NFL Power Rankings Week 4: How Do All 32 Teams Stack Up?

After witnessing quarterbacks having multiple 300-plus passing yards games, several upsets, a few remarkable comebacks mixed in with a handful of complete blow-outs, I never thought that Week 4 could actually top the previous week, but it did. 

Week 3 really displayed why the NFL is the world's greatest league—nothing else can even come close to comparing. 

This past weekend we learned several things: The Buffalo Bills are a legitimate contender, the Detroit Lions will compete in the NFC North and many more. 

With that being said, we'll take what we learned and produce this week's NFL Power Rankings. 

32. Kansas City Chiefs

Record: 0-3

It's definitely hard to believe that the Kansas City Chiefs were a playoff team just a year ago finishing at 10-6—this season it's clearly a different ball-club. 

The Chiefs sit at the bottom of the AFC West after two embarrassing losses against the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions and most recently a heartbreaker against the San Diego Chargers.

The loss of Jamaal Charles for the entire season will certainly negatively effect this football team. Perhaps, the most critical loss is their offensive coordinator from a year ago, Charlie Weiss, who's now the offensive coordinator at the University of Florida. 

31. Miami Dolphins

Record: 0-3

If the Miami Dolphins fail to walk away with a victory this weekend against the San Diego Chargers, I think that it's safe to say that Tony Sparano will be removed as the team's head coach. In fact, I'd put money on Sparano being fired if the Dolphins lose this Sunday.

It's rather strange to see Miami win-less, as they're a very talented team on both sides of the ball, but consistency is their biggest enemy—they simply fail to execute on a consistent basis. 

30. Indianapolis Colts

Record: 0-3

There's no debate that the Indianapolis Colts stand no chance without Peyton Manning, but they did show some signs of life against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

The Colts fell just short of upsetting the Steelers with a 23-20 loss. The fact that Indy was able to hang around until the last minute is certainly remarkable, especially after losing Kerry Collins with a possible concussion. 

Either way, with Collins or Curtis Painter at quarterback, the Colts will struggle to find wins this season. 

29. Minnesota Vikings

Record: 0-3

I hate to put so much blame on a single player, but Donovan McNabb has literally stunk up the place as quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.

McNabb has completed only 58 percent of his passes on the year for a total of 478 yards while scoring two touchdowns and being intercepted once—it's almost like McNabb is a ghost out there; he's a non-factor.

With a lot of the blame going on McNabb, I still got to recognize that the team's defense has been atrocious with two blown leads in the past two weeks. 

28. St. Louis Rams

Record: 0-3

Many predicted that the St. Louis Rams would be a team on the rise in 2011, especially playing in the pitiful NFC West—that obviously has not been the case.

The Rams are a decent football team, but have played against three very difficult opponentants: The Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens—and their schedule is not going to get any better. 

Take a look at what the Rams have to deal with in the upcoming weeks: Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. 

There is a solid chance that St. Louis will enter Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals with a record of 0-7. 

27. Seattle Seahawks

Record: 1-2

You may find it rather odd that I'm putting the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the Seattle Seahawks after the Seahawks knocked off the Cardinals this past weekend, 13-10. Well, I'll tell you this: Seattle won by only three points with one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL. 

Let me ask you this: Who would you rather have, Kevin Kolb or Tarvaris Jackson? 

If any of you said T-Jax, then you're either crazy or a homer. 

I picked the Cardinals to win the NFC West earlier this season, and I'm sticking to it.

The Seahawks are not better than the Cardinals—especially with Jackson as their quarterback. 

26. Cincinnati Bengals

Record: 1-2

Well, Andy Dalton finally played like a true rookie against the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday as he threw two interceptions while posting a dreadful 40.8 quarterback rating.

The Bengals are simply a below-average football team and with a rookie quarterback at the helm; they're just a flat-out bad football team.

It's a real shame that Dalton has to be thrown into the mix right away, as I see a lot of talent and upside in him, and his development may be stunned due to his early playing time. 

25. Denver Broncos

Record: 1-2

It's no surprise to see the Denver Broncos standing with a losing record entering Week 4—they're just a bad football team with a lot of issues moving forward.

One of their biggest issues is the production at the quarterback position and Kyle Orton simply hasn't been getting the job done. Orton has thrown three interceptions on the year while recording a 79.1 quarterback rating.

If Orton's struggles continue, I think that it's only fair to give Tim Tebow a shot at leading this team. 

24. Jacksonville Jaguars

Record: 1-2

We might as well refer to the Jacksonville Jaguars as just Maurice Jones-Drew, as he's practically their entire team. If Jones-Drew doesn't do well, then the Jaguars will definitely lose the game. 

The Jaguars will be rolling with the rookie Blaine Gabbert at quarterback which means that there's going to be a lot of headaches down in Jacksonville due to his rookie mistakes. 

Jacksonville would be an average football team if they had kept David Garrard or brought in a proven starting quarterback, but that's obviously not the case right now. 

