NFL Power Rankings: Projected Movers Following Week 4 Action
NFL power rankings are beginning to take shape as three weeks of NFL action is now in the books. We aren’t where we started in terms of the initial preseason projections and we certainly aren’t where we will be when all is said and done in 2012.
With that in mind, let’s look at the current landscape of the NFL heading into this weekend’s Week 4 action and project what things may look like once all is said and done.
Keep in mind that the final projections reflect my weekly winner picks.
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Let’s look at a couple matchups that will shake up the Week 5 power rankings after Sunday’s Week 4 action. (Projected winners are underlined.)
New York Giants (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Michael Vick has been hit-or-miss for the Eagles so far in 2012. That isn’t game-by-game, that’s quarter-by-quarter. His two late fourth-quarter comebacks against Cleveland and Baltimore saved the team from and 0-3 start to begin the season.
The Eagles know the Giants and the opposite is true for their opponents. As many times as these two teams have played each other, they had better get to know one another.
If there’s one thing that is certain in NFC East matchups, it’s that NOTHING is certain. The Giants were supposed to make short work of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 but were surprised at home to begin the season.
Can Michael Vick and his offensive line put together a four-quarter performance good enough to outlast the defending Super Bowl champs?
Minnesota Vikings (2-1) at Detroit Lions (1-2)
Detroit has struggled and battled its way through the 2012 to even have a 1-2 record. The Lions could just as easily be 0-3 heading into their Week 4 matchup as the Minnesota Vikings come to town.
The Vikes have surprised a lot of people by starting out 2-1. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the play of second-year quarterback Christian Ponder in the team’s huge upset win over the San Francisco 49ers.
If Minnesota can pound the ball with Adrian Peterson and control the tempo of the game, it may be able to sneak away with a game it supposedly had no chance of winning prior to the season’s start.
Detroit has an excellent offense, one of the best statistically in the NFL (No.1 in passing), but the Vikings defense has been surprisingly stifling so far in 2012.
San Diego Chargers (2-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)
Everyone is expecting the Chargers to walk into Arrowhead Stadium and easily defeat the Chiefs in Week 4. I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that is as sure as it may seem upon initial glance.
The Chargers have struggled mightily at running the football and it’s starting to affect the way Philip Rivers executes Norv Turner’s offense. Rivers doesn’t have the weapons he’s used to having and the running game is suffering as Ryan Matthews continues to struggle with injuries and fumbles.
If the Chargers win on the road against the Chiefs, it would be a pleasant surprise more so than a sure thing for the Bolts.
My Projected NFL Power Rankings After Week 4 Action:
| Pre-Week 4 Rankings | Projected Oct. 2 Rankings | Change | ||
| 1.) | Houston Texans | 1.) | Houston Texans | None |
| 2.) | Atlanta Falcons | 2.) | Atlanta Falcons | None |
| 3.) | Baltimore Ravens | 3.) | Baltimore Ravens | None |
| 4.) | San Francisco 49ers | 4.) | San Francisco 49ers | None |
| 5.) | New York Giants | 5.) | Arizona Cardinals | +1 |
| 6.) | Arizona Cardinals | 6.) | Chicago Bears | +2 |
| 7.) | Seattle Seahawks | 7.) | Seattle Seahawks | None |
| 8.) | Chicago Bears | 8.) | Green Bay Packers | +2 |
| 9.) | Dallas Cowboys | 9.) | New England Patriots | +2 |
| 10.) | Green Bay Packers | 10.) | Philadelphia Eagles | +5 |
| 11.) | New England Patriots | 11.) | Cincinnati Bengals | +1 |
| 12.) | Cincinnati Bengals | 12.) | Denver Broncos | +2 |
| 13.) | San Diego Chargers | 13.) | Dallas Cowboys | -4 |
| 14.) | Denver Broncos | 14.) | New York Giants | -9 |
| 15.) | Philadelphia Eagles | 15.) | Minnesota Vikings | +5 |
| 16.) | New York Jets | 16.) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +5 |
| 17.) | Pittsburgh Steelers (Idle) | 17.) | Pittsburgh Sttelers | None |
| 18.) | Buffalo Bills | 18.) | Kansas City Chiefs | +6 |
| 19.) | Detroit Lions | 19.) | San Diego Chargers | -6 |
| 20.) | Minnesota Vikings | 20.) | New York Jets | -4 |
| 21.) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 21.) | Buffalo Bills | -3 |
| 22.) | St. Louis Rams | 22.) | Detroit Lions | -3 |
| 23.) | Washington Redskins | 23.) | St. Louis Rams | -1 |
| 24.) | Kansas City Chiefs | 24.) | Washington Redskins | -1 |
| 25.) | Carolina Panthers | 25.) | Tennessee Titans | +1 |
| 26.) | Tennessee Titans | 26.) | Miami Dolphins | +1 |
| 27.) | Miami Dolphins | 27.) | Carolina Panthers | -2 |
| 28.) | Oakland Raiders | 28.) | Oakland Raiders | None |
| 29.) | New Orleans Saints | 29.) | Jacksonville Jaguars | +1 |
| 30.) | Jacksonville Jaguars | 30.) | New Orleans Saints | -1 |
| 31.) | Indianapolis Colts (Idle) | 31.) | Indianapolis Colts | None |
| 32.) | Cleveland Browns | 32.) | Cleveland Browns | None |
Mike Hoag is a Breaking News Team writer with Bleacher Report and also covers the Cleveland Browns and the NFL for the site.
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