Arizona Sports Week 5 NFL Power Rankings: Broncos rise to top

Just when you thought the New England Patriots would run the table without Tom Brady and welcome their superstar back with a 4-0 record, Buffalo happened.

The resurgent Bills offered up a 16-0 shutout win at Gillette Stadium — enough to sway our panel into voting in a new number-one team in the Arizona Sports Week 5 NFL Power Rankings.

The Denver Broncos continue to ride their defense to victories. Denver sacked Jameis Winston five times, and hit him a lot more en route to a 27-7 win over Tampa Bay that pushed their record to 4-0 on the season — enough to elevate them to the top spot of this week’s rankings.

The Broncos are trailed by the league’s only other 4-0 team, the Minnesota Vikings, who knocked off the New York Giants Monday night.

Here’s a closer look at our NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 5.

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1. Denver Broncos (4-0)

High: 1 (Marotta, Morgan, Dimakos, Burns)

Low: 3 (Green)

Movement: ▲ 1

Comment: I don’t even know if it matters who the QB is with that defense. — Green

Next: vs. Atlanta

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2. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)

High: 1 (Grialou, Green)

Low: 3 (Lapinski)

Movement: ▲ 1

Comment: Sam Bradford, MVP? Probably not, but what a pickup! — Marotta

Next: vs. Houston

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3. New England Patriots (3-1)

High: 1 (Lapinski)

Low: 7 (Grialou)

Movement: ▼ 2

Comment: The Pats were not exposed without Tom Brady. He was exposed without them. — Morgan

Next: at Cleveland

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4. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

High: 3 (Grialou)

Low: 7 (Dimakos, Burns)

Movement: ▲ 2

Comment: That’s how you bounce back after a loss. — Grialou

Next: vs. New York Jets

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5. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)

High: 3 (Burns)

Low: 7 (Marotta, Morgan)

Movement: ▲ 3

Comment: Finding a way to get Jimmy Graham involved has revitalized the offense. — Lapinski

Next: Bye

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6. Green Bay Packers (2-1)

High: 4 (Marotta)

Low: 7 (Lapinski)

Movement: ▼ 1

Comment: Green Bay’s next three games are in Lambeau. Yep, they get right back on track. — Dimakos

Next: vs. New York Giants

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7. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)

High: 3 (Morgan)

Low: 10 (Green)

Movement: ▼ 3

Comment: Take a week off and drop a spot in the power rankings. Life in the NFL. — Lapinski

Next: at Detroit

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8. Oakland Raiders (3-1)

High: 8 (Grialou, Green)

Low: 11 (Burns)

Movement: ▲ 4

Comment: Props to the Raiders. They’re finding ways to win. Oakland is 3-0 on the road. — Morgan

Next: vs. San Diego

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9. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

High: 7 (Green)

Low: 14 (Morgan)

Movement: ▲ 4

Comment: It’s the regular season, so this is the time to give the Bengals some respect. — Lapinski

Next: at Dallas

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10. Dallas Cowboys (3-1)

High: 8 (Dimakos)

Low: 13 (Lapinski)

Movement: ▲ 6

Comment: I’m sticking to it — Tony Romo ain’t getting his job back. — Marotta

Next: vs. Cincinnati

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11. Atlanta Falcons (3-1)

High: 8 (Morgan, Lapinski)

Low: 14 (Grialou)

Movement: ▲ 6

Comment: Matt and Julio down by the school yard. — Burns

Next: at Denver

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12. Houston Texans (3-1)

High: 8 (Marotta)

Low: 14 (Lapinski)

Movement: ▲ 1

Comment: Will Fuller looks like a favorite target for Osweiler, but without Watt, I can’t put this team up too high. — Dimakos

Next: at Minnesota

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13. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

High: 11 (Morgan)

Low: 19 (Green)

Movement: ▼ 6

Comment: Would be 4-0 if they could have covered Michael Crabtree. — Marotta

Next: vs. Washington

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14. Los Angeles Rams (3-1)

High: 11 (Grialou)

Low: 17 (Green)

Movement: ▲ 4

Comment: Jeff Fisher deserves to talk a little smack. — Grialou

Next: vs. Buffalo

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15. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)

High: 15 (Marotta, Grialou, Green)

Low: 18 (Morgan, Lapinski)

