NFL Power Rankings Week 4

With news that an 18-game schedule may become a reality sooner rather than later, and a lockout could doom every fan on Sunday's from September to February, it is important to take this season's games in slowly and with a grain of appreciation.
I have noticed a few things thus far, namely that the quality of starting quarterbacks has gone down as a whole (there is a good list of elite QB's, however), and the NFL's penchant for a lack of parody has hit full stride this season. Is there one team that absolutely petrifies you? Is there a team that you can say with full confidence will be on the field for the Super Bowl, or even the conference championships? I think not.

Without further adieu, I present my first power rankings of the 2010-11 season:

1. Pittsburgh 3-0

The Steelers are No. 1 based on the suffocating defense and the potential that looms once Ben Roethlisberger returns from his suspension. No one means more to their defense than Troy Polomalu does. Their schedule is manageable, but the division is gruesome. They also can't keep fooling teams with Chaz Batch at QB.

2. Atlanta 2-1

They would be undefeated had the offense shown up at Pittsburgh in week one. Matt Ryan led his team to victory against the Saints (did you see him rally the troops?), and rookie linebacker Sean Witherspoon already leads the team with 24 tackles. They also possess one of the best tight ends ever, as well as a No. 1 wideout that can hang with the best of them. What pushes them to elite status is their running game, with Michael Turner and Jason Snelling splitting carries.

3. New Orleans 2-1

The Saints haven't played that great of football this year. They squeaked by a Vikings team that just isn't that great this year, and they let the 49ers play their best football against them in week two. Kicker Garrett Hartley has also struggled mightily, failing on a 29-yarder that would have beat the Falcons. The running game has been non-existent, and the loss of Reggie Bush hurts more than they would like you to believe.

4. Green Bay 2-1

Despite losing to Chicago (18 penalties? Really) the Packers are overly talented offensively, and possess game-changers on the other side of the ball. A trade for Marshawn Lynch may be coming soon, as they clearly can't run the ball.

5. Chicago 3-0

The "hottest" team in the league right now. Mike Martz has reinvigorated a historically boring offense, and made Devin Hester into the player many believed he would be. Their defense is tough, the Julius Peppers signing seems to working out, it's great to see Urlacher back out on the field, and Jay Cutler actually may be finally matured. Matt Forte needs to start averaging more than 2.8 ypc.

6. Baltimore 2-1

They've only allowed 41 points. Surprisingly, 17 points were given up to the Browns. You know the defense will only get better once Ed Reed returns, but the offense needs to right its ship. Joe Flacco has thrown more picks than TD's, but he has the weapons and safety blankets to get his mojo going.

7. Houston 2-1

After falling on their face to the Cowboys, I think it is safe to assume that the Texans may not be as good as we thought, and the Cowboys may be better than we thought. The offense can throw/run on anyone, but the defense is still raw. We won't see a true mark of how they've progressed/regressed until Nov. 1 against the Colts.

8. New York (Jets) 2-1

Mark Sanchez has put together back-to-back superb games, and LT's play has me wondering what really happened the last few years in San Diego. The defense had somewhat of a letdown against Miami, but continues to be one of the top units in the league. Dustin Keller is also quietly breaking out, while the offensive line quietly remains one of the team's best strengths.

9. New England 2-1

The secondary has been burned lately, but it possesses the speed and potential ability to become a focal point for the defense. While the season-ending injuries to Leigh Bodden, Ty Warren, and Kevin Faulk may appear crippling, the offense may be the league's best, and the defense is not as bad as it appears. Aaron Hernadez leads the team with 211 receiving yards.

10. Indianapolis 2-1

The Colts were aided by the Broncos stupidity, as well as some timely defense. The offense remains at the top of its game, as the defense appears vulnerable.

11. Philadelphia 2-1

Mike Vick's energy has made a positive impact for a team that may have looked dead in the water when they opened against Green Bay. Obviously Detroit and Jacksonville aren't good measuring points, but the defense was swarming against the Jaguars, and Vick's legs present even more problems for defenses already trying to stop Jackson, McCoy, et al.

