NFL Power Rankings Week 4

By: James Watkins

1. Kansas City Chiefs (last week’s ranking: 1): Another week, another solid victory for Kansas City. There isn’t a team in this league that can claim to be more balanced on both sides of the ball. Kareem Hunt is well on his way to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and Alex Smith has never looked more in command of Andy Reid’s offense. The only thing that will slow this team down is a tough division, but they’ve already beaten LA once and Oakland is now without Derek Carr for the foreseeable future. Oh yeah, and if there’s one team that can win in Denver, it’s the Chiefs.
2. Denver Broncos (4): I can’t overstate how huge the Oakland win was for this team after disappointing on the road in Buffalo the week before. Fortunately for Denver fans, this is a veteran team that knows how to bounce back after a loss. The defense held the Raiders to only 230 yards passing and completely shut down Marshawn Lynch. It’s becoming clear just how hard it is to run against this team. Oakland has one of the best offensive lines in football and a bruiser of a back in Lynch. If the Cowboys and Raiders can’t establish the run against the Broncos, it’s hard to say who can.
3. Detroit Lions (6): No that’s not a typo. The offense somewhat proved itself against a top-tier defense in the win at Minnesota, scoring just enough to get the victory. It’s been 4 weeks now, and Detroit still has a legitimate running game behind Ameer Abdullah. The real story here is the defense, which continues to play above expectations. Their “bend but don’t break” style limited what had been a dangerous Vikings offense to just seven points. Detroit is playing well on both sides of the ball, and few teams in the NFL can say the same.
4. Green Bay Packers (7): I’m still not in love with this team, but a dominant road division victory can’t be overlooked. Aaron Rodgers is once again a frontrunner in the MVP race with his ability to carry this entire franchise on his back. Let’s be clear: he’s the only reason they’re this high up. The running game is still nowhere to be found, and the defense actually let a team with Mike Glennon at QB earn more yards than the Packers offense. I’ll repeat. That was Mike Glennon who did that. Imagine what Matthew Stafford is going to do to Green Bay.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (9): Their only loss came at Arrowhead Stadium, and no other team can control the line of scrimmage like Philly. Carson Wentz has already established himself in his second year, but now that the running game has come to life behind LeGarrette Blount, this offense is only going to get better. The secondary needs to play better, but as long as the team keeps putting pressure on quarterbacks and keeps winning, there’s not much to complain about in the City of Brotherly Love.
6. New England Patriots (3): There’s no getting around it now: this defense is truly horrendous. Cam Newton and the Panthers couldn’t buy a touchdown in the first few weeks of the season. Then they come to New England and suddenly they look like the 2015 team that went on a Super Bowl run. The Patriots defense is at or near the bottom of virtually every major defensive statistical category. The good news is that the offense is tops in total and passing offense in the NFL. The only thing keeping them afloat is Tom Brady, who is 40 years old in case you haven’t heard. 40 years old and not washed up. Yes, I’m going to keep harping on that. People who thought he was done after week 1 were clearly kidding themselves.
7. Atlanta Falcons (2): Ouch. A completely abysmal loss, at home, to the Buffalo Bills (who we’ll get to in a bit). This team was due for a loss after poor performances against Chicago and Detroit that should have ended in defeats. Losing Julio Jones during the game certainly contributed to how the Falcons played on offense, but this team has more than enough weapons to win games without him. Matt Ryan has thrown 5 interceptions in the past two games combined and has almost tied his total of 7 picks from last year’s MVP season. The bye week is coming just in time.
8. Los Angeles Rams (14): There were plenty of justifiable doubts over whether this team was to be taken seriously, but those doubts have to dissipate after a very impressive win at Dallas. Todd Gurley outplayed Zeke Elliot and is clearly the early favorite to win the rushing title. Jared Goff didn’t slow down at all, tossing 2 touchdowns in the victory. He only has one interception so far this season. Next week’s showdown against the Seahawks will be another serious test of the mettle of this young quarterback, but all signs point to him and coach Sean McVay being up to the challenge.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (12): This team HAD to show up in Baltimore after a loss in Chicago that brought up all sorts of ugly questions about locker room stability. Those questions haven’t completely subsided, especially after Antonio Brown’s sideline temper tantrum after being missed on a wide open route. But, the Steelers won on the road against their toughest division opponent, and that’s nothing to scoff at. Pittsburgh dominated the hapless Ravens offense for most of the game. Le’veon Bell returned to All-Pro form. JuJu Smith Schuster continues to make big plays. If this team finds even a modicum of consistency, no one will want to play them in January. That’s an extremely big if.
