The top young quarterbacks in the National Football League can still learn a thing or two from Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Manning and Brady put on shows during Week 5 of the NFL regular season. Both made history while helping guide their clubs to victories, turning back the clock to a time when there was no doubt that they were the two best quarterbacks in pro football. The ends of their careers will be here before we know it, so let us all, regardless of team affiliations, enjoy watching Manning and Brady carve up defenses while we still can.
Week 6 NFL power rankings
32. Oakland Raiders (0-4): Nobody will be lower than the Raiders in NFL power rankings until they win a game. Oakland hosts red-hot San Diego next week, so don’t hold your breaths.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5): The Jags are getting closer, but close only counts in...oh, you all know the saying. A Jacksonville win will come sooner than later.
30. Tennessee Titans (1-4): Congrats, Tennessee. You managed to out-Browns the Browns in blowing a 25-point lead at home. Well done.
29. Washington Redskins (1-4): Washington gave Seattle a game on Monday Night Football. That is a badge of honor for the team.
28. New York Jets (1-4): No NFL quarterback on the roster. No healthy No. 1 wide receiver to be found. An awful secondary. A lame duck head coach. The Jets are a mess.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4): Tampa Bay is making strides, but a good team closes out the win at New Orleans. The Bucs aren’t there yet.
26. Minnesota Vikings (2-3): Those Thursday Night Football games are awful, as were the Vikings against the Packers. Get well soon, Teddy Bridgewater.
25. St. Louis Rams (1-3): Do the Rams have the answer at quarterback in Austin Davis? He has looked like the real deal.
24. Cleveland Browns (2-2): Think this is a bit harsh? Go back and watch the first half of that Cleveland-Tennessee game. The Browns haven’t yet earned a significant bump in NFL power rankings.
23. Atlanta Falcons (2-3): “Dome teams don’t play well on the road” and blah, blah, blah. Learn how to stop opposing rushing attacks, Atlanta.
22. Houston Texans (3-2): No disrespect meant to those on the Houston roster, but the Texans need to upgrade at quarterback if they are going to compete for a playoff spot.
21. Chicago Bears (2-3): The Bears won’t be winning big games if Jay Cutler continues melting down in second halves. Facing the Falcons at Atlanta will be no easy task for Chicago.
20. Miami Dolphins (2-2): Miami go down a notch in NFL power rankings only because they didn’t play and certain other teams picked up wins. The Dolphins will have had an extra week to prepare when they host the Packers next Sunday.
19. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3): Teams are only as good as their records. KC hung with the 49ers at San Fran, but a loss is nevertheless a loss.
18. New Orleans Saints (2-3): That New Orleans defense isn’t getting better, and Drew Brees is throwing interceptions at home that would make Brandon Weeden cringe. Yikes.
17. Detroit Lions (3-2): Um, huh? Calvin Johnson is important, of course, but the Lions have no business losing at home to a Bills side that couldn’t put more than 17 points on the scoreboard.
16. Baltimore Ravens (3-2): Baltimore’s fall down NFL power rankings is more about results that happened around the league than about the Ravens not being good. They deserve credit for giving the Colts a struggle in Indy.
15. Buffalo Bills (3-2): The switch to Kyle Orton worked for a week. Is he really the answer for the rest of the season?
14. Carolina Panthers (3-2): It’s all about how you finish, right Carolina fans? The Panthers may have saved their season -- for now -- by rallying from behind against the Bears.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2): Pittsburgh didn’t rout Jacksonville as many expected would be the case, but the win counts all the same. Will Big Ben continue to own Cleveland when he plays at the Browns this coming Sunday?
12. Indianapolis Colts (3-2): Things could get murky for the Colts this week. After a tough home game against the Ravens, Indianapolis has to play at Houston on Thursday.
11. San Francisco 49ers (3-2): Watch out for the Niners if Jim Harbaugh can get his players to embrace an “us against the world” mantra. Too many are forgetting that there is a lot of talent on that roster.
10. New York Giants (3-2): Remember when critics were mocking the NFC East? The Giants playing well in their past three games is one reason why those individuals have been silenced.
9. Green Bay Packers (3-2): Green Bay isn’t as good as Minnesota made them look on Thursday night. Aaron Rodgers could be in for another big game, this time in Miami, next Sunday.
8. Arizona Cardinals (3-1): Arizona won’t be the last team shredded apart by Peyton Manning. The Cards will soon see a return to winning ways.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1): “Thanks for riling up Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots while we were enjoying our off week, guys.” - The Bengals.
6. New England Patriots (3-2): You'd think we would all know better than to bury Tom Brady and the Patriots after one month of a season. Watch out for New England, rest of the NFL.
5. Dallas Cowboys (4-1): OK, Tony Romo. Let’s see what you can do against the Seahawks at Seattle.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1): Philly is far from perfect on both sides of the football (please send LeSean McCoy back to the Eagles ASAP if you find him). Hosting the Giants for a Sunday Night Football showdown will be a massive test for Philadelphia.
3. San Diego Chargers (4-1): Philip Rivers and the rest of the San Diego offense abused the defense of the Jets. Rivers remains an early MVP candidate.
2. Denver Broncos (3-1): Some have the Broncos as kings of NFL power rankings after Peyton Manning took it to Arizona. Manning remains the best regular season quarterback in the business.
1. Seattle Seahawks (3-1): The defending Super Bowl champs are again kings of NFL power rankings. Russell Wilson is undeniably a top-tier quarterback.
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