NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

Configuring the NFL's pecking order should get easier as the season progresses, but it has become a more burdensome task after each round of compelling games.

Heading into September's final Sunday, only three teams are undefeated while three also remain winless. That leaves 13 squads at 2-1 and another 13 at 1-2, fighting for positioning after three weeks that have created more questions than answers.

The beginning of bye weeks will only make the evaluation process tougher. Four premier clubs will sit out Week 4, which at least protects them from falling victim to another game-changing upset.

Let's take another crack at figuring out the NFL following Thursday night's NFC East rivalry game.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

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Bless the Jacksonville Jaguars for making one decision easy for me. Last week's 44-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts torpedoes their point differential to minus-75, by far the league's worst margin. They're last in passing defense and rushing defense, which means Blake Bortles will essentially get 13 games to rack up garbage-time stats during his rookie season.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)

Never mind, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving Jacksonville a challenger for the No. 1 draft pick. Through three ugly games, they rank last in passing yards (490) and yards allowed per attempt (9.0). They're not rated at the bottom of Football Outsiders' team efficiency ratings for nothing.

30. Oakland Raiders (0-3)

After losing to the New England Patriots by seven points, the Oakland Raiders established some significant breathing room from the dubious No. 32 spot. Looking to snap a nine-game losing streak dating back to last year, this weekend's game against the Miami Dolphins represents their best shot for a while.

29. St. Louis Rams (1-2)

Austin Davis, who entered training camp as the third-string quarterback, is posting an NFL-best 72.3 completion percentage. ESPN's QBR values him among several big-name passers, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Yet Jeff Fisher insisted to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner that Shaun Hill will reclaim the starting job that he only received due to Sam Bradford's injury.

"We'll see how things go this week," Fisher said. "We'll see how Shaun is, but as I've maintained Shaun is our starter and Austin is our backup.” 

Sitting a striving 25-year-old backup for a journeyman 34-year-old backup would be incredibly foolish.

28. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)

The Teddy Bridgewater era is officially underway. Per NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, incumbent starter Matt Cassel is out for the season after suffering a knee injury last Sunday:

After a blowout win over the Rams, the Minnesota Vikings have stumbled as expected in their following two games. Facing the Patriots and New Orleans Saints will do that.

27. Tennessee Titans (1-2)

Is the Tennessee Titans' No. 2-ranked passing defense for real? It's probably a matter of opponents utilizing the ground game instead, but we'll find out when they face Andrew Luck and the pass-happy Colts this Sunday.

26. Washington Redskins (1-3)

Washington has now allowed 625 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and 82 points over its last two games. Also, maybe Kirk Cousins isn't a superstar quarterback after scorching the league's worst and third-worst passing defenses. After throwing four interceptions on Thursday night, South Park might switch back to Robert Griffin III for the season DVD.

25. Miami Dolphins (1-2)

Did anyone else already forget that these Miami Dolphins started the season by beating the Patriots? At the forefront of Miami's last two losses, Ryan Tannehill rates last among all starting quarterbacks with 5.03 yards per attempt.

24. Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)

A year after raking in the AFC's top turnover differential, the Kansas City Chiefs are the only team that has not composed a takeaway, giving them the NFL's worst margin at minus-five. Keep that in mind before assuming one of 2014's top turnover generators will repeat that feat next year.

23. Cleveland Browns (1-2)

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Without Ben Tate, the Cleveland Browns have still averaged 4.4 yards per carry behind rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. Things are going to get interesting once Tate returns. Running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery told the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Urlich that the veteran will receive the workload initially anticipated:

"

That’s what we brought Tate here for, to be the starter. He’s the No. 1 running back in this offense. Right now, you can say we miss him. We miss his experience. We miss his leadership with the group. Speaking from that standpoint, we’ll be open arms and welcome to have Ben back into the fold.

"

Either way, Cleveland will need a hearty dose of its rushing attack to complement a patchwork passing game.

22. New York Jets (1-2)

For a 1-2 squad, the New York Jets do a lot of things well. They thoroughly control the ground game, ranking second in rushing yards amassed and first in rushing yards allowed. They also lead the AFC with 10 sacks behind a treacherous front seven that must pressure Matthew Stafford often this weekend to avoid him finding Calvin Johnson.

21. Houston Texans (2-1)

After two strong victories over weak opponents, the Houston Texans unraveled against the New York Giants. Don't blame their first loss on Arian Foster's absence, as Alfred Blue filled in amicably with 78 yards on 13 carries. It was the rushing defense that let them down, allowing 176 yards to Rashad Jennings.

20. New York Giants (2-2)

Eli Manning and the Giants offense have orchestrated a complete 180 over the past two weeks. Following a terrible 2013 and opening to the new season, Manning has a 73.1 completion percentage, 534 passing yards, seven touchdowns and one unlucky interception in New York's last two wins. The G-Men have swung from complete afterthoughts to one of many playoff contenders.

19. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

Last week was what most pundits expected from the Dallas Cowboys this season. Although they rallied to steal a victory from the Rams, their shaky defense allowed 448 yards to a middling offense. They'll go from facing Austin Davis to Drew Brees this Sunday night, which probably won't end well.

