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Week 4 NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks and Broncos flip spots, again

After that incredible fourth quarter and overtime finish, I am hard-pressed to argue that there are any teams better than the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Though the Cincinnati Bengals are closing the gap.
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Steve Dykes

When you have the two best teams in the NFL playing each other and the home team wins in overtime, then I say you still have the two best teams in the NFL at the end of the day. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will flip spots again this week after that thrilling game. And though its fun blaming the coaches for the loss, it all really does come down to execution. The Broncos almost executed the perfect comeback.

Next week is the Bye, which means I'll be taking a Bye as well with these power rankings. They just aren't any fun without the ability to talk about how the Broncos fared that week against the other 32 teams.

Check out last week's rankings, but there is a column to track how the teams changed from last week.

RNK
TEAM
INSTANT ANALYSIS
CHG

1

Seattle Seahawks

Record: 2-1. Russell Wilson's legs helped move the sticks several times in overtime that eventually culminated in an impressive touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch to seal victory for the Seattle Seahawks. Judging by how the Broncos defense swarmed the ball and punished Lynch with every carry, we can be assured that the Seahawks offense will not soon forget this encounter with this Broncos defense. The Legion of Boom played good football mostly, but did get burned pretty badly when it counted.

+1

2

Denver Broncos

Record: 2-1. Peyton Manning stunk it up for three and a half quarters on Sunday, but with the Denver Broncos defense bringing the nasty with them for the entire second half he was able to find his legs finally for two late touchdowns and a two point conversion to send the game into overtime. It was all for not, however, but I for one have come away very encouraged by the Broncos performance in one of the NFL's most hostile environments. It's a two horse race.

-1

3

Cincinnati Bengals

Record: 3-0. So guess which team has scored the second most points in the AFC and given up the least amount of points in the NFL so far in 2014? Yep, that would be these Cincinnati Bengals. After just three games they are +47 in point differential(easily the best in the NFL) and really only struggled in one game, which was a road game against a hated division rival in the Baltimore Ravens. As a Bronco fan, it is my hope this team is simply peaking early and will be crushed when the Broncos peak later in the season. Otherwise, this team kind of scares me.

+1

4

Philadelphia Eagles

Record: 3-0. I had the Washington Redskins in this game, because I really thought they would pull off the upset. Who knows what would have happened had the kicker for Washington not doinked one of his field goal attempts late in the game. The Philadelphia Eagles have mostly been comeback kids early this season, which doesn't bode well in the long term. At some point it will catch up with them and they don't really have any quality wins yet, so I dropped them a spot even with their win on Sunday. It was cool to see the first real brawl on the field of play in a long time. Leave me alone, I'm old school.

-1

5

Arizona Cardinals

Record: 3-0. Guess who is in sole possession of first place in the NFC West? Well, it's not the Seahawks! The Arizona Cardinals, after their comeback win over the Chargers in Week 1, have just put away the vaunted San Francisco 49ers to move to 3-0 on the season. Yes. That is Three and Oh. Sadly, I had picked the Cardinals at first, but switched to the 49ers once I learned Carson Palmer was out. As if Palmer is the reason these guys are winning football games. Derp!

+6

6

San Diego Chargers

Record: 2-1. I faded the San Diego Chargers hard, picking the Buffalo Bills for the first time this year. Of course, since I picked them they would choose to not show up. Philip Rivers is as impressive as ever and this team is really firing on all cylinders. At this point, I'd be happy for a split series with these guys. Then I remembered I have no respect for these dillholes, they must be swept!

+1

7

Chicago Bears

Record 2-1. Two impressive road wins by the Chicago Bears have made them the true contenders of the NFC North early. The defense looks good in the red zone and this team is definitely one to be reckoned with right now. However, part of me feels the same way about Jay Cutler and the Bears as I do about Andy Dalton and the Bengals. They are peaking early, but these last two wins were quality wins in hostile environments on national television. That's getting it done.

+6

8

Atlanta Falcons

Record: 2-1. The Atlanta Falcons are going to be quite unbeatable at home in 2014, especially if they play like they did on Thursday Night Football. They could have easily put up three more touchdowns to break NFL records, since it was 56-0 there in the third quarter. That's just ridiculous. Matt Ryan outside of the dome, on the other hand, is something that may cost the Falcons a division title.