23. Arizona Cardinals

Record: 1-2

Believe it or not, I actually don't believe that the Arizona Cardinals are all that bad of a football team. In fact, I am projecting them to win the NFC West. 

The Cardinals have now had back-to-back tough losses against the Washington Redskins and the Seattle Seahawks all by a combined margin of four points. 

That's right, the Cardinals aren't undefeated because of four lousy points. 

Arizona has a nice offensive foundation with Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald and an average defense. There's no reason why they can't win the NFC West. 

22. San Francisco 49ers

Record: 2-1

There's only one reason why the San Francisco 49ers are ranked ahead of the Arizona Cardinals, and that's because they have a winning records.

The 49ers' defense has been efficient so far this season as they're currently ranked seventh best in the league in total defense—most expected that out of that group. 

On the other side of the ball, Alex Smith and the offense has been rather productive as they've been able to hold onto the football and average 23.3 points per-game.

If Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers can keep it up, they'll easily compete with the Cardinals for the NFC West divisional title. 

21. Carolina Panthers

Record: 1-2

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers finally recorded their first win of the season this past Sunday with a 16-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Panthers have a solid defensive attack that is able to contain most offenses and have a nice group of talent on the offensive side of the ball led by Steve Smith and Greg Olsen. 

Let's put it this way: If Newton continues to play like the way he's playing, the Panthers could contest for a winning record in the NFC South, believe it or not. 

20. Cleveland Browns

Record: 2-1

There's one thing that Colt McCoy and the Cleveland Browns have that some teams don't have and that's guts—the Browns will never give up, no matter how good their opponents are. 

The Browns had a disappointing start to their season with a loss against the lowly Cincinnati Bengals but have come back strong with two impressive victories over the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins. 

19. Tennessee Titans

Record: 2-1

Under first-year head coach, Mike Munchak, the Tennessee Titans look like a quality football team that can compete in the AFC South.

Munchak has gotten a lot of help from Matt Hasselbeck, who's had a huge resurrection at quarterback for the Titans. 

Tennessee has had two impressive wins over the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. 

18. Chicago Bears

Record: 1-2

How can the Chicago Bears be this high with a losing record? Well, take a look at their first three games: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers. All three games could have gone either way. 

The Bears are the defending NFC North champions and could have a hard time defending that title this season with such a difficult schedule and a much-improved Detroit Lions team. 

17. San Diego Chargers

Record: 2-1

The San Diego Chargers haven't looked all that impressive this season despite having an extremely talented roster led by Philip Rivers.

The Chargers were demolished by the New England Patriots while struggling to beat two inferior opponents in the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs. 

It's all about consistency for the Chargers—they need to be more consistent. 

16. Atlanta Falcons

Record: 1-2

What is wrong with the Atlanta Falcons? They cannot protect Matt Ryan, and they cannot stop the run—they're an extremely huge disappointing so far this season.

The Falcons' lone victory has came against the Philadelphia Eagles, a game in which they should have lost as Michael Vick left the game with a concussion. I hate to put it this way, but if Vick was never knocked out, I do believe that Philly would have came out as victors. 

Atlanta had a lot of hype around them entering this season and need to turn around really fast after a disappointing loss against their division rival in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

15. Washington Redskins

Record: 2-1

At last, the Washington Redskins lost their first game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys in a heart-breaking 16-15 defeat. 

The Redskins have been a major surprise so far this season, mostly due to the stellar play of Rex Grossman at quarterback. Grossman came into Monday night with four touchdowns on the season, as he added one more Monday night against the Cowboys. 

Don't sleep on the Redskins, they could walk away as NFC East champions—believe it. 

14. Dallas Cowboys

Record: 2-1

Somehow, someway, the Dallas Cowboys are 2-1 on the season with two back-to-back nail-biting victories over the Washington Redskins and the San Francisco 49ers.

Most of the Cowboys success can be credited to Rob Ryan and the team's defense, but the leadership from Tony Romo has kept the team intact. 

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Record: 2-1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off 2011 with a disappointing loss against the upstart Detroit Lions but have rebounded nicely with a recent victory over the Atlanta Falcons, 16-13.

The Buccaneers have a strong defensive front with a solid secondary that can contain most opposing offenses while the leadership from Josh Freeman creates a perfect opportunity for success. 

Don't be surprised if Tampa Bay can steal a playoff spot away from either the Saints or the Falcons. 

12. Philadelphia Eagles

Record: 1-2

So much for being the "Dream Team." As of right now, the Philadelphia Eagles are the biggest frauds in the NFL. 

The Eagles defense is currently ranked 13th in the NFL while their offense is ranked sixth, but they enter Week 4 with a losing record—how is that possible? 

Well, for starters, the team is unable to protect Michael Vick, as he's taken four sacks on the season while suffering a concussion in Week 2 and recently suffering a deep bone bruise in his right hand against the Giants. 

