The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

    NFL Week 5: power rankings

    *1. Green Bay (4-0) Last week: no change*

    The defending champs keep rolling and look unstoppable this season.

    *2. New England (3-1) LW: no change*

    Big game against the Jets this week. Tom Brady will pass the ball … a lot.

    *3. Detroit (4-0) LW: 4*

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    Calvin Johnson wanted to inform the NFL that he is the best wide receiver. “He did that”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=617nhhDFomA against the Cowboys.

    *4. New Orleans (3-1) LW: 3*

    The Saints are playing great and play Carolina and Indianapolis in two of their next three games.

    *5. Baltimore (3-1) LW: no change*

    Aside from a loss to the Titans, the Ravens have been dominant this year.

    *6. San Diego (3-1) LW: 10*

    Someone has to win the AFC West, and it probably won’t be the Broncos or Chiefs.

    *7. Buffalo (3-1) LW: 6*

    The Eagles will be a good test to see if the Bills are for real this weekend.

    *8. Houston (3-1) LW: 7*

    Losing Andre Johnson for a few weeks will hurt, but the Texans are the best team in the AFC South.

    *9. Oakland (2-2) LW: 8*

    Darren McFadden will continue to convert nonbelievers.

    *10. NY Jets (2-2) LW: 9*

    This pick is entirely based on potential and because Rex Ryan is a “great coach”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwouIbYEHmE.

    *11. NY Giants (3-1) LW: 13*

    Despite the Giants’ injury woes, Eli has done an excellent job being a Manning so far this season.

    *12. Chicago (2-2) LW: 11*

    The next two weeks will be huge for the Bears, as they play the Lions and Vikings.

    *13. Tampa Bay (3-1) LW 17*

    The Bucs have looked good this season, but they have played the Vikings, Colts and Falcons.

    *14. Philadelphia (1-3) LW: 14*

    The Eagles rely on a lot of young talent and will continue to improve as the season goes on.

    *15. Pittsburgh (2-2) LW: 12*

    The Steelers have struggled this season, but could be deadly if the defense starts playing better.

    *16. Dallas (2-2) LW: 15*

    Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Tony Romo is a much better fantasy quarterback than a real quarterback.

    *17. San Francisco (3-1) LW: 18*

    The 49ers might be the only team in the NFC West to finish above .500 this year.

    *18. Washington (3-1) LW: 16*

    Redskins fans should enjoy Grossman’s success while they’re still in first place.

    *19. Tennessee (3-1) LW: 20*

    Chris Johnson, if you’re reading this, step your game up. You’re killing my fantasy team.

    *20. Atlanta (2-2) LW: 21*

    The Falcons face a tough matchup in the Packers this weekend before their bye week.

    *21. Cincinnati (2-2) LW: 22*

    The Bengals have are considering Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson as possible replacements for Cedric Benson — if he ever serves his three-game suspension from being arrested this offseason.

    *22. Cleveland (2-2) LW: 19*

    Peyton Hillis hasn’t really been affected by the Madden curse as much as the curse of playing for the Cleveland Browns.

    *23. Denver (1-3) LW: no change*

    If Kyle Orton wants to secure his job, he’s got to win against the Chargers this weekend. Going into the bye week 1-4 could force the Broncos to consider playing Tim Tebow against the Dolphins.

    *24. Carolina (1-3) LW: no change*

    Cam Newton has excelled this season, but the Panthers still think they can kick the ball to “Devin Hester”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8oTkpiR6Vg.

    *25. Seattle (1-3) LW: 26*

    The Seahawks might only have one win this season, but that’s good enough to be tied for second place in the NFC West.

    *26. Arizona (1-3) LW: 25*

    I really wanted to put Seattle here, but the Cardinals lost to them two weeks ago.

    *27. Jacksonville (1-3) LW: no change*

    The Jaguars are still having trouble not having their games “blacked out”:http://www.jaguars.com/news/article.aspx?id=10594, but it’s understandable why fans wouldn’t watch.

    *28. St. Louis (0-4) LW: 30*

    Steven Jackson is back from injury, but Danny Amendola is not — he needs season-ending surgery. Sam Bradford just wishes he had more healthy, talented people to give the football.

    *29. Minnesota (0-4) LW: no change*

    Things have gotten so bad in Minnesota that there’s talk of replacing Donovan McNabb with rookie Christian Ponder.

    *30. Miami (0-4) LW: 28*

    The Dolphins’ season may be in the hands of Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush, as Chad Henne needs season-ending shoulder surgery. On a positive note, since Miami needed a new quarterback, “Sage Rosenfels”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLVnAtJlnDU&feature=related is relevant again.

    *31. Chiefs (1-3) LW: 32*

    The Chiefs got their first win last week and play the Colts this weekend. I thought it would be nice to throw them a bone and bump them up a spot.

    *32. Indianapolis (0-4) LW: 31*

    The Colts still don’t have Peyton Manning, so they’re not very good.

    _Kevin is a sophomore in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kevinthorn10._

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