NFL Power Rankings, Week 4

Some great finishes put a stamp on Week 3 as Tampa Bay, Buffalo and the Giants all needed final plays to pull off victories in a very exciting week of football. Some teams were able to separate themselves from the pack, while other teams were able to wipe off the dust and pull themselves back into the spotlight. And how about the resurgence of Ronnie Brown? Is the best 2-headed monster really in Miami?

So here's my take:

TEAM
1. Dallas Cowboys (3-0)	Off to a 3-0 start with wins over two teams that will likely end up in the playoffs (PHI, GB) and their defense finally stepped up a bit. Things are looking very good in Dallas.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)	After almost squeaking out a win in an explosive offensive performance against the Cowboys, they show that they can play the defensive struggle as well in beating the Steelers. Let’s hope Westbrook’s injury isn’t bad.
3. NY Giants (3-0)	When it boils down to it, a win is a win. They needed overtime to beat the winless Bengals, but I don’t think the Bengals are as bad as they are playing. A good win.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)	Where did the offense go? Without Big Ben this team would be in very big trouble. Parker and Mendenhall can gain yards, but not with 8 in the box.
5. GB Packers (2-1)	Rodgers failed his first big test, but all is not lost. They put up a fight and they are still going to be a good team…if Rodgers can rebound from the loss and regain stride.
6. Denver Broncos (3-0)	There may not be a better WR-QB combo that Cutler and Marshall. It reminds me of Manning and Harrison years ago. It seems that Cutler can always find him open. But that D again…
7. Tennessee Titans (3-0)	I’m not a fair weather fan here, but they get a huge jump in rankings because their play has continued to excel. On paper I don’t think they are this good, but that’s why games are played on the field.
8. SD Chargers (1-2)	They still might be the class of the AFC. Could very easily be 2-1 after throttling the Jets. They have the firepower to take hold of this thing and are more likely to do it than not.
9. Buffalo Bills (3-0)	Barely avoided a huge slip-up against an out-of-their-head Raiders team. However, for a team that’s biggest weakness was supposed to be inexperience, they’ve pulled off two huge last drive comebacks.
10. Carolina Panthers (2-1)	Another team falls to the mighty Gus Frerotte. Minnesota is a talented team, but the Panthers should have been able to corral their offense a bit more. Not the debut Steve Smith wanted.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)		Got a big win with 0-3 staring them in the face. They still have some catching up to do, but this team has a lot of fight in it. A few more guys get healthy and they could heat up again.
12. New England Patriots (2-1)		Well, I knew the Pats were going to lose sooner or later, but getting blown out by Miami? Not how I expected it to go down. The D needs to lead this team if they have any shot.
13. Baltimore Ravens (2-0)		Another team that is surprising me a little bit. I knew their D would be good, but I didn’t think the Flacco-led offense would perform has they did this week. But maybe that’s just Cleveland reverting to old form.
14.) Indianapolis Colts (1-2)		Maybe Father Time has finally caught up with the Colts. It’s kind of fitting though. A team that always played second fiddle to the Pats seems to fall apart just as New England does the same.
15. Washington Redskins (2-1)		Maybe Jim Zorn knows what he’s doing after all. Another solid victory against a good opponent. People forget that the Skins made the playoffs last year. They have the talent to do it again.
16. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-1)		Great comeback to beat the Bears. People can debate all they want about the Griese-Garcia call, but Griese did his part this week. Maybe Gruden hasn’t lost the touch yet.
17. Arizona Cardinals (2-1)		Tough loss, but nothing to hang their heads over. This team is still in good shape going forward. Especially with those weapons on offense.
18. New Orleans Saints (1-2)		Lost another heartbreaker, but this team they were the ones battling back. And they did it all with key injuries across the board. If Sean Payton had kicked the FG at the end of the 1^st half this may be a different story.
19. SF 49ers (2-1)		Anybody ready to hop on the 49er bandwagon with me? No? Ok, I know it was just the Lions, but this team is coming along. Maybe they slept through their sleeper year last year, but not this time around.
20. Chicago Bears (1-2)		They are definitely outplaying my expectations. Should have held onto that lead last week, but not many people expected them to have it to begin with. They might surprise some people…me included.
21. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)		Gus Frerotte is clearly not going to win them many games, but he probably won’t lose them many either. So their record hangs on that defense. That’s a good thing.
22. NY Jets (1-2)		Looked very ordinary against a team that could be the class of the AFC. Favre threw some bad INTs again. This just isn’t a team that is going to contend.
23. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)		Beat the Rams to prove that they aren’t among the NFCs doormats. Once they get some of their WRs back they may even sneak into the playoffs.
24. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)		Took the Giants to the brink in a performance that was more like what we’ve come to expect. I’m not ready to jump off the Cinci bandwagon yet, but they are making it awfully hard to stay on.
25. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)		Well we’ve learned one thing about the Falcons this year: They can beat the bad teams. Another good game from Michael Turner, who is proving to be a very good #1 RB.
26. Oakland Raiders (1-2)		The Bills may not be the Chargers or Steelers, but they are a good team and Oakland almost pulled off a good upset win. They have guts and talent, which is enough to win a few games.
27. Cleveland Browns (0-3)		Just not the start that Cleveland fans expected. There is no question that this team has talent, but too much of it is on an offense that is not performing at a level that can carry a subpar defense.
28. Miami Dolphins (1-2)		Looking good against the Jets may not have been as impressive as I previously thought, but this weeks performance was. They might just be the second best team in the East. Welcome back Ronnie Brown.
29. Houston Texans (0-2)		I really want to rank them higher because I think they are a very talented team, but it’s just hard to do right now. Looks like ESPN may be 0-2 in their last two sleeper picks.
30. Detroit Lions (0-3)		Mike Martz took out some frustration on Detroit this week. Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams are studs and Kevin Smith can play, but what else is there?
31. St. Louis Rams (0-3)		It’s really just a toss-up now between whether the Rams or Chiefs are the worst team in the NFL. They have talent, but it just isn’t showing up on the field.
32. KC Chiefs (0-3)		Well I guess the benching of LJ last week wasn’t a sign of things to come, but it seems as though even he can’t carry them past mediocre teams. It’s gonna be a long year.

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NFL Power Rankings, Week 4