NFL Power Rankings — Week 4

#32:  Cleveland Browns (0-3) — The Browns haven’t been destroyed in any game this season (lost all three games by a combined 18 points), but inconsistent play on both sides won’t beat their next two opponents.  Week 4 – @ Baltimore. Week 5 – @NY Giants.

#31: New Orleans Saints (0-3) — Didn’t think the absence of Head Coach Sean Peyton would make a big difference?  The winless Saints will be 0-4 after their next game. Week 4 – @ Green Bay. Week 5 – Vs. San Diego.

#30: Indianapolis Colts (1-2) — Andrew Luck has improved from his first game (4 TD, 1 TO in last two games), but Indianapolis is still a couple solid drafts away from being a good team. Week 4 – Bye. Week 5 – Vs. Green Bay.

#29: Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) — Had the Jags not edged out the Colts in week 2, they would’ve been at the top of this list. MJD and Gabbert look better, but Jacksonville needs to pack their bags and move to LA to be relevant. Week 4 – Vs. Cincinnati. Week 5 – Vs. Chicago.

#28: Tennessee Titans (1-2) — The Titans have had one of the toughest schedules to date, and winning one game is admirable. However with the opponents they’ve got left, they’ll have a top 5 pick in next year’s draft. Week 4 – @ Houston. Week 5 – @ Minnesota.

#27: Miami Dolphins (1-2) — Miami’s only win was against a bad Oakland team at home. Without Bush and with their next two games on the road, they’ll drop lower in the rankings. Week 4 – @ Arizona.  Week 5 – @ Cincinnati.

#26: Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) — The Chiefs got a badly needed win against the Saints last week, and the second half of their schedule is weak. Watch for them to move up. Week 4 – Vs. San Diego. Week 5 – Vs. Baltimore.

#25: Oakland Raiders (1-2) — Oakland never quit against Pittsburgh last week, and made their way into the winner’s circle for the first time in the season. They have tough match-ups coming up surrounding a bye-week. Week 4 – @ Denver. Week 5 – Bye.

#24: Carolina Panthers (1-2) — The Panthers have underachieved amid a difficult schedule, but there’s no let-up with the upcoming opponents. Newton may be taking a step back this season. Week 4 – @ Atlanta. Week 5 – Vs. Seattle.

#23: St. Louis Rams (1-2) — The Rams have been tough-luck losers in two of their first three games. In a division that’s suddenly considered one of the better ones, they need to reel off some wins soon. Week 4 – Vs. Seattle. Week 5 – Vs. Arizona.

#22: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2) — Tampa’s had a rough start to the season, but with several winnable games coming up, expect this team to rise. Week 4 – Vs. Washington. Week 5 – Bye.

#21: Washington Redskins (1-2) — Rookie RGIII has taken some hits in the first three games (nearly 30 against Cincinnati alone). There’s going to be some growing pains for Washington. Week 4 – @ Tampa Bay. Week 5 – Vs. Atlanta.

#20: Detroit Lions (1-2) — The loss to San Francisco was understood, but the debacle at the end of the Tennessee game shows that this team, top-to-bottom, is undisciplined. It needs to change, now. Week 4 – Vs. Minnesota. Week 5 – Bye.

#19: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) — a 1-2 start isn’t exactly how Pittsburgh expected to start the season against a weaker schedule. They better win games soon, as the 2nd half of their schedule gets tougher. Week 4 – Bye. Week 5 – Vs. Philadelphia.

#18: Minnesota Vikings (2-1) — The season’s 1st quarter darlings still have a lot to prove, despite beating the 49ers last week. The 2nd half of their schedule should already be giving them nightmares. Week 4 – @ Detroit. Week 5 – Vs. Tennessee.

#17: Buffalo Bills (2-1) — Buffalo’s done well early on, but their schedule has been soft. They will be tested in the coming weeks, and are expected to falter in the middle of their schedule. Week 4 – Vs. New England. Week 5 – @ San Francisco.

