It’s just four games into the season and we have teams looking as if they’re ready to wave the white flag. Strength of schedule has weighed heavily on some of these rankings, and so have injuries. Yet, you play who is on your schedule with the mentality of next man up. We have a new number one team!
Here are my week-four NFL Power rankings:
- Los Angeles Rams – The Rams are not only the best team in the NFC, they’re the best team in all of football. What Sean McVay has been able to do with Matthew Stafford in LA has been quite remarkable. His QB is looking like a MVP candidate and is showing us that when you surround him with talent on both sides of the ball (cough cough Detroit), he’s able to do some serious damage. Beating Tom Brady and company, pretty handily, speaks volumes. Yes, the Bucs were missing some viable weapons (Antonio Brown and Jason Pierre-Paul), but for week four the Rams hold the number one spot.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Tom Brady’s first game in Los Angeles didn’t go as planned with the Bucs suffering their first loss of the season. Antonio Brown was missed in the slot to free up Mike Evans, Godwin, and Gronkowski. Against the Rams, Tampa Bay may have faced the most stout defense they will see all year long. Next up, Tom Brady returns to Foxboro…. OH BUDDY!!!
- Arizona Cardinals- This team is giving us flashes of the 2009 team that appeared in the Super Bowl led by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals gave rookie Trevor Lawrence more than what he bargained for and put the NFC West Division on notice that they are for real. Kyler Murray is a serious MVP Candidate.
- Buffalo Bills- Josh Allen accounted for five touchdowns with 358 yards in the air. The Bills are clearly in a class of their own within the AFC East, with no one within distance. Expect the Bills to walk through the division easily. Next up for the Buffalo is a matchup with Houston without their number onw quarterback. As Liam Neeson states all the time, Good Luck.
- Baltimore Ravens- A win is a win, even if it was against the Lions on a record-breaking 66 yard field from Justin Tucker.
- Green Bay Packers– The slow start in week one from Aaron Rodgers looks like a forgone conclusion. Since then, that badddd man has thrown for 6 touchdowns in 2 games and put his name back into consideration for MVP. A-Rod should be licking his chops at a secondary in Pittsburgh that can’t stop a nose bleed due to injuries.
- Cleveland Browns– Cleveland made life miserable for Justin Fields, who got his first NFL start against the Browns only completing 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards. When the punter, Pat O’Donnell, has more punts than your starting quarterback has completions, you are doomed.
- Carolina Panthers-The Panthers have started 3-0 on two other occasions – 2003 and 2015. Both of those years the Panthers represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. They may have won the battle Thursday against the Texans, but lost the war with losing CMC for several weeks and rookie sensation Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot.
- Oakland Raiders– All they have done is just win. 3-0 on the season. The last time this happened they appeared in the Super Bowl (2002). Wins over Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Miami may not look good on paper, but the Raiders are leaving these games unfazed and healthy – something a lot of these teams can’t say. They’re also doing this without their number one running back, Josh Jacobs, who is rumored to return this week. That should help shoulder some of the weight from Derek Carr.
- Kansas City Chiefs– Is there trouble in paradise? Back to back losses, which included Justin Herbert and the Chargers marching down the field to go for the gusto in Arrowhead. The defense has been a concern for two years now. Is there a blueprint on beating Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs?