Brian Flores is as deserving of being an NFL head coach as anyone in the NFL.
Yeah, he is suing the NFL for their hiring practices, and no, it shouldn’t matter. He is the best defensive coordinator in the league right now and the gap between him and everyone else continues to grow. And he did have some success early on with Miami as a head coach in place where no one wins consistently before things went south in a big way.
What he is doing with this Vikings defense should carry the most weight, and with Minnesota’s offense still stuck in neutral, at best, for the most part, Flores’s side of the ball has carried the Vikings to a 5-0 start. And going on the road to New Orleans against a desperate Saints coming off an embarrassment on Monday night and destroying them was quite a statement.
The Vikings held New Orleans to an impossible 3.3 yards/play in an NFL game. We are talking 142 net yards and Tyler Shough, who has been slinging it all over the yard, couldn’t crack 100 yards passing. This is masterclass stuff.
“They can’t pretend this guy isn’t the top head coaching candidate in the country,” as one longtime NFL personnel exec put it. “How can you have an opening and not interview him for it?”
We’re heading to mid-October and the Vikings have allowed five offensive TDs all season. They are allowing a ridiculous 22% conversion rate on third down and an opposing QB rating of 62.9 and just 1.07 points per drive and boast a 70.6 success rate – all leading the NFL. He could coach my team tomorrow.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
- Last Rank: 1
- Week 5 Result: BYE
Bye week for the Chiefs and they could have probably used one later on, but what can you do? We heard plenty over the weekend about them being in on Marvin Harrison Jr., and they are going to add a playmaker to this offense to try to offset their injuries. I promise you that.
2. San Francisco 49ers
- Last Rank: 9
- Week 5 Result: def. Seahawks, 32-29
Well, Brock Purdy was finally sacked, so it wasn’t a totally perfect game! This defense being this disruptive coming off last year’s issues and with Nick Bosa hurt again and with Dre Greenlaw ejected from the game was not on my bingo card. They turned the Seahawks over and were smarter than them and tougher than them. Incredible start at 5-0.
3. Seattle Seahawks
- Last Rank: 2
- Week 5 Result: lost to 49ers, 29-32
Did everything they could do to tip the field in the 49ers' direction. Silly turnover at the end of the half when you need two hands on the ball. Other critical miscues around their own goal line. The run game is not where they need it to be and San Francisco smothered them. Losing Klint Kubiak as offensive play caller was going to take time to overcome. I have extreme confidence in Mike Macdonald and his ability to make necessary corrections.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Last Rank: 4
- Week 5 Result: def. Eagles, 19-17
Liam Coen has to learn from this. That was a game management debacle in London, no two ways about it, and he got bailed out. But you end up trying dangerous punts with a backup long-snapper but won't try chipshot field goals? They get to stay in London for the week and if they beat the Texans there next week, the AFC South is going to be tilted in their favor
5. Minnesota Vikings
- Last Week: 7
- Week 5 Result: def. Saints, 23-13
If we give you a nice big write-up and gas you up “above the fold," as dinosaurs like me would say back in our newspaper days, then we have to give you a boost in the rankings. Kevin O’Connell has to lean into designed runs for Kyler Murray to jumpstart this offense earlier in games.
6. Los Angeles Rams (Still to play vs. Bills on MNF)
- Last Rank: 5
- Week 5 Result: TBD
No real changes at the top here. Big spot for them Monday night against the Bills, and we believe they will hold serve. Getting back home after the crazy travel schedule they’ve had and getting into a normal work week will bode well for them. We slid them down because we believe Flores and Co. were worthy of a bump.
7. Buffalo Bills (Still to play vs. Rams on MNF)
- Last Rank: 6
- Week 5 Result: TBD
The defense is starting to be challenged a little differently now after switching up their fronts. Is Greg Rousseau going to continue this pressure rate? Do they end up having to win shootouts all the time?
8. Denver Broncos
- Last Rank: 9
- Week 5 Result: def. Chargers, 23-17
Sean Payton did what had to be done. The David Webb experiment was worth a shot and we heard that the impetus for it came from ownership originally and maybe next year Webb gets another shot. Getting the head coach back in familiar terrain should settle some things down there and end some of the palace intrigue. Offense is still a work in progress, even with the change.
