A couple trends finally ended this week. First, the top team last week didn't lose this week. That was Atlanta, who escaped on Sunday to beat Carolina. Due to the lackluster play though, they still dropped a spot in our week 4 poll. On the flip side, the last ranked team last week didn't win this week. That was Cleveland who lost a tight game to Baltimore. But due to their inspired play, they did move up a spot.
Seattle was the biggest loser in the rankings, falling 12 spots. The Giants fell ten spots also. The biggest winner was the St. Louis Rams. They moved up 11 spots after beating the aforementioned Seahawks. Three undefeated teams remain (Houston, Atlanta, Arizona), and there are still two winless teams (Cleveland and New Orleans).
Below are this week's rankings. Be sure to comment if you agree or disagree with them. Feel free to ask questions if you have any also. Enjoy!
NFL Power Rankings
Week 4
Andrew – 312 Points
(33-30)
Greg – 307 Points
(34-29) – Winner of Week 4
***Evan Atkinson –
234 Points (29-18)
***Didn’t pick in week one.
NOTE: Last week’s rank is noted in the first parenthesis.
Current team record noted in the second parenthesis.
1. (2) Houston Texans (4-0) – Through four weeks, they
haven’t even sniffed a close game. Their domination on both sides of the ball
is the best in football. – Andrew
2. (1) Atlanta Falcons (4-0) – Had a scare at home, and really should have lost
that game. If Cam Newton holds on to the ball, we're talking about a bad home
loss for the Falcons, but they got the job done. This was the first week
the defense has looked suspect. – Greg
3. (6) San Francisco 49ers (3-1) – Went on the road to the east coast for a 1 PM game
against the Jets, and shut out the Jets out in impressive fashion. They looked
dominant once again. – Greg
4.
(3) Arizona Cardinals (4-0) – They needed a last second touchdown on
fourth down just to get to OT against Miami at home? Their vaunted defense
allowed over 400 yards to Tannehill? At least they are still undefeated. –
Andrew
5. (4) Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – Controlled the game against
Cleveland, although didn’t dominate them like most figured they would. Flacco
is becoming the centerpiece of the offense, not Ray Rice. – Andrew
6. (9) New England Patriots (2-2) – The offense finally woke up this week against
Buffalo. They seem to do that every year against the Bills. I expect the
Patriots to go on a streak. – Greg
7. (7) Chicago Bears (3-1) – Thoroughly dominated the Cowboys in the Palace
that Jerry built. The offense made the Cowboys' previously #1 ranked defense
look average, and the Bears defense looks like the #1 defense in the NFL to me.
– Greg
8.
(11) Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) – AJ Green is becoming one of the best players in the NFL. He and
Dalton were once again lethal. This makes three wins in a row and they keep
getting better. – Andrew
9.
(16) Philadelphia Eagles (3-1) – Vick sure didn’t look turnover prone on
Sunday night. Although I still think they should have lost on that final field
goal. – Andrew
10. (12) Green Bay Packers (2-2) – Another team that benefitted from a missed FG by
the opponent on Sunday. They need to be able to run the ball better, but
Aaron Rodgers looked like the Aaron Rodgers of last season. They could be
hitting their stride offensively. – Greg
11.
(13) Denver Broncos (2-2) – The schedule finally eased up and Denver took
advantage. They dominated on Sunday and Manning looked like classic Manning. –
Andrew
12. (18) Minnesota Vikings (3-1) – Have beaten the Jags, 49ers, and Lions. But lost
to the Colts? Regardless, Leslie Frazier deserves a heck of a lot of credit.
This team believes it can win, and is playing like it. – Greg
13.
(17) San Diego Chargers (3-1) – A great bounce-back performance after a disappointing effort
last week. And for as much as they talked about Mathews emerging this season,
Jackie Battle seems to be the better back. – Andrew
14. (15) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) – Had their bye week. The defense
needs to come out and re-establish itself starting now. Mendenhall may return
also. – Greg
15.
(5) New York Giants (2-2) – Never could get anything going against the Eagles. They remain a
mystery to me. They can play so well, but then look so bad. Who is this team
for real? – Andrew
16. (10) Dallas Cowboys (2-2) – Romo had a bad game, but that is not the most
disturbing trend. The offensive line simply cannot open up holes for Demarco
Murray. He's a quality NFL running back, and the team is doing itself a
disservice if it doesn't find a way to be able to run the ball. – Greg
17.
(14) Buffalo Bills (2-2) – It sure doesn’t look like they spent a lot of money
on the defense in the offseason. After getting up by a couple touchdowns, they
allowed the Patriots to go crazy! – Andrew
18.
(29) St. Louis Rams (2-2) – The surprise of the year at .500. They are sneaky, not flashy at
all, but they play hard every week. Jeff Fisher has done an amazing job turning
this team around. He doesn't get enough credit for his coaching. – Greg
19.
(20) Washington Redskins (2-2) – Were able to overcome Billy Cundiff's three missed FG's, and
RGIII had the most impressive drive of his young career to beat the Bucs on the
road. They would be well advised to run RGIII less and allow him to use
his arm though. – Greg
20.
