2011 NFL Power Rankings: Week 4
Week 3 of the 2011 season may have been the most exciting thus far considering how many upsets took place–with one of the biggest ones coming out of Buffalo after the Bills overcame a huge second-half deficit to beat the New England Patriots. Here’s a look at the 2011 NFL Power Rankings for Week 4–with the team’s previous rank listed in parenthesis.
1. (2) Green Bay Packers 3-0: Not only did the Packers pick up a huge win on the road against their NFC North rivals, but they finally managed to keep an opponent under 400 passing yards on top of limiting Matt Forte to just two rushing yards–although he made up for it with seven receptions for 80 yards. After two decent games in Weeks 1 and 2, Jermichael Finley finally had a breakout game (seven catches for 85 yards with three touchdowns) and showed just how many dangerous weapons this team has on offense.
2. (1) New England Patriots 2-1: It’s a shame to see impressive performances by Tom Brady (387 passing yards) and Wes Welker (16 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns)–but there’s nothing they can do about it now. If anything, this loss against the Bills will only motivate the Patriots even more for the rest of the season–but there’s still plenty of areas that need to be addressed on defense. They may contain the league’s No. 1 ranked overall offense, but New England ranks at the bottom when it comes to defense and is giving up 377 yards per game through the air.
3. (5) New Orleans Saints 2-1: In a game that kept going back and fourth with scoring, the Saints managed to hold off against the Texans in Week 3 thanks to a big day from their receiving corps. It’s safe to say Houston gave this game away to New Orleans–but that’s all part of the game. Instead of dropping to 1-2, the Saints find themselves in good shape on top of the NFC South with the Buccaneers–but their defense could still use some work. This team will go as far as Drew Brees will take them.
4. (6) Baltimore Ravens 2-1: For starters, don’t be surprised if the Ravens look to use rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith–who caught five passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams–in the offense more for the rest of the season. This team played at the dominant level seen against the Steelers in Week 1–but Baltimore needs to figure out a way to play at that level on a consistent basis if they’re going to be one of the top contenders in the league.
5. (11) Detroit Lions 3-0: No–this is not a typo. The Lions have climbed high enough to be in the top five this week and their comeback performance against the Vikings is just one of many reasons why they are worthy. After trailing 20-0 at halftime, Matthew Stafford (378 passing yards and two touchdowns) and the Lions’ defense stepped it up in the second half before taking the game in overtime to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1980. Obviously, how far this team will go depends on whether or not Stafford stays healthy, but if he can find a way to play all 16 games–this team will a find a way into the postseason for the first time since the 1999 season.
6. (17) Buffalo Bills 3-0: Again–this is not a typo and the Bills are actually ranked this high after the first three weeks of the season. An impressive performance by Ryan Fitzpatrick and the secondary (four interceptions against Tom Brady) to help the Bills finally end that 15-game skid to New England. This team still has plenty of work ahead of them if they have any chance at the playoffs considering they won’t always find a way to win when the defense manages to give up over 30 points–which they’ve already done twice so far.
7. (4) Houston Texans 2-1: This team was on the verge of being 3-0 and simply let Sunday’s game against the Saints slip out of their hands. For a team that ranked sixth against the pass prior to Week 3, the Texans had no answers for Drew Brees–who threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns–and the Saints’ passing game. With Peyton Manning most likely sidelined for the season, Houston is in the perfect position to finally takeover the division and they can’t afford to lose games like these if they want to be playing in their first postseason in franchise history come January.
8. (3) New York Jets 2-1: Talk about a rough visit out west. Not only did Darren McFadden (171 rushing yards) run all over the Jets’ defense, but Mark Sanchez took quite the beating in the process as well after breaking his nose. Still, at least the third-year quarterback set a career high in passing yards, but just like Brady’s stellar performance against the Bills–it doesn’t mean anything without the win.
9. (8) Pittsburgh Steelers 2-1: The Steelers should consider themselves lucky after avoiding an upset against the Colts in what would have easily been the biggest shocker of Week 3. Despite their 2-1 record, Pittsburgh is still far from the dominant team from the last couple of years and still has plenty of work to do if they’ll have any chance in the AFC this season.
10. (14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-1: First off, what a great job by Josh Freeman to get Corey Peters to jump at the end of the game to seal the win for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay knew entering the season that if they wanted any chance at finishing on top of the NFC South–they would need to overcome their previous struggles against Atlanta. What a great win for a young Buccaneers’ squad that will look to continue their great start in the national spotlight next week against an 0-3 Colts team during Monday Night Football.
