big surprise. On the other hand with the loss of Santonio Holmes, and any chance of an offense going with him, the Jets slipped 9 spots all the way to 27. At 2-2, the Redskins are right there in the middle with there wins not exactly against power houses. This week they have the chance to jump in the rankings with a home game against the Falcons.
| Rank | Team | Record | Last Week | Comment |
| 1 | Texans | 4-0 | 1 | The Texans have won by an average of 17.5 points. That should be the point spread Monday Night when they travel to face the Jets. |
| 2 | 49ers | 3-1 | 3 | Harbaugh seems to know all the right buttons to push, including his opponents when he showed how the Wildcat should be ran this past Sunday. |
| 3 | Falcons | 4-0 | 2 | The Falcons come to Washington. Don’t look now but Matt Ryan will be facing the number 31 pass defense in the league. |
| 4 | Ravens | 3-1 | 4 | Ravens skated by the trap game. Ed Reed vs. Matt Cassel could be an ugly combination for the Sea of Red. |
| 5 | Patriots | 2-2 | 7 | What’s the saying about letting sleeping dogs lie? This offense woke up in the second half, and now Welker is back on pace to catch 100 balls again this season. |
| 6 | Packers | 2-2 | 5 | How bad was Sunday’s game? The Packers are asking for the replacement refs to come back. |
| 7 | Bears | 3-1 | 8 | Jay Cutler got to see his doppelganger let the Bears defense win a game. The Packers better watch out. |
| 8 | Broncos | 2-2 | 11 | Anyone else get the feeling that after a year off, Peyton needed a full set of preseason games to get things going? Or is that just the Raiders defense. |
| 9 | Giants | 2-2 | 6 | Coughlin got just a tad too conservative at the end of the game. Now the Giants are 0-2 in the NFC East where it’s a 4-team race. |
| 10 | Cardinals | 4-0 | 12 | How far can a defense take you? We are about to find out, because this offense is worse than the one the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV with. |
| 11 | Eagles | 2-2 | 14 | Call these guys the Baltimore Orioles of the NFL. 3-1 and outscored by 17. |
| 12 | Seahawks | 2-2 | 9 | Russell Wilson is a rookie, and games like Sunday’s won’t be his last. |
| 13 | Steelers | 1-2 | 10 | The bye week did this banged up team some good and will be getting weapons back on both sides of the ball when they play their in state rivals this week. |
| 14 | Chargers | 3-1 | 17 | Congrats. 3-0 against teams that are combined 3-9 and now face the 0-4 Saints. |
| 15 | Bengals | 3-1 | 16 | Call them the Cincinnati Chargers. Similar teams and 3-0 against teams combined are 3-9. |
| 16 | Cowboys | 2-2 | 13 | Was Jessica Simpson in the building? Yes two weren’t his fault, but he still threw 5 picks. |
| 17 | Vikings | 3-1 | 21 | How many writers made fun of the Vikings for take Ponder so high in the first round last year? Now you don’t hear anything about him. He must be playing well. |
| 18 | Redskins | 2-2 | 20 | Great comeback RG3. Now please learn how to avoid big collisions. We don’t want what they have in Philly. |
| 19 | Buccaneers | 1-3 | 15 | It took them three and half games, but just maybe the Buccaneers found their offense. |
| 20 | Rams | 2-2 | 24 | Maybe Coach Fisher’s mustache does have magical powers. Who had this team at .500? |
| 21 | Saints | 0-4 | 25 | Probably the best 0-4 team in the history of the NFL, but still gave up over 100 yards rushing to the Packers. |
| 22 | Lions | 1-3 | 23 | Stafford just doesn’t look the same; and Megatron is looking more like a toy than he is a menacing machine. |
| 23 | Chiefs | 1-3 | 22 | This team is one player away from being a top 8 team. Unfortunately, that player is the quarterback who has 11 turnovers in 4 games. |
| 24 | Bills | 2-2 | 19 | The Bills have fall this far based on the the simple fact they gave up 45 points in a half! |
| 25 | Panthers | 1-3 | 26 | Superman came to the rescue in Atlanta. Then he turned the ball over when it was time to secure the win. |
| 26 | Colts | 1-2 | 28 | The best thing about being on a bye when you are this low on the rankings….you’re bound to move up with others looking so terrible. |
| 27 | Jets | 2-2 | 18 | Is it Tebow time? With the lack of a running game, wide receivers, and defense, the only person that could save this team is Joe Namath. I’m sure he’ll agree if you ask him. |
| 28 | Dolphins | 1-3 | 31 | The anti-Orioles of the NFL. Losing two straight in extra |
| 29 | Browns | 0-4 | 32 | If Little could catch, this team might just have pulled out the upset in Baltimore. This is a good team just barely loosing. |
| 30 | Raiders | 1-3 | 27 | The six points pretty much solidified Janikowski’s place as one of the few players that earned his pay check last week. |
| 31 | Titans | 1-3 | 29 | Things don’t get much easier, and with Locker possibly out for a few more game, hope for this season is falling fast. |
| 32 | Jaguars | 1-3 | 30 | Cincinnati was able to stack the box and with one of the leagues worst rushing defenses, stop MJD to 38 yards. They should have offered more to get Tebow back to Florida. |
Sep 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson (25) celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Titans 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE
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