NFL Power Rankings: Stock Reports for Every Team at Quarter-Season Mark

With almost a quarter of the 2013 NFL season in the books, the league’s power structure is beginning to take shape heading into Week 5.

Teams are rising and falling at a rapid rate from week to week due to the parity we’re seeing around the league. There are a couple of teams that are clearly at the top, but after that, it’s anyone’s guess how the other playoff contenders are going to shake out.

The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks look like the best teams in their respective conferences, but which is the top dog in our latest power rankings? Read on and let us know your picks in the comments below.

 

1. Denver Broncos (4-0)

The Denver Broncos aren’t the only unbeaten team after four weeks, but they are the most unbeatable of the remaining bunch. This team has everything it needs to return to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. People within the organization have labeled this season “Super Bowl or bust,” and it looks they’re on track to get it done.

 

2. Seattle Seahawks (4-0)

Two close calls on the road have exposed the Seattle Seahawks for their weaknesses. However, beating a good Houston Texans teams on the road was a big step in the right direction. The ‘Hawks have remaining road games at Indianapolis, Arizona, St. Louis, Atlanta, San Francisco and against the New York Giants. If they can win half of those and secure home-field advantage, it looks good for their chances in the playoffs.

 

3. New Orleans Saints (4-0)

After abandoning the running game, Drew Brees proved why the New Orleans Saints don't need one. He completed 13 of his 30 completions to running backs, and the Saints beat the Miami Dolphins' blitz to improve to 4-0. With Jimmy Graham running buck wild on the NFL and the Saints defense back to a respectable point, there don't seem to be many teams that can stop the Saints, for now.

 

4. New England Patriots (4-0)

No Rob Gronkowski or Danny Amendola, no problem. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots continue to find ways to get it done. Edging a desperate Atlanta Falcons team on the road in Week 4 was a huge win for a team many have been waiting to fail.

 

5. Indianapolis Colts (3-1)

Andrew Luck is picking up right where he left off, and the Indianapolis Colts are rolling early in 2013. Trent Richardson was a solid addition for a team in need of a feature back. Getting him going will be a challenge, but he should get better as he gets more comfortable on his new team—scary.

 

6. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

The San Francisco 49ers looked lost and without answers. Patrick Willis went down, and Aldon Smith’s departure came at a terrible time—heading into a short-week road matchup against a team that has recently played them very tough. The Niners steamrolled the St. Louis Rams and got back on track with a huge Week 4 win.

 

7. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)

If there’s a team out there that might be up to the challenge of handing the Denver Broncos their first loss, it might be the Kansas City Chiefs. And Andy Reid’s new-look Chiefs will get two shots in a three-week span in late November. We’ll see how “for real” this much-improved team really is during that stretch.

 

8. Miami Dolphins (3-1)

Getting embarrassed by the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football was a low point of an otherwise incredible early performance by the Miami Dolphins. Not having Cameron Wake leading their pass rush hurt, and Drew Brees made the Fins pay with the short passing game when they didn't get to him on the blitz.

 

9. Houston Texans (2-2)

It looked like the Houston Texans were on the verge of taking the next step by convincingly beating the Seahawks at home in Week 4. Then, Matt Schaub happened. He threw a pick-six for the third week in a row and gave away another game the Texans should have won.

 

10. Detroit Lions (3-1)

Detroit flipped the script on divisional rival Chicago, scoring a defensive touchdown and running all over its opponents in a lopsided Week 4 win. The Lions forced four turnovers to stifle the new and improved Bears offense that had been increasingly efficient in the preceding weeks.

 

11. Green Bay Packers (1-2)

Getting the week off to rest and lick their wounds, the Green Bay Packers should come back out healthy and firing on cylinders in a critical Week 5 matchup against Detroit.

 

12. Chicago Bears (3-1)

When Chicago’s defense isn’t causing chaos, the Bears aren’t very good overall. The Lions did pretty much what they wanted, especially on the ground, to expose a big weakness in this year’s team. Jay Cutler and Co. need to take better care of the ball and not wait until the fourth quarter to get things moving on offense.

 

13. Atlanta Falcons (1-3)

What’s wrong with the 2013 Atlanta Falcons? Although they lead the NFL with 18 red-zone drives this season, they are the fifth-worst team in touchdown conversions (38.9 percent), per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure.

 

14. Baltimore Ravens (2-2)

Baltimore’s struggles on the road didn’t disappear with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Maybe its offense did, though. Joe Flacco threw five interceptions, and the Ravens failed to run the ball again—24 yards on nine carries—against a team that was gouged for 188 yards by the New York Jets last week.