11. (15) New York Giants 2-1: Not only did the Giants’ defense contain Michael Vick–they took him out of the game and put his status for next week up in the air as well. With all of the injuries on both sides of the ball, few people gave the G-Men any chance against their NFC East rivals–especially since they had lost the previous six meetings. It would be nice to see New York get that type of production from Victor Cruz–who caught three passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns–on a weekly basis.
12. (13) Dallas Cowboys 2-1: No touchdowns by the Cowboys in their home opener–yet they still found a way to squeak by the Redskins with six field goals from Dan Bailey. Considering all of the criticism he took in Week 1, Tony Romo has looked impressive the last two games and deserves all of the credit in the world for suiting up against the Redskins after suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung against the 49ers last week. What a great throw on 3rd and 21 to keep the game alive and eventually set up the game-winning field goal.
13. (12) San Diego Chargers 2-1: Any game when Philip Rivers struggles and the Chargers can still come through with a win–it’s a good win. San Diego should consider themselves lucky since this game should have been a blowout since Kansas City managed to put up just 10 points over their first two games. The Chargers always seem to be one of the teams expected to make a run at the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season–but this team doesn’t appear to have that swag this year.
14. (18) Oakland Raiders 2-1: It’s hard to believe how close this team was to being 3-0 at this point in the season. At this rate, Oakland may turn out to be one of the biggest surprises of 2011 since most analysts expected them to struggle after losing their top two players this offseason to free agency. With an impressive win over the Jets, the Raiders showed they have enough weapons to compete not only in the division–but the entire AFC. Props to Hue Jackson for what he’s accomplished this early on in his first season as head coach.
15. (10) Chicago Bears 1-2: Where was the running game on Sunday? Jay Cutler and Matt Forte combined for the second-lowest rushing total in franchise history with just 13 yards. After their impressive Week 1 performance against the Falcons, the Bears seemed like the type of team ready to make another strong run in the NFC North–but that obviously hasn’t been the case. After back-to-back disappointing losses, this team should be excited about facing Carolina in Week 4.
16. (7) Atlanta Falcons 1-2: At this rate, there’s no way Matt Ryan is going to last an entire season healthy with the way Atlanta’s offensive line has been playing so far and his fumbles were a key factor to the team’s loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. There were high expectations for the Falcons after last year’s 13-3 finish, but they’ve looked anything but impressive so far this season. Even two 100-yard games from both Roddy White and Julio Jones wasn’t enough for Atlanta to overcome Tampa Bay in this one.
17. (9) Philadelphia Eagles 1-2: For the second-straight week, Michael Vick was knocked out of the game and the Eagles wound up on the losing end–dropping the Dream Team’s record to 1-2 on the season at the bottom of the NFC East. Wasted opportunities inside the red zone and poor play calling by Andy Reid were the main reasons behind this loss. Vick may be upset about not receiving the same type of calls that he claims Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would get–but the real problem is the poor offensive line that continues to struggle and provide zero protection for their quarterback.
18. (16) Washington Redskins 2-1: One key play by Tony Romo prevented the Redskins from starting the season 3-0–but there’s still plenty to take away from this game. They may have lost, but Washington managed to keep Dallas out of the end zone for the entire game and the defense has yet to allow more than 21 points all season. It’s still early, but this team is showing plenty of potential for the rest of the season–which is something only Rex Grossman believed in all along.
19. (20) Tennessee Titans 2-1: Another impressive win and performance by Matt Hasselbeck and company–but the victory didn’t come without bad news now that Kenny Britt is expected to miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL against the Broncos. Britt appeared to be on his way towards another breakout season and to hear these types of stories this early in the season is nothing but tragic. On another note, when is Chris Johnson going to live up to that hefty contract he fought so hard for?
20. (22) Cleveland Browns 2-1: The Browns and their fans have to be frustrated considering this team should arguably be 3-0 if they had just defeated the Bengals in Week 1. Still, there’s no reason why Cleveland should be frustrated at this point in the season considering the team’s 2-1 start and their impressive win over Miami in Week 3. Colt McCoy’s leadership skills were certainly present on the team’s final drive of the game and the former Texas star seems to only get better with the more experience he gains.
21. (24) San Francisco 49ers 2-1: No reason to get too excited over the 49ers in Week 3 considering their performance was almost as disappointing as the Bengals–they just happened to perform slightly better to get the win. It was good to see Vernon David (eight catches for 114 yards) to finally have a breakout game and look like the effective pass-catching tight end from the last couple of years–but the offense still has plenty of work. For starters, Frank Gore needs to get that 2.5 yards per carry average up if San Francisco has any chance of finishing on top of the NFC West this season.
