NFL Power Rankings: Week 4 Standings and Review After Sunday's Games

The Moscow Rules have very little application in the NFL, but the part that says "once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence and three times is a trend" is surprisingly appropriate. 

The majority of the league has played three games thus far, and now some season-long trends are helping to reveal the true identities of a number of teams.  

The Philadelphia Eagles were supposed to leave a trail of scorched earth on every field they visited on their way to 50 points per game. And the NFC South was supposed to reprise its role as the comic-relief division that couldn't find a team that wanted to win it. 

Through three games, both of those notions have been turned on their heads. Therefore, the league hierarchy must be adjusted accordingly. 

Here, a 1-32 power ranking will preface a more in-depth analysis of some of the Week 3's more alarming results. 

NFL Power Rankings After Week 3

Rank	Team	Record
1.	New England Patriots	3-0
2.	Green Bay Packers	2-0
3.	Arizona Cardinals	3-0
4.	Denver Broncos	3-0
5.	Cincinnati Bengals	3-0
6.	Atlanta Falcons	3-0
7.	Buffalo Bills	2-1
8.	Seattle Seahawks	1-2
9.	Kansas City Chiefs	1-1
10.	Pittsburgh Steelers	2-1
11.	Carolina Panthers	3-0
12.	Indianapolis Colts	1-2
13.	Minnesota Vikings	2-1
14.	Philadelphia Eagles	1-2
15.	Dallas Cowboys	2-1
16.	New York Jets	2-1
17.	St. Louis Rams	1-2
18.	Detroit Lions	0-3
19.	New York Giants	1-2
20.	San Diego Chargers	1-2
21.	Baltimore Ravens	0-3
22.	Miami Dolphins	1-2
23.	Tennessee Titans	1-2
24.	Houston Texans	1-2
25.	Oakland Raiders	2-1
26.	New Orleans Saints	0-3
27.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-2
28.	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-2
29.	San Francisco 49ers	1-2
30.	Cleveland Browns	1-2
31.	Washington Redskins	1-2
32.	Chicago Bears	0-3

Week 3 Headline-Makers

No. 6 Atlanta Falcons (Result: Win at Cowboys)

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It was only a matter of time until someone handed the Romo-less, Bryant-less, pass rush-less Cowboys their first loss, but we may have learned more about Atlanta than Dallas in this game. 

The Falcons, coming from a division that couldn't manage to produce a winning record last season, are off to a 3-0 start after beating 75 percent of the NFC East in their first three games. And Atlanta did so by holding Dallas scoreless in the second half and registering 22 points of its own in the period. 

Atlanta was powered by a diesel engine named Devonta Freeman. The second-year running back went for 141 yards on 30 carries and scored three touchdowns. But he's one of three Falcons in as many games to spearhead the team's offense. 

In the opener against the Eagles, rookie running back Tevin Coleman registered 80 yards on 20 carries in his debut. In Week 2's win over the Giants, veteran quarterback Matt Ryan collected 363 yards through the air and didn't turn the ball over once after throwing two interceptions the week prior. 

Atlanta's versatility-borne unbeaten record has vastly improved its chances of success this season, according to Jay Boice and Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. 

The website's Team-By-Team Forecast gives the Falcons a 77 percent chance of making the playoffs. That's the fourth-highest number in the league, and it's slightly higher than that of division-rival Carolina, who also sits at 3-0. 

While a win over a depleted Cowboys team isn't the greatest resume-builder, the fashion in which the Falcons accomplished that task should change the general perception of them going forward.

No. 15 Minnesota Vikings (Result: Win vs. Chargers)

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Remember when the Vikings convincingly and unabashedly lost to the 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 1? Neither do the Vikings.  

Minnesota has strung together two consecutive double-digit wins since that disaster. And in those two games, Adrian Peterson has made it abundantly clear that he'd like to retain the title of the league's best running back after sitting out the bulk of last season. 