 

15. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

Don’t write the Cincinnati Bengals into the playoffs just yet. Their offensive line looked overmatched, and they failed to get anything going on the ground against the Cleveland Browns last week. Andy Dalton’s erratic afternoon is yet another stinging reminder that this team may not reach the next level with him under center.

 

16. Tennessee Titans (3-1)

It’s safe to say the 3-1 Tennessee Titans aren’t a fluke, and they could make some noise in the AFC South thanks to a new and improved defense. Losing Jake Locker for a month—per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean—after Week 4 hurts after he had easily his best game of his young career before leaving with a hip injury.

 

17. San Diego Chargers (2-2)

Philip Rivers is flourishing behind a revamped offensive line in Mike McCoy’s new offense. The Chargers have played close games against everyone they've faced so far this year. However, a tough schedule with four games against Kansas City and Denver will be a huge task for them to overcome.

 

18. Buffalo Bills (2-2)

E.J. Manuel and Doug Marrone have the Buffalo Bills in much better position than anyone could have expected after the first quarter of the season. Their defense stepped up in a big way in Week 4. Have they turned a corner, or will they falter as more teams study film on their new offense?

 

19. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Dallas has what it takes to win a lot of games this season, but it somehow finds a way to lose the close ones. The NFC East is looking ripe for the taking. Can the Cowboys pull it altogether to get back to the playoffs?

 

20. Cleveland Browns (2-2)

So much for tanking the season after trading Trent Richardson and starting third-string quarterback Brian Hoyer. The Cleveland Browns have won two in a row since those much-questioned moves and are coming off of a win against a good Bengals team.

 

21. St. Louis Rams (1-3)

Without a running game, the St. Louis Rams aren’t going to go far this season. Sam Bradford has thrown the ball a league-high 182 times. That’s definitely not a recipe for success, as he’s completing just 58.8 percent of those throws.

 

22. Washington Redskins (1-3)

Slow starts have killed the Washington Redskins this season. Their porous defense has allowed teams to go up quick, and they have had to abandon their running game for the most part. They got back on track with their first win over Oakland in Week 4 but don’t look like the same team that made it to the playoffs last year.

 

23. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3)

What good is a high-tempo and explosive rushing attack if the Philadelphia Eagles defense can’t stop anyone from scoring? Getting torched by Peyton Manning and the Broncos shouldn’t shock anyone, so we’ll hold off abandoning all hope for now, but it doesn’t look good for Chip Kelly’s rookie coaching season.

 

24. Carolina Panthers (1-2)

The Carolina Panthers got in the win column in impressive fashion by dominating the struggling New York Giants in Week 3. Their bye week came at a terrible time as they looked like they were finally coming around. Can they sustain that momentum and turn it into more wins moving forward?

 

25. Minnesota Vikings (1-3)

Matt Cassel looked a lot better behind center than Christian Ponder did before getting injured and missing the Minnesota Vikings' Week 4 matchup. He might very well keep the job even if Ponder is ready to come back next week. If Adrian Peterson can keep making explosive plays, a balanced Vikings team could still get back into contention.

 

26. Arizona Cardinals (2-2)

Carson Palmer has been very Carson Palmer-like—57.2 percent completion rate with four touchdowns and six interceptions—through four games as an Arizona Cardinal. The team's defense has been good, but the Cards don’t show a lot of promise moving forward with a daunting schedule awaiting them.

 

27. New York Giants (0-4)

Don’t look now, but the New York Giants are one of the quickest-falling teams in the NFL. Eli Manning and their offense are desperate for any type of rushing game to take the pressure off, but it doesn’t look like help is coming anytime soon.

 

28. New York Jets (1-3)

Rookie quarterback Geno Smith has continued to play up-and-down football during his rookie season. He took a significant step back in Week 4 against a tough Titans defense. Can the Jets overcome their rookie quarterback’s growing pains, or will they continue to fall?

 

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4)

Mike Glennon is the new face of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had a good start but threw two costly interceptions in the closing minutes to ruin his debut and hand the Bucs their fourth straight loss to start the year. Despite boasting a good defense, Tampa Bay looks like it belongs here.

 

30. Oakland Raiders (1-3)

Not having Terrelle Pryor led to another headache for the Oakland Raiders in Week 4. Matt Flynn was sacked seven times and threw a costly pick-six that put the game out of reach. Even with Pryor, this Raiders team isn’t all that great, but Oakland needs his scrambling ability to offset the offensive line struggles.

 

31. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-4)

Ben Roethlisberger’s turnover issues aren’t going away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are fading fast. With a defense that has forced no turnovers to date, the Steelers are dead last in the NFL with a minus-11 differential in that department.

 

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)

You could write a lot of explanations for why the Jacksonville Jaguars are ranked here. But that would be a long-winded route for describing the clear-cut worst team in the league this season. Things are going to get worse before they get better for the Jags.