+8

9

New England Patriots

Record: 2-1. Big drop this week for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Why you ask? Because they were one laughable blown call away from the Oakland Raiders tying the football game late in the fourth quarter. In typical Patriots fashion, the refs jobbed the hell out of the Raiders to help the Patriots secure a victory they probably didn't deserve. The only positive here is that the Raiders, at least, lost.

-4

10

Indianapolis Colts

Record: 1-2. Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts finally got their act together in Week 3 to completely demolish the Jacksonville Jaguars. The should never have lost at home to the Eagles, but it certainly looks like they got their mojo back a little this week. I'll remain cautiously optimistic moving forward - it was the Jags after all.

--

11

New Orleans Saints

Record: 1-2. What was supposed to be the coming out party for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints ended up just being a win over the hapless Minnesota Vikings. I expected a huge blowout win, but instead was greeted with a close game until a late touchdown to seal the deal. Hardly impressive when you are facing an 0-3 start and had Super Bowl aspirations. I have significantly downgraded my expectations for this franchise moving forward. However, Brees might just be a bad ass.

+1

12

Carolina Panthers

Record: 2-1. It's time to throw out that bullcrap story of Cam Newton suddenly maturing last year. He proved yet again that when the chips are down he pouts. In fact, I think he pouts harder than Jay Cutler AND THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING! In any case, the Carolina Panthers getting blown out at home on national television pretty much tells me this team is a complete fraud. Time for a major stock collapse here. Again, how do you get embarrassed at home on national television against a mediocre team?

-6

13

Baltimore Ravens

Record: 2-1. The Baltimore Ravens won exactly as I thought they would. They even played Foxball at the end, punting with just over two minutes left in the game to pin the Cleveland Browns back deep. The Browns quickly punted back and Joe Flacco led them into field goal range for the game winner. Why can a team like the Ravens play Foxball and win, but when the Broncos do it they fall flat on their faces?

+2

14

Detroit Lions

Record: 2-1. If I had to put money on either Jay Cutler or Matthew Stafford over one to beat the other for the NFC North, I'd take Cutler. That's how much I think of Stafford's ability to play good football teams. They both love throwing off their back foot, but Cutler seems to have the few extra weapons necessary to turn those poor decisions into wins. Looking over the NFC landscape, I just don't see an end game that results in a playoff berth for this team.

+3

15

San Francisco 49ers

Record: 1-2. Oh how the mighty have fallen. The wheels have apparently come completely off the Colin Kaepernick vehicle and the San Francisco 49ers are suffering for it. Or maybe, the 49ers defense is finally cracking under the pressure of age and are no longer able to hide the deficiencies of Kaepernick as they had in years past. It's okay though, because it's not like Alex Smith could have done any better.

-6

16

Green Bay Packers

Record: 1-2. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are not as good as everything thinks and the NFC North is wide open at this point. The Detroit Lions with Matthew Stafford have proven that they only beat sub-.500 teams, which means the Packers are not very good. Stafford is 2-28 against .500 teams and that probably means the Packers are not making the playoffs in 2014.

-8

17

Pittsburgh Steelers

Record: 2-1. I called the Pittsburgh Steelers a bastion of mediocrity to begin the season, then they go and start it with a 2-1 record that include a blowout road win on Sunday Night Football against a team that went 12-4 last season. Damn it to hell. Can you guys just be as mediocre as I thought you were? It's screwing up my preconcieved notions of everything.

+2

18

Houston Texans

Record: 2-1. Remove Arian Foster and this team has no chance of winning anything. The Houston Texans defense is actually pretty good, but what defense can hold up when faced with utter offensive suckitude? I almost feel sorry for J.J. Watt and that defense. Hopefully, Foster will be back next week and provide the security blanket Ryan Fitzpatrick needs in order to be a more efficient game manager. This loss stings.

-4

19

Washington Redskins

Record: 1-2. Kirk Cousins is the real deal. He actually looked like a young and inexperienced quarterback at time yesterday, but woke from his slumber to nearly lead a comeback of his own against a hostile crowd in a heated divisional game. Robert Griffin III should not start another game as a Washington Redskin. He'll be find though as there are plenty of quarterback needy teams out there.

