2019 NFL power rankings, Week 5: Browns impress, Falcons regress

Recap: The excitement following the team’s Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos was tempered the following two weeks with double-digit losses to the Chiefs and Vikings, respectively. Now Jon Gruden’s club headed on the road for a second consecutive Sunday and took on the Colts.

The Raiders took a surprising 14-0 lead in the first quarter before Indianapolis got on the board and took a 21-10 into the locker room at intermission. Rookie Josh Jacobs keyed a ground attack that rolled up 188 yards on the Indianapolis’ defense. Derek Carr threw for 189 yards and two scores. And safety Erik Harris sealed the road victory with a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown.

Next Week: For the second consecutive year, the Silver and Black heads to London, England. The opposition this time around are the defending NFC North champion Chicago Bears and a defense that featured one-time Oakland Raiders’ standout Khalil Mack. Oakland came up short in the teams’ last meeting, 22-20, at Chicago in 2015.

Playoff hopes: If you’re Gruden and the Oakland coaching staff, you have to be very pleased with how your team performed in all phases of the game. The Raiders’ offensive front played a solid game and the defense came up big when it had to. A year ago, Gruden’s team won just once on the road and this was obviously a major step forward.

Recap: Last Monday, the team let it be known that quarterback Cam Newton would not be available for this inter-conference showdown at Houston. A week ago at Arizona, backup Kyle Allen responded with a strong performance as the Panthers got their first win of the season. It was a defensive struggle throughout and the Carolina’s young quarterback had his issues, throwing for 232 yards but losing three fumbles.

But it was another productive outing for running back Christian McCaffrey. He ran 27 times for 93 yards and his team’s only touchdown and caught 10 passes for 86 yards. And the Panthers’ defense sacked Deshaun Watson six times.

Next Week: The Panthers host the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time since 2011. It’s just the seventh encounter between two franchises that both began play in the NFL in 1995. And the clubs have each won three games in this series. But it’s Carolina that has won the last two meetings, the latest a 20-9 victory in 2015 at Jacksonville.

Playoff hopes: Thanks to a pair of road victories, the Panthers are now at the .500 mark as their defense rose up big these last two weeks. The club is in a stretch in which it plays away from home four times in five games. Of course, no one knows how long quarterback Cam Newton will be sidelined. But Rivera’s club is finding ways to win.

Next: Nos. 20 and 19