NFL Power Rankings: Week 4
The NFL's Best Teams And Worst Teams After Three Weeks Of Play
It just goes to show, you never can expect everything to happen according to plan in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins used an option offense to blast the Patriots. Drew Brees threw for 421 yards in a loss. Minnesota won its first game of the season with a long touchdown pass.
Best of the Best
And who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the two best divisions in football would be in the NFC? But nonetheless, for the second straight week, the NFC dominates the Top 5. Topping the list is...
The Dallas Cowboys (Last week: No. 1)
With wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers back-to-back, the Cowboys have solidified their spot at the top of the heap in the NFC and in the league as a whole. Offensively, Dallas has yet to score less than 27 points, even going against two stong defenses the last two weeks. Marion Barber paces the team with an average of nearly 125 all-purpose yards per game and Tony Romo is sixth in the league in passer rating. Next on the list...
The Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: No. 2)After losing to the Cowboys last week, Philadelphia came back and beat the AFC's top team. The Eagles held the Pittsburgh Steelers to 180 yards of total offense and had eight sacks. The Eagles have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher and opposing running backs are averaging a paltry 2.4 yards per carry. Next up...
The Green Bay Packers (Last week: No. 4)
The Packers managed to shut down the Cowboys' passing game except for a pair of big pass plays, but gave up an astonishing 217 yards on the ground. That will have to improve if this team wishes to compete in a division that boasts two of the NFC's five top running backs. Still, the Packers are fifth in the league in scoring and they will not face a tougher opponent than they did last week for the remainder of the season. Moving on now to...
The New York Giants (Last week: NR)
That makes three NFC East teams in the Top 5. The Giants' schedule so far has been somewhat weak with St. Louis and Cincinnati. But nonetheless, they are 3-0 and the defense has been impressive through the first three games, recording 13 sacks, good for a tie for first in the league with none other than the Eagles. There's a tie for fifth this week between...
The Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: No. 3)
The Steelers were absolutely embarassed by the Eagles on Sunday and it marked the second-straight week the team has been unable to score more than 10 points. Week 2's game against Cleveland they could at least blame the weather. Last week the Steelers looked simply overmatched. Roethisberger Defensively, they held a powerful offense to 15 points, so it's obvious this team has the ability to stay in any game, even when they can't move the ball.
The Dnever Broncos (Last week: No. 5)
The Broncos are the anti-Steelers. They can score like crazy, but can't stop anyone from scoring. Denver is tops in the league in scoring and second total offense and haven't scored less than 34 points in a game. Defensively, the only teams allowing more yards per game are the Detriot Lions and the Rams. Still, they've managed to go 3-0 and figure to go 4-0 against a Kansas City team that can't do anything right.
The worst of the worst
Not a lot of change in this group. The Dolphins ran their way out of the bottom five, but it's pretty clear who the worst teams are at this point in the season.
The Houston Texans (Last week: NR)
It's be a wierd road for the Texans and you almost feel bad for them. A tough matchup agianst Pittsburgh to start the season, an unscheduled bye, thanks to Hurricane Ike, and then the tough schedule continues against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. Regardless, Matt Shaub has been simply terrible and things don't get any better with Jacksonville coming up in Week 4. Next up...
The Cleveland Browns (Last week: NR)
Derek Anderson has no confidence in himself, so there's no reason for the Browns to have any in him either. That's not to say Brady Quinn will be any kind of savior, but something has got to change. The Browns' 26 points is the lowest point total in the league. Still worse are...
The Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: No. 4 worst team)
Head coach Herm Edwards said he would pull Tyler Thigpen if he struggled early in Sunday's game against Atlanta. You have to wonder what Herm Edwards' idea of struggling is after Thigpen started the game 1-for-8 for -1 yards and still stayed in the game. At least Larry Johnson got things going. Even worse are...
The Detroit Lions (Last week: No. 3 worst team)
Any team whose opponents run for over 200 yards on average is not a team that is going to win many football games. Bill Ford Jr. is calling for Matt Millen's job Roy Williams is complaining about the effectiveness of the offense and both have a point. But still holding the crown for wost team in the league...
The St. Louis Rams (Last week: No. 1 worst team)
The Rams have had a tough schedule so far, but nothing can excuse how badly they have played this season. Perhaps Steven Jackson should have kept up with his hold out, because he and Marc Bulger are just getting killed behind this offensive line. Defensively, they are last in the league in points and yards allowed. Not a good way to win football games.
What do you think about this article?
Comments
Latest Articles