The 30-year-old followed up his 134-yard Week 2 performance with 126 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns against San Diego on Sunday. 

Peterson's re-establishment gives the Vikings' second-year quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, acres of breathing room compared to what he had to work with last season. In between handoffs to his All-Pro running back, Bridgewater has the luxury of completing just 13 of his 24 passes and throwing an interception like he did Sunday. 

And he knows it. 

Bridgewater is one of the most promising young arms in a league that's starved for such things, but he's hardly a finished product. Minnesota is managing to string together victories while still allowing its quarterback to develop at his own pace, which is a remarkably rare feat. 

It's unrealistic to think the Vikings will keep pace with the Packers for the NFC North crown. But Minnesota has established itself as the clear No. 2 in the division while a once-promising Detroit squad continues to underwhelm.

No. 14 Philadelphia Eagles (Result: Win vs. Jets)

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The winless record the Eagles carried into their meeting with the Jets was only mildly shocking. Their utterly anemic offense in their two losses, however, was an extreme departure from their expectations. 

Philadelphia finally managed to score more points than the other team Sunday, which is more than you can say about the Eagles' first two games. But their offensive ineptitude remains largely uncured. While Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray were brought in this offseason to lead the great Philadelphia point avalanche of 2015, the Eagles earned their first win in spite of their two biggest acquisitions, not because of them. 

Bradford only completed 14 of his 28 pass attempts, finishing with a QBR of 25.7, and Murray was inactive with a hamstring injury. The Eagles were sparked by 108 rushing yards from Ryan Mathews and an 89-yard house call on a Darren Sproles punt return. 

Jesse Spector of the Sporting News summed up Philadelphia's confusing day on offense.

"The number that jumps out the most is 231 yards of total offense, the fewest for the Eagles in a victory since 2005," Spector wrote. "The Eagles had only 18 first downs all day, went 4-for-15 on third down and punted nine times." 

Philadelphia travels to Washington next week, and an offensive explosion against the porous Redskins defense won't serve as any indication of marked progress for the Eagles. So, with Week 3 leaving as many questions as it answered, we'll have to wait at least another two weeks before the situation in Philadelphia becomes any more clear. 

No. 22 Miami Dolphins (Result: Loss vs. Bills)

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The Dolphins have avoided the dreaded 0-3 club by virtue of a Week 1 victory in Washington, but their one win wasn't exactly convincing and their two losses have been particularly inexcusable. 

Miami squeaked by the Redskins, then promptly lost to the perpetually inept Jaguars a week later. Then, Sunday, with a chance to bounce back at home against a division rival, the Dolphins were obliterated by the Bills by a final score of 41-14. 

While New England remained the favorite, the AFC East received the greatest deal of positive attention it's seen in years this offseason. The Bills, with their menacing defense and Rex Ryan in town to conduct it, and the Dolphins, with their handsomely paid franchise quarterback and destroyer of worlds, were both cast as wild-card contenders leading into the season.  

But Buffalo has looked the part, with two dominant wins and a relatively close loss to the Patriots, while Miami has been a disaster. 

Something has to change in South Beach, and the Miami Herald's Greg Cote thinks it will. Cote suggested the loss could be the first domino to fall in the firing of Joe Philbin, saying the head coach "will not recover" from the defeat. 

But Cote also thinks the Dolphins could be ready to pull the trigger elsewhere first. 

"

In the short term, I would not be shocked if the collapse we saw Sunday cost defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle his job. That would not be scapegoating. That would be underlining the urgency of turning around a defense that spent $114 million signing the superstar run-stopper Suh and yet somehow is worse than last season’s defense.

"

Miami has allowed the seventh-most yards per game so far this season, and its offense isn't picking up the slack. Only five teams are averaging fewer points per game than the Dolphins. 

As far as disappointments go early in this 2015 season, Miami makes a strong case for the top spot. 

*All stats courtesy of NFL.com

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