NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Did ESPN Vastly Overrate?

The art of the NFL power ranking isn't hard to master; just watch the games, know a few things about all 32 teams, and you can figure out how each squad measures up to the others. Every week, I put together my rankings, and the fine folks at ESPN do as well.

Of course, there is often a good deal of disagreement between my rankings and those of the worldwide leader. Let us now examine which teams they ranked higher than their record and performances suggest.

The ESPN experts have the New England Patriots at the No. 3 spot; I have them ranked fourth. While this doesn't appear to make much of a difference, they have them ranked above the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, two teams significantly more well-balanced than the Patriots.

Perhaps defenses don't win a team championships, but without one, a team has little chance of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February, and pass defense is the team's biggest issue right now.

They gave up a 21-0 lead to the Buffalo Bills and lost the Week 3 contest, 35-24. More games like that, and all of the Tom Brady passing yards in the world won't save their season.

To me, that doesn't sound like a top-three team; they sit tenuously at No. 4 in my rankings for sure, but a loss this week against the Oakland Raiders will have the Patriots falling considerably.

ESPN also gave the Seattle Seahawks a major jump this week with their win over the Arizona Cardinals. Their ranking, No. 24, is more than a little bit off.

Yes, I have the 1-2 Seahawks at the bottom of my power rankings, below teams that still sit winless. That's because the Seahawks are the worst team in the NFL, win-loss records be damned.

In my opinion, that win says a lot more about the Arizona Cardinals team they defeated rather than any significant or lasting Seattle improvement, and my power rankings reflect that fact.

The Cardinals were 20th in my Week 3 power rankings, and have fallen to 27th this week with that loss. Arizona may have a solid quarterback-wide receiver tandem, but they will need far more than two players to defeat even the lowliest of competition this season.

There's much to be said for not basing power rankings solely on teams' records and the previous week's performance; I prefer a more holistic approach of examining each team and the climate of the NFL when putting teams in their rightful weekly spot.

It prevents over- and underrating of teams, and, as one example, keeps the Seahawks right where they deserve to be: at the very bottom of the league.

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