Movement: ▼ 5

Comment: Andy Reid has no answers — still a decent team. — Burns

Next: Bye

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16. Buffalo Bills (2-2)

High: 15 (Dimakos, Burns)

Low: 19 (Lapinski)

Movement: ▲ 5

Comment: This zombie team continues to survive just when you thought it was dead. — Green

Next: at Los Angeles

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17. New York Giants (2-2)

High: 15 (Morgan)

Low: 20 (Green, Burns)

Movement: ▼ 2

Comment: Odell Beckham hasn’t scored this season. The frustration showed against the Vikings. — Morgan

Next: at Green Bay

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18. Arizona Cardinals (1-3)

High: 14 (Green)

Low: 20 (Morgan)

Movement: ▼ 7

Comment: Desperation time. Not sure they can get to 4-4 by the bye. — Burns

Next: at San Francisco

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19. Carolina Panthers (1-3)

High: 13 (Green)

Low: 20 (Grialou, Dimakos)

Movement: ▼ 10

Comment: Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to let Josh Norman go? (Insert Kermit sipping tea photo.) — Dimakos

Next: vs. Tampa Bay

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20. Washington Redskins (2-2)

High: 16 (Grialou)

Low: 29 (Marotta, Burns)

Movement: ▲ 1

Comment: Two straight wins…feels like Kirk Cousins is getting ready to yell at all of us again. — Lapinski

Next: at Baltimore

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21. New York Jets (1-3)

High: 21 (Grialou, Morgan, Dimakos)

Low: 25 (Marotta)

Movement: ▼ 2

Comment: I don’t think I can defend Ryan Fitzpatrick anymore. Nine picks in two weeks? — Marotta

Next: at Pittsburgh

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22. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)

High: 21 (Burns)

Low: 27 (Morgan, Lapinksi)

Movement: ▲ 8

Comment: Hey, we won! But we’re still winless in the states! — Grialou

Next: Bye

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T-23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)

High: 21 (Green, Lapinski)

Low: 30 (Morgan)

Movement: —

Comment: The fact that they’re this high shows how bad the lower third of the league is. — Marotta

Next: at Carolina

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T-23. New Orleans Saints (1-3)

High: 21 (Marotta)

Low: 26 (Grialou)

Movement: ▲ 6

Comment: Had no business winning that game in SD. — Burns

Next: Bye

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25. San Diego Chargers (1-3)

High: 22 (Marotta)

Low: 28 (Burns)

Movement: —

Comment: Couldn’t hold a lead if it had a slip-proof handle on it. — Marotta

Next: at Oakland

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26. Indianapolis Colts (1-3)

High: 22 (Burns)

Low: 30 (Green)

Movement: ▼ 6

Comment: It’s like they put Andrew Luck on the field with 10 random fans every week. — Lapinski

Next: vs. Chicago

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27. Detroit Lions (1-3)

High: 24 (Grialou, Lapinski)

Low: 31 (Morgan)

Movement: ▼ 3

Comment: You lost to the Bears…are you ashamed? You should be. — Dimakos

Next: vs. Philadelphia

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28. Miami Dolphins (1-3)

High: 22 (Morgan)

Low: 31 (Grialou, Burns)

Movement: ▼ 2

Comment: I don’t even like Ryan Tannehill’s performance in that Play60 commercial. — Marotta

Next: vs. Tennessee

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29. Tennessee Titans (1-3)

High: 26 (Lapinski)

Low: 31 (Marotta)

Movement: ▼ 2

Comment: When in doubt, fire the special teams coordinator. — Grialou

Next: at Tennessee

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30. Chicago Bears (1-3)

High: 24 (Marotta)

Low: 31 (Green, Dimakos)

Movement: ▲ 1

Comment: Undefeated without Jay Cutler this season. — Lapinski

Next: at Indianapolis

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31. San Francisco 49ers (1-3)

High: 23 (Morgan)

Low: 31 (Lapinski)

Movement: ▼ 3

Comment: Have been mostly competitive, but losing Bowman is a killer — Green

Next: vs. Arizona

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32. Cleveland Browns (0-4)

High: —

Low: 32 (unanimous)

Movement: —

Comment: The only winless team in the NFL gets rested and unspeakably tan Tom Brady next. — Morgan

Next: vs. New England

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Biggest rise: Jacksonville Jaguars ▲ 8

Biggest plunge: Carolina Panthers: ▼ 10