NFL Power Rankings: San Diego Chargers and 3 Teams That Will Win Before Bye Week
The bye week portion of the 2011 NFL season has begun, giving every team a nice bit of rest to look forward to.
Of course, they'll have to take their breaks in shifts, lest the NFL find it best to give everyone a midseason vacation.
That's not about to happen, though these three teams figure to head into theirs on a winning note.
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The Chargers need only overcome the Broncos before breaking for a week. Philip Rivers and company will look to extend their winning streak in the Mile High City to three, with a downtrodden, 1-3 Denver team ready to relinquish its rights to victory.
The defensive-minded coaching of John Fox hasn't kept the Broncos from checking in among the bottom 10 in the NFL in points and yards allowed, while Captain Neck Beard, known to some as Kyle Orton, has done little to inspire confidence among chants of, "We want Tebow!"
The Bolts will find life in thin air that much more agreeable, whether young Timothy gets playing time or not. Perhaps Norv Turner will even consider allowing his players to stay staying in-state for a team ski trip.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the AFC West, the Chiefs finally have a win to their credit, one garnered at the expense of a similarly inept Vikings squad.
Now that Matt Cassel has put head coach Todd Haley in his place, the Kansas City quarterback can get back to playing the sort of football for which the team is paying him so exorbitantly. He and the Chiefs will be charged with the task of taking down their second winless team in a row, this time the 0-4 Colts.
Another win won't bring back Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles, nor will an extra week of rest afterward, but it will give Haley a bit of breathing room before his head inevitably hits the chopping block at some point this season.
Is it just me or might the Titans be for real? I know we've already forked over the AFC South crown to Houston, but Tennessee has made a pretty good case for itself.
The Mike Munchak regime has reinvigorated a once-downtrodden defense and breathed new life into Matt Hasselbeck who, like that old fart he used to back in Green Bay some years ago, is proving to be something of an ageless wonder in the midst of a late-career renaissance.
Now that Chris Johnson is seemingly back on track and fullback Ahmard Hall is set to return from suspension, the Titans could be among the most balanced teams in the NFL.
They'll play "Contender or Pretender?" this weekend with a trip to Pittsburgh, albeit against a Steelers squad whose offensive line is already in shambles and who, to make matters worse (or better, depending on your point of view), may well be without Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall, Aaron Smith and James Harrison.
In any case, Tennessee looks ready to roll once again and figures to keep it going into the break.
Josh Martin's Week 4 NFL Power Rankings |
9. San Diego Chargers |
11. Tennessee Titans |
13. Dallas Cowboys |
16. Oakland Raiders |
17. New York Jets |
18. Atlanta Falcons |
19. Cleveland Browns |
20. Chicago Bears |
24. Denver Broncos |
25. Seattle Seahawks |
26. Kansas City Chiefs |
30. Miami Dolphins |
31. St. Louis Rams |
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