NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Buffalo Bills and 4 Teams Who Won't Fade Away

Every year in the NFL, there are always at least a couple teams who burst out of the gate and take the league by storm, much to everyone's surprise.

For the most part, these teams tend to fade back into obscurity as the season goes along. But every once in a while, teams who start the season hot stay hot all the way to the postseason.

This year, there are a number of teams throughout the league who have been much better than advertised in the early goings. Some of them will fall of the pace as the season progresses, but there are four teams in particular that I think are going to be in it for the long haul.

Let's talk about those four teams, shall we?

4. Oakland Raiders (No. 14)

I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Oakland's win over the New York Jets on Sunday was the organization's biggest win in years. The Raiders bullied the Jets from start to finish, and they definitely looked like the better team.

Despite the fact I saw flashes of it in Weeks 1 and 2, what the Raiders showed me on Sunday is that they have the kind of offense that is going to be a nightmare for any team in the league. And if the defensive line is allowed to wreak havoc, Oakland's defense is much better than the sum of its parts.

For now, I have the Raiders at No. 14 in my power rankings. But if they beat the New England Patriots in Week 4, the Raiders could be in the Top 10 for good.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 9)

At some point, the Buccaneers are not going to be under the radar anymore. They stayed there throughout the entire 2010 season, and they are still there early on this season despite a strong start.

But as far as I'm concerned, the Bucs are already legit. They are hardly flashy, but the winning culture that Raheem Morris crafted last season is alive and well. The Bucs believe they can beat anyone, and I think they can.

I figured at the start of the season that the Bucs were going to be the third-best team in the NFC South. As my power rankings indicate, I now think they're the second-best, and they're really not that much worse than the New Orleans Saints.

2. Detroit Lions (No. 6)

And then there's the team that gave the Buccaneers their one loss, the 3-0 Detroit Lions.

Given the amount of hype that was surrounding the Lions at the start of the season, it should not be a surprise that they are 3-0. But it is. They are, after all, the Lions.

Exactly what is different about the Lions this year is not hard to determine. Matthew Stafford is healthy, and he has been as studly as the Lions thought he was going to be when they drafted him first overall in 2009.

If Stafford stays healthy (cross your fingers), the Lions could very well be the best team in the NFC North when all is said and done. As it is, I don't have them that far removed from the Green Bay Packers in my power rankings, which I think is pretty significant.

1. Buffalo Bills (No. 5)

I was very much on the fence about the Bills heading into their Week 3 matchup against the Patriots. Sure they had started hot, but it was hard to see them beating a team like the Pats.

Somehow, they did. All it took was a gutsy comeback and four interceptions of the great Tom Brady. Another standout performance from Ryan Fitzpatrick also helped.

Make no mistake, the Bills are not a perfect team. They do seem, however, to be a good team in general. There's been a losing culture in Buffalo for a while now, but you would never know it from watching the Bills this year.

At the moment, I have the Bills at No. 5 in my power rankings. I'm not sure they're going to move much higher than that, but I think they have the goods to stick around all season.

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