2012 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5
Change at the top? Not this week.
The Texans, thanks to a defense-driven rout of Tennessee, became the first No. 1 to hold serve in 2012. Even though the Falcons needed late-game heroics to beat Carolina at home, our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, NFC East blogger Dan Graziano, AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley and NFC West blogger Mike Sando) saw enough to keep Matt Ryan and Co. at No. 2.
That's where the good news ends for the AFC and NFC South. While Houston and Atlanta are sitting pretty at 4-0, their divisional rivals are struggling. No other South team has more than one victory, and the highest ranking from that group belongs to the Buccaneers at No. 22.
Is this significant in the big picture? Well, it's probably a sign that neither the Texans nor Falcons are going anywhere. Both teams already have proved they're for real, and a favorable divisional schedule will only help matters.
But it's not as though the South divisions are hopeless as a whole. Cam Newton and the Panthers have shown flashes. Andrew Luck and the Colts have clear upside. And you can't forget about Drew Brees and the Saints, who are always dangerous despite being 0-4.
So maybe the Texans and Falcons will be challenged down the road. For now, though, the drop-off is precipitous.
• How they voted | Bloggers | Overrated, underrated 
| Bettor's Poll |
Rank 'Em | Mike & Mike 
| Team Power Rankings charts since 2002
| 2012 Power Rankings: Week 5 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | -- Last Week: 1 | The Texans are dominating, winning with QB Matt Schaub at a nearly 20-point margin per week. (Clayton) | |
| 2 |  | -- Last Week: 2 | For the Falcons, playing in the NFC South is like getting a free pass to the playoffs. (Sando) | |
| 3 |  | -- Last Week: 3 | The Ravens have given up 300 yards passing in three straight games. Next up: struggling Matt Cassel. (Hensley) | |
| 4 |  | -- Last Week: 4 | Nine players combined for a 245-yard rushing total in a 34-0 victory over the Jets. (Sando) | |
| 5 |  | -- Last Week: 5 | They're the first NFL team since the 1941 Giants to go 4-0 without reaching 300 net yards in any game. (Sando) | |
| 6 |  | 2 Last Week: 8 | Who's being phased out? Wes Welker is on pace for a 100-catch season. (Hensley) | |
| 7 |  | 2 Last Week: 9 | Three wins by a combined total of four points, but it's good for first place, and they didn't turn it over against the Giants. (Graziano) | |
| 8 |  | 1 Last Week: 7 | Nothing's coming easy for the preseason No. 1, which should be 3-1 but now must fight from behind. (Graziano) | |
| 9 |  | 2 Last Week: 11 | Cutler-to-Marshall and an opportunistic defense shined Monday night. When the Bears look good, they look oh so good. (Graziano) | |
| 10 |  | 4 Last Week: 6 | Same team as last year. Lots of holes and reliant on the QB to win it at the end. Kenny Phillips injury could hurt. (Graziano) | |
| 11 |  | 2 Last Week: 13 | The Chargers look good, but they were 3-1 last year, too. (Fox) | |
| 12 |  | 3 Last Week: 15 | After playing three road games in September, Cincinnati has four of its next five games at home. (Hensley) | |
| 13 |  | 1 Last Week: 14 | Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady for at least one more time. Awesome. (Fox) | |
| 14 |  | 7 Last Week: 21 | Apologies to the Arizona Cardinals, this 3-1 record is the surprise of the early season. (Graziano) | |
| 15 |  | 3 Last Week: 12 | No fun sitting on that Monday night loss through a bye week. The Cowboys' offense is loaded with issues right now. (Graziano) | |
| 16 |  | -- Last Week: 16 | Pittsburgh is 4-1 after byes under coach Mike Tomlin, winning four straight times. (Hensley) | |
| 17 |  | 7 Last Week: 10 | On pace for their fewest passing yards since 1992, but solid defense keeps the Seahawks competitive. (Sando) | |
| 18 |  | 4 Last Week: 22 | Robert Griffin III is for real, and he's going to win them some games that the porous defense tries to lose. (Graziano) | |
| 19 |  | 6 Last Week: 25 | The Rams are 1-0 in NFC West after going 4-26 in the division from 2007-2011. (Sando) | |
| 20 |  | 2 Last Week: 18 | Last year it was penalties. This year, special-teams breakdowns. Discipline is a recurring issue in Detroit. (Graziano) | |
| 21 |  | 2 Last Week: 19 | Buffalo has given up 100 points in its first two AFC East games (Jets and Patriots). (Hensley) | |
| 22 |  | 2 Last Week: 20 | It has been a rough start for the Bucs, but home wins over Chiefs and Saints would get Tampa Bay to 3-3. (Sando) | |
| 23 |  | 6 Last Week: 17 | Mark Sanchez in his past three games: 44-of-101 (43.5 percent) for 547 yards passing. (Hensley) | |
| 24 |  | 1 Last Week: 23 | The Panthers have been outscored 70-31 in the first and fourth quarters this season. (Sando) | |
| 25 |  | 1 Last Week: 24 | Chris Johnson is offering hope he is getting back to his old form. (Clayton) | |
| 26 |  | 3 Last Week: 29 | Ryan Tannehill broke Dan Marino's 29-year-old Dolphins rookie record with 431 yards passing against Arizona. (Hensley) | |
| 27 |  | 1 Last Week: 26 | If the Chiefs had a better backup quarterback, would he be playing now? (Fox) | |
| 28 |  | -- Last Week: 28 | The Saints are giving up 463.3 yards and 32.5 points per game during an 0-4 start. (Sando) | |
| 29 |  | 2 Last Week: 27 | The bye week couldn't come at a better time for the Raiders. (Fox) | |
| 30 |  | -- Last Week: 30 | How could the Jaguars' receivers not get separation from Bengals when Cincy was down four CBs? (Clayton) | |
| 31 |  | -- Last Week: 31 | Our prayers go to Chuck Pagano and his fight. Good coach. Better person. (Clayton) | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | Cleveland, which plays at the Giants, has lost nine straight games on the road. (Hensley) | |
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| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
