NFL Power Rankings - Week 4
Sam Bradford #8 of the Minnesota Vikings throws the ball in the first quarter of the game against the New York Giants on October 3, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(Oct. 3, 2016 - Source: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images North America)
1. (1.) New England Patriots (3-1)
Yes, the Patriots lost at home to the Bills. Even worse, they got shut out at home for the first time since 1993. Regardless, the Patriots have done exceptionally well without QB Tom Brady and I don’t want to drop them just yet.
2. (6.) Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
The Vikings are playing well and look like a legit contender. The team protected QB Sam Bradford spotlessly, allowing him to complete 26 of 36 passes for 262 yards, 1 touchdown and a QBR of 101.9.
3. (2.) Green Bay Packers (2-1)
It’s tough to drop an idle team but the Vikings are to blame for this. And if the Packers watched their game on Monday night then they’ll be well prepared for their Sunday night matchup against the Giants.
4. (3.) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
QB Ben Roethlisberger dismantled the Chiefs, completing 81.5% of his passes for 5 touchdowns. RB Le’Veon Bell rushed for 144 yards on his return from suspension. DE Cameron Heyward recorded his first 3.0 sacks of the season.
5. (5.) Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
Statistically, it looked like the Seahawks and Jets were evenly matched. In reality, the Seahawks dominated on offense and defense. QB Russell Wilson threw for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns and CB Richard Sherman caught 2 interceptions.
6. (4.) Denver Broncos (4-0)
Why do I drop an undefeated team that won by 20 points on the road? I am taking a cautious approach to QB Trevor Siemian’s (shoulder) day-to-day status.
7. (9.) Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
The Eagles had an early bye week but Arizona’s and Carolina’s struggles make it an easy decision to move the team up two spots. Next stop: Detroit.
8. (11.) Dallas Cowboys (3-1)
The Cowboys are tough to play once they’re in the lead because they run the ball so well. Dallas ran for 194 yards at San Francisco, with rookie RB Ezekiel Elliott accounting for 138 yards.
9. (8.) Carolina Panthers (1-3)
QB Cam Newton had to leave the game at Atlanta with a concussion and is considered day to day for the Monday night matchup against the Buccaneers.
10. (17.) Atlanta Falcons (3-1)
QB Matt Ryan passed for 503 yards against the Panthers, ranking him 17th in most passing yards in a single NFL game. WR Julio Jones caught 12 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown. It happened only for the sixth time in NFL history that a receiver caught passes for 300+ yards.
11. (7.) Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
QB Carson Palmer suffered a concussion in the loss against the Rams and may not be cleared to play at San Francisco on Thursday night. Backup QB Drew Stanton threw 2 interceptions as he was trying to turn a four-point deficit into a Cardinals win.
12. (16.) Oakland Raiders (3-1)
WR Michael Crabtree caught 7 passes for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns at Baltimore, including the game-winner with 2:12 minutes left.
13. (13.) Houston Texans (3-1)
The Texans recovered from the shutout loss at New England but had some struggles in the win against the Titans. Rookie WR Will Fuller scored a receiving touchdown and returned a punt 67 yards for a score.
14. (10.) New York Giants (2-2)
The Giants were ready for Minnesota’s league-leading pass rush and did not allow them to record a sack. Turnovers and discipline are a big problem for the team.
15. (15.) Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)
Cincinnati’s pass rush struck 5 times against the Dolphins, with DE Carlos Dunlap recording 2.0 sacks and DT Geno Atkins adding 1.5 sacks to the tally.
16. (12.) Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
The Ravens seem to love games that go down to the wire but they didn’t get away with the win this time. Against the Raiders they led for only 89 seconds.
17. (14.) Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
The defense looked helpless at Pittsburgh and the offense didn’t get to score until the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach. The bye week gives them an opportunity to recover from this beating and prepare for another tough road game at Oakland.
18. (20.) Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
The worst offense in the league managed a comeback win at Arizona to stay at the top of the NFC West. WR Brian Quick caught 2 passes for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns.
19. (18.) Indianapolis Colts (1-3)
It says much about the Colts if they get outplayed by the Jaguars on a neutral field. QB Andrew Luck’s talents are totally wasted if the offensive line can’t protect him.
20. (22.) Buffalo Bills (2-2)
After two tough losses to start the season, the Bills have dominated the Cardinals and Patriots to even their record. Dare we say playoffs?
21. (21.) Washington Redskins (2-2)
It wasn’t an easy win against the Browns but a win nonetheless. The offense is beginning to look proficient but the defense needs to improve, particularly against the run.
22. (19.) New York Jets (1-3)
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is on pace for 40 interceptions this season, which would leave him just two picks shy of the NFL record set by George Blanda (Houston Oilers) in 1962.
23. (30.) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)
The Jaguars put on a bit of a show in London and held their own against the Colts to clinch their first win of the season. LB Paul Posluszny recorded 1.5 sacks as the Jags brought down QB Andrew Luck six times.
24. (27.) New Orleans Saints (1-3)
The Saints got their first win of the season in style coming back from 13 points down and 8:43 left to play. San Diego was never able to put the game away because the Saints would not allow them to establish a running game, limiting them to 38 yards on 21 rushes.
25. (24.) San Diego Chargers (1-3)
QB Philip Rivers passed for 321 yards as he had to deal with a non-existing rushing offense. WR Dontrelle Inman caught 7 passes for 120 yards and 1 touchdown.
26. (23.) Detroit Lions (1-3)
The Lions gave up 408 total yards at Chicago and QB Matt Stafford threw 2 interceptions. That about sums it up.
27. (26.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)
QB Jameis Winston had a tough day against Denver’s defense, throwing 2 interceptions and getting sacked 5 times. The Buccaneers play at Carolina on Monday night before they can reassess their position during the bye week.
28. (31.) Chicago Bears (1-3)
QB Brian Hoyer is playing extremely well, which makes it more and more unlikely that QB Jay Cutler gets his starting job back once he returns from his thumb injury.
29. (25.) Miami Dolphins (1-3)
QB Ryan Tannehill gets a lot of criticism, and some of it is justified, but let me point out that the Dolphins rank 32nd in pass protection.
30. (28.) Tennessee Titans (1-3)
The Titans have the 4th ranked rushing offense with 127 yards per game. QB Marcus Mariota’s struggles make this a sub-par team.
31. (29.) San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
San Francisco’s bottom-ranked rushing defense suffered another big blow with LB NaVorro Bowman’s season-ending achilles injury.
32. (32.) Cleveland Browns (0-4)
For the most part I felt the Browns were the better team on Sunday but RB Duke Johnson put it best: “We’re knocking on the door … We’re just not finishing.”
