NFL Power Rankings Week 4 – Bottoms Up

In every NFL season we have early surprises. Whether it’s a team we thought was much better or it’s a team we swore was much worse, there’s always a few that make you second guess what you know about football.

We’re down to a couple of undefeated teams and a couple of winless teams and I guarantee you it’s not the names you had penciled in.

 

1. Miami Dolphins (3-0)
I don’t even think the Dolphins’ players (outside of Tyreek Hill) thought they would open up the season with three wins in a row. Can they make it four in a row in their first prime time game of the season?

 

2. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
The Eagles have gained 1,341 yards of total offense which leads the NFL. They’ve allowed a total of 15 points in the last two weeks.

 

3. Buffalo Bills (2-1)
We find out the Bills actually have humans on their roster and not machines. Their opponents will remain tough for the few weeks, let’s see how the Bills respond.

 

4. Kansas City Chiefs (2-1)
The Chiefs scoring production has gone down each week and it’s not like the opponents have gotten better. There’s some internal kinks that need to be worked out with the offense.

 

5. Los Angeles Rams (2-1)
Aaron Donald reached 100 sacks faster than any defensive tackle in NFL history. He only has two this season, but you might see a surge in that category in the next four weeks.

 

6. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Lamar Jackson has accounted for all of the Ravens touchdowns either passing or rushing. He’s scored 12 times so far this season.

 

7. Minnesota Vikings (2-1)
The Vikings have somehow given up a bunch of yards, but not a ton of points. They haven’t lost a game when they go over 100 yards rushing.

 

8. Green Bay Packers (2-1)
It’s hard to tell if the Packers’ defense is really this good or is it a situation of them playing a bad offense followed by a depleted offense.

 

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
The Buccaneers’ defense has given up a total of 27 points on the season. There are currently eight NFL teams that average at least 27 points per game.

 

10. Denver Broncos (2-1)
The Broncos have won their games off of defense almost exclusively. They move the ball decently enough, but they only have three offensive touchdowns so far this season.

 

11. Cleveland Browns (2-1)
Nick Chubb has rushed for 341 yards and four touchdowns so far this season. In fact, the Browns as a team lead the NFL in rushing yards and attempts.

 

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
Trevor Lawrence has thrown six touchdowns and one interception so far this season. He’s only been sacked twice.

 

13. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2)
Justin Herbert did not look comfortable or sharp versus Jacksonville. Every week he goes out there, defenses will be targeting that rib injury.

 

14. New Orleans Saints (1-2)
When looking at the Saints’ offense the first thing that comes to mind is they could use Drew Brees. The Brees from about ten years ago.

 

15. San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
The 49ers have a losing record currently, but their defense isn’t to blame. They are ranked first in passing yards allowed and second in total yards allowed.

 

16. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
The Cardinals only win came against the winless Raiders. In their other two games they’ve struggled to score.

 

17. New York Giants  (2-1)
The Giants have outscored their opponents by a total of three points on the season. They have given up as many turnovers (three) as they’ve forced.

 

18. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
The Cowboys are 2-0 with Cooper Rush. This (somehow) means he is now going to lead the team to a Super Bowl victory and ride off into the sunset on a unicorn.

 

19. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)
There is already a feeling amongst the fans that Kenny Pickett should be the starting quarterback. Mitch Trubisky hasn’t played terribly, but he hasn’t necessarily wowed anybody, either.

 

20. Chicago Bears (2-1)
Kahlil Herbert’s performance gave the Bears more rushing yards than their opponent for the first time all season. That’s a big key, because they seem to be running an offense invented a week after the forward pass was implemented.

 

21. Washington Commanders (1-2)
Washington’s offense had their worst outing of the season on Sunday and they face a Dallas team that had a top ten defense this week. They’ll need much more out of the rushing attack if they plan to score more points this week.

 

22. Detroit Lions (1-2)
The Lions might be the most exciting team in the league, despite their record. They play Seattle this weekend and the Seahawks haven’t been too shy about giving away points this season.

 

23. Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
Joe Burrow has been sacked 15 times already. I’m not the smartest man alive, but allowing an average of five sacks a game isn’t the best way to win games.

 

24. New England Patriots (1-2)
Mac Jones has suffered a high ankle sprain and should miss several weeks. Brian Hoyer will take over at quarterback, but rookie Bailey Zappe could see some time if Bill Belichick thinks he’s ready.

 

25. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Seattle’s defense needs to do a better job of getting off the field on third down. Their opponents convert on third down 48.6℅ of the time and five of the seven touchdowns they’ve allowed on defense have come inside the red zone.

 

26. Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1)
The Colts secured their first win of the season against a Super Bowl contender, but their offense is one of the worst in the league.

 

27. Tennessee Titans (1-2)
Tennessee scored 24 in the first half and then their defense held on to complete the victory. They’ll play three opponents over the next four games with a combined two wins on the season.

 

28. Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Atlanta is averaging 26.6 points per game, mostly due to a top five rushing attack. Cordarrelle Patterson is averaging 100.7 rushing yards per game with two touchdowns and zero fumbles as the Falcons’ primary runner.

 

29. Carolina Panthers (1-2)
The Panthers didn’t give up any turnovers and forced three on defense to grab their first win of the season

 

30. New York Jets (1-2)
The Jets’ offense scored 32 points last week versus the Browns. They’ve scored a total of 21 points in their other two games.

 

31. Las Vegas Raiders (0-3)
Derek Carr has six touchdowns and four interceptions so far this season. Wasn’t he supposed to be better with Davante Adams?

 

32. Houston Texans (0-2-1)
The Texans have converted 25℅ of the time on third down attempts this season, which is the lowest in the NFL. They have only made six trips into the red zone this season.