NFL Power Rankings 2011: Which Teams Are Quietly in Good Position?

The scariest part of the NFL season is which teams are in good position, but also dangerous and under the radar.

Each conference has one team that's not really garnishing a lot of recognition after their Week 3 performance; mainly because it was more about their opponent who lost.

That being said, if these two teams are not on their opponents' watch list, they are really going to do some damage.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs are significantly going under the radar because of the New Orleans Saints' offense rolling in the NFC South, as well as the Carolina Panthers quickly being on the rise with the spectacular performances of rookie QB Cam Newton.

Also, even though their home victory over the Atlanta Falcons wasn't overly impressive (mainly because Atlanta struggles on the road), that only puts Tampa Bay where they want to be—in the back of everybody's mind.

Last, the Bucs made a huge jump from 3-13 in '09 to 10-6 in 2010.

And much like the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFC West, Tampa Bay was expected to falter in 2011.

Well, after losing in Week 1 to the No. 5 ranked Detroit Lions, who by the way are 3-0, Tampa has ran off two straight big NFC victories.

This week the Buccaneers should have no trouble winning either, as the visiting winless Indianapolis Colts come into town, where Tampa plays tough, suffocating defense.

And although it's on Monday night, everyone is expecting Tampa Bay to win.

Therefore, they will remain in the back of everyone's mind until they defeat a solid contender such as New Orleans, Houston, or Green Bay.

However, until then, the Bucs are under the radar and as dangerous as any contender in the NFC.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are one fourth down stop away from being 3-0 right now.

Against Buffalo, the Bills converted two fourth-downs on their final drive to steal the victory over Oakland in Week 2.

Fast-forward to Week 3, and the 2-0 New York Jets came in thinking they were going to slow down running back Darren McFadden.

Twas not the case, however, and McFadden totally dominated Rex Ryan's defense by compiling over 170 yards on 19 carries.

And that's just the thing that's putting Oakland under the radar: Running the football.

So many pass-happy teams these days want to put up points and make all their dazzling big plays through the air, but if you want to win games on a consistent basis and be competitive, running the football is what gets you there.

It doesn't matter how great of a defense you're playing, if you can establish some sort of ground game, it's only going to open up the playbook and allow the passing offense to make you more threatening and balanced.

Right now that's what the Raiders have, but since QB Jason Campbell isn't throwing for 300/400-plus yards per game, the revamped Bay Area bunch is going unnoticed.

Therefore, don't be surprised when the Raiders become AFC title contenders.

Week 4 Power Rankings (LW = last week's rank.) (Teams with * is Monday Night Game)

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

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