Week 4 NFL Power Rankings
The Cellar Dweller
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3), No Move
It’s really bad in Jacksonville. I don’t see where they are
going to find a win this season. Their three divisional opponents are all
decent teams, so I don’t see any W’s there. I also don’t imagine that this team
can beat anybody on the road. So that already limits their chances to San
Diego, Arizona, or Buffalo at home. It’s hard to go 0-16, but are you willing
to bet your life savings on the Jags in any of those games?
The “Scraping the
Bottom”s
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3), Down 2
30. Minnesota Vikings (0-3), Down 5
Well, one of these teams went to the playoffs last year. And
one was a hot playoff pick this year. Both of those are out the window. Josh
Freeman has officially been relieved of his duties in Tampa Bay, as the team
announced rookie Mike Glennon will be starting next week. And Christian Ponder
may not have much longer in Minnesota. Both teams have gotten underwhelming
performances from their defenses, and their offenses just can’t cut it. Top
five draft selections could be coming here.
The “At Least They
Have a Win”s
29. Oakland Raiders (1-2), Up 1
28. Cleveland Browns (1-2), Up 3
27. Arizona Cardinals (1-2), No Move
That’s really all you can say, isn’t it? At least they have
a win. Oakland has been relatively competitive, beating Jacksonville and
keeping close to Indianapolis. Cleveland pulled out a surprising victory in
Week 3 after seemingly throwing in the towel on the season. And Arizona beat a solid-looking
Detroit team and should have won against St. Louis too. They aren’t completely
hopeless cases, but they still have a way to go.
The Winless Enigmas
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3), Down 2
25. Washington Redskins (0-3), Down 2
24. New York Giants (0-3), Down 9
If anyone claims they predicted a combined 0-9 record for
the Steelers, Redskins, and Giants through three weeks, that person is a liar.
The Steelers, to be fair, have played three pretty good teams (two of whom I
have in my top ten), but their problems are not easily fixable, nor are they
small in number. You can’t fix an awful offensive line, not at this point
anyways. You can’t fix the inability to rush the ball or protect the pass. And
the defense is no longer strong enough to make up for all the offensive
mistakes.
The problem for Washington is they just can’t stop anyone.
Yes, they have played three solid offensive teams, but you can’t give up 98
points through three games and expect to be winning. Opposite the Steelers
issue, the Redskins offense isn’t good enough for the defense to allow so many
points.
The Giants, incidentally, cannot stop anyone either. And
their offense can’t stop turning the ball over. That’s a pretty potent
combination. Thirteen turnovers, and a whopping 115 points allowed. And yet, we
can’t give up on the Giants, because they are so damn schizophrenic. I can give
up on Washington and Pittsburgh, but I can’t cross off the Giants, not yet.
The Up-and-Comers
23. Buffalo Bills (1-2), Down 1
22. Carolina Panthers (1-2), Up 6
21. New York Jets (2-1), Up 5
Funny how all these teams with young quarterbacks end up
clumped together, huh?
I like the Bills a little less than last week, seeing as
they gave up 513 yards of offense to the Jets. But I do still like their weapons
and their scrappiness. The defense has some things to work on, that’s for sure.
The Panthers lit up the Giants, and Cam Newton finally looked like the Kordell
Stewart-esque threat we’ve been waiting for. He was connecting on bombs down
the field, and scrambling for scores on the ground. The defense abused Eli
Manning, sacking him seven times on Sunday. They still have growing to do, but
they look to be moving in the right direction now. And the Jets are 2-1. It all
comes down to wins, and Geno Smith might just be a winner.
The “Why Aren’t They
Better?”s
20. St. Louis Rams (1-2), Up 1
19. Philadelphia Eagles (1-2), Down 3
These teams are in this category for different reasons. The
Rams have been building forever it seems, and it just doesn’t feel like Sam
Bradford is going to get over the hump. How long do you give him? No matter
what pieces they put around him, the Rams are a mediocre team at best. The
Eagles, on the other hand, were being awarded the Lombardi trophy after the
first 30 minutes of their season. Now they look more like the 4-12 team from
2012 than a playoff contender. Not only is the defense a major problem, the
offense looked completely out of sorts against Kansas City, and maybe this
world-shattering offense isn’t as effective as we thought.
The “Nobody Believes
in Us”s
18. San Diego Chargers (1-2), No Move
17. Detroit Lions (2-1), Up 3
16. Tennessee Titans (2-1), Up 3
Each of these three teams has played above expectations, and
could be 3-0 right now. The Chargers have enjoyed stellar play from quarterback
Philip Rivers (something no one expected) but have watched as their atrocious
pass defense has given away two fourth quarter leads (and tried to give away
the third). The Lions offense has moved like a well-oiled machine, and the
defense has done its job for the most part. They contained Adrian Peterson in a
Week 1 victory against Minnesota, and they corralled Robert Griffin III in last
week’s win at Washington. They gave away a late lead against the lowly
Cardinals, which could come back to haunt them later, but they look poised for
another run at the playoffs. The Titans revamped their defense and picked up
the pace on offense, they too look like a team that could make noise down the
stretch. The blown game against Houston hurts, but two solid wins against
Pittsburgh and San Diego point this team’s arrow upward.
