NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Reaction and Standings After Thursday Night Football

Maybe Week 4 is when the NFL calms down.

The slate started on Thursday Night Football with a showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins, an encounter the former easily won in 22-7 fashion.

The expected outcome is a change of course from how the season has unfolded thus far, where upsets and unlikely developments have reigned supreme as a new-look league sorted itself out.

Here's a look at the change in the rankings after Thursday:

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

No big surprise here, as Cincinnati keeps some momentum going up, while the offensively challenged Dolphins float in something akin to rankings purgatory.

Here are a few notable teams in the rankings to watch over the weekend.

Baltimore Ravens

It might be time to believe in the Baltimore Ravens with the way the team continues to rise in the power rankings.

Make no mistake—Baltimore hasn't been winning in pretty fashion. But at some point, winning is simply winning. Taking down the Buffalo Bills 13-7, the Cleveland Browns 25-20 and the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-17 doesn't inspire the most confidence.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, who has only thrown three touchdowns to four interceptions, hasn't been shy about the idea of the Ravens still improving, per the team's Twitter account:

It seems predictable things will come together. Flacco has healthy tight end Dennis Pitta on the field, Steve Smith Sr. continues to chug along and Mike Wallace—owner of all three touchdowns—looks like the deep threat the Baltimore offense has long missed.

The Ravens face the toughest task of the season so far in Week 4 with the 2-1 Oakland Raiders in town. As a team teetering on the fence of flying either way in the rankings, it will say much about the rest of Baltimore's season.

Arizona Cardinals 

The Arizona Cardinals might be the most difficult team in the NFL to figure out. 

A shocking member of the losing-records club at 1-2, Arizona dropping a game to the New England Patriots with a backup quarterback under center doesn't look like the fluke many initially thought it was.

Quarterback Carson Palmer and the offense came alive the following week in a 40-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they crumpled again in the face of stronger competition, taking a 33-18 beating at the hands of the Bills.

After the loss, head coach Bruce Arians spoke in candid fashion about one of his team's biggest issues, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio:

"

We have some really, really good leaders. But to be a good leader, the others have to follow you. We’ve got a lot of young guys. We have some new faces that are doing their own thing and not following the example set by these guys. And it’s a two-way street. They can only lead you to water, but you’ve got to drink it.

And some of these young guys have got to get out of old habits and get in with the Cardinal Way.

"

It's a shame a team as talented as the Cardinals faces such a perceived problem. Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, Tyrann Mathieu and others help form what looks like one of the league's better rosters.

Arizona doesn't have long to figure it out with the Los Angeles Rams in town over the weekend. It doesn't sound like much, but NFC West encounters aren't anything to scoff at, and the Cardinals dropped a game to the Rams last year. Oh, and the Rams have already taken out the Seattle Seahawks this year.

Minnesota Vikings

"Trust the process" is a somewhat funny phrase the sporting realm likes to throw around as of late, but it couldn't better apply to anyone than the Minnesota Vikings.

Undefeated and sitting in a slot in the power rankings where most figured they would before the loss of starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings don't look phased at all by a switch under center.

Minnesota went out and got Sam Bradford in a trade, part of a win-now mentality put on by the organization and head coach Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer, by the way, clearly has the complete trust of his guys, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Why not? The Vikings took down the Green Bay Packers 17-14 before hitting the road and roughing up the Carolina Panthers to the tune of a 22-10 upset.

For those counting, Zimmer's defense has yet to give up more than 16 points in a game, and Bradford has tossed a trio of scores with no interceptions despite a running game averaging a miserable 2.1 yards per carry.

Next up for the surging Vikings is the New York Giants, another NFC hopeful. The Minnesota defense has another strong test on its hands going against names such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz.

Now back in the top five, Minnesota once again has a major say in how the power rankings fall into order.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.