2017 NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

I made some big changes to my 2017 NFL week 4 power rankings. A couple of big changes was putting 2 losers from last season, the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, into the Top 10. Check it out!

2017 NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

The Chiefs are dominant. What’s impressive about KC is how the offense is talented enough to counter any changes opposing defense make during the game. QB Alex Smith had 2 TD passes versus the L.A. Chargers. Then, once the Bolts’ D adjusted, KC went to the rushing attack. The 24 to 10 was close to perfect.

2. Atlanta Falcons (3-0)

The Falcons are undefeated. That’s why they remain at 2 on my power rankings. I don’t expect Atlanta to remain at 2. QB Matt Ryan was horrendous against Detroit at Ford Field in Week 3. He threw a ridiculous 3 interceptions. It took a fantastic play by Atlanta’s defense to prevent WR Golden Tate from crossing the finish line for Atlanta to pull out the 30 to 26.

3. Green Bay Packers (2-1)

Let’s be honest. Without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would have been toast before halftime in their 27 to 24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals had a 21 to 7 lead at halftime. That’s how good Rodgers is. He refused to allow his team to lose.

4. New England Patriots (2-1)

The Patriots could have made things much easier on themselves by rushing the football right at a Houston Texans’ D that’s not good stopping the rush. Instead, New England needed 5 TD passes from Tom Brady to beat Houston 36 to 33.

5. Denver Broncos (2-1)

Denver had a let down game against the talented Buffalo Bills in NFL Week 3. The Bills have one of the better defenses in the NFL. I’m not worried about the Broncos because they made mistakes in the 16 to 26 loss. Take away those mistakes? The score might have been flipped.

6. Buffalo Bills (2-1)

Buffalo’s defense is no joke. It intercepted Denver QB Trevor Siemian twice. The Bills beat Denver even though they rushed for only 75 yards from 33 carries. Sure, Buffalo’s D won’t intercept every opponent twice in every game. But, opposing defenses won’t stop Buffalo’s rushing attack ever week either. The Bills deserve this Top 10 rankings.

7. Tennessee Titans (2-1)

Tennessee deserves their their 10 rankings because they rushed for 195 yards against the Seattle Seahawks. Marcus Mariota accounted for 27 of the 195 yards. RB DeMarco Murray, who played most of the game because Derrick Henry got hurt, accounted for 115 of the rushing yards. The Titans beat Seattle 33 to 27.

8. Oakland Raiders (2-1)

Everyone knew that Washington was going to shut down Oakland’s outside wide receivers:  Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Did the Raiders’ adjust? Nope. Washington dominated Oakland 27 to 10. Derek Carr completed 19 of 31 passes for 118 yards. He threw a single TD pass. Carr threw 2 interceptions.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

The Steelers played hard. They had no answer for Chicago’s rushing attack. The Bears rushed for an unbelievable 220 yards from 38 carries. Pitt’s defense was terrible. It really let Big Ben and the offense down in the 23 to 17 loss.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

Philadelphia almost lost to the rival New York Giants in Week 3. As a -6 home favorite, the Eagles only beat the Giants by 3, 27 to 24. It was a win, though. That’s what’s important. Philly rushed for 193 yards on the ground. That was the most positive from this victory.

11. Detroit Lions (2-1)

I moved Detroit out of my Top 10 because of the 26 to 30 loss to Atlanta. But, I don’t believe the Lions deserve to fall much further than 11. Detroit is a solid team. QB Matthew Stafford is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Also, the NFC North is wide-open.

12. Minnesota Vikings (2-1)

Minnesota demolished Tampa Bay 34 to 17 in NFL Week 3. The Vikings are a good football team. A major battle against Detroit is on tap for NFL Week 4. Whomever wins that game will be the team to challenge the Packers in the NFC North Division.

13. Washington Redskins (2-1)

Washington’s defense was exceptional in the 27 to 10 win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 3. But, the true key to Washington’s win, and the reason they’re now in my Top 15, was QB Kirk Cousins. Cousins threw 3 TD passes to go along with 365 yards. He completed 25 out of 30.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)

Jacksonville is all about stopping the pass. You can rush the football against the Jaguars. Once they get you into a passing situation, you’re toast. I believe what you must excited about if you’re a Jaguars fan is how well QB Blake Bortles performed against Baltimore’ supposedly tough defense. Bortles threw 4 TD passes. He threw for 244 yards. He only completed 20 of 31. No problem. Jacksonville dominated the Ravens 44 to 7 and Blake didn’t throw a pick.

15. Carolina Panthers (2-1)

I’m willing to give Carolina a Mulligan in their 17 to 34 loss to the Saints. I do feel that some things came together for the Saints. One thing I will write is that Carolina might have found an answer to some of their issues on offense. Rookie RB Christian McCaffrey caught 9 of 11 targets for 101 yards.

