NFL Power Rankings: Top Teams Poised to Slide After a Loss

A single win or loss can greatly affect an NFL team's standing in the power rankings, sending it from top team to mediocre status in the blink of an eye.

Let's take a look at the power rankings after Week 4's games and which teams will slide in the rankings after losing its Week 5 matchup.

 

1. Houston Texans (4-0)

After another strong showing with their domination of the Tennessee Titans, it's clear the Texans are the best team in the NFL.

The Texans scorched the Titans for 38 points, while forcing turnovers and totally shutting down the Titans' offense. Houston is easily the most complete team in the NFL, playing both solid offense and elite defense.

2. Atlanta Falcons (4-0)

A hard-fought win against the Carolina Panthers helped the Falcons maintain their undefeated record.

Quarterback Matt Ryan and Roddy White connected for a huge play late in the fourth quarter that set Atlanta up for the win. The Falcons' passing attack continues to make the case that are one of the best in the league, and their defense isn't too shabby either.

3. Arizona Cardinals (4-0)

The football world is waiting for the Cardinals to break and it almost happened against the Miami Dolphins. Down by a field goal late, the Cards were able to even the score, sending the game into overtime where they would eventually win.

Arizona's normally stingy defense let up far too many big plays to be comfortable with, but the Cards were able to do enough on both sides of the ball to remain undefeated.

The Cardinals' Week 5 opponent will be the St. Louis Rams, who are much improved on the defensive end. With their ability to stop the run and force turnovers against opposing passing attacks, the Cards weaknesses on offense will play right into the strengths of the Rams' defense.

Losing to the 2-2 Rams looks like it could very well happen and that will cause the Cards to instantly slide down the power rankings, however slight it might be.

4. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)

The 49ers took a slide down the power rankings after their unexpected Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

But San Fran took care of business in Week 4, blowing out the New York Jets and in the process, proved they are a step above the rest of the 3-1 teams in this league.

5. Minnesota Vikings (3-1)

Minnesota continues to move up the rankings thanks to its defense and rightfully so after another impressive win against a talented team.

The Vikes' defense is a force to be reckoned with and while Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions were able to move the ball through the air, Detroit couldn't get a single thing going on the ground. In all, the Lions high-powered offense could only muster up 13 points, proving the Vikings can play some "D".

6. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

After a hard-fought victory over the New England Patriots in Week 3, the Ravens came out looking sluggish on Thursday night against the lowly Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens are no doubt the superior team when lined up across from the Browns, but certainly didn't look like it, winning by only a touchdown. If the Ravens want to move up the rankings next week, they have to look more convincing against some of the lesser teams in the NFL.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)

Cincinnati didn't play its best game by any means against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the lackluster effort was still more than enough to win by three scores.

The Bengals' defense is beginning to look elite like it did last season after sacking Blaine Gabbert six times in Cincy's 27-10 win over Jacksonville. The Bengals' offense certainly wasn't at its best, but they were still able to put ample points on the board despite not having the greatest of days.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)

A huge divisional victory over the New York Giants has helped the Eagles climb the ranks after Week 4. In the end, it wasn't pretty, but Michael Vick was able to get his team into the end zone without making any major mistakes while the defense held the Giants in check.

Week 5 will present a challenge for the Eagles as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Philly must avoid the same mistakes they made in the first three weeks of the season because the Steelers' defense is too talented to let the Eagles get away with it.

Losing to a 1-2 team like the Steelers isn't all that bad, but it will be enough to push the Eagles right back down the rankings.

9. San Diego Chargers (3-1)

San Diego took care of business on Sunday, defeating a Kansas City Chiefs team that was clearly inferior.

In Week 5, the Chargers will be up against the New Orleans Saints who finally showed some signs of life in theirs Week 4 loss to the Packers. Drew Brees racked up 446 yards and three scores against Green Bay's tough defense and should do more of the same against the Chargers.

If the Chargers fall to one of the few winless teams left, that will send them into a power-rankings tail spin of epic proportions.

10. Chicago Bears (3-1)

What didn't the Bears do well in their Monday Night Football matchup with the Dallas Cowboys?

Jay Cutler looked crisp and avoided mistakes, while Chicago's rushing attack nearly gained 100 yards on the ground. It's clear an increasingly healthy Matt Forte will continue to make his presence more known, but the Bears look great on defense after picking off Tony Romo five times.

11. Denver Broncos (2-2)

The Broncos dominated the Oakland Raiders in Week 4, leaving no doubt who the better team was.

Denver was clicking on all cylinders as they moved the ball through the air and on the ground with ease. Peyton Manning's influence on the team is clearly starting to take shape and their defense is beginning to look like the 2011 version.

12. New England Patriots (2-2)

This just in: New England's offense is alive and well after smoking the Buffalo Bills for 52 points.

Tom Brady's squad finally put up some major yardage and points on the board, something that was just a matter of time. If the Pats can continue to improve upon their Week 4 showing, they could be at the top of this list in no time.

13. Green Bay Packers (2-2)

A bad start to the season has plagued the Packers and despite winning on Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints, they didn't convince anyone that the Pack is back just yet.

Instead of their defense shining and the offense struggling, it was the exact opposite in Week 4 as the Saints gained a ton of yardage through the air. If Green Bay wants to be considered a better team, they must do a better job putting it altogether on a consistent basis.

