NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Are League's Real Contenders?

Who said you can't determine the true NFL contenders through three weeks?

You most certainly can. 

These teams have shown enough in their body of work thus far to make us believe they are legitimate contenders who won't falter after their good start to the year.

Detroit Lions

The Lions really have it all.

A franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who is coming into his own, a superstar wide receiver in Calvin Johnson and a stingy defense spearheaded by 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year Ndamukong Suh.

The defensive line gets the lion's share of the publicity, but the secondary has really stepped up in the team's first three games. 

They've allowed a pedestrian 188 yards through the air and have 16 passes defended—good for seventh in the NFL. 

Detroit has won in blowout and comeback fashion and are maturing every week. 

Watch out. 

Oakland Raiders

The Silver and Black are back. 

Sure, they blew a 21-3 halftime lead against the upstart Bills in Week 2, but we saw how dangerous they can be on the ground in their Week 3 victory over the Jets. 

Darren McFadden is a budding superstar, and he makes teams pay in the passing game, too. 

All the speed they've drafted over the years is starting to pay off (think Denarius Moore), and Jason Campbell is the ideal game manager. 

A fun team to watch that is physical enough to wear you down and will be very tough to beat at home.

New Orleans Saints

We saw what the Saints are made of in their comeback victory over the Texans this past week. 

Drew Brees is still operating at a Pro Bowl level without Marques Colston, and Gregg Williams' exotic blitzes have been hitting home, 

These obviously aren't the only contenders in the NFL today, but they are teams that have proven to be better than we expected (Lions and Raiders) or have bounced back after an opening loss (Saints).

Other Contenders

Patriots, Bills, Ravens, Packers, Bucs, Texans, Chargers, Giants

Week 4 Power Rankings

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