#16: New York Jets (2-1) — Rex Ryan has looked good while still trying to figure out how to use Tim Tebow. How good the Jets are will be determined in the next few weeks. Week 4 – Vs. San Francisco. Week 5 – Vs. Houston.

#15: Denver Broncos (1-2) — Denver’s schedule early on has been horrific, but there’s not much let-up. The Broncos need to find out how Peyton plays with a lead for a change. Week 4 – Vs. Oakland. Week 5 – @ New England.

#14: San Diego Chargers (2-1) — No one really knows how to read San Diego. They looked great in their first two games, and terrible in their most recent. They need to pile up some wins in the early part of the schedule. Week 4 – @ Kansas City. Week 5 – @New Orleans.

#13: Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) — The Bengals looks to be heating up at the right time. They have no excuse to not be 5-1, given their opponents in the upcoming weeks. Week 4 – @ Jacksonville. Week 5 – Vs. Miami.

#12: Seattle Seahawks (2-1) — Back-to-back impressive wins over good teams vault Seattle up in the Power Rankings. But the question remains, can they be competitive on the road? Week 4 – @ St. Louis. Week 5 – @ Carolina.

#11: Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) — The Eagles have won two games they should have lost, and lost a game they were expected to win. Philly needs to solve their turnover problems immediately. Week 4 – Vs. NY Giants. Week 5 – @ Pittsburgh.

#10: Dallas Cowboys (2-1) — Dallas has looked up-and-down to this point in the season. They’ve got a big test coming up against a staunch defense prior to their bye week. Week 4 – Vs. Chicago. Week 5 – Bye.

#9: New England Patriots (1-2) — New England dropped the ball against an upstart Cardinals team last week. Expect this team to gel as the year goes on. Week 4 – @ Buffalo. Week 5 – Vs. Denver.

#8: Green Bay Packers (1-2) — The highest-rated 1-2 team on the board, the Packers have shown us in the past what they’re capable of. It’s time to put it together, though. The NFC-North is competitive. Week 4 – Vs. New Orleans. Week 5 – @ Indianapolis.

#7: Chicago Bears (2-1) — The most scrutinized team in the league is still at the top of the NFC-North. Whispers that the defense is getting old have proved foolish to this point. Week 4 – @ Dallas. Week 5 – @ Jacksonville.

#6: New York Giants (2-1) — The only team in the NFC-East with a positive net point margin is the only team with a loss inside the division. The Super Bowl Champs are expected to be up-and-down throughout the regular season. Week 4 – @ Philadelphia. Week 5 – Vs. Cleveland.

#5: Arizona Cardinals (3-0) — Arizona has overcame a lot of adversity, and despite their roster they need to be considered among the best teams in the NFL at the moment. Sustainability is key. Week 4 – Vs. Miami. Week 5 – @ St. Louis.

#4: San Fransisco 49ers (2-1) — Despite the loss to Minnesota last week, the 49ers still appear to be one of the elite teams in the NFL. The defense is legit, but needs to play at a high level throughout the season. Week 4 – @ NY Jets. Week 5 – Vs. Buffalo.

#3: Baltimore Ravens (2-1) — Baltimore has shown flashes of an elite team in the early going. They need to take care of a couple easy match-ups before they get into the heart of the schedule. Week 4 – Vs. Cleveland. Week 5 -@ Kansas City.

#2: Texans (3-0) — The Texans look to be one of the best teams in football early on. They won’t have many problems winning their division, but need to stay healthy to make an impact in the playoffs. Week 4 – Vs. Tennessee. Week 5 – @ NY Jets.

#1: Falcons (3-0) – Atlanta seems to have finally put it all together. Matt Ryan needs to continue playing to keep them at this level, but the downfall of the Saints will make things easier on the Falcons. Week 4 – Vs. Carolina. Week 5 – @ Washington.

 

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