16. Los Angeles Rams (2-1)

QB Jared Goff and WR Sammy Watkins got it going in the Rams’ 41 to 39 win over the San Francisco 49’ers in Week 3. What Rams’ fans must worry about is RB Todd Gurley’s 4 fumbles in only 3 games. Eventually, that’s going to cost LAR a game…or 2, or 3.

17. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

Dallas outscored the Arizona Cardinals 14 to 3 in the fourth quarter for their Week 3 28 to 17 win. The Boys haven’t looked good in any game yet this season. Their Week 4 matchup could test the secondary. The Rams are no joke.

18. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

Baltimore is the worst 2 and 1 team in the NFL right now. The Ravens laid down like rabid animals that had to be shot as soon as they got off the plane in London. It was crazy. Baltimore didn’t even try in the 7 to 44 loss to Jacksonville.

19. New Orleans Saints (1-2)

The Saints flat out dominated the Panthers in every phase of their 34 to 17 win. There were two keys for the Saints: 149 rushing yards, and 3 interceptions. If the Saints’ D can continue to gel, New Orleans could make a push to the playoffs. The NFC South hasn’t turned out to be as great of a division as so many thought it would be.

20. Chicago Bears (1-2)

I was tempted to put Chicago ahead of New Orleans on my NFL Week 4 Power Rankings. I just think New Orleans played a more complete game in Week 3. Still, the Bears proved that no team can take them for granted in the 23 to 17 win over Pitt.

21. Houston Texans (1-2)

Houston showed that they made the right choice by drafting QB DeShaun Watson. Sure, Watson threw 2 interceptions. But, he put the Texans in a position to beat the New England Patriots straight up as a +13.5 road dog. Think about that. Watson, a rookie, almost beat the New England Patriots. Does that mean the Pats aren’t as good as we think they are? Or, is Watson better than we thought he was?

22. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)

I’m not hot on Seattle. I’ve got them ahead of the Arizona Cardinals. That’s pretty much it. Seattle has no rushing attack. The defense doesn’t appear capable of stopping the rush. The only reason Seattle was close enough to lose 27 to 33 to the Titans is because of QB Russell Wilson. Wilson tossed 4 TDs. He threw for 373 yards.

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)

Tampa had an excuse for allowing Vikings back-up QB Case Keenum to go nuts on them. The Bucs were without 2 DEs, 2 DTs, and a starting CB, Brett Grimes. No stepped up, though. That’s what was disappointing about the 17 to 34 loss.

25. Miami Dolphins (1-1)

It’s hard for me to write anything about the Dolphins 6 to 20 loss to the New York Jets. In no way did the Dolphins even try to win the game. QB Jay Cutler threw 2 interceptions. Miami was horrible in every phase.

26. Indianapolis Colts (1-2)

QB Jacoby Brissett rushed for 2 TDs. He also threw a TD pass. Indy beat Cleveland 31 to 28. The Colts won’t got to the playoffs this season. Brissette does show them that trading Andrew Luck today, right now, this hour, might be the way to go.

27. New York Jets (1-2)

I like how the Jets shrugged off all the noise to go out and dominate Miami.  The defense appeared to have gelled. What it means is that the Jets’ D, which has talent, could lead to more J-E-T-S wins.

28. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

Arizona is just a tired bunch. The Cardinals looked great early in their 17 to 28 loss to Dallas this past Monday night. Then, both the offense and defense got tired. Dallas outscored Arizona 14 to 3 in the fourth quarter.

29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)

It’s tough to move Cincinnati past the Jets, Colts, or Dolphins because the Bengals are 0 and 3. Cincinnati played too well to lose at Lambeau. You get nothing for effort in the NFL, though.

30. San Francisco 49’ers (0-3)

San Francisco’s defense had no answer for the Rams’ offense. San Francisco’s offense stuck with the Rams in this one, though. SF had a shot to win the game straight up. So far, the 49’ers have impressed me. I thought they’d be the worst team in the NFL. They’re not.

28. New York Giants (0-3)

The Giants are terrible due to hubris, I think. The G-Men could have drafted OT Ryan Ramczyk out of Wisconsin. Instead, they decided to go for tight-end Evan Engram. Since OT Erick Flowers is a liability, it might be tough for the Giants to win any game this season until they settle the OT position.

31. Los Angeles Chargers (0-3)

Bolts’ QB Phillip Rivers was supposed to torch KC’s secondary. The Chiefs, based on passing yards allowed, has one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Rivers is the one that got torched. He threw 3 interceptions in the 10 to 24 loss.

32. Cleveland Browns (0-3)

I had high hopes for Cleveland going into this season. Not any more. For the first time since Hue Jackson took over as head coach and the Browns brought in a new front office, I’m questioning the moves that Cleveland has made. Losing to the Colts in NFL Week 3 was just bad.