 

14. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

At 2-2, the Cowboys are still in a good position to win their division, but they have to be more than a one-dimensional offense to have any hope of doing that. Romo threw up five picks the other night as Dallas' fifth-ranked passing attack tried to carry its 30th-ranked rushing attack.

On defense, the Cowboys revamped secondary has done a great job, but defending the run is a place where this team can improve.

15. New York Giants (2-2)

The G-Men could have been near the top of this list if not for a disappointing loss to the Eagles.

New York looked very impressive on both ends against the Panthers last week, but the Eagles shut them down on the offensive end and won the defensive battle that this game became. Tom Coughlin's squad has got a find a way to move the ball on the ground after gaining an abysmal 57 yards in all.

16. St. Louis Rams (2-2)

No, you aren't reading this incorrectly. The Rams have earned this spot ahead of the Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks because they have beaten both of those teams this year.

The Rams continue to play a tough style of defense that is helping to stop teams on both sides of the ball. Not only can the Rams stop the run, they can also force turnovers through the air. If St. Louis' offensive line can get healthy, maybe the Rams can add a bit more offense to their repertoire.

17. Washington Redskins (2-2)

Washington bounced back nicely from a loss last week to top the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Robert Griffin III and company did whatever they wanted on the offensive end. Alfred Morris is proving to be on of the best running backs in the league, but Washington still needs to improve defensively.

18. Seattle Seahawks (2-2)

You could argue the Seahawks don't deserve to be even this high right now after being handed a win in Week 3, but this is as high as they will go after losing to the Rams in Week 4.

Seattle is excellent on the defensive end, but as good as they are in that department, the Seahawks are that much worse on the offensive end with the exception of Marshawn Lynch.

19. Buffalo Bills (2-2)

The Bills played the Patriots tough in Week 4, but New England exploded for a ton of points in the fourth quarter to make it look like a blowout.

Ryan Fitzpatrick must take better care of the ball after throwing four picks, and it wouldn't hurt to have Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller at full strength.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3)

Pittsburgh has had a disappointing start to the season, but a week off might have been just what the doctor ordered in regards to healing injuries.

The Steelers are perennially a great team, so I don't expect them to continue this poor play and that leaves it impossible for them to be ranked any worse than this. Pittsburgh must get its rushing attack going if they want to be a more balanced team offensively.

21.New York Jets (2-2)

Losing Darrelle Revis was thought to be the Jets' biggest problem this week and while it certainly was an issue, Mark Sanchez was a bigger problem.

Sanchez barely broke the 100-yard mark while completing 13 of his 29 passes and passing the ball, as well as running it, continues to be a major problem for this team.

22. Carolina Panthers (1-3)

Cam Newton is finally starting to look like the rookie version of last season, but defensively this team still has a ways to go.

Despite all that, the Panthers fought hard against on of the better teams in the league and that was an impressive feat in and of itself.

23. Detroit Lions (1-3)

If you don't believe that the Vikings are for real, just ask the Lions who lost to them in Week 4.

Matthew Stafford didn't have any problems throwing the ball, but the Lions had a ton of problems trying to move the rock on the ground.

 

24. Tennessee Titans (1-3)

No shame in the Titans losing in Week 4 against the Texans who sport an elite defense and solid offensive attack.

Jake Locker went down to injury in the game to make matters worse, but this team can still move it through the air better than most can.

25. Kansas City Chiefs (1-3)

It would have been easy for the Chiefs to lay down and die after falling behind early, but they didn't give up even though it wasn't enough.

The Chiefs have some weapons on offense, but defensively they couldn't stop a nose bleed.

26. Indianapolis Colts

Indy's loss to the Jags in Week 3 no doubt hurt their ranking, but Andrew Luck's squad will have to wait until next week to improve its place.

27. Oakland Raiders

Who would have thought that the Raiders would get steamrolled by the Broncos after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.

Not many, I can tell you that. The Broncos turned the Raiders from a team with promise to a team going nowhere. And that goes for both sides of the ball.

28. Miami Dolphins

Miami played the first place Cardinals right down to the wire, but in the end, Arizona's experience won out in over time.

Ryan Tannehill had an impressive game in Week 4 and it seems he's found a new friend in Brian Hartline. Too bad Reggie Bush didn't match the effort of his fellow teammates, and Miami's defense couldn't hold on long enough to stop Arizona from taking the victory.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)

Tampa Bay was supposed to have a revamped offense full of weapons for Josh Freeman to throw to, but we haven't really seen that thus far.

The Bucs only scored 22 points on the Redskins' defense in Week 4, so something isn't working on the offensive end for the team. On top of that, defense is no longer this franchise's forte as evidenced by the beat down they received from the Giants a few weeks back.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)

The Jags have all sorts of issues, namely moving the ball through the air with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The rookie signal-caller was much better than last week, but still threw his first pick of the season.

Jacksonville can't even lean on their defense like they did in the past and that makes it obvious this team can't do much of anything well.

31. New Orleans Saints (0-4)

The Saints might still be winless, but that doesn't mean they didn't look a lot better during their Week 4 matchup with the Packers.

New Orleans played Green Bay tough, and Drew Brees flashed the skill we all know he has. The Saints can't stop anything on defense and that will continue to force New Orleans into shootouts and it's tough to win like that.

32. Cleveland Browns (0-4)

Last but not least, I give you the Browns.

Another loss to the Ravens showed some grit from Cleveland, but as always they folded like a cheap suit.

The Browns are still trying to develop Brandon Weeden and that fact alone will make this a long year for Cleveland.