NFL Power Rankings 2015: Analyzing League Standings Before Preseason Week 4

The end of preseason Week 3, the exhibition some say matters because teams play starters for almost a full half, means one thing.

It's time for more power rankings.

Fans shouldn't lose the correlation. Many say the preseason is meaningless, but tell that to the Green Bay Packers, who continue to lose players to injury. Or tell it to Washington, where, well, nobody really knows what's going on there.

But power rankings are similar. Viewed as a pointless exercise, they provide a wide look at league hierarchy based on results, injuries, projections and more. Over the course of a fast-paced day, it's just the tool to keep up with the league.

2015 NFL Power Rankings 

Rank	Team
1	Seattle Seahawks
2	Green Bay Packers
3	Baltimore Ravens
4	Dallas Cowboys
5	Arizona Cardinals
6	New England Patriots
7	Denver Broncos
8	Indianapolis Colts
9	Cincinnati Bengals
10	Philadelphia Eagles
11	Detroit Lions
12	Pittsburgh Steelers
13	Kansas City Chiefs
14	Miami Dolphins
15	Carolina Panthers
16	New Orleans Saints
17	San Diego Chargers
18	Minnesota Vikings
19	Buffalo Bills
20	St. Louis Rams
21	Houston Texans
22	Atlanta Falcons
23	San Francisco 49ers
24	New York Jets
25	Cleveland Browns
26	Oakland Raiders
27	New York Giants
28	Jacksonville Jaguars
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30	Tennessee Titans
31	Chicago Bears
32	Washington

Most Interesting Teams to Watch 

Washington 

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The word "interesting" means a vast array of different things, but this time of year it should pertain to the teams with the most time underneath the spotlight, as well as teams capable of a surprise this season.

Washington's a mess, no two ways about it.

Quarterback Robert Griffin III has been the subject of the league's most interesting controversy.  He's out of action with a concussion, and now the team has to negotiate waters suggesting the front office wants to trade him, per the Washington Post's Mike Jones and Mark Maske.

Fun, right? There are still plenty of reasons to keep an eye on Washington besides the drama. Kirk Cousins looks like the man under center and just went off for a 20-of-27 effort for 190 yards with a pick and a score.

Cousins is a capable player. Remember, too, he's surrounded by a star-studded cast of weapons headlined by DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Alfred Morris, all captained by offensive guru and head coach Jay Gruden.

Come for the quarterback controversy, but stay for the intrigue. If the offense clicks, everyone's favorite current punching bag could pull off a few upsets.

San Francisco 49ers

The favorite punching bag before RG3 and Co.? The San Francisco 49ers, of course. 

For good reason, too. The 49ers experienced the worst offseason in history, losing coach Jim Harbaugh, Chris Borland, Patrick Willis, Michael Crabtree, Mike Iupati, Chris Culliver, Justin Smith and Aldon Smith.

The circus act continued against the Denver Broncos in Week 3 of the preseason, where quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw for just 13 yards but led the team in rushing with 53.

Coach Jim Tomsula later pointed out the team's lack of audibles, per Joe Fann of 49ers.com: “I’m not going to get too deep into that topic, but I will tell you, (Kaepernick) will have latitude. He hasn’t up to now, we haven’t game-planned (for it). … We haven’t gotten into a lot of that in these preseason games.”

Will it make a difference in the regular season? In theory, yes. But it's something to watch, as is explosive second-year back Carlos Hyde and a rebuilding defense led by a returning NaVorro Bowman.

No matter which way things swing, the 49ers remain a team to watch.

Oakland Raiders 

Rebuilding teams are always a good time, but this is especially the case with the Oakland Raiders this year. 

Derek Carr returns with a year of experience under his belt after completing 58.1 percent of his passes with 21 scores as a rookie. He does so in style, too, thanks to rookie wideout Amari Cooper.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports captured just one instance of why Cooper and the offense will be so much fun to watch this year:

Offense is always fun, but make a point to focus on the Oakland defense, too.

There, Khalil Mack might be the most disruptive player in the league this side of J.J. Watt. In Week 3 of the preseason against Arizona, in just two quarters, he forced a fumble on a running back and sacked the quarterback twice.

NBC's Michael Gallagher put it best: 

In short, the Raiders can take a significant climb up the rankings. Carr has Cooper, Crabtree and others to work with, while Mack leads the way on a defense with underrated contributors such as tackle Dan Williams and linebacker Curtis Lofton, not to mention a veteran leader by the name of Charles Woodson.

Keep a close eye on the silver and black this year.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of August 31. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.