It is still that familiar team from the AFC, but then four from the NFC rounding out this week’s Fab Five.
While the 49 ers confirmed their lofty status in the non-Patriots portion of The Post’s weekly NFL Power Rankings, the Cowboys and Rams have freefallen out of the Top 10 with their respective three-game skids.
The Texans jumped up four spots to No. 9with an impressive win against the Chiefs, but the Cardinals are the biggest forward mover of the week – up seven spots to No. 19 – following their second win in succession behind rookie quarterback Kyler Murray.
1. New England Patriots, 6-0 (Last week: 1):The Pats let the Giants hang around for three quarterslast Thursday, before pulling away on a Keith Van Noy fumble recovery for a touchdown and Tom Brady’s second scoring sneak of the game for a 21 – point win. New England has won an NFL-record 19 straight games against first-year or second-year starting quarterbacks, and they will go for No. 20 against Sam Darnold and the Jets on Monday night.
2. San Francisco 49 ers, 5-0 (2):Richard Shermancertainly wasn’t talking about The Postwhen he declared after Sunday’s statement win over the Rams: “If you were calling us pretenders in the beginning, call us pretenders now.” We had them at No. 3 in the power rankings at 3-0 and at No. 3 2 last week following a Week 5 drubbing of Cleveland. This defense is legit, allowing the fewest passing yards in the league (150 per game) and the second-fewest total yards (behind the Belichicks) ahead of Sunday’s visit to 1-5 Washington.
3. New Orleans Saints, 5-1 (3):Teddy Bridgewater leaned on the Saints’ defense to improve to 4-0 as the starter in place of injured Drew Brees in a 13 – 6 win over Jacksonville. Sean Payton’s team figures to be in for another low-scoring struggle this week in Chicago.
4. Green Bay Packers, 5-1 (4):Aaron Rodgers got some help to complete his 21 st career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime in Monday’s 23 – 22 win over Detroit.Two phantom illegal hands to the face penaltieson Lions defensive end Trey Flowers extended fourth-quarter scoring drives. Rodgers ’touchdown strike to Allen Lazard and a game-winning field goal by Mason Crosby pushed the Pack to 5-1 ahead of Sunday’s game against Oakland at Lambeau.
5. Seattle Seahawks, 5-1 (6):Pete Carroll’s team has won its first three road games for the first time since 1980, doing it with a combination of nearly flawless play by MVP candidate Russell Wilson (14 touchdowns, zero interceptions) and an opportunistic defense that forced four turnovers against Baker Mayfield and the Browns. The Seahawks return to the Pacific Northwest for a tough test this week against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore.
6. Buffalo Bills, 4-1 (7):The Bills emerge from their bye week with none of their next six opponents currently above. 500 – and with a combined record of 8 – 21 – including the first of two games over that span against winless Miami this Sunday. Only the Pats, Niners and Bears have allowed fewer points per game than Buffalo (14. 0) has this season.
7. Kansas City Chiefs, 4-2 (5):Consecutive losses to the Colts and the Texans have prevented a hobbled Patrick Mahomes (ankle) and the Chiefs from running away with the AFC West. A suddenly pivotal divisional matchup is on tap this week against the Broncos, who have rediscovered their defensive identity with two straight low-scoring wins following an 0-4 start.
8. Minnesota Vikings, 4-2 10):The Vikings suddenly can beat you on the ground with Dalvin Cook or through the air. Kirk Cousins has posted consecutive monster games – with three touchdown tosses apiece to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs – in impressive wins over the Giants and the Eagles. The NFC North might be the NFL’s strongest division top-to-bottom, with Minnesota visiting Detroit this week.
9. Houston Texans, 4-2 13:With 84 points over the past two games, it’s hard to fathom Carolina held Deshaun Watson’s offense to 264 yards and 10 points in Week 4. Carlos Hyde’s first 100 – yard rushing effort of the season provided the needed balance in Sunday’s win over the Chiefs. First place in the AFC South is on the line Sunday in Indianapolis.
10. Baltimore Ravens, 4-2 11):The Ravens own the top-ranked offense in the NFL and are the only team in the league averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game. Jackson is on pace for 1, 226 yards on the ground, which would shatter Michael Vick’s single-season record by a quarterback (1, 039 in 2006). Mark Ingram also has 424 rushing yards and seven touchdowns for Baltimore, which probably needs another productive scoring day to win Sunday in Seattle.
11. Carolina Panthers, 4-2 17)
12. Chicago Bears, 3-2 12)
13. Detroit Lions, 2-2-1 14)
14. Dallas Cowboys, 3-3 (8)
15. Los Angeles Rams, 3-3 (9)
16. Philadelphia Eagles, 3-3 15)
17. Indianapolis Colts, 3-2 16)
18. Oakland Raiders, 3-2 18)
19. Arizona Cardinals, 2-3-1 (26)
20. Cleveland Browns, 2-4 19)
21. Los Angeles Chargers, 2-4 (20)
22. Tennessee Titans, 2-4 21)
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2-4 22)
24. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-4 23)
25. Giants, 2-4 (24):Four turnovers notwithstanding, Daniel Jones had his moments against the Pats’ top-ranked defense, especially without his top two running backs, his best wide receiver and his starting tight end. Somehow, the Giants are just one game out of first place in the middling NFC East entering Sunday’s game against Kyle Murray and improving Arizona.
26. Denver Broncos, 2-4 27)
27. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-4 (28)
28. Jets, 1-4 (30):Sam Darnold made all the differencein Sunday’s “mono a mano” win against Dak Prescott and Dallas, as the Jets offense rediscovered Le’Veon Bell and Robby Anderson after a few weeks of nonexistence. Sam will have to be even better to – dare we say it – upend unbeaten Brady and the Patriots on Monday night.
29. Atlanta Falcons, 1-5 25)
30. Washington Redskins, 1-5 31)
31. Cincinnati Bengals, 0-6 (29)
32. Miami Dolphins, 0-5 32)
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