NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Look Ready for the Super Bowl?

The first couple of weeks of the NFL season are a lot like the first month of baseball season. A lot of teams are still figuring things out.

No thanks to the lockout, this is especially true this year. There are a lot of teams who just look flat, and there are some who look like they're going to be flat for the entire season.

And then there are the teams who are not flat at all.

While some teams are struggling to get off the ground, there are a handful of teams that look like they are ready for the playoffs to start right now.

A select few of these teams look like they could play in the Super Bowl if it were held next week. For kicks, I decided to pick out four of them.

4. Buffalo Bills (No. 5)

Considering they beat two perennial weaklings in the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, I wasn't really buying Buffalo's 2-0 start.

However, then they went out and beat the New England Patriots and looked good doing it. After getting themselves in an early 21-0 hole, the Bills roared back and controlled the tempo of the game the rest of the way.

They even picked-off Tom Brady four times, which is just plain ridiculous. It's even more ridiculous that one of those was a pick-six that gave the Bills the lead in the fourth quarter.

Do the Bills have issues they need to work out? You better believe it. But what's impressive about this team is that they seem determined not to let their weakness be their undoing. They've won each of their last two games by sheer force of will, which is something that comes in handy when making a run at a Super Bowl.

3. New Orleans Saints (No. 2)

Through three games, it's obvious that the Saints are once again an offensive juggernaut. It's just too bad they can't play defense.

In other words, it seems to me that the Saints are an upgraded version of the 2010 Saints, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

Nevertheless, we're talking about a team that is one bad play-call from being 3-0. What's more, two of those wins came over two of the best teams in the NFL. The Saints have a certain magic about them and they look like the kind of team that is going to be able to beat any team in the league.

Maybe they're more like the 2009 Saints, which is a good thing.

 

2. Detroit Lions (No. 6)

When the Lions went into the half on Sunday and were trailing the Minnesota Vikings 20-0, I sat back in my chair and said, "Now these are the Lions I know!"

After the half, the Lions I don't know showed up again.

Matthew Stafford found Calvin Johnson a couple of times, the Lions forced overtime and would go on to win on a walk-off field goal by Jason Hanson.

We know the Lions have worlds of talent, but what they showed on Sunday is that they also have grit. These are two things that every Super Bowl winner in history has had.

1. Green Bay Packers (No. 1)

It's uncanny how effortlessly the Packers have picked up where they left off last season. It would be a stretch to say that each of their three wins have been perfect, but they have looked, well, effortless.

It's hard to describe exactly why the Packers are so good, but I think it has a lot to do with how they just seem to know they can beat any team in the league. People in some circles would say they have "swagger."

I'm not in one of those circles, and I'm not even sure what the word means, but even I can tell that the Packers had it last year.

More importantly, they still have it, and that's a bad thing for the rest of the NFL.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 4 Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Record
1	Green Bay Packers	3-0
2	New Orleans Saints	2-1
3	Baltimore Ravens	2-1
4	New England Patriots	2-1
5	Buffalo Bills	3-0
6	Detroit Lions	3-0
7	Houston Texans	2-1
8	San Diego Chargers	2-1
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-1
10	Washington Redskins	2-0
11	Pittsburgh Steelers	2-1
12	New York Jets	2-1
13	Philadelphia Eagles	1-2
14	Oakland Raiders	2-1
15	Atlanta Falcons	1-2
16	New York Giants	2-1
17	Dallas Cowboys	1-1
18	Chicago Bears	1-2
19	Cleveland Browns	2-1
20	Tennessee Titans	2-1
21	San Francisco 49ers	2-1
22	Denver Broncos	1-2
23	Arizona Cardinals	1-2
24	Carolina Panthers	1-2
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-2
26	Cincinnati Bengals	1-2
27	Miami Dolphins	0-3
28	Minnesota Vikings	0-3
29	St. Louis Rams	0-3
30	Seattle Seahawks	1-2
31	Indianapolis Colts	0-3
32	Kansas City Chiefs	0-3