NFL Power Rankings: Analyzing Each Team's Biggest Weakness After Week 4

By now, NFL fans have a pretty good idea of what each franchise is all about. Three games isn't a large sample size, but it's large enough to see what's working and what isn't.

Every team has shown their strengths and weaknesses so far. Some were expected, but others were more difficult to predict.

It has been a bizarre year so far. Let's rank each team and state their biggest weakness with three games under their belt.

1.  Houston Texans

No one wants to call a team flawless right now, but the Texans are close. A weak schedule has them sitting at 3-0, leaving their No. 18 pass offense as the only possible blemish.

2. Atlanta Falcons

Michael Turner bounced back with an 80-yard performance against San Diego, but he's been slow out of the gate.

3. Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco was excellent against New England, but he is still shaky at critical times.

4. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco couldn't get off the field on third down against Minnesota. Other than that, weaknesses have been few and far between.

5. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona is 3-0, but their rushing offense is No. 27 in the NFL.

6. New York Giants

The Giants' passing offense is clicking on all cylinders, but their pass defense is allowing over 261 yards per game. That puts them at No. 23 overall.

7. Green Bay Packers

Tangible weaknesses are tough to find. Toughness, however, is a factor. Aaron Rodgers was sacked nine times by Seattle Monday night.

8. New England Patriots

The Patriots have trouble protecting Tom Brady at times, and their defense struggles to stop the vertical pass.

 

9. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys won ugly against Tampa Bay on Sunday, but Seattle's thrashing the week before still has me questioning their overall toughness.

10. Philadelphia Eagles

Call it inconsistency, or whatever you want. Philadelphia doesn't take care of the football.

11. Chicago Bears

The defense is near the top of the league, but Matt Forte is banged up. Also, Jay Cutler still likes to throw the ball into quadruple coverage.

12. San Diego Chargers

Without a consistent ground game, San Diego's offense is virtually one-dimensional.

13. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle's defense is tough as nails, but the offense won't support them until they find a capable down field threat.

14. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning hasn't been great, but Denver's No. 24 rushing offense hasn't either. Everyone expected Manning to show up and do his best Superman impression, and that's understandable.

But he hasn't been able to do it. We forgot how average Denver's team is at times, and he's still not the player we saw in Indianapolis. The run offense has a lot to do with that.

Tim Tebow led a run-based offense last season. Manning could have leaned on that, but Willis McGahee and Co. haven't been able to find their groove.

Until they do, expect Denver to struggle.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh has the oldest defense in the league, and it shows. Critical mistakes doomed them against Oakland in Week 3, making this year seem like it's headed for rough waters.

16. New York Jets

The Jets can't score, and that has a lot to do with Mark Sanchez. With Darrelle Revis out for the year, New York will have to score points to stay afloat.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This squad is No. 30 in passing offense and dead last in pass defense.

18. Detroit Lions

Detroit owns the No. 1 passing attack in the league. That's not the issue, but everything else is.

The Lions got a 100-yard performance out of Mikel Leshoure on Sunday. Other than that, their run offense has been virtually non-existent. As good as their aerial attack is, a one-dimensional offense isn't going to create long-term success.

On top of that lie the defensive struggles. Allowing 44 points to the Titans is inexcusable, and it's something that must change if the Lions want to build on last year's success.

19. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals aren't having trouble moving the ball, but they're struggling to stop people. Allowing nearly 262 yards through the air and 155 rushing yards per game won't get you very far.

20. Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson has 45 yards on 33 carries. That's all there is to say.

21. Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III has been electric, but this team won't get very far with a pass defense allowing nearly 340 yards per game.

22. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota has been interesting this season, but their offense still lacks an electric vertical threat.

23. Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton has struggled, especially with a three-interception performance against the Giants in Week 3. The defense is poor, and this team looks like they're going nowhere fast.

24. Buffalo Bills

C.J. Spiller might be the NFL's breakout player, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is still pedestrian. There are worse options, but this defense isn't stellar enough to win a game on its own.

25. Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill isn't putting up huge numbers for the Dolphins, but opposing quarterbacks are. The Dolphins are allowing over 300 yards through the air this season.

26. Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City has the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL, but they're also allowing nearly 123 rushing yards per game.

27. Oakland Raiders

Oakland picked up a huge win over Pittsburgh on Sunday, but they're still running for 62.3 yards per game. That's a major issue.

28. New Orleans Saints

The Saints are 0-3 and 99.9 percent of that can be placed on their defense. New Orleans can't stop anyone.

Allowing 215 rushing yards per game isn't going to win you any games, especially when you're allowing 262 yards through the air on top of it. New Orleans doesn't seem to understand defensive basics.

No matter how dynamic your offense is, sooner or later, you have to play defense. The Saints are heading down a dark road if they can't turn this mess around.

29. St. Louis Rams

St. Louis is improved, but they desperately need a deep threat in this offense. Danny Amendola doesn't stretch the field, leaving defenses every opportunity to pin their ears back.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

It's hard to win when you throw for less than 150 yards per game, and that's exactly what Jacksonville is dealing with. On top of that, opponents are averaging over 150 yards on the ground against their defense.

31. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck continues to improve, but he's being helped by the league's No. 23 rushing attack. To make matters worse, the Colts are also No. 25 at stopping the run.

32. Cleveland Browns

Trent Richardson shows flashes of brilliance, but youth is this team's worst enemy. The jury is still out on Brandon Weeden.