NFL 2014 Week 5 Power Rankings and Week 6 picks

There are no unbeaten teams in the NFL, and that mark has been reached sooner than any year since I've been doing this work, and I began in 1981.  Roger Goodell wants parity, and this is a result.

Top Ten [Last week's position]
1.  SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-1) [4] : With an effective balance of offense and defense, the Chargers currently rule the league.  With an easy opponent in Oakland, they might hold that position for a week.

2.  Dallas Cowboys (4-1) [6] : They are off to a good start, but I won't give them kudos until I see them avoid their traditional late season slide.
3.  Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) [9] : Their defense had trouble against the Rams, but the offense was rolling
4.  Indianapolis Colts (3-2) [11] : After a slow start, the Colts are starting to become a real force to contend
5.  Seattle Seahawks (3-1) [5] : This team might be the rare Super Bowl Champ to return to the playoffs the following year
6.  Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) [1] : The Bengals fell from the ranks of unbeaten as the Patriots find their offense
7.  Baltimore Ravens (3-2) [3]
8.  Denver Broncos (3-1) [10] : They knocked off Arizona to clear out the unbeatens
9.  Arizona Cardinals (3-1) [2]
10. Green Bay Packers (3-2) [20] : Huge win highlights what can happen when their offense is working

Divisional Rankings [Last week's position]
1.  NFC East [3]: Big wins by Dallas, Philly, and the Giants makes them the only division containing two teams with four wins
2.  AFC North [1] : Losses by Baltimore and Cincy hurt the division a bit, but they still have two teams in the Top Ten
3.  AFC West [4] : Denver's rise helps this division
4.  NFC West [2] : Arizona lost big, but the other three teams played well
5.  NFC North [5] : Only the Packers won as the teams in this division struggle for consistency
6.  AFC South [6] : Indy takes over the lead in the division as they are the only winner, and only Top Ten
7.  AFC East [7] : Pats and Bills won, and the team has only one team with a losing record, but the division also lacks consistency
8.  AFC South [8] : Only one winning team, their lone bright spot is 2-3 New Orleans, who are on a two-game winning streak

Week 6 picks
This could be a rough week, as I found myself favoring WAY too many visiting teams.  I picked some home teams who have pulled off upsets in recent years, but I'm still picking more road teams than home teams.

Thursday night: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans:  Two weeks ago I would have picked Houston with no hesitancy, but the Colts are on a roll and Houston is falling.  I don't even think the Texans can generate the upset.  COLTS, 31-20

Sunday early games:
Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Bucs:  The Ravens may be struggling, but they should be able to beat the Bucs.  The Bucs pushed New Orleans to overtime, though, so watch for a surprise win by the home team.  RAVENS, 23-16

Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals:  The Panthers may have generated a comeback against the Bears last week, but the Bengals have a stiffer defense.  That won't happen this week.  BENGALS, 27-17

Denver Broncos at New York Jets:  With the Jets' struggles, this was the easiest road victory to pick.  BRONCOS, 31-16

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings:  Teddy Bridgewater will be back, so this should be an interesting battle.  I like the Lions' chances, but Minnesota has won 15 of their last 16 home games against Detroit, so this one could swing to the home team.  LIONS, 24-20

Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins:  After a great opening two weeks, the Dolphins have floundered.  Facing a revitalized Packers offense won't help them get back on track, despite having a bye last week.  PACKERS, 27-20

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans:  Contest between two of the worst teams in the league.  Does it really matter who wins?  Well, if Jacksonville can pull the upset, it'll matter to Jags fan (however many are left).  TITANS, 23-20

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: The Patriots showed life this past week, but I think it's too early to proclaim that their problems are over.  The Bills still lead this division, as they beat the Dolphins while the Dolphins beat New England, and I think it's possible for New England to go 0-2 in the division.  BILLS, 24-23

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns:  Cleveland could win, but they tend to lose divisional games.  Pittsburgh isn't winning big, but they should do well enough to win this game.  STEELERS, 23-20

Sunday late games:
Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons:  Neither team is looking good, but the collapse of Chicago's offense bodes ill against the Falcons offense.  FALCONS, 30-24

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks:  Dallas is playing very well, but nobody has been tougher at home over the past two seasons than the Seahawks.  SEAHAWKS, 24-20

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders:  Another easy road win, as the Raiders struggles are massive.  CHARGERS, 24-13

Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals:  The Cards (and all of us) are wondering who will start at quarterback.  Drew Stanton has not passed concussion protocol.  Carson Palmer's shoulder still hurts, but he says he's ready to play.  Rookie Logan Thomas had a rocky start against Denver.  The Cards have signed Dennis Dixon as a possibility.  This would seem to be Washington's chance to shine, but the Cards have a decent defense (despite injuries) and the Redskins have been underachievers.  I'll give a slight nod to Arizona.  CARDINALS, 23-20

Sunday night: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles:  The Giants offense seems to be working now, but I don't think it'll match up to Chip Kelly's offense.  The scoreboard will light up, but the Eagles will triumph.  EAGLES, 34-26

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:  San Francisco 49ers at St Louis Rams:  Oh man, I almost picked the home team here.  The Rams have looked bad, but they have beaten or tied the 49ers more times than losing to them in the past two years.  However, the Rams defense is not what it has been, and the defense was what won those games.  I'll go with the 49ers, but watch out!  49ERS, 23-20