NFL Power Rankings 2011: Which Teams Impressed Most vs. Tough Competition?

Week 4 was a telling week as to which teams would step up despite being amidst a catastrophic breakdown, whereas others needed to keep proving they're worthy of being considered a playoff contender.

Needless to say, some stepped up and answered the call, while some others failed to live up to expectations.

To that end, here are three teams who impressed the most versus tough competition.

Cincinnati Bengals

With the visiting Buffalo Bills in Week 4, the Cincinnati Bengals and all the extra baggage that's been going on appeared to be thin ice.

And very much so, because not only were the Bills 3-0 and the Bengals sitting at 1-2 after a home loss in Week 3, Cincy found themselves down 17-3 at halftime.

They then clawed back to tie the game at 20 with four minutes to play, the defense stepped up, and then the Bengals pulled off the week's biggest upset 23-20.

Not all hope is lost for Cincinnati, and this win could be the turning point they needed in 2011.

New England Patriots

The Patriots proved once again that one game doesn't mean anything, much less one loss.

The road loss in Buffalo proved to be a fluke, because otherwise, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots would have gotten demolished by the confident Oakland Raiders.

Well, 'twas not the case and Bill Belichick's defense came to life in The Bay Area. The Pats picked off Raiders' QB Jason Campbell twice, while limiting the NFL's leading rusher Darren McFadden to only 75 yards on 14 carries.

And although Belichick's D still allowed 344 passing yards, they stepped up big in the red-zone and forced Oakland to settle for two field goals in four trips, which turned out to be the difference maker as the Pats' won 31-19.

Detroit Lions

With 11 minutes left in the third quarter, Detroit found themselves down 27-3 on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, and the Lions' defense was on the field.

Six minutes later, the Lions were only down 27-17 after two straight interceptions got returned for a TD.

By game's end, Detroit had made a 31-3 scoring run in the final 40 minutes to win 34-30.

It's a win that most definitely shocked the NFL world, with the Lions' being down by so much, but it also displayed the type of mental toughness they possess to overcome such adversity.

And Dallas is no easy team to beat, especially at home, and the Lions did so because they are one of the NFL's best teams.

That type of effort in not giving up is how average teams become good, and how good teams become great.

Week 5 Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank) (** Are Monday Night Teams)

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

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