12. Miami 2-1

Chad Henne looked as good as ever against the Jets, Brandon Marshall is certainly proving his worth, and why did the Cardinals ever replace Karlos Dansby with Joey Porter. A brutal stretch of New England, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Tennessee, and Chicago awaits them.

13. Dallas 1-2

Lived up to their potential for at least one game against Houston. The pass defense may be top's in the league, and the front seven is no slouch. I also didn't realize how good Miles Austin is.

14. Tennessee 2-1

They played poorly against a great team in Pittsburgh and beat the teams they should have, in Oakland and the Giants. The defense has played masterfully this season, but none of the wide receivers seem to be any good.

15. Cincinnati 2-1

Boy, has Carson Palmer looked bad or what? He honestly looked like a third-string rookie against a Carolina team he should have shredded apart. Thankfully for TOCHO and company, the defense has played stellar (minus a bad half in New England).

16. Kansas City 3-0

The surprise team thus far, the Chiefs have benefited from an easy schedule. This year's draft class is already turning heads, and Matt Cassel finally had a good game. The AFC West can be had this year.

17. Minnesota 1-2

Heading into a bye week knowing that they're better than Detroit offers little consolation that the NFC North is going to be a dogfight this season. Without Adrian Peterson the Vikings have no shot.

18. San Diego 1-2

Losing their grip on the weak AFC West, all the while Phillip Rivers throws for 400+ yards in a loss. Losing Vincent Jackson hasn't hurt the offense. The defense and special teams coverage has underperformed.

19. Washington 1-2

I feel for Skins' fans, as this start to the season feels all too familiar. Donovan McNabb has done well despite low numbers, and the defense is better than advertised. Not enough offense, in addition to the Albert Haynseworth debacle has hurt the team.

20. Seattle 2-1

Representing the putrid NFC West, Seattle is the pesky team that will give everyone fits this season, particularly in front of their rabid home crowd. Matt Hasselbeck has been wildly inconsistent.

21. Arizona 2-1

Luckily escaped the Raiders failed game-winning field goal attempt. The defense is just not that good this season, and Derek Anderson and his 52% completion is not getting things done. Larry Fitzgerald must be praying that Kurt Warner drops the dancing shoes and comes back to play.

22. Tampa Bay 2-1

The 2-1 record is going to evaporate quickly, with games against the Bengals and Saints coming up. Josh Freeman is making similar strides to Mark Sanchez this season, and Ronde Barber astonishingly remains a top corner.

23. New York (Giants) 1-2

A shocking fall for a Tom Coughlin coached team. This team is plagued by terrible penalties, turnovers, and Brandon Jacobs' attempt to sabotage the locker room. The young wideouts are already great, but Eli Manning remains inconsistent and interception prone.

24. San Francisco 0-3

Better than their record, but that says very little. This team is a joke. It starts with the coach and trickles down to the quarterback and the rest of the players. the 49ers certainly have the talent to win their division.

25. Denver 1-2

Josh McDaniels' killed their chances of taking down the Colts with some idiotic moves in the red zone. The Kyle Orton extension was a great move, but the defense remains overmatched.

26. Oakland 1-2

Fellow AFC West bottom dweller is maddeningly inconsistent. Bruce Gradkowski provided a good spark to a team that looked non-existent with Jason Campbell at the helm. Campbell is an Al Davis favorite, while Coach Tom Cable favors Gradkowski. Darren McFadden has finally realized his potential.

27. St. Louis 1-2

Sam Bradford already looks really poised behind center, and the team looks like it will be competitive in the next few years. The defensive side of the ball is still a long way from being in the top half of the league.

28. Jacksonville 1-2

After Sunday's putrid loss to the Eagles, the Jaguars looked like a team that was mentally checked out. Even if his receivers aren't getting open David Garrard has to do a better job than a 38 QB rating. The secondary is also getting lit up.