10. Dallas Cowboys (8): We now know LA is a good team, so this isn’t the most egregious defeat for Dallas. However, the season doesn’t get any easier for them moving forward. They still have to play both the Eagles and Washington twice. Those games look tougher and tougher with each passing week. This was a winnable game, especially at home, and the Cowboys couldn’t get it done when it mattered most. The defense needs to step up with the Packers next on the schedule. Jared Goff looked great against this secondary, and he’s no Aaron Rodgers.
11. Oakland Raiders (5): Losing to Denver on the road isn’t a backbreaker. Derek Carr’s injury is, both literally and figuratively. With E.J. Manuel taking the reins of the offense, Oakland is going to have to rely heavily on Marshawn Lynch to earn tough yards and open up the passing game. The only problem? Lynch has rushed for a total of 30 yards over the past two weeks. That trend can’t continue if Oakland is to keep pace with the Chiefs and Broncos.
12. Seattle Seahawks (13): Despite the final score reflecting a blowout win over the Colts at home, the game was in doubt well into the third quarter. Seattle shouldn’t be punished for winning by nearly 30 points; however, the issue on offense remains the same: Russell Wilson is being forced into too many bad throws by poor offensive line play. In other news, Eddy Lacy will now have to shoulder the load in the backfield because of Chris Carson’s leg injury.
13. Buffalo Bills (19): I’m having a hard time taking this team seriously, even after wins against Denver and Atlanta over the past two weeks. The receiving core is weak, and Tyrod Taylor is averaging only 171.5 yards passing per game. What is definitely for real is the Buffalo defense, which has given up the fewest points in the entire league up to this point. For now, the Bills sit atop the AFC East after 4 weeks for the first time since 2008. Baby steps.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15): We finally got to see what this team is capable of when it has a kicker that can actually do his job (*knocks on wood*). Seeing games through to the end is something that all good young teams have to learn how to do, and Tampa Bay is no exception. Rookie O.J. Howard out of Alabama scored his first NFL touchdown on a busted play by the Giant defense. It won’t get any easier to score than that, but he has the size and strength to be yet another weapon for Jameis Winston.
15. Washington Capitals (16): They gave the Chiefs all they could handle on Monday night. A 2-2 record after what might be the hardest schedule any team had to face over the first four weeks is just fine. What isn’t fine is (and you might be seeing a trend here with most teams) the run game. Kirk Cousins was their leading rusher against Kansas City, and they still don’t have a clear number one back. Even so, they’re having no trouble getting to the quarterback: they’re tied for 3^rd in sacks at the moment.
16. Houston Texans (18): If Kareem Hunt is the clear frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, then Deshaun Watson can’t be that far behind. His combination of escapability and willingness to make any throw has utterly transformed the Houston offense. Watson decimated the Tennessee defense, becoming the first rookie QB to throw 4 touchdowns and run for another since all-timer Fran Tarkenton back in 1961. The Texans already field a top 5 defense when it comes to total yards allowed. If that sounds scary, that’s because it is.
17. Minnesota Vikings (10): And just like that, this year looks a lot bleaker after Dalvin Cook’s season ending ACL injury. Case Keenum isn’t consistent enough to lead the Vikings to the playoffs. This team outgained the Lions and managed to hold them under 20 points, and they still couldn’t score enough to win It’s funny to write something like this, bur Sam Bradford can’t come back soon enough.
18. Carolina Panthers (20): Don’t get too cocky. Keep studying your routes, Cam.
19. Tennessee Titans (11): One step forward, 57 steps back. This franchise is aggressively unable to win the big games. What’s worse is just how inept the defense looked against a rookie making only his third start. The Titans were supposed to own the AFC South this season, but that’s looking like a pipe dream if this is how they stack up against Houston. Whether or not Marcus Mariota plays next week, this team’s got some serious questions to answer moving forward.
20. New Orleans Saints (22): It’s honestly surprising to see this team in contention in the NFC South. The backfield is still overcrowded but the defense posted a shutout. That’s huge for a unit that’s been one of the sorriest in the league for the past half-decade. It’s pretty clear by now that Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas are the future of the offense.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (17): I’ll give them a little sympathy for the fluky 75-yard touchdown they gave up to Bilal Powell. But losing to the Jets? Do you want to be taken seriously or not? You can’t give up almost 500 yards of total offense to the Jets. That’s simply not acceptable for a team trying to prove itself as an up-and-coming team. It’s not all bad though. Leonard Fournette added 145 yards from scrimmage to an already stellar rookie campaign.
