Who sits atop — and at the bottom — of the league entering this week’s matchups?

Through Week 5

1. Los Angeles Rams (5-0) | Last week’s rank: 1 Sean McVay continues to press all the right coaching buttons. 2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) | Last week’s rank: 2 Patrick Mahomes finally threw an interception this season (and then another) but the Chiefs offense just kept going against Jacksonville’s celebrated defense. 3. New Orleans Saints (4-1) | Last week’s rank: 4

It only felt like about 70,000 of Drew Brees’s passing yards came Monday night. His record-breaking evening included a big performance against the Redskins that showed the Saints are prominently among the very few legitimate NFC challengers to the Rams. 4. Carolina Panthers (3-1) | Last week’s rank: 5

The Panthers were aided by plenty of good fortune in the closing moments against the Giants. 5. Cincinnati Bengals (4-1) | Last week’s rank: 6

Is it time to begin trusting this Bengals team? Even just a little bit? 6. New England Patriots (3-2) | Last week’s rank: 8 Remember when the Patriots were facing an early-season crisis? That’s so two weeks ago. 7. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2) | Last week’s rank: 3 The bad version of QB Blake Bortles was on display in Sunday’s defeat at Kansas City. 8. Chicago Bears (3-1) | Last week’s rank: 9

The Bears emerge from their bye week in first place in the NFC North. They haven’t lost since the season opener in Green Bay. And anyone who thinks it’s not possible that they’ll outlast the Packers and Vikings in the division race hasn’t been watching closely enough. 9. Minnesota Vikings (2-2-1) | Last week’s rank: 13

The Vikings didn’t play all that well Sunday in Philly but got a few breaks on the Linval Joseph TD and the key roughing-the-passer call against the Eagles’ Michael Bennett. Maybe the victory will get the Vikings going. 10. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2) | Last week’s rank: 16 The second-best NFL team in L.A. is not half-bad. 11. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1) | Last week’s rank: 20 The Steelers had a great offensive day against the Falcons even without still-absent RB Le’Veon Bell. 12. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 12

The defending champs are struggling on offense; they haven’t scored more than 23 points in a game this season.

13. Cleveland Browns (2-2-1) | Last week’s rank: 25 Such a lofty ranking for the Browns? The Browns? Sure, why not? This is a competent, competitive team with Baker Mayfield at QB. 14. Baltimore Ravens (3-2) | Last week’s rank: 7 Going to Cleveland and getting a win is not automatic any longer. The Ravens found that out the difficult way.

15. Detroit Lions (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 27

The Lions are showing signs of competence having won twice in three games after their 0-2 beginning. 16. Green Bay Packers (2-2-1) | Last week’s rank: 10 Mason Crosby is highly respected within the Packers organization. Not too many kickers could keep their jobs after the sort of game that Crosby had Sunday in Detroit, with four missed FGs and a missed extra point. 17. Washington Redskins (2-2) | Last week’s rank: 14 The Redskins had no answers Monday night for Drew Brees and the Saints. 18. Miami Dolphins (3-2) | Last week’s rank: 15

The promise of that 3-0 start has dissipated quickly with losses to the Patriots and Bengals. It doesn’t get much easier with the Bears up next, although the game is in Miami.

19. Houston Texans (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 23 QB Deshaun Watson absorbed some jarring hits from Cowboys defenders Sunday night. But he and WR DeAndre Hopkins got it done in OTt. 20. Buffalo Bills (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 28

This looked like the NFL’s worst team through two games. The fact that the Bills have regrouped to win two games says plenty about the coaching prowess of Sean McDermott. 21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) | Last week’s rank: 21 The Bucs return from their bye week with Jameis Winston back as the starting QB. But Sunday’s game in Atlanta comes against a Falcons team that’s seemingly overdue for a win.

22. Tennessee Titans (3-2) | Last week’s rank: 11

Few expected the Titans to get off to a 3-1 start. But losing to the Bills? That shouldn’t happen to a contender.

23. Seattle Seahawks (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 17

The Seahawks played the Rams tough and had their chances. But the bottom line is, being the second-best team in the NFC West won’t mean much this season.

24. Dallas Cowboys (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 18 Coach Jason Garrett was questioned by owner Jerry Jones for his decision to punt rather than take a fourth-down gamble in OT during Sunday night’s loss at Houston.

25. New York Jets (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 30

It was a great Sunday for rookie QBs. Sam Darnold did his part with a three-TD, one-interception performance in the triumph over the Broncos at the Meadowlands.

26. Denver Broncos (2-3) | Last week’s rank: 19

The season seems to be slipping away from the Broncos after three straight losses. 27. Arizona Cardinals (1-4) | Last week’s rank: 32

It wasn’t a big game for rookie QB Josh Rosen, but he and the Cardinals got into the win column. 28. Atlanta Falcons (1-4) | Last week’s rank: 22 Matt Ryan continues to put up good numbers and the Falcons continue to lose. Getting back into the division race already is beginning to look far-fetched.

29. Oakland Raiders (1-4) | Last week’s rank: 24 This is simply not going well for Jon Gruden. 30. New York Giants (1-4) | Last week’s rank: 26

It’s not that any of what WR Odell Beckham Jr. said to ESPN was wrong. It wasn’t. But the fact that he chose to come out and say what he said after the Giants gave him a contract that made him the NFL’s highest-paid WR was equal parts provocative and puzzling. 31. Indianapolis Colts (1-4) | Last week’s rank: 29 Another year of QB Andrew Luck’s prime is slipping away. 32. San Francisco 49ers (1-4) | Last week’s rank: 31 The countdown to next season has begun.