ESPN NFL Power Rankings: Where Did ESPN Go Wrong in Week 4 Rankings?

Admittedly, NFL power rankings are still a little unpredictable at this point. We have only three weeks of football to go off of.

So, we're still a little stuck on our preseason notions. Some teams won't be as good as we expected, while others won't be as bad. We just don't know that now.

ESPN posted their official rankings here. They were right in a lot of cases. If you take a look at mine below, you will see a lot of teams in similar places.

Still, there are a few places where ESPN didn't quite get it right. They're basing some placements more on preseason notions than what we have seen.

Problem 1: Undefeated Teams Ranked Too Low

I have no problem with the Packers being No. 1. They are the defending champions and undefeated. But the other two undefeated teams belong right below Green Bay.

Instead, you have the Lions ranked No. 4 and the Bills ranked No. 6. I am not necessarily predicting that they will end up in such high spots, but they both belong there right now.

Instead, ESPN has the Patriots and Saints (more on them later) ranked No. 2 and No. 3, and the Ravens ranked No. 5. Those are all fine teams, but also all have glaring weaknesses.

Problem 2: Saints, Patriots, and Ravens Overrated

This one is pretty similar to the first problem. Now, if you look at my rankings, you'll see that I have the Patriots, Saints and Ravens ranked as the three best 2-1 teams.

But the Saints and Patriots need to prove that they can at least contain good offenses. From what we've seen thus far, they haven't done that.

The Ravens need to play more consistently. Even though the Titans are 2-1, they are not a good team. Baltimore was handled by the Titans. The wins against the Steelers and Rams don't quite balance that out.

Problem 3: Seahawks Are Too High

OK, so I might be splitting hairs here, but this is worth mentioning. Other than the Bengals, I have the Seahawks as the worst 1-2 team. Their only win came at home against a fellow NFC West opponent.

The 1-2 Jaguars and Broncos should both be higher. Also, the 0-3 Vikings, Rams and possibly Dolphins all belong ahead of Seattle, although I do have the Seahawks above Miami.

Teams with serious question marks (49ers and Steelers) have been pretty dominant against the Seahawks this year.

Problem 4: Jets No. 7, Raiders No. 13

Did I miss something here? Aren't both teams 2-1? Didn't the Raiders just beat the Jets? I am not saying that the Raiders will have a better season, but they deserve to be ranked ahead of the team that they beat.

The same questions apply to the Eagles being over the Falcons, the Giants over the Redskins, the Cardinals over the Seahawks (although I do agree there), and a few others.

There are times when this makes sense. Still, the most egregious one is the Jets being ranked six spots ahead of a team that beat them and that has the same record.

So while these rankings don't mean much, they do indicate a certain stubborn streak that runs through the people making them.

Sure, everyone has a stubborn streak, but these mistakes are too big to not notice.

Michael Dixon's Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

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