NFL Power Rankings 2016: AFC/NFC Records, Division Standings and Week 4 Outlook

And then there were five.

Just five teams enter Week 4 with a 3-0, undefeated record in the 2016 NFL season. The New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles have been perfect so far, even though each team has overcome a lot of adversity.

Who would've thought that a former seventh-round pick in Trevor Siemian could replace the future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning? Or that the Patriots could win the first three games without Tom Brady and with two different starting signal-callers?

If you said you predicted the Eagles and Vikings to be undefeated at this point, you're a liar. But credit where credit is due, each of these five teams has been mightily impressive. 

But there are 27 other teams in the AFC and NFC conferences that are looking to overcome some shaky starts with the ultimate goal of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. It's still possible for a team with an 8-8 record to get into the playoffs if it wins its division, which is why it's so important for each team to beat its own divisional rivals.

There are some great divisional matchups in Week 4, but before we dissect two of the most crucial games, let's take a look at my power rankings heading into the quarter mark of the season:

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

Notable Divisional Games

Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Panthers have already lost twice as many regular-season games this season as they did all of last year. And they haven't even played four games yet.

I still have the Panthers ranked No. 9 despite the slow start and believe that they will rebound to make a deep playoff run. But this turnaround must happen sooner rather than later, and a win over the Falcons this Sunday is a necessity.

Cam Newton has not looked like the MVP we saw in 2015—a surprising turn, since he has wideout Kelvin Benjamin back after missing last season with an ACL injury. Is having too many options to throw to on offense a problem? Newton's making a case for it. 

Standing opposite the Panthers will be the Falcons, who are in first place in the NFC South. Atlanta's defense has too many questions at this point to give it a higher ranking, but if that offense continues at this pace, that may soon change.

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints both have above-average offenses, they aren't complete teams and won't be in the running for the divisional title at the end of the season. This is a two-horse race between Atlanta and Carolina.

With a win on Sunday, the Falcons would own a 3-1 record after four games and create some space between themselves and the Panthers, who would fall to 1-3. On the other hand, if the Panthers win, both teams would be level on record. At that point, according to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), the Panthers would become heavy favorites to repeat as divisional champions. 

Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots

After defeating the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, the Patriots will face their second divisional foe this Sunday in the Buffalo Bills. It could be a tough test against a Buffalo team that manhandled the Arizona Cardinals last week.

It was a botched snap that led to that Bills special teams touchdown, but Buffalo was already ahead 23-7 before that play. The Bills look reenergized after a slow start to the season, and they'll have to play their best game so far on Sunday against New England, even if Tom Brady isn't on the field.

For the Patriots, Week 4 is business as usual.

Not many people expected them to be 3-0 with convincing wins over the Dolphins and Houston Texans. Fewer believed the Patriots would be able to win three games with two different quarterbacks making their first career starts.

Jimmy Garoppolo has looked fantastic when given the chance, but a shoulder injury in Week 2 against the Dolphins forced third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who injured his thumb against the Texans, into action. 

However, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss, both players participated in practice on Tuesday. 

If both players are healthy, look for Garoppolo to get the starting nod once again. The Bills will be fired up for this AFC East rivalry, but the Patriots are the best team in the NFL for a reason. They could probably win with Julian Edelman as their starting quarterback.

If the Patriots lose against the Bills, the sky will not fall on their season. They'll have Brady back for Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns and the rest of the season, and Rob Gronkowski should be back to 100 percent within the next week or so.

The Bills need a win to stay alive in the division—they're currently in a three-way tie for second with the New York Jets and Dolphins. That will be easier said than done against a tough New England team that swept the Bills last season.