The Non-Winless
Enigmas
15. Houston Texans (2-1), Down 5
14. Dallas Cowboys (2-1), No Move
13. Baltimore Ravens (2-1), No Move
I am finding it hard to get a grasp on these teams. The
Texans pulled out two come-from-behind wins (but didn’t deserve them) and then
got blasted by Baltimore. The Cowboys haven’t beaten anyone of value, and lost
a close, sloppy game against the Chiefs. The Ravens lost to the best team in
football, then beat the doormat Browns by eight. Their 30-9 win over Houston is
deceiving, however. They were manhandled by the Texans in the first half, but
were given gifts on a defensive and special teams touchdown.
Luckily for me, these teams have the chance to show me
something soon here. In Week 4, Houston welcomes Seattle while Dallas travels
to San Diego. Baltimore goes to Miami in Week 5.
The Feel Good Story
12. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0), No Move
I’m still not sure about the Chiefs. We know that the Jaguars
are abysmal, so that win is meaningless to me. I also believe that the Eagles
are not nearly as good as we want to believe, and the Chiefs didn’t exactly set
the world on fire in that game anyways. I keep saying that if the Chiefs win,
I’ll believe in them, but I really mean it this time. If they remain unbeaten through games against the desperate
Giants and the feisty Titans, they will crack the top eight, I promise.
The “We Might Really
Be in Some Trouble”s
11. San Francisco 49ers (1-2), Down 8
10. Atlanta Falcons (1-2), Down 3
All of a sudden, the 49ers offense looks like it’s back in
2007. After a masterful 494-yard performance in Week 1 against Green Bay, the
49ers have accumulated just 461 in the last two games (not to mention only 10
points). San Francisco is really struggling without their receiving weapons
(Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and now Kyle Williams) and the defense has
been uncharacteristically underwhelming. Not to mention, this bizarre story
unfolding around Aldon Smith. Losing to Seattle and Indianapolis might not turn
out to be the worst thing ever, but there are major red flags popping up in San
Francisco.
The Falcons are simply getting picked apart by injury.
Again, their losses to New Orleans and Miami (both on the road, by the way) are
high caliber losses, but they just don’t look like the same Falcons team. The
offense isn’t quite as potent as we’ve become accustomed to, and the defense
isn’t holding late leads.
The Bracket Busters
9. Indianapolis Colts (2-1), Up 8
8. Chicago Bears (3-0), Up 1
7. Miami Dolphins (3-0), Up 4
These teams are threatening to challenge for divisions we
assumed were locked up tight. The Colts, with new acquisition Trent Richardson
and veteran Ahmad Bradshaw “running angry,” look poised to leap frog the
Houston Texans, who have been less than stellar. These two play Week 9 in
Houston. Likewise, the Bears, led again by their suffocating defense, already
hold a two-game lead over division rival Green Bay. They also play in Week 9 at
Lambeau Field in their first match up. Lastly, the Dolphins, who I love, aim to
do the impossible and knock off the Patriots in the AFC East. Their first clash
is in Week 8 at Foxborough.
The Fluke Losing
Record
6. Green Bay Packers (1-2), Down 2
The Packers are going to be fine. The 49ers had eight months
to prepare for them, and it took everything they had (plus an Anquan Boldin
push-off) to take them down. And after all the mistake the Packers made in
Cincinnati, they led by 16 points in the second half and were in the act of
salting the game away when rookie Jonathan Franklin coughed it up. The Pack
lost to two good teams on the road. They won’t lose many more this year.
The “Ready to Take
the Next Step”
5. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1), Up 3
With all that said about the Packers, what a massive win for
the upstart Bengals. The defense did a fantastic job keeping the offense within
striking distance. Andy Dalton made big plays down the stretch. A.J. Green
continues to be a monster, even when he doesn’t record a catch in the first
half. And how about Giovani Bernard, the rookie out of North Carolina? This kid
looks like a superstar in the making. The Bengals continue to strike gold in
the draft, and they have built this team into a real contender.
The Still Untested
4. New England Patriots (3-0), Up 2
All I know is that Tom Brady is really good at football. The
Patriots pounded the Buccaneers, as the defense looked great again. This time
though, Brady was able to sync with his young receivers, and the offense moved
well. The Patriots have now played three teams in the bottom 12 of my rankings,
but I’m going to keep them high because I believe Danny Amendola and Rob
Gronkowski will come back soon. And when that happens, this team is going to
roll.
The Still Relatively
Untested
3. New Orleans Saints (3-0), Up 2
Likewise, two of the Saints’ wins have come against teams in
the bottom six. But they did defeat the Atlanta Falcons (before many of their
injuries), so they get the slight bump here. The offense is doing what it
always does, but the defense continues to surprise with solid performances. The
Saints are dangerous, and nearly untouchable at home.
The Cream of the Crop
2. Seattle Seahawks (3-0), No Move
1. Denver Broncos (3-0), No Move
These teams are really interchangeable. I don’t know who I
would pick to win if these two played on a neutral field tomorrow, I really
don’t. It’s the Broncos offense versus the Seahawks defense, a match up of epic
proportions. Denver leads the league in both yards per game (486.7) and points
per game (42.3) while Seattle leads the league in yards allowed per game (241.7)
and points allowed per game (9.0). I’m salivating just thinking about it.
Unfortunately, these teams aren’t scheduled to play this year. We might have to
wait until February to figure out who is truly number one.