22. (28) Carolina Panthers 1-2: He may not have thrown for over 400 yards, but Cam Newton finally picked up his first career win in Week 3 and the Panthers are already one win away from matching last year’s total. The argument can be made that Newton’s numbers would have been better had the game been played in better conditions–but the important factor is Carolina won the game. Now, the Panthers need to figure out how to get DeAngelo Williams–who has rushed for just 63 yards through the first three games–out of his funk.
23. (19) Jacksonville Jaguars 1-2: Alright, so it was Blaine Gabbert’s first career start and most of the game was played in monsoon-type conditions–but there’s no reason why the Jaguars couldn’t have won this game. This team will continue to struggle as Gabbert will most likely go through growing pains like most rookies–but the ground game and defense should be able to make things easier for the rookie. On the bright side, at least Maurice Jones-Drew continues to produce impressive numbers with 307 rushing yards so far this season.
24. (21) Denver Broncos 1-2: Even though they were missing some key members on defense, the Broncos could have easily found a way to win this game considering the Titans played most of the game without star wideout Kenny Britt–who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. All three of Denver’s games this season has been decided by three points or less; the only downside is the Broncos have been on the losing end for two of those games.
25. (31) Seattle Seahawks 1-2: What a difference having Sidney Rice active in the passing game makes after the former Viking caught eight passes for 109 yards in his Seahawks debut. Still, this offense has plenty of areas in need of work considering they’ve produced just 30 points over the first three games of the season. On the bright side, at least the defense looked impressive as they completely shutdown Larry Fitzgerald for the entire second half after catching five passes over the first two quarters.
26. (23) Arizona Cardinals 1-2: There’s no reason why the Cardinals should have lost to the Seahawks–but it happened. Kevin Kolb was on the verge of leading this team to possibly tying up the game or even taking the lead before throwing a costly interception in Seattle territory during the team’s final drive of the game. Not to mention Arizona can’t expect to win games if they fail to get the ball into the hands of Larry Fitzgerald–who finished the game with five catches for 64 yards with one touchdown–in the second half.
27. (27) Minnesota Vikings 0-3: What a difference one half makes. One minute, the Vikings appear to be heading towards their first win of the 2011 season and the next–they’re left shaking their heads wondering how they let a game like the Lions get away from them. With a 20 point lead at halftime, the Vikings should have given the ball to Adrian Peterson more than just five times in the second half. Nothing against the Lions, but there’s no reason why the Vikes shouldn’t be 1-2 instead of 0-3 at this point.
28. (25) Miami Dolphins 0-3: This week was a must-win situation for Tony Sparano and it’s hard not to wonder if he could be on his way out of Miami soon. Sparano and the Dolphins could be heading towards an 0-5 start with two tough matchups on the road over the next few weeks against the Chargers and Jets. Sparano appeared to be on his way out after back-to-back 7-9 seasons and the fact that Miami can’t even manage to win at home (1-11 their last 12 games) shows how far this team has fallen.
29. (29) Indianapolis Colts 0-3: In the Colts eyes–Sunday’s game against the Steelers was seen as a win in a way considering how close they were to pulling off the upset when nobody was giving them a chance. Obviously, this game would have been much different with Peyton Manning in the lineup, but it was still a good effort by Indianapolis considering how overmatched they were against the defending AFC Champions. Of course, the main question now lingering in everybody’s minds–should Jim Caldwell continue starting Kerry Collins or give Curtis Painter a shot at quarterback?
30. (26) St. Louis Rams 0-3: There were high expectations for the Rams after last year’s surprise 7-9 finish–but it was also clear they faced a very difficult schedule at the beginning of the season. Injuries have prevented this team from living up to their true hype so far and as bad as it sounds–it wouldn’t be a surprise if they fall to 0-7 considering they play Washington, Green Bay, Dallas, and New Orleans their next four games. Sunday’s game against the Ravens was over before it even started and the Rams have to be frustrated about their disappointing 0-3 start.
31. (30) Cincinnati Bengals 1-2: Wins will most likely be rare for this team in 2011 with a young offense–but this was one game the Bengals should have easily won. Cincinnati took a 6-3 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, but two costly turnovers by Andy Dalton in the final four minutes of the game made the difference in this 13-8 (talk about depressing) loss to San Francisco. If this team struggled to find the end zone at home against the 49ers, imagine what it will be like if they lose Cedric Benson for three games or Jerome Simpson due to a suspension.
32. (32) Kansas City Chiefs 0-3: If there had to be a positive from Sunday’s game against the Chargers–it was the Chiefs finally hit double-digits for points in a game and even came close to tying the game up before Matt Cassel threw an interception in San Diego territory. Still, it’s hard to expect anything big from this team considering all of the injuries on both sides of the ball. It’s bad when a team is three weeks into the season and has yet to record more than 17 points in a game.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych
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