NFL Power Rankings Week 4

1. Indianapolis Colts- I don’t know if anyone can stop Peyton Manning right now. He is playing on a different level than anyone else.

2. Baltimore Ravens- Teams are moving the ball on the Ravens defense, but Baltimore’s offense is playing like one of the elite units in the league this year.

3. New York Giants- The Giants have already taken a two game lead in the division. If they weren’t so banged up with injuries they would be ranked #2.

4. New Orleans Saints- Drew Brees and the Saints are on fire on offense. So far their defense has held up, but they’ve only really be challenged once so far.

5. New York Jets- Mark Sanchez has played like a veteran so far, not like the 5th overall pick. The Jets defense has been unrelenting so far, and is among the top 5 in the league.

6. Minnesota Vikings- Favre still has some magic of old. Combine that with Peterson and a tough defense, and the Vikings are a legit contender.

7. New England Patriots- The Pats have played two bad games, but they looked good Sunday against Atl. If Brady and the Pats are back they will be dangerous for the rest of the season.

8. Cincinnati Bengals- The Bengals are one freak play away from being 3-0, Cincinnati and Palmer could be back in the playoff hunt this year.

9. Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles have beaten up on a pair of weak teams, and lost to one contender. I wouldn’t be as concerned except I don’t know how long McNabb will be out/ineffective.

10. Atlanta Falcons- The Falcons had a chance to prove they were an elite team Sunday, but they couldn’t keep up with the Pats. They need to play more fundamental football to prove they are a true contender.

11. Green Bay Packers- The Packers offense looks to be back this year, but they can’t afford to get beat like they did by the Bengals two weeks ago again.

12. Denver Broncos- The Broncos may be 3-0, but they beat the Bengals on a lucky play and then beat up on the hapless Raiders and Browns. Not sure if their talent matches their record.

13. San Diego Chargers- They squeaked by Oakland, then split a pair of home games with the Ravens and Dolphins. Until LT and the ground game come back I think the Chargers are in trouble. Also Merriman is banged up as well, leaving some questions on defense.

14. Dallas Cowboys- The Cowboys haven’t really looked to comfortable at home these last two weeks (never a good sign), and the injuries in the backfield are piling up.

15. Chicago Bears- The Bears had an impressive win against the Steelers, but I don’t know if Cutler is going to lead this team to the playoffs.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers- The Steelers haven’t looked good since they lost Polumalu to an injury. Their running game and kicking game have been struggling as well. It could be a long road to repeat as champions in 2009.

17. San Francisco 49ers- The 49ers could easily be 3-0, but with Frank Gore now out for a couple weeks it could be a long October. The defense has been impressive, but Shaun Hill can’t win without a running game.

18. Arizona Cardinals- The Cards need to keep Warner upright, who has been hit more often than not. They haven’t established a running game yet either despite adding Beanie Wells.

19. Houston Texans- The Texans offense is clicking, but their defense is letting lesser offenses control the game.

20. Buffalo Bills- The Bills haven’t been able to close out games, though should get a boost with the return of Marshawn Lynch on offense.

21. Washington Redskins- The Skins have been playing down to their competition and its cost them dearly. They have the talent to compete, but haven’t shown it on the field. They will need to win their next 3 games to get back into contention.

22. Tennessee Titans- Tennessee may be 0-3, but they have been in every game and could just as easily be 3-0. They have a long way to get back into the playoff hunt, but the talent is there.

23. Seattle Seahawks- Seattle is hurting right now with Hasselbeck out, and two of there starting linebackers missing time as well. Their defense isn’t good enough to compete right now.

24. Detroit Lions- The Lions got their first win on Sunday, and showed an impressive defense and running game. If Stafford can eliminate the mistakes they can stay competitive in games.

25. Carolina Panters- Delhomme has been pretty bad so far, and its left the Panthers 0-3. This looks like a completely different team than the one that dominated the NFC in 2008, despite having almost the same starting 22.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jags got their first win on Sunday, but things look pretty bad in Jacksonville. Garrard isn’t a true NFL quarterback, and with the exception of Jones-Drew the Jaguars don’t have the supporting cast around him. Their pass defense has been their biggest weakness this year.

27. Oakland Raiders- The Raiders already beat the Chiefs, and were two minutes away from knocking off the Chargers as well. They are a bad team overall, but have some talent to catch a team by surprise.

28. Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins would have been a dangerous 0-3 team, if not for the injury to QB Chad Pennington. Backup Chad Henne can’t handle the Dolphins tough schedule.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs are starting a brand new quarterback, right now anything could be better than the numbers Leftwich has put up.

30. Kansas City Chiefs- The fact that the Chiefs weren’t able to beat Oakland at home doesn’t bode well for the rest of their season.

31. Cleveland Browns- The Browns have no quarterback, running game or defense right now. Things can’t get much worse in Cleveland right now.

32. St. Louis Rams- At least the Rams have Steven Jackson to give their fans something to watch. Right now the Rams are in the lead for the Sam Bradford sweepstakes, which is fun and exciting in April, but depressing in October.