NFL Power Rankings: Week 4

Alright I know we are an NFL Draft site but the Power Rankings are going to play an important role here at NFL Mocks.  These Rankings are how we will be determining the draft order for our Mock Drafts.  So take a look a the Rankings and let us know what you think, as usual I expect some good feedback!

1. New York Jets– The Jets seem to be clicking on all cylinders and the progression of Mark Sanchez makes them all the more    dangerous.  Save his DWI arrest Braylon Edwards has seem to get him self back on track and now will have a dynamic running mate in Santonio Holmes.

2. Baltimore Ravens– I know they beat the Steelers without Big Ben but they also beat them in Pittsburgh.  The Ravens defense is still the backbone of the team but Joe Flacco has show that he is capable of putting a team on his shoulders and leading them to a last minute touchdown drive.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers– This defense may be the very best in the league!  Big Ben returns after the bye week and the offense has been rolling without him.  Rashard Mendenhall has developed into the running back they expected when they selected him in the first round.

4. Green Bay Packers–  There is no questioning the talent on this Packers team and the fact that Aaron Rodgers is a very good quarterback.  But the fact remains that they haven’t looked great at all this season.  They almost allowed the Eagles to mount a comeback, they lost to the Bears, and Detroit made it interesting.

5. Houston Texans– This team is becoming more and more balanced as the weeks progress.  Last season they didnt have much of a running game but Arian Foster has busted onto the scene and makes this team really hard to defend.  They are also getting defensive rookie of the year Brian Cushing back off suspension this week!

6. Indianapolis Colts– Now I realize this might be a little high for the Colts but I have been burned by Peyton Manning so many times in many different ways that I will never bet against him.  It has been a theme for several years now that the Colts defense is terrible and they need a fix but some how by the end of the year everyone is talking about how good their defense is so I am betting they get it turned around.

7. Atlanta Falcons–  They probably should have lost the past two games but good teams find a way to win and that is what the Falcons are doing.  They have been improving on both sides of the ball each year since Matt Ryan was drafted and their defense looks like they are able to carry the load if asked.

8. New Orleans Saints–  Who would have thought that the issue with the Saints this season would be their offense?  Not me!  But I am not really worried about the offense they will figure it out and I have been really impressed with the performance of the defense.

9. New England Patriots– Last nights win against the Dolphins was very impressive because it featured big plays by the defense and special teams.  We know Brady and the offense will perform but if the defense can continue to create turnovers then the rest of the NFL is in for some trouble.

10. Kansas City Chiefs–  I know Chief fans are going to rip me apart on this one but this is all the love I can give them.  Going into the season nobody thought their defense was going to be very good so I need more than 3 games to make my determination.  Also the up and down play of Matt Cassel has me a little worried so again I am in a wait and see stage with the Chiefs.

Check out the rest of the Power Rankings after the Jump!

11. Chicago Bears– If the Bears can’t get their offensive line figured out this could be a very long season.  The question marks on offense have the stock of this team dropping rapidly.  They need to find a way to protect Cutler and getting a running game going is a must.  However, this defense has looked great thus far this season.  I really had no clue how good of a run defender Julius Peppers was until I got to watch him a little more.

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12. Dallas Cowboys–  What Cowboys team will show up after the bye week?  I feel as though they have righted the ship and will come off  their bye week ready to rumble.  The defense has looked good and I maybe one of the few that doesn’t have worries about Tony Romo.  However, I want to see Doug Free play a few more weeks before I start singing his praises.

13. San Diego Chargers–  While everyone is going on about how good LT has looked in the early season you cannot really beat the Chargers up to badly.  Both Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert have been playing well and have more than adequately filled in for LT.  The defense still concerns me especially with all the injuries at the OLB position.

14. Miami Dolphins– Last night was an ugly loss but I still feel this is a good team.  Chad Henne should rebound off this poor performance and play a lot better.  I am also impressed with the Dolphins defense and as they get healthy along the defensive line they will only improve.

15. Cincinnati Bengals–  Loosing the the Browns is a big loss but I still think the Bengals will be alright.  They have so much talent on both sides of the ball and I have been especially impressed with the performance of the defense.  They need to find a way to get