NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Buffalo Bills and 4 Teams Who Will Keep Climbing

It's been a couple days since I finalized my NFL Power Rankings for Week 4, and I still get a little confused every time I look at them.

Seriously, what the heck are the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions doing that high?

That's just how the first couple weeks of the season have gone. There are some usual suspects who have gotten off to hot starts, and there are some not-so-usual suspects who have gotten off to hot starts.

Regardless of how usual or unusual may be, I think there are four teams who should be able to keep it going in Week 4. It's not going to be easy, but I expect each of them to pull out a win and advance further up my power rankings.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 9)

The Buccaneers impressed me enough with their win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 to inspire me to bump them up to No. 12. And after they dispatched the Atlanta Falcons, I moved them into the top 10 at No. 9.

This week, the Buccaneers have things a little too easy. They're hosting the 0-3 Indianapolis Colts on Monday night, and they're favored by 10 points.

Personally, I think that spread is a little too big, but I do think the Bucs will win. That won't be impressive enough in and of itself for me to move them up, but there should be space for them when other teams ahead of them lose.

San Diego Chargers (No. 8)

The Chargers have had a weird season to this point. After they lost to the New England Patriots in Week 2, I moved them down to No. 9 in my rankings, as surely they didn't deserve to be punished too harshly. But when they barely beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, I moved them up to No. 8, as surely they didn't deserve to be rewarded too richly.

At any rate, the Chargers should be able to move up another spot or two. They host the 0-3 Miami Dolphins on Sunday, which is a matchup that favors the Chargers in just about every way.

Besides, September ends on Friday. That typically means the Chargers are due to awake from their early-season slumber.

Detroit Lions (No. 6)

I had the Lions at No. 7 last week, and they moved up to No. 6 after they showed great poise in coming back to defeat the Vikings in Week 3.

At this point, I'm officially on the bandwagon, which will make its next stop in Dallas on Sunday. It's definitely not going to be an easy game for the Lions to win, but I think they present enough matchup problems for the Cowboys to get the job done.

When they do, I foresee the Lions being in the top five.

Buffalo Bills (No. 5)

I wasn't a huge believer in the Bills heading into Week 3, which was evidenced by their No. 14 standing in my power rankings.

Then they beat the Patriots, who I had at No. 1 at the time. That was enough to convince me to move the Bills way up to No. 5.

It's going to be hard for the Bills to advance much further, but they should at least be able to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Whether or not they advance has everything to do with the Patriots.

The reason I think the Bills will advance is because I think the Pats have a tough one on their hands at Oakland this weekend. The Raiders may not be able to beat the Pats, but they definitely won't make it easy for them.

If the Pats look human again, I'm moving them down to make room for the Bills.

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	Pittsburgh Steelers	2-1
11	New York Jets	2-1
12	Philadelphia Eagles	1-2
13	Oakland Raiders	2-1
14	Washington Redskins	2-1
15	Atlanta Falcons	1-2
16	New York Giants	2-1
17	Dallas Cowboys	2-1
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