18. Buffalo Bills (2-1)

Football Outsiders would argue that this ranking is far too low, as the Buffalo Bills place No. 6 in team DVOA. Yet ranking No. 28 in passing offense and No. 26 in passing defense in a poor winning recipe in the present-day NFL.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

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This placement values the three-game slate as a whole rather than awarding more merit to recent outcomes. While the Pittsburgh Steelers made a massive statement with 454 offensive yards during their 37-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers, it's not enough to ignore their 20-point defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.

That doesn't mean I won't praise their offense, which is rolling behind Le'Veon Bell's AFC-leading 315 rushing yards.

16. Green Bay Packers (1-2)

Look, the Green Bay Packers won't stay this low in the rankings all season. This is the third consecutive season they've started 1-2, and the previous two ended in playoff berths. 

With two double-digit losses, they have to eat crow and accept their lot here. Defeat the Chicago Bears this weekend, and we'll talk about returning to the top 10.

15. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

Back in March, Steve Smith sure sounded eager to exact revenge on his old team. Here's what he said, via ESPN.com's David Newton, at the opportunity of facing the Carolina Panthers.

“If that happens to run through Bank of America Stadium, put your goggles on because there's going to be blood and guts everywhere.”

How will the veteran deliver on his WWE-style promo? He's the Baltimore Ravens' only wideout with over 100 receiving yards this season, so it'll take some personal revenge to lead his new club to victory.

14. Indianapolis Colts (1-2)

Does beating the Jaguars still count as a victory? Still does? Cool. It's still tough to gauge the Colts after falling short against two great teams (Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles) but defeating one very bad team.

13. San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

The 49ers keep forgetting that a game contains two halves, getting outscored 52-3 in the latter half this season. They'll rekindle the status quo with a victory over the Eagles this weekend, but they can't take many missteps in the brutal NFC West.

12. New Orleans Saints (1-2)

The New Orleans Saints still boast the league's third-best offense despite their 1-2 record, which they've obtained with two road losses by a combined five points. They still have a quarterback fourth on the NFL's all-time passing yards leaderboard, per NFL on ESPN:

They're going to be fine.

11. Chicago Bears (2-1)

The Chicago Bears sit at 2-1 despite a disappointing start from their offense. Matt Forte is averaging 3.2 yards per carry while Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery have traded off big performances while fighting injuries. If the defense keeps generating big plays, they're a dangerous squad once the offense clicks.

10. Detroit Lions (2-1)

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Are the Detroit Lions once again going to exist as a tale of two teams? They sandwiched a disheartening loss against the Carolina Panthers between two masterful victories. Their upcoming slates against the Jets, Bills and Vikings gives them a golden chance to make a splash and take the NFC North lead.

9. Carolina Panthers (2-1)

Remember Steve Smith's heated remarks from above? Scroll up to Baltimore's section if you skimmed past it. Per the team's official Twitter page, a returning De'Angelo Williams is prepared:

Carolina enters Sunday with the No. 29 rushing offense, so Williams needs to stay safe.

8. New England Patriots (2-1)

Tom Brady ranks 30th with 5.54 passing yards per attempt. Small sample size, or is time to worry about New England's usually methodical offense wearing down? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

7. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

Through two victories, the Atlanta Falcons have recorded 93 points. In the lone loss? Ten. Matt Ryan holds the fourth-best quarterback rating despite surrendering three interceptions to the Cincinnati Bengals.

6. San Diego Chargers (2-1)

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Since taking over the starting job in 2005, Philip Rivers has never completed less than 60 percent of his passes. With a 68.4 percent success rate and six touchdowns, he's an early MVP contender for a team whose stock skyrocketed after knocking off the Seattle Seahawks.

5. Arizona Cardinals (3-0)

OK, it's time to take the Arizona Cardinals seriously. Their victories over the Chargers and Giants look better in hindsight, and they maintained their NFC West lead by knocking off the 49ers. Their perfect record is safe through September due to an early bye, but they have two weeks to worry about playing the Denver Broncos afterwards.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)

The Eagles are 3-0 and that's awesome, but what's up with LeSean McCoy? He managed 22 yards on 19 carries against Washington. There's two trains of thought here. On one hand, the Eagles need him to return to vintage McCoy to keep this up. On the other, it's impressive that they're undefeated with their star player struggling.

3. Denver Broncos (2-1)

If the Broncos weren't the Broncos, they probably wouldn't corral top-five territory. They sport a plus-eight point differential, and that juggernaut offense places No. 18 in total yards. Then again, they also might have defeated the Seahawks in Seattle if Peyton Manning called heads on the overtime coin flip.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)

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The Cincinnati Bengals hold the league's best point-differential at plus-47. They're first in DVOA, and typing those things led me to leapfrog them over Denver to No. 2. After their bye, they face the Patriots, Panthers, Colts and Ravens, which gives them ample chances to prove worthy of the No. 1 slot.

1. Seattle Seahawks (2-1)

In the most misleading stat of the season, Seattle sits at No. 20 in passing yards allowed. That will happen to a team that faces Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning. The Seahawks get the benefit of the doubt after limiting Manning to 6.2 yards per attempt during a pivotal Super Bowl rematch.