Tennessee Titans Week 5 Power Rankings Roundup: Titans Jump Back into Middle of NFL

The Tennessee Titans got a needed win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 that led to them rising in the Week 5 power rankings, but only back into the middle of the pack.

The Tennessee Titans sitting at 2-2 feels fitting for how they have played to start the year. They aren't as bad as their 27-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but probably aren't as impressive as their 27-3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

It seems that is the general thought nationally when taking a look at the Week 5 power rankings. The Titans moved up a few spots in most of the rankings we will look at, but that move up happened after being ranked low in the previous week's version.

NFL Network - Eric Edholm: Tennessee Titans - 16th

"An improved defensive performance and a resurgent Derrick Henry were exactly what the Titans needed to pull to .500 in a statement victory over the Bengals. It helped that Joe Burrow limped into the game and Tee Higgins left early, but the Titans overwhelmed Cincinnati on both lines of scrimmage and thoroughly dominated. Tennessee got away with three fumbles (recovering all of them) and a meaningless late pick from Ryan Tannehill, and there were a few miscues in pass protection, so there's plenty to work on. But the Henry-Tyjae Spears backfield looks very promising again, and the AFC South remains wide open. Mike Vrabel can win with this group."

The Titans sit below a few notable teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. The Packers are an interesting challenge, the Texans will be a team we discussed a lot today and the Titans beat the Chargers already. However, the Titans rank ahead of the New Orleans Saints in Edholm's rankings, who beat the Titans.

ESPN: Tennessee Titans - 21st

The Titans made a huge jump in the ESPN group rankings. Eight spots they climbed from last week to now. The Titans still sit behind the Houston Texans though, who sit one spot ahead. The Texans are also 2-2 on the season led by new head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The two teams won't face off until the last four weeks of the season, so we won't see who is the better team for a while.

CBS Sports - Pete Prisco: Tennessee Titans - 15th

"They dominated the Bengals in grand fashion Sunday, which was a vintage Mike Vrabel type of day. He always gets his team to respond when it's needed."

Prisco has been high on the Titans in his rankings all year compared to the others, so it is no surprise this is the highest ranking we will see the Titans get in Week 5. 14 teams make the playoffs in the NFL, so the Titans right now are on the outside looking in according to Prisco. The Texans rank higher than the Titans again though.

The Athletic: Tennessee Titans - 20th

"There’s nothing particularly chaotic about the Titans; they’re just average. So this is going to be a Derrick Henry Appreciation section. Henry passed Houston Oilers great Earl Campbell in the franchise history books by getting to 8,583 rushing yards, which trails only Eddie George. He also completed his seventh career pass (on eight attempts) and fourth career passing touchdown."

The Tennessee Titans are the lowest-ranked AFC South team in this ranking. Something that would sound crazy prior to the season, but with the impressive play of the Houston Texans and the surprising Indianapolis Colts, the Titans are considered the worst team in the division.

Bleacher Report: Tennessee Titans - 20th

"Again, one big game against a reeling Bengals team doesn't magically fix all of Tennessee's problems—this is a team that was blown out by the Cleveland Browns by that same 27-3 score just one week ago. But against the Bengals, the Titans showed what they can be capable of. And in an AFC South filled with teams that have issues, next week's matchup with the Indianapolis Colts offers Tennessee a chance to show it can be a real factor in the division."

The Titans sit behind teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders. It would be quite interesting to see the outcome if the Titans got to face off against any of those teams. We will see them against the Falcons in Week 8.

Related Titans Stories

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• LINEUP QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: The Tennessee Titans should see two second-year players return to the team this week in wide receiver Kyle Philips and offense tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, which provides them some answers, but also some questions. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 4 FILM BREAKDOWN: The Tennessee Titans had plenty of explosive plays in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals and film analyst Tyler Rowland dives into the tape to see how the biggest four plays of the day happened. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 4 OFFENSIVE GRADES: The Tennessee Titans got a big win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 fueled by a revived offense and here is what the player grades look like on that side of the ball from PFF. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 4 DEFENSIVE GRADES: The Tennessee Titans' defense shut down the potent Bengals offense in Week 4 and we saw some of the team's best player have fantastic performances, but there were some surprises as well. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 4 SNAP COUNTS: The Tennessee Titans beat the Cincinnati Bengals in dominant fashion in Week 4 and here is a breakdown of what stood out from the snap counts in the game. CLICK HERE