The opinions expressed in this article are from national reporters and do not reflect those of the team.
The Washington Commanders have improved to 4-1 after their 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns, and they continue to rise in the national power rankings for a third straight week. Here's how the Commanders stack up with the rest of the league.
NFL.com
Rank: 6
Week 5 ranking: 7
**Eric Edholm:** Through five weeks, the Commanders are nearly halfway to their 2023 season total of 329 points. They've already matched last year's win total of four and have a chance to make a statement in a Week 6 showdown with the Ravens. Non-conference games normally don't weigh this much, but this is shaping up as the biggest Commanders game in years.
Pro Football Talk
Rank: 5
Week 5 ranking: 9
**Mike Florio:** We'll learn a lot about this team on Sunday, when they visit the next team on the list.
ESPN
Rank: 7
Week 5 ranking: 10
**John Keim:** Daniels being the No. 2 fantasy quarterback (averaging 22.7 fantasy points) behind Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield was not anticipated. Daniels is throwing 227.0 yards per game, and he's on pace for 14 touchdown passes and 14 rushing touchdowns. He's also on pace to throw for more than 3,800 yards and rush for more than 1,000. That's quite a combination, and it's a key reason he has become such a good fantasy player and a dangerous quarterback overall.
CBS Sports
Rank: 6
Week 5 ranking: 8
Pete Prisco: They are the surprise of the league, but they haven't exactly beaten up on good teams during their four-game winning streak. They get the Ravens this week in a real prove-it game.
Bleacher Report
Rank: 7
Week 5 ranking: 14
B/R Staff: For the first time in a while, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looked like a rookie Sunday against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Daniels threw an early interception at the goal line and completed just 14 of 25 passes.
It didn't matter even a little—thanks to over 200 yards on the ground and a second straight stout defensive performance, the Commanders pasted the Browns to win their fourth consecutive game.
USA Today
Rank: 7
Week 5 ranking: 9
Nate Davis: Lotta firsts here. First place. First team with 13 rushing TDs through five weeks since Gerald Ford was president. First rookie (Jayden Daniels) to start his career with 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards five games in. Pretty soon, their supporters will be musing about the possibility of their first Super Bowl trip post-Joe Gibbs.
Sporting News
Rank: 6
Week 5 ranking: 11
Vinnie Iyer: The Commanders are in complete control of their run-heavy offensive game plan with rookie QB Jayden Daniels, which always allows them to roll into a fast downfield passing game. The more recent surprise is the defense starting to rev up the pass rush for Dan Quinn.
Yahoo Sports
Rank: 8
Week 5 ranking: 12
Frank Schwab: Jayden Daniels is playing so well he deserves to be in the early MVP conversation. It's tougher to know what to do with the Commanders. Is this the level we can expect all season? Philadelphia is still favored to win the NFC East, and that seems right. Maybe.
Sports Illustrated
Rank: 4
Week 5 ranking: 5
Connor Orr: A stunning performance over the sleepwalking Browns. Jayden Daniels saw pressure and, on third-and-forevers, was evading defenders and torching secondaries. In that battle between quarterbacks, both were facing an onslaught of defenders. One of the two made the defense pay and regret ever sending an extra rusher. Jayden Daniels, welcome to the MVP conversation.