+1

20

Dallas Cowboys

Record: 2-1. Seriously Dallas? I wanted you to be the worst team in the NFL this year dangit. You just had to go out there and beat the lowly Tennessee Titans in Week 2, then mount a 21-point comeback win over the equally lowly St. Louis Rams. Stop winning games Tony Romo. I only need you to throw a touchdown every week to Dez Bryant and lose by three scores. Thank you.

+4

21

Buffalo Bills

Record: 2-1. The Buffalo Bills I had expected to see from day one finally showed up on Sunday. Of course, it coincided with my first week picking them, but that's just how my luck rolls sometimes. In any case, I do think its time for me to jump off that train just as quickly as I jumped onto it. I hate dysfunctional and unpredictable teams.

-3

22

Kansas City Chiefs

Record: 1-2. The Kansas City Chiefs really needed this win to keep from sticking with the Oakland Raiders as the worst in the AFC West. Apparently, a gimpy Jamaal Charles equals solid football play for the Chiefs as since the Broncos put the hurt on him the Chiefs stopped getting blown out. Andy Reid is pumped up over this win, too. Look out Broncos fans!

+4

23

New York Jets

Record: 1-2. Sheesh. Every time I watch Geno Smith I think about how this guy is going to flame out eventually. It's amazing what an outside observer can see that coaching staffs and fans simply cannot. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if he threw a more catchable ball that he'd end up with five or six interceptions every single week. Either that or I could be extremely butthurt that I picked the New York Jets to win this game and they didn't. I am not above spiteful behavior.

+5

24

Cleveland Browns

Record: 1-2. What a fiesty little team we got here. They brought both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens down to the wire - both are teams that have historically dominated them in the regular season, then they go out and stick it to the New Orleans Saints. Maybe this Cleveland Browns club isn't as bad as I've been leading everyone to believe. It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong!!

-1

25

New York Giants

Record: 1-2. Boy, Eli Manning sure put it on the Texans on Sunday. The New York Giants defense also had their way with Ryan Fitzpatrick and showed the world there will be no 0-6 disaster to start the 2014 season for these guys. Still, they appear to be the worst team in the NFC East. That's quite a bad designation.

+5

26

Miami Dolphins

Record: 1-2. Well. The Miami Dolphins officially suck. Getting destroyed by the Kansas City Chiefs on the same field where you lit up the New England Patriots in Week 1 shows that you were a one hit wonder. A loss to the Bills and Chiefs proves that a huge stock drop is in order this week. Did the Chiefs even play Jamaal Charles? Sheesh. Pathetic.

-5

27

Minnesota Vikings

Record: 1-2. With news that the Minnesota Vikings have no interest in bringing Adrian Peterson back any time soon, means this team has no interest in winning any playoff games any time soon either. I'm not a fan of playing child abusers, just pointing out the fact that losing a former NFL MVP does not bode well for your teams future. At least Teddy Bridgewater is playing now and if the Vikings get really bad, well they do have some pro wrestling talent to farm out.

-5

28

Tennessee Titans

Record: 1-2. Okay, so that Week 1 blowout against the Kansas City Chiefs means absolutely nothing after two straight losses for the Tennessee Titans. Jake Locker is struggling, but more importantly that defense just isn't getting the job done at all. Wesley Woodyard and Shaun Phillips need to step it up a notch and represent!

-3

29

St. Louis Rams

Record: 1-2. It doesn't bode well that the St. Louis Rams are bad enough on defense to blow a three touchdown lead to the Dallas Cowboys. They should use the top pick in the draft next year to select a quarterback. Sam Bradford was a bust before he blew out his knee in consecutive years. I feel bad for the guy, but this is the NFL.

-2

30

Oakland Raiders

Record: 0-3. If the referees were not so keen to ensure the New England Patriots stay relevant, the Oakland Raiders would have tied that game late and sent it into overtime. It would have mirrored the Broncos epic comeback on the road, except the Raiders are a laughingstock. So, Broncos fans, point and laugh at New England today. They earned it.

+1

31

Jacksonville Jaguars

Record 0-3. It's Blake Bortles time! Sure he threw a bad interception, but he also put up 17 second half points. This guy is going to be a good NFL quarterback and he might just lead the Jacksonville Jaguars out of the bottom three teams in the league for the first time since Jack Del Rio was head coach down there.

+1

32

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Record: 0-3. I was mistaken earlier. It is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who will need to select a quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, not the Rams. It gives me great joy to see the preseason media hyped up pick collapse just three games into the regular season. Opps!

-3