9. Baltimore Ravens
- Last Rank: 10
- Week 5 Result: def. Falcons, 30-23 (OT)
Getting Lamar Jackson back for Week 6 would be big. and that will be very much touch and go through the week as we hear it. They need Trey Hendrickson to produce like a $30M pass rusher when he comes back (likely Week 6). They need new trade acquisition Cam Jurgens to stay healthy.
10. Atlanta Falcons
- Last Rank: 22
- Week 5 Result: lost to Ravens, 30-23 (OT)
The change to Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback has changed everything for them, and I am buying this defense. Going into Week 5 allowing 2.7 yards/carry while having the best pressure rate in the NFL (over 47%) is quite a combination. They went toe-to-toe with the Ravens, and the result might've been different if Penix was healthy at the end. Monitoring his health will be huge now.
11. New England Patriots
- Last Rank: 15
- Week 5 Result: def. Raiders, 45-17
They might be getting hot. Needed a laugher to restore their swagger and Drake Maye needed to look like a quasi-MVP again. Missions accomplished. The defense has been better than I expected. With a much tougher schedule this season, they need to beat lesser teams at home like they did on Sunday.
12. Cincinnati Bengals Â
- Last Rank: 16
- Week 5 Result: def. Dolphins, 31-24
Something still feels really off to me about this group. They have won when they get a ton of takeaways, but that’s not something you can bank on. If Malik Willis wasn’t a turnover machine, this game could have been more of a sweat for Cincy. Burrow throwing four touchdown passes has to feel good, at least.
13. Chicago Bears
- Last Rank: 8
- Week 5 Result: lost to Packers, 31-7
The QB shuffle caught up to them Sunday. Ben Johnson ran out of tricks (and treats). They have to find a way to tread water a few more weeks and get the ground game cranked up, and I don’t doubt Johnson’s ability to do that. Maybe he has to rotate QBs by series. Whatever it takes.
14. Carolina Panthers
- Last Rank: 20
- Week 5 Result: BYE
You can tell I don’t really move the “middle class” of this league, eh? These guys get a nice bump coming off a bye week. Bryce Young gains confidence by the week and they avoid backbreaking penalties and have picked up where they left off last season. We think the NFC South will come down to them and the Falcons.
15. Houston Texans
- Last Rank: 24
- Week 5 Result: def. Titans, 26-3
Maybe this is too big a boost coming off a win over the worst team in the NFL. But DeMeco Ryans taking back over play calling is a very big deal — as big as with Payton doing it with Denver’s offense — and we have said for weeks we still believed in this defensive talent even as they were losing. CJ Stroud looking good. His connection with Marvin Harrison Jr. from college should help unlock him after the trade.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Last Rank: 23
- Week 5 Result: def. Colts, 34-22
After their debacle against the Browns, they absolutely had to step up at home and beat the Colts on extra rest. And they did. Jaylen Warren’s explosion and twitch in space needs to show up more often than it does. Sunday was a huge step in that direction. I think they will add to this offense before the deadline.
17. New York Giants
- Last Rank: 19
- Week 5 Result: tied with Commanders, 27-27
When is a tie like a win? Watch the Giants players celebrate their 27-27 finish at Washington, and you get a strong idea. For New York to have just one loss with all their injuries and already facing three division opponents is a big deal. The late fumble in OT can’t happen, but this team is scrappy and the NFC East is wide open.
18. Green Bay Packers
- Last Rank: 25
- Week 5 Result: def. Bears, 31-7
Jordan Love got his confidence back — in a big way. We know Chicago’s defense has issues, but the Packers had to string wins together, and Sunday felt like a “better-win” game if not a “must-win” game. Love needed to look like himself throwing to top targets Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft and he checked that box emphatically.
19. Philadelphia Eagles
- Last Rank: 17
- Week 5 Result: lost to Jaguars, 19-17
Nick Sirianni might want to hire a real estate agent. This team still has some talent and if anybody can fix some of the roster issues on the fly it’s GM Howie Roseman, but man that was an ugly loss. Defense shows signs of life and special teams lays an egg. The OL injuries/retirements and loss of Saquon Barkley feels massive right now.
20. Dallas Cowboys
- Last Rank: 13
- Week 5 Result: lost to Buccaneers, 24-16
The defense is a joke. What they put on film Thursday night at home against an undrafted rookie QB was embarrassing. “That’s as bad as it gets,” as one longtime personnel exec put it. They are allowing an opposing passer rating around 121 and like 72% completions. Joey Porter Jr. ain’t covering all that up. They’ll trade for a pass rusher, watch (I think they had this Micah Parsons guy at some point, didn’t they?).