(8) Seattle Seahawks (2-2) – Without a ref to bail them out, the
Seahawks couldn’t back up their big win last week with a win on Sunday. Despite
a big game from Lynch, they didn’t look particularly good doing anything else.
– Andrew
21. (30) Carolina Panthers (1-3) – Very nearly came away with a huge road win at
Atlanta this week. Cam had a game-changing turnover again. He's got to clean
those up, and if he does this team would be winning much more often. – Greg
22.
(27) Miami Dolphins (1-3) – Tannehill did his best Sunday to prove he
deserved his lofty draft pick. He and Hartline looked terrific and they nearly
pulled off a big upset on the road. But they couldn’t finish it out and lost
again. – Andrew
23. (22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) – Josh Freeman may have
turned a corner late in the game against Washington. They are in every
game they play. They're bound to win some of them. – Greg
24. (21) Detroit Lions (1-3)
– Shock of the
season here. Their offense just isn't clicking right now, and Stafford's health
may have something to do with it. They'd be well served to start Shaun Hill for
a week and let Stafford heal up. Plus, their special teams need work! – Greg
25. (19) New York Jets (2-2) – I got two words for this team
to get them back on track: Tebow time! – Andrew
26. (25) Indianapolis Colts (1-2) – Coming
off the bye week, their goal should be to improve defensively. Luck and the
offense will keep them in plenty of games this season. – Andrew
27. (23) Tennessee Titans (1-3) – Chris Johnson finally
woke up this week, but Jake Locker going down hurts this team's chances going
forward. If he's not healthy, Hasselbeck will be a serviceable replacement, but
the offense is not nearly as dynamic. – Greg
28. (26) Oakland Raiders (1-3) – This team needs need
to address its atrocious defense, particularly the secondary. The other problem
is that Darren McFadden hasn’t shown up yet this season. – Andrew
29. (24) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) – As
hot as MJD was last week, he was equally as cold Sunday. And with the Bears on
tap this week, I don’t think he’ll bounce back quite yet. – Andrew
30. (28) Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) – This team just doesn't
know how to win, and do it consistently. It's a likeable team,
with many good pieces, but for some reason they just can't put it
together. – Greg
31.
(32) Cleveland Browns (0-4) – They are 0-4, but they are competitive. Brandon Weeden took
another step forward last Thursday, and their defense welcomes back Joe
Haden this week. Sorry Browns fans, I may have been premature last
week with my #1 pick prediction. – Greg
32. (31) New Orleans Saints (0-4) – Drew
Brees continues to say the same stuff… “I like the direction we’re headed and
we’ll get it going.” I know you nearly won Sunday, but you guys have issues
that can’t be overlooked Drew. – Andrew
By: The Sports Guys
#2 atlanta - def looked suspect? they played arguably the most dynamic QB in the league.
ReplyDelete#4 arizona - #4 really?? kevin kolb and ryan williams. need i say more
cowboys #1 previous defensive rank? would like to know where in the world that came from
#10 packers - as far as i'm concerned, they're 3-1 and should easily be 3-5 spots higher
#13 san diego - this is a joke, right? jackie battle the better back!?!? lol. i think he might average 2 yards per carry
#30 kansas city - they can't put it together because matt cassel is a backup QB
#32 new orleans - this ranking is absurd. the offense is finally starting to click. the defense has been harshly criticized and maybe deservedly so. but lets not forget they faced arguably the two most dynamic play-making QBs in the league in Cam Newton and RG3. and should have beaten kansas city if not for a rare late offensive collapse. if they can get a win against san diego before the bye and return with joe vitt (who actually had them playing better last season than sean payton), they could start to make a run.
Love the post TZ. I will pose some thoughts back to you though:
ReplyDeleteAtlanta - Their defense made Peyton Manning look silly on MNF two weeks ago. Then at home against a struggling Panthers team they didn't show it. It's that simple.
Arizona - Remember our rankings are based on what we've seen this season. They are 4-0 with the most impressive win of any team in the league (at NE). The Falcons above struggled this week and squeaked by just like these guys, yet they remain one of the 3 undefeated teams in the league!
Green Bay - Week 1: Lost at Home. Week 2: One offensive TD at home against a team that played like crap (Bears). Week 3: Lost to Seattle, who doesn't know how to play offense (and yes, they lost officially). Week 4: Needed a Hartley FG miss to beat the winless Saints. All this equals not that impressive.
San Diego - Battle isn't the better back based on talent. But he has been better and more reliable this season. Mathews will have good games but will never be a star. But neither will Battle....
New Orleans - For the record, my ballot had them at 31, ahead of Cleveland, but they deserve to be no higher. They are 0-4, one of two teams to have that mark. They have played horrific defense, and constantly make costly, immature, undisciplined plays that cost them games. You mention the offense, but their offense is out of balanced and predictable. They can throw the ball. That's it. They can't run, I already mentioned they suck defensively, and they don't have their coach. They are toast this season. Yes they will get some wins, but they are not a team that will battle for a playoff spot. They have lost 2 home games already, and their schedule gets MUCH tougher the second part of the season. Stick a fork in them. Lastly, let me remind you that this ranking is based on first four weeks, and they have been incapable of winning. Sorry.
