NFL Power Rankings after Week 4

Well power rankings would not be fun if they did not change week to week. After week four’s games, there were some major shake ups in my list. The cream of the crop has risen to the top, while the JV teams of the league have secured their place at the bottom. One constant remains though – the Bears rule.

1. Chicago Bears – (4-0, Last Week: 1) Are you kidding me? Did the Seahawks even bother to show up? The Bears led them into Soldier Field, then tore them limb from limb. I can think of only one team that can beat this team right now – the ’85 Bears.

2. Indianapolis Colts – (4-0, Last Week: 4) By process of elimination, the Colts rise to number two. As much as I hate to see a team that is a guaranteed playoff choke-job rise this high, there is no one left to put above them.

3. Baltimore Ravens – (4-0, Last Week: 7) Two last minute wins in as many weeks. This might be the reason they brought in Steve McNair. Whatever the case, they are one of only three unbeaten teams remaining. Oh, and that defense shut down the Charger attack with relative ease.

4. Denver Broncos – (2-1, Last Week: 8) Another team that rises simply because everyone loses, but they did not even have to win to do it. I guess the best way to look at it is this way – the defense did not give up a touchdown again.

5. San Diego Chargers – (2-1, Last Week: 5) Talk about having a win stolen from you. Or maybe those two wins against Oakland and San Diego made the Chargers look better than they really are. I’ll go with the former for now, but they better win next week.

6. New England Patriots – (2-1, Last Week: 15) My bad. I doubted Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. I blame ESPN for this one. They repeated it over and over that they were in trouble, and I fell for it. Just ask the Bengals, they know better than to think the Pats are over the hill.

7. Cincinnati Bengals – (3-1, Last Week: 2) Beat the Super Bowl champs one week, then get humbled by the former Super Bowl champs the next. What happened? They were even on their own home turf. There is no excuse for this blunder, except that the Patriots are still an AFC powerhouse.

8. Seattle Seahawks – (3-1, Last Week: 3) People could argue that the Seahawks should drop more, having only played one good game in four weeks. But with no Shaun Alexander against the Bears, the loss should not have come as a surprise. What was a surprise then? The Bears humiliating them 37-9.

9. Dallas Cowboys – (2-1, Last Week: 11) “The Cowboys move up after their impressive win over the lowly Titans. Wait, you said that game hasn’t happened yet? Sorry to spoil the ending for you. Now you don’t have to watch it,” said I last week. See, told you so.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars – (2-2, Last Week: 6) They may have lost in overtime to the Redskins, but this team is still impressive. They will be in the playoffs when it is all said and done. They just need to be more consistent.

11. Philadelphia Eagles – (3-1, Last Week: 12) This team is so-so at best. They have not beaten anyone yet, and this past Monday night against the Packers was no exception. Beat Dallas, and maybe they have something. But unlike some NFL experts, I do not see it happening.

12. Atlanta Falcons – (3-1, Last Week: 14) Run. That is all the Falcons have to do to win. Run. Two hundred-yard rushers again. Run. Keep doing it over and over. Do not pass and this team will win. Just run.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers – (1-2, Last Week: 10) The Steelers continue to fall, and life does not get easier. A disgruntled Charger team that is coming off a loss is awaiting Big Ben and company to show up on their turf. Their fall from grace may continue.

14. Minnesota Vikings – (2-2, Last Week: 9) Losing to the Bills? That will not help their playoff chances. Losing to the Bears is one thing, but the Bills? Do not worry. There is relief on the way – the Lions are coming to down.

15. St. Louis Rams – (3-1, Last Week: 18) This might be the quietest 3-1 team in the league. Want to know something even more interesting? If they did not lay an egg against the 49ers in the week two, they would be undefeated. Yeah, think about that.

16. Carolina Panthers – (2-2, Last Week: 17) Record without Steve Smith is 0-2. Record with Steve Smith is 2-0. I think I figured out the key to success for the Panthers. Defensive coordinators better figure this out as well, and take him out if they want to win.