22. Arizona Cardinals (22): The Cards needed an overtime touchdown from Larry Fitzgerald (because who else) to beat the lowly 49ers at home. Unless the running game somehow materializes in the next few games, Arizona can kiss their division title hopes goodbye.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (26): A win is a win is a win. But a win against Cleveland is a win against… well… Cleveland. Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis are not off the hook after one good week. Do this against Pittsburgh or Baltimore, then we’ll talk.
24. Baltimore Ravens (21): If it weren’t for the existence of the Miami Dolphins, I’d say Baltimore has the most work to do on offense after this past week. The running game has clearly dried up, and Joe Flacco isn’t making the throws he was able to 4 or 5 years ago. This was a game the Ravens couldn’t afford to drop a home game against Pittsburgh. It’s going to be a huge uphill climb to compete in the AFC North now, as the Steelers are even harder to beat at Heinz Field. If they can’t jumpstart the offense soon, they might not even be in a position to compete when they arrive in the Steel City.
25. New York Jets (31): Gang Green keep defying early season expectations, and now find themselves level with the Patriots at 2-2. Neither of their victories have been particularly impressive, but they’re earning Ws, which is more than can be said for some of the teams on this list. Where’s the tanking we were promised? Bilal Powell finally broke through for a 100+ yard performance. New York will need more of those, and might keep winning with Cleveland up next.
26. Los Angeles Chargers (25): It’s pretty safe to say this is the best 0-4 team in the league, but that’s not the most encouraging title to hold. They’ve kept things close against very good teams in Kansas City and the Eagles, but the losses keep piling up. LA already had only an outside shot to compete in their division, and they might have blown that shot after only 4 games. Seeing Keenan Allen playing without injury is encouraging, but a win would be even better for the twelve fans who actually come to Chargers home games.
27. Chicago Bears (23): It’s Trubisky time. Mike Glennon is a turnover machine, which is pretty unacceptable for a game manager quarterback. So here comes rookie Mitch Trubisky. May George Halas have mercy on his soul.
28. New York Giants (27): Oh look, it’s the second best 0-4 team in league! Have they addressed any of their issues yet? Is the running game better than a high school team’s? Nope. Has the defense fixed the breakdowns in the secondary? No sir. Are they able to finish games like any playoff team should be able to do? Good one. Stick a fork in ‘em.
29. Indianapolis Colts (29): Jacoby Brissett is trying his very best to hold this roster together with duct tape. Despite his best efforts, he can’t hide the fact that the defense and offensive line just aren’t good enough for this team to compete. Indy stuck with Seattle at CenturyLink Field for the better part of 3 quarters, but it was only a matter of time before the Seahawks took over. Even Andrew Luck won’t be able to fix the talent deficiencies on this squad.
30. San Francisco 49ers (30): Careful San Fran. You keep making these games competitive and you might miss out on the Sam Darnold/Josh Rosen sweepstakes. Are you sure you want Brian Hoyer to be your signal-caller next season too? At this point, there’s not much to talk about for this franchise other than how they stack up against the rest of the 0-4 teams in the race for the number 1 pick. So far, Cleveland has the inside track.
31. Miami Dolphins (28): Isn’t Adam Gase supposed to be a quarterback whisperer? He needs to work some magic with Jay Cutler, and fast. The offense has quickly become the most ineffective in the league, which is all the more disappointing considering how much talent they have at the skill positions. Let’s not forget that they’ve scored a combine 7 points in the past two weeks against the Saints and Jets, who both field pretty weak defenses. What’s even worse is this team won’t have any bye week to figure these problems out. Jay Ajayi might be complaining on the sideline a lot more in the coming weeks.
32. Cleveland Browns (32): I really hate piling on this franchise, but every time you think they’re going to turn a corner and win a game they actually have a chance in, they let you down. Cincinnati is a beatable team even with Andy Dalton and A.J. Green playing well of late. Cleveland had them at home with a good chance to bounce back after a really disheartening loss in Indy last week. And… they played like the Browns have always played. Uninspired, flat, and below expectations. If they don’t beat the Jets next week, I don’t know if they’ll beat anyone.