29. Cleveland 0-3

Played well against the Ravens, and it was particularly fun watching Peyton Hillis bulldoze guys. They've lost all close games, but may find themselves at 0-9 after a tough stretch of games. At least they're competitive.

30. Detroit 0-3

The optimism that began this season has evaporated as Mathew Stafford finds himself injured again. Hopefully young play maker Jahvid Best's injury is not too serious. Detroit fans can now look forward to gaining the No. 1 pick.

31. Carolina 0-3

The Matt Moore experiment crashed and burned, and Jimmy Clausen looked like a rookie in his first start. The pass defense has looked terrible, and one has to wonder how long Steve Smith will stay sane in the midst of losing.

32. Buffalo 0-3

Trent Edwards is gone, and Bills fans again are left to wonder what has happened for the past decade. C.J. Spiller needs more than seven touches, and Marshawn Lynch could bring back a handsome draft pick. It's going to be a long and cold winter in Buffalo.

That's Why They Play the Game

As everyone in America knows by now, the Patriots are a team on a mission this season. With a complete all-around effort, the Patriots cruised by the Cincinnati Bengals 38-24. If not for Chad Ocho Cinco showing up in the second half, and the Patriots secondary moving the corners back and dropping into a softer zone, the score would have been much uglier.

When I say that this was an all-around effort, I mean it in every possible way. From what I saw, Tom Brady barely had a finger laid on him the entire game, and the offensive line seemed to manhandle whatever the Bengals D had to bring. The running backs by committee had driving lanes to maneuver through. Fred Taylor received the bulk of the carries at 14, while Kevin Faulk and Ben Jarvis-Green Ellis combined for eight carries and 45 yards on the ground. With Laurence Maroney now with McDaniels in Denver, expect to see Ellis receive around five-to-ten carries per game.

The Bengals defense didn't just look lost, they looked as lost as Rex Ryan at a salad bar. On Welker's second TD (Jacoby Ellsbury should take some advice from No. 83) the Patriots split Welker, Alge Crumpler, and Rob Gronkowski out wide to the left side in a bunched formation. Anyone watching could tell you Welker was going to get a screen pass. For some reason, the Bengals only lined up two players to cover three. Naturally, Welker scored, and naturally the Patriots won the game.

Speaking of Gronkowski, he is quickly becoming a fan favorite. At 6'6 265, with a giant pair of mittens as hands and a ferocious blocker, he is making Pats fans forget about Ben Watson. Not that that was hard to do.

The question that everyone, including myself, had about the Pats this season was of course the defense. During the first half, the Patriots D looked unflappable, getting penetration up front, and creating havoc by moving guys around pre-snap.

Gary Guyton had a beautiful pick-six and Mike Wright's pressure paved the way for Rob Ninkovich to strip Cedric Benson of the ball for a fumble recovery.

Patrick Chung showed us why he was worthy of the early second-round pick the Pats spent on him last draft - as well as sending Mike Vrabel/Matt Cassel to the Chiefs for that pick - recording 16 tackles (nearly half of his total from last season). He closed on the ball with ferocity and seemed to be making plays all over the field.

I was a little surprised to see so little of Brandon Spikes and in seeing Brandon Meriweather not in the starting lineup. They seemed to rotate out Spikes in favor of Guyton during obvious passing situations and vice versa when it came to the obvious run situations. From what I have read, Belichick and the coaching staff view James Sanders, and Chung and Meriweather as being on equal footing. Meriweather still came in and provided seven tackles, while covering centerfield, as the Pats went into their softer zone.

Devin McCourty and Darius Butler looked great against the self-love affair that is Ocho and TO. They were asked to man-up on the two, and came away victorious. I was especially impressed with Butler, who's reads looked faster and more decisive than last season.

Now......Bring on the Jets and their new Meadowlands Stadium. Haha.