17. New York Jets – (2-2, Last Week: 13) Even though I picked the Colts in my predictions, I was hoping the Jets would pull off the upset last week. That kick off return lateral fiasco was fun to watch. So close, too bad they were not playing horseshoes.

18. Buffalo Bills – (2-2, Last Week: 22) Would this team make up its darn mind? I cannot figure this team out at all. Lose, win, lose, win, and looking ahead to next week, they have Chicago. I know the result – lose. Back down they will go.

19. New Orleans Saints – (3-1, Last week: 16) They finally lost, but they still played the Panthers tough. It would be nice to see this team continue to do well. They have a very beatable Tampa Bay up next. As long as Reggie Bush stops degrading every week, this team should stay competitive.

20. Washington Redskins – (2-2, Last Week: 23) Mark Brunell solved the 500-page playbook. Or maybe it was the return of Clinton Portis. Maybe it was a bit of both. Either way, the team looks much better.

21. Kansas City Chiefs – (1-2, Last Week: 27) Looks like the bye week helped the Chiefs get their offense back on track. San Francisco probably did no expect 41 points from a team led by 10-year journeyman Damon Huard. Let’s see if he can do it again next week.

22. New York Giants – (1-2, Last Week: 21) This team got a week to find itself. There has been no real news all week from them. That could be a good thing. Washington is up next, and it could be a potential make or break game.

23. Cleveland Browns – (1-3, Last Week: 28) Okay, so maybe beating the Raiders does not deserve a jump like this. But look at it this way. They came back from a 21-3 deficit. Rueben Droughns rushed for a 100 yards. That’s something to be proud of.

24. Houston Texans – (1-3, Last Week: 30) Mario Williams has been the butt of my Texan jokes for the past three weeks. This week, he did his job. Recording one and a half sacks and tipping the potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt makes for a good game. Still, those sacks were the only tackles he had in the game.

25. Arizona Cardinals – (1-3, Last Week: 19) Okay, so now Kurt Warner is no longer the starter. The part I found funny was that Matt Lienart was brought in to cut down on turnovers. What did he do first thing? Fumble the ball and turn it over. Then he threw an interception later. Way to cut down on those turnovers. Not.

26. Green Bay Packers – (1-3, Last Week: 20) It’s hard not to feel for Brett Favre. The man is very tough. But even he got knocked out of the game Monday night. Next up for Favre is a duel with another gun slinging quarterback, Marc Bulger.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (0-3, Last Week: 26) Rookie Bruce Gradkowski will make his first start this Sunday. Want to feel better Bucs fans? He is a Mid-American Conference quarterback. Who else is a MAC quarterback? Chad Pennington, Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich, Charlie Frye and even Charlie Batch. That is good company.

28. Miami Dolphins – (1-3, Last Week: 24) Could this team be any more disappointing? I am lost for words on what to say about them. Maybe this is their goal, to be like last year. A slow first half followed with a strong second half. Wait, they did not make the playoffs last year doing that. It will not be any different this year either.

29. San Francisco 49ers – (1-3, Last Week: 25) Well Alex Smith is still growing, and last week against the Chiefs was a definite bump in the road. At least unlike the Dolphins, this team was not supposed to go to the playoffs.

30. Tennessee Titans – (0-4, Last Week: 29) Ah, the bottom three. This is where the lowest of the low dwell. The Titans got beat bad by the Cowboys last Sunday. This Sunday, the Colts will beat them even worse.

31. Detroit Lions – (0-4, Last Week: 31) Well, they almost won. And eventually, someday, unlike the Titans or Raiders, they should realistically be the favorites to win a game. But until that day, here they will stay.

32. Oakland Raiders – (0-3, Last Week: 32) How do you blow an 18-point lead? Just ask the Raiders, they did it against the Browns. That might have been their best shot at a win for quite some time. I’m sure Art Shell is happy he came back to coach.

And here are those ESPN Power Rankings for those who think they know what they are talking about more so than I do.
ESPN’s Power Rankings