Even when the Eagles have been protecting Vick, he simply hasn't been as good as he was a year ago. Vick has completed only 59 percent of his passes while posting a 87.7 quarterback rating. 

11. New York Giants

Record: 2-1

The New York Giants are a very good football team and proved that when Eli Manning is performing at a high level, they're extremely hard to beat. 

New York finished Week 3 with a very convincing victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, as the team's pass rush knocked Michael Vick out of the game with an injury to his right hand.

The Giants are, without a doubt, a playoff contender in 2011 as long as Manning is able to take care of the football. 

10. New York Jets

Record: 2-1

Aren't the New York Jets supposed to have one of the best defenses in the NFL? They looked putrid against the Oakland Raiders this past Sunday as they lost 34-24. 

Raiders running back Darren McFadden literally ran up and down the field against the Jets as he accumulated 171 yards on the ground. 

Entering Week 4, Rex Ryan and the Jets have a lot of work to do. 

9. Oakland Raiders

Record: 2-1

This past weekend, I officially bought into what the Oakland Raiders are doing, and I am truly impressed with Hue Jackson's offensive attack with Darren McFadden at running back—it's phenomenal. 

The Raiders have a very tough defense that is physical and appear to be non-effective with the loss of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. 

Oakland suffered a devastating loss against the Buffalo Bills last weekend, as the Raiders blew an 18 point lead but bounced back in a big way against the Jets with a 34-24 victory.

As of right now, the Raiders are the team to beat in the AFC West. 

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

Record: 2-1

So far this season, it's been very difficult to get a good read on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The defending AFC champions have looked shaky at times this season with an embarrassing loss against the Baltimore Ravens during Week 1 and looked like an average football team against the lowly, Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. 

The Steelers are a good football team, but I'm not too sure that they'll be able to repeat their success from a year ago. 

7. Houston Texans

Record: 2-1

2011 should be the year that the Houston Texans finally make the playoffs and win the AFC South. However, the team suffered a minor setback this Sunday with a 40-33 loss against the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints are a good football team, clearly better than the Texans, but it was certainly promising to see how well the Texans were able to compete against a team that's two years removed from a Super Bowl victory. 

Houston has looked impressive so far this season, and all of it has been played without the strong rushing attack of Arian Foster, who's been battling a nagging hamstring injury. 

6. Baltimore Ravens

Record: 2-1

The Baltimore Ravens a very strong football team that will compete for the AFC North title against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens opened 2011 with an incredible 35-7 thrashing over the Pittsburgh Steelers but was knocked off by the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. However, the Ravens rebounded nicely in Week 3 with a dominant 37-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams. 

5. New Orleans Saints

Record: 2-1

The New Orleans Saints took care of business Sunday against the Houston Texans with a 40-33 victory. 

Drew Brees and the Saints offense looks unstoppable as they currently rank second in the NFL with total yards. 

If the Saints defense can come up with timely stops, the Saints will be a very difficult team to beat this season. 

4. New England Patriots

Record: 2-1

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots certainly took a few steps backwards after their embarrassing 34-31 loss against the upstart Buffalo Bills. At one point, the Patriots were up 21-0, but Brady threw four interceptions and the team's defense was simply horrific as the Bills came back and won. 

Bill Belichick certainly has some major issues on his hands entering Week 4 as the team appears to be unable to win when Brady and the offense struggles; their defense is just not that good as it ranks dead last in the NFL. 

New England started 2011 off with a hot start but bounced back to reality when their putrid second half of play against Buffalo. 

3. Buffalo Bills

Record: 3-0

Who would have thought that the Buffalo Bills would have started 2011 with a 3-0 record? I know that I sure as hell didn't. However, all I know is that Buffalo is a very good football team.

The AFC East is no longer a two-team race between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots as the Bills knocked off the Patriots with an incredible come-from-behind victory this past weekend. 

The Bills' offense is practically unstoppable as Fred Jackson is the NFL's leading rusher and is not only a threat on the ground, but a threat as a receiver. 

Watch out for Buffalo in 2011—they are for real. 

2. Detroit Lions

Record: 3-0

The NFC North is going to be one hell of a race between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions if the Lions are able to keep up their stellar play.

The Lions have simply looked unstoppable on both sides of the ball as they steamrolled the Kansas City Chiefs and have had an incredible come-back victory over the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday.

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson look to be the league's best quarterback-to-wide receiver combination and are the keys for Detroit's success.

If Stafford can stay healthy and keep giving Johnson the ball, teams are going to struggle to beat the Lions in 2011. 

1. Green Bay Packers

Record: 3-0

The Green Bay Packers are playing like true reigning Super Bowl champions as they've defended their title nicely to date with solid victories over the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears.

Aaron Rodgers is arguably the league's front-runner for MVP, and he's playing like the best quarterback in the NFL with his incredible 71.8 completion percentage, eight touchdowns, one interception and 917 total passing yards. 

The Packers are in a great position to repeat in 2011.