NFL Power Rankings: San Francisco 49ers and the 3 Most Unconvincing 3-1 Teams

I have experienced my share of NFL seasons, but this one is just plain weird.

I think one of the reasons I say this is because there only appears to be one truly dominant team this year. That would be the 4-0 Green Bay Packers, who look like they are practically unbeatable.

After the Packers, it's the Wild West. And when it comes to evaluating how good each team truly is, records should be a secondary concern.

For example, there are a handful of teams that are 3-1 after four weeks, but I don't think all of them are created equal.

In particular, there are three 3-1 teams that I'm just not buying quite yet.

New York Giants (No. 11)

I have to admit, I didn't think the Giants were going to be as good as they are. Heck, with the amount of injuries they're dealing with, I'm surprised they're not 0-4.

But are the Giants truly one of the better teams in the NFL? I don't think so.

I come to this conclusion because I think it's clear that the Giants have gotten to 3-1 by beating up on some lousy opponents. They beat the St. Louis Rams (0-4) in Week 2, the Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) in Week 3 and the Arizona Cardinals (1-3) in Week 4. Those teams have combined to lose 10 games in row.

Moreover, the Giants were lucky to beat the Cardinals. I'm of the mind that the Victor Cruz play should have been ruled a fumble. If it had, the Giants would have lost, and we wouldn't be talking about them right now.

Tennessee Titans (No. 15)

So how's that Matt Hasselbeck signing working out?

Pretty well, actually. He's been very efficient this season, and it's hard to imagine the Titans racing out to a 3-1 start without him.

Nevertheless, I'm not entirely sure the Titans have been tested yet. You can point to the Baltimore game if you want, but I think it was clear that the Ravens weren't really up for that game after pounding the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.

Speaking of the Steelers, the Titans have to pay them a visit in Week 5. If they win there, I'm officially on the bandwagon. But not until then.

San Francisco 49ers (No. 18)

Last week, people here in the Bay Area were talking about the 49ers like they were a group of overachieving hacks. Then they went and beat the Eagles, and suddenly people are talking about them as legit Super Bowl contenders.

Um, no. Sorry, but the 49ers are still overachieving hacks. It would have been one thing if they had beaten a good Eagles team, but I think it's clear at this point that the Eagles are not even remotely good.

Besides, the Eagles would have won if Alex Henery had made those field goals. The 49ers were lucky to leave Philadelphia with a win.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 5 Power Rankings

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