21. Detroit Lions
- Last Rank: 21
- Week 5 Result: def. Cardinals, 45-21
The offense is going to have to carry them. It feels like it's been a while since they got to play with a lead and flex their muscles, and winning at home, given how their defense is especially vulnerable on the road, is nothing short of vital.
22. Las Vegas Raiders
- Last Rank: 11
- Week 5 Result: lost to Patriots, 45-17
The Patriots defense is bringing it right now. The brutal loss to the Chiefs the week before probably left a mark and this game snowballed away from them quickly. It happens. It's a tough part of the schedule but we buy the offensive approach under Klint Kubiak, and Fernando Mendoza got his feet wet, which is nice.
23. Cleveland Browns
- Last Rank: 12
- Week 5 Result: lost to Jets, 17-12
That could prove to be a really bad loss at the Jets. We buy this Browns defense, which is no small thing. But sustaining a modicum of success is something that has eluded this franchise for so long, and we had to ding them for following up the upset over the Steelers with this stinker.
24. Indianapolis Colts
- Last Rank: 18
- Week 5 Result: lost to Steelers, 34-22
If Daniel Jones isn’t going to be able to move the launch point around and compensate for some of their losses in personnel and create spontaneous brilliance, they are cooked. This operation just doesn’t look like it did before the QB suffered his injuries last November. The lack of true linebackers on the roster is glaring.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Last Rank: 30
- Week 5 Result: def. Cowboys, 24-16
You win a game on the road in a short week with an undrafted rookie QB, and you are going to rise the rankings. Jalon Daniels continues to impress people around the league and looks like he has some real upside. But man, Dallas’s defense is brutal, so it's hard to say how much this actually means for the Bucs.
26. New Orleans Saints
- Last Rank: 14
- Week 5 Result: lost to Vikings, 23-13
This team is in a freefall. No other way to put it. With no running game, it was imperative for this defense to get people off the field. That’s not the case, and, yeah, they faced two really good defenses in the span of six games, but even when they won late last season, they weren’t beating good teams. That comeback on the Ravens was an outlier.
27. New York Jets
- Last Rank: 29
- Week 5 Result: def. Browns, 17-12
They do have a defense. And it will show up against lesser QBs and they did quite a job on Watson on Sunday. But the wins will be few and far between. Three first-round picks should help the cause for the Jets moving into the future, though, and there are some solid pieces already in place.
28. Los Angeles Chargers
- Last Rank: 26
- Week 5 Result: lost to Broncos, 23-17
Justin Herbert is a big part of the problem here. He just is. The last thing the Chargers could do was throw a pick tied at 17 with Denver in a must-win spot. They seem pretty intent on heading into their Week 7 bye as one of the winless teams in this league and heads are going to roll. This roster will be gutted by the deadline. Watch.
29. Arizona Cardinals
- Last Rank: 26
- Week 5 Result: lost to Lions, 45-21
Marvin Harrison Jr. won’t be the last player they trade. That Week 1 win over the Chargers was probably as good as it will ever get this season. Jacoby Brissett continues to go in reverse at quarterback, which is quite indicative of the team as a whole. .
30. Washington Commanders
- Last Rank: 24
- Week 5 Result: tied with Giants, 27-27
Dan Quinn’s handling of the end-of-overtime situation against the Giants will get him fired. Not immediately, we suspect. But that was such a visceral, overwhelmed, scramble-drill way to have a game end without even attempting a field goal as time expired; the owner never forgets. At home, with Jayden Daniels back from yet another injury, that was officially the beginning of the end for Quinn.
31. Miami Dolphins
- Last Rank: 32
- Week 5 Result: lost to Bengals, 31-24
We are reaching here, but they continue to scrap and try in situations where they are clearly out of their depth. They have a way of crawling back in games, at least on the fringes, even when succumbing to novice mistakes early in games.
32. Tennessee Titans
- Last Rank: 31
- Week 5 Result: lost to Texans, 26-3
They are not competitive for the most part. They can’t muster any offense in the first half of games. The questions about Cam Ward seem to be bleeding over from week to week and this staff can’t change the narrative. If Jeffery Simmons plays like the best defensive lineman on the planet, then they can hang with bad teams — and if not, look out.
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