Andrew
As far as the Dallas defense being #1, they were the #1 ranked defense going into week 4 in the NFL. They're called stats. Look them up.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta's defense did look suspect. This is the same Carolina offense that the week before was held to 7 points at home by the NYG defense. You're arguing against the Falcons defense being suspect bc they gave up 27 points at home to that same offense? Where's your logic?
Arizona is as low as they could possibly be, considering they are one of 3 undefeated teams in the league.
Green Bay, as much as you'd like to consider them 3-1, are in reality 2-2. No amount of considering is going to change that.
San Diego- Jackie Battle isn't the better back, they just gave him touches near the goal line, and he'll probably be healthier than Mathews for the duration of the year. I still don't know about that team.
New Orleans- All their losses have come against oppenents' who are .500 or below. Kansas City after blowing a 24-6 lead in the second half. Their defense is porous, they can't run the ball, and no amount of Drew Brees optimism is going to change those things.
Lastly, these are POWER RANKINGS, not overall organizational rankings, thus the rankings having such fluctuation.
Also, I apologize if this comes across harshly, but I have dealt with enough ridiculous arguments that defy logic today from my co-blogger regarding Tim Tebow, and am consequently quite explosive at the moment.
We appreciate the comments.
Greg
Tim Tebow is the man!!! If you happen to be friends with Greg on facebook, check out the argument we had over one of his posts. Classic!
ReplyDeleteAlso to Greg, you were pretty low on the Steelers. I know they lost at Oakland, but that may have been a fluke. They are solid on both sides of the ball. I'm fine with where they ended up, but they were close to 20 on your rankings. That's a little off if you ask me...
i dont get your argument for green bay. you say one offensive TD at home against a team that played like crap (Bears), yet you have them considered the #1 defense. Seattle is one of the toughest places to play at. Their record at home compared to the road is insane. Week 4 shoulda never came down to a missed FG, Sproles fumbled the ball earlier, and the refs almost blew it for the Pack again.
ReplyDeleteAs for the saints, i get what ur saying. yes their second part might be tougher, but if they can get some wins before it gets tougher, they could get on a roll. will it happen? who knows...And predictable offense??? If no one can stop you then who cares. Anyone will tell you saints are a top 5 offensive team
Your rankings are NOT based on the first 4 weeks. If that was the case, all 4-0 teams would be at the top, followed by 3-1 teams and 2-2 and so forth. And then you both have them beating san diego and cleveland losing, so i dont see how your ranking of them in last place is justified unless you plan on keeping them in those spots even if week 5 plays out as you have projected. There should be some consistency. If you predict the saints to beat san diego then they should not be in last
maybe i just dont understand power rankings, idk...
The Saints may very well be a top 5 offensive Passing team, but they're only going to be able to throw the ball so much. That's why they lose games up by 18 points in the second half, because you have to be able to run the ball then. Predictions are completely separate. Yes, the saints are getting better, but their lack of consistency on defense, special teams, combined with their mistakes so far put them low.
ReplyDeleteIf you'll notice by the way our rankings do typically follow the 4-0,3-1,2-2,1-3,0-4 model. Just some teams are better than others. I'll admit my hatred of the saints has them lower than they should be. As far as the steelers go, they're 1-2, and their defense has been suspect so far. They lost to a raiders team that got shellacked in Denver. Until they get their defense figured out (which should be helped by polamolu and harrison coming back this week) they're not as good as they used to be.
If I hear Tim Tebow one more time I think I will lose my mind.
fair enough. i guess i can agree with the assessment that i am basing my opinions off of predictions more than anything else (for the most part)
ReplyDeleteTZ, you should post on every topic. Debating is what makes this fun. And this is the first real argument we've had in the comment section. Love it. That's what sports is all about.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Saints love and hatred aside, they are a team that is lacking something. I have picked them 3 or 4 times out of 5 games this year, yet they continue to let me down. That's now a trend and that has to be considered when ranking them on their play. Maybe it's that they don't run it, maybe it's because of the fact their real coach is gone, or maybe it's because their defense sucks (most likely the reason). But something is off with them. And you can't argue against that. Outside of at Green Bay (where they actually played the best), they have played an extremely tame schedule. Yet they are 0-4. Ouch.
PS: As of today, Jackie Battle was put #1 on depth chart over Ryan Mathews. They are riding the hot hand here...
ReplyDeleteit was actually of atleast yesterday. but anyway, here is some insider information...
Delete"The expectation this week is that Ryan Mathews, after being sent a ball security message last week via a diminished role, will be back in a more featured capacity against New Orleans. But even if Mathews returns as the clear leader in backfield touches for the Chargers this week, Jackie Battle has earned a prominent role, likely to stick as that key short yardage, goal line guy that profited Mike Tolbert so much in recent seasons."
Yeah I agree. I was just being a dick...
ReplyDelete