Five weeks of action are in the books, with Week Six looming.

The season’s early stages have painted a picture of parity in the NFL, showing that the elite can fall and the mediocre can turn great in a short timeframe.

We’ve witnessed the art of the upset and the beauty of surprise as this season’s portrait doesn’t appear to be what many envisioned.

The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants remain undefeated, while the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, and Minnesota Vikings sit with a combined 6-8 record. The Cleveland Browns’ “potent” offense has mustered only 46 points, and a popular pick in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks, have looked outmatched in stumbling to a 1-3 start.

The season’s final image will not become clear until a Super Bowl champion is crowned. Still, the early outlines show that this year will not be what many had expected.

On the Rise

Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins have direct-snapped their way to a pair of improbable victories against the New England Patriots and Chargers. Ronnie Brown appears to be fully recovered from last season’s injury, and the team is using its Wildcat formation to confuse and conquer teams. The Dolphins appeared to be one of 2008’s worst teams before the season began, but now look as if they will be at the very least competitive.

On the Decline

Dallas Cowboys – This might be a week late, but the Dallas Cowboys have not looked like football’s best team. Their 4-1 record is still one of the league’s best, but their 111 points against is not. The offense needs to improve its ball security in order to remain a Super Bowl contender and their defense needs to improve in all phases.

Rankings (previous rank in parentheses)

1.  New York Giants (4-0) (4) – The Giants are the reigning champs and probably should have started the year as the No. 1 team. Better late than never.

2.  Tennessee Titans (5-0) (2) – The Titans look to have all the tools to maintain their hot start throughout the season. They’ve won games by blowout and now showed that they can grind out the close victories as well. This team looks real.

3.  Washington Redskins (4-1) (8) – The Redskins, propelled by a stellar running game and solid defense, have won four straight games, beating top end competition along the way.

4.  Dallas Cowboys (4-1) (3) – The Cowboys avoided disaster by winning a close game against the Bengals last week. Still, this team does not look like the powerhouse it did a few week ago. There is no doubt that this is still a solid team, but can they make the necessary improvements to get to the dominant level many expected them to be at?

5.  Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) (6) – Despite being overwhelmed with injuries over the last two weeks, the Steelers have persevered and won both their games. The team will still be without Willie Parker for at least this week, but with the Bengals being their opponent, it may not matter.

6.  Buffalo Bills (4-1) (3) – The Bills not only lost to the Arizona Cardinals last week, they were blown out. Their 4-1 record is impressive, but some question marks remain, especially when considering the combined record of the opponents the Bills have beaten (4-13).

7.  Carolina Panthers (4-1) (7) – The Panthers are one of four teams in the NFC with a 4-1 record. Their recent victories against the Chiefs and Falcons have come with a plus-47 point differential. Let’s see if they can maintain this when playing some stiffer competition.

8.  Denver Broncos (4-1) (9) – The Broncos got back to their winning ways last week and, more importantly, they won a close, low-scoring game. This team has the offense to excel, if there is more consistency from the defense, they could be great.

9.  Arizona Cardinals (3-2) (21) – Their dominance over the Bills could be an aberration or it could be evidence that Adrian Wilson makes a massive difference for this team. They take a giant leap in the standings with the belief that the later is truer.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) (10) – Their loss against the Broncos was a close, tough-fought contest. Their upcoming contest against the Panthers may be one of their most important games of the season.

11. Chicago Bears (3-2) (13) – The Bears have won two straight, including last week’s blowout against the Lions. The offense continues to improve and their defense and special teams will also keep them in games.

12. New England Patriots (3-1) (17) – Last week’s victory may have eased the pain of the disaster against Miami. The Patriots will remain competitive without Tom Brady but do not look as if they will be capable of keeping up with the league’s best.

13. Miami Dolphins (2-2) (25) – The Dolphins recent victories against the Chargers and Patriots have been both surprising and impressive. If Brown can stay healthy they could be a far better team than originally advertised.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) (5) – Two weeks ago the Eagles looked like one of the league’s best teams. A loss to Chicago was attributed to the absence of Brian Westbrook, but last week’s loss to the Redskins cannot be. This team has displayed Jekyll-and-Hyde characteristics in the past and seem to be going down that road again in 2008.

15. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) (14) – This team is showing that they can come back and win games in the fourth quarter. However, if they continue playing with fire, they will eventually get burned.

16. Baltimore Ravens (2-2) (15) – Baltimore has displayed great strength in its running game and defense. This team lost its last two games to tough opponents. Unfortunately for the Ravens, this season’s schedule is littered with tough games.

17. Atlanta Falcons (3-2) (26) – The Falcons proved they can win on the road by beating the Packers in Green Bay last week. They look like they are a developing, young team with a bright future. It still remains to be seen if they can contend with the league’s best this year.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) (19) –The Jags suffered a close loss at the hands of the Steelers last week, although, they played well and finally were able to get to the quarterback consistently. Even with the loss, they may still be headed in the right direction after their slow start.

19. New York Jets (2-2) (20) – The Jets sit at 2-2 with some glaring questions about their pass defense and running game. They will face the Bengals and Oakland Raiders next, so they may have some time to improve still.

20. Minnesota Vikings (2-3) (18) – The Vikings used a last-minute field goal to get a win they desperately needed last week. With the Lions up next, this team should be able to get to .500. What happens after that will decide their fate.

21. New Orleans Saints (2-3) (16) – The Saints are the league’s best passing team and are solid in the return game but seem to be struggling in every other aspect. If this team cannot improve significantly on defense, they will be mired in mediocrity this season.

22. San Diego Chargers (2-3) (12) –The Chargers find themselves staring at a 2-3 start, similar to the situation they found themselves in last season. In 2007, they were able to rebound nicely and make it to within one victory of the Super Bowl. Can they defy the odds and rebound again in 2008?

23. Green Bay Packers (2-3) (11) – Aaron Rodgers did play last week, and the Packers still lost. If they do not stop their losing skid soon, their season could take a nose dive.

24. San Francisco 49ers (2-3) (22) – They can move the ball but can’t seem to protect it. That is not a formula for success.

25. Cleveland Browns (1-3) (23) – The Browns took a victory into their bye and spent their time trying to regroup from a 1-3 start. With the Giants and Redskins up next, it may not matter.

26. Oakland Raiders (1-3) (24) – Will the change at head coach have any effect on the team? We’ll find out when the Raiders take the field against the Saints this weekend.

27. Seattle Seahawks (1-3) (27) – The Seahawks took a big victory against the St. Louis Rams into the bye week and came out a little healthier and rejuvenated. Then they lost 44-6 to the Giants.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) (28) – So much for finding new life by handing Larry Johnson the ball. After Johnson had two outstanding performances, he received seven carries and rushed for two yards last week.

29. Houston Texans (0-4) (29) – The Texans almost pulled off a miracle upset against the Colts. Instead, two costly turnovers allowed the Colts to pull off a miracle comeback.

30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5) (30) – They showed life against Dallas but still lost the game. Now, at 0-5, their season is essentially over.

31. Detroit Lions (0-4) (31) – This team will finish the regular season with less wins than it had in the preseason –and that’s not a joke.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-4) (32) – The Rams have been outscored by an average of over 25 points per game this season. It doesn’t get worse than that.