NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Bills at the Top, Lions Climb, Bengals Fall

Week 3 is in the books, and I only have one word to describe it: Oof. NFL offenses are averaging just over 317 yards per game – the lowest total since 2005. That explains why it feels like so many offenses are either stuck in neutral, or turning the ball over too much. Let’s break it all down with my NFL Power Rankings Week 4!

1. BUFFALO BILLS (3-0): The offense is scoring points, and it’s being driven by running back James Cook instead of Josh Allen. That’s a scary problem for opposing teams. An efficient, turnover conscious Allen backed up by a consistent ground attack makes Buffalo a very dangerous team.
2. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (3-0): The passing offense finally showed up in a big way, as A.J. Brown had his first 100 yard game since week 15 of last season, and Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes. Kudos to the special teams unit, as they blocked two fourth-quarter field goals. Biggest Eagles comeback win in 15 years. Oh, and Jordan Davis is a beast.
3. DETROIT LIONS (2-1): See “Final Thoughts” section below for Lions analysis.
4. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (3-0): Justin Herbert wasn’t perfect, but he was clutch late down the stretch. The Chargers’ defense was right, holding Bo Nix to just 156 yards passing and dominating 3rd down (Denver was just 2/13 on 3rd down conversions). Keep an eye on the offensive line (injuries and ineffectiveness) and the pass rush (Khalil Mack injured).
5. GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-1): Consider this a bump in the road. Jordan Love wasn’t great in this one, and the rushing offense was stifled, but that will happen when the opposing defense is so disruptive. Committing 14 penalties probably didn’t help things in such a close game.
6. BALTIMORE RAVENS (1-2): This offense can put up points with the best of them, but the defense is one of the worst in the league to this point – 32nd in total yards allowed, 31st in points allowed. Throw in the fact that Derrick Henry lost another fumble, and this feels like bizzaro world. Henry has earned the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t know who’s coming to rescue this defense.
7. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-0): Daniel Jones played well again, Jonathan Taylor went off in the second half, and the defense was stingy. Indy is one of three teams in the NFL to have committed zero turnovers through three games. The Colts also lead the NFL in turnover differential. Can they keep it going?
8. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (2-1): Marcus Mariota played well in Jayden Daniels’ place. The ground game was efficient and diverse, with four different players getting carries, and Mariota contributing 40 rushing yards and a touchdown. The defense did a good job up front, sacking Geno Smith five times and holding the Raiders rushing attack to 3.3 yards per carry. Washington’s defense has to stop giving up big plays though.
9. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-2): They got the win, but the offense remains a mess. Patrick Mahomes is doing his best to try and get the passing game going, but he can’t do it alone all the time. The ground game is lacking, and the offensive line continues to have issues. The defense can’t keep blitzing to hide its deficiencies. Good teams/quarterbacks will take advantage.
10. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-0): The injuries keep piling on for the Bucs. They recently put two starting offensive linemen and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey on injured reserve. Now receiver Mike Evans is likely out for a few weeks. Baker Mayfield continues to get it done in crunch time, but the offense needs more from running back Bucky Irving. Averaging 3.1 yards per carry ain’t cutting it long term. Oh, and 14 penalties?! Gross.
11. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (3-0): Already without players like George Kittle and Brock Purdy, San Fran was dealt another blow. Nick Bosa went down with a torn ACL that will cost him the rest of the year. Can the 49ers overcome the avalanche of injuries that already cost them several starters?
12. LOS ANGELES RAMS (2-1): This game was all about the 2nd half meltdown. After going up 26-7 early in the 3rd, nothing went right for the Rams. The offense got stopped on back to back drives before the two blocked field goals, and the defense couldn’t stop Hurts and the Eagles passing game. They should be fine.
13. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-1): This was a complete, dominant, team win. Sam Darnold and the offense scored four touchdowns, despite not being able to run the ball efficiently. Tory Horton scored twice, including a 95 yard punt return (longest in Seahawks history). The defense smothered New Orleans, holding their offense to just 2.9 yards per rush, and allowing only 13 points.
14. ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-1): Marvin Harrison Jr. is having a rough go at it. He had a couple of hideous drops, including one that would’ve been a touchdown. Can he get it together sooner than later? The defense played well enough to win, but the offense was unable to make much noise. Kyler Murray was held to 4.5 yards per pass attempt, and James Connor suffered a season ending injury.
15. DENVER BRONCOS (1-2): Denver’s defense leads in sacks and passing touchdowns allowed, but have had issues late in the 4th quarter in back to back weeks. We also need to see some explosive plays in the passing game – Nix has been held to 206 passing yards or less in all three games, and is averaging just 5.6 yards gained per pass attempt.
16. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2-1): The Steelers defense was feisty in this one, forcing five turnovers and sacking Drake Maye five times. Aaron Rodgers and the offense didn’t play particularly well, but at least the offensive line protected Rodgers. This was a step in the right direction after allowing 63 points in the first two weeks.
17. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-1): The offense was lackluster, but the Jaguar defense more than made up for it. They shut down Houston’s offense for three quarters, and forced back to back turnovers on Houston’s last two drives. Brian Thomas Jr. looks broken thus far; hopefully he gets it together sooner than later.
18. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-1): The Vikings defense gets an A+ for its performance against the Bengals. Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was all over the place, scoring two defensive touchdowns, and helping put Cincinnati away early. Jordan Mason has looks like an upgrade over Aaron Jones. Is Carson Wentz the new Sam Darnold?
19. ATLANTA FALCONS (1-2): Just a hideous loss versus Carolina. Michael Penix Jr. threw two interceptions, and struggled for a second consecutive week. The offense has now scored just six points in the last two games combined. He has to be better if this team is going to improve.
20. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-2): New England didn’t play terribly, but you can’t put the ball on the ground four times in one game and expect to win. One pick thrown by Drake Maye, and four fumbles lost by the offense – including two fumbles lost inside the Steeler five yard line. The defense didn’t put much heat on Aaron Rodgers – he was pressured only four times and wasn’t sacked.
21. CHICAGO BEARS (1-2): The offense finally woke up! Caleb Williams had arguably his best game as a pro, throwing for four touchdowns, with no turnovers and no sacks taken. The defense also had a nice bounce back after last week’s debacle. Chicago allowed only 14 points, and forced four turnovers.
22. CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-1): Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. If this is how the Bengals offense is going to look, Cincinnati is in for a long season. Jake Browning didn’t play well, but he definitely isn’t the only problem. Chase Brown has fallen off like the final season of ‘Game of Thrones’, the team turned the ball over five times, and this game was over before half time. Zac Taylor might be the first head coach fired if this continues.
23. DALLAS COWBOYS (1-2): Javonte Williams fumbled on Dallas’ first offensive series – that was a bad omen of things to come. The offense struggled, as Dak Prescott threw two 4th quarter interceptions, and Ceedee Lamb got injured early. Lamb will miss at least a couple of weeks due to a high ankle sprain. Dallas’ defense allowed five pass plays of 29 yards or longer, and continues to be one of the worst in the league.
24. CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-2): Bryce Young was good against the blitz in this one, and the defense was suffocating. Carolina’s defense didn’t let Bijan Robinson beat them, and they forced three turnovers. The offense has to be better moving forward.
25. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (1-2): Geno Smith was better this week, but he was abused in this game. The Raiders’ offensive line is awful, unable to protect Smith or open running lanes for Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty had his best game so far, but he is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. The Raiders have allowed 12 sacks through three games – good for 31st in the league. The defense hasn’t been great, either.
26. NEW YORK GIANTS (0-3): The Giants could’ve won this game had Russell Wilson not been completely useless in this game. He completed 56% of his passes and threw two ugly interceptions. Tyrone Tracy Jr. also went down with injury and will miss a few weeks. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart will get his first NFL regular season start next week against the Chargers. Cam Skattebo played well as the lead back, and might not give the job back when Tracy returns.
27. CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-2): The passing game was awful against Green Bay, but rookie runningback Quinshon Judkins looked great. This is what the Browns should be for the rest of the season – an elite defense, and a bruising ground game led by Judkins. Will there be a change at quarterback? Joe Flacco has been a liability thus far.
28. HOUSTON TEXANS (0-3): This offense is just broken. The offensive line sucks, Nick Chubb isn’t making a difference, and no one in the passing game outside of Nico Collins has stepped up. C.J. Stroud continues to disappoint. Nick Caley has been awful thus far as offensive coordinator.
29. NEW YORK JETS (0-3): Great effort from Tyrod Taylor, but it just wasn’t meant to be in the end. Going 3/11 on third down and turning the ball over twice doesn’t win many games. The defense is going to miss linebacker Quincy Williams, who went on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury.
30. MIAMI DOLPHINS (0-3): Turnovers and drive killing penalties continue to plague Miami. Mike McDaniel already seems to have one foot out the door, and even though the team played well for most of the game, they were unable to finish.
31. TENNESSEE TITANS (0-3): The offense continues to be a mess, and Cam Ward has not been very good. Head coach Brian Callahan has given up play-calling duties so he can “oversee” everything. Quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree will take over as the play-caller – instead of offensive coordinator Nick Holz. The Titans are 31st in the league in sacks and dead last in sacks allowed.
32. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (0-3): A turnover on downs on their first drive, penalties, and special teams meltdowns ended this game early. A punt return touchdown and a blocked punt on back to back drives made this a 21-0 game before the end of the first quarter. The offense was bad, the special teams and defense were worse. Tennessee and New Orleans are tied for most penalties committed.

Final Thought

An impressive win against a team many view as a Super Bowl contender. Detroit’s offense was almost perfect – committing zero turnovers, allowing zero sacks, rushing for over 200 yards as a team, and converting on 50% of their 3rd downs. The defense, even though it allowed 30 points, was aggressive and made Lamar Jackson uncomfortable all game. They sacked Jackson seven times and forced a fumble on a 4th down sack late in the 2nd quarter. Aidan Hutchinson continues to get back to form coming off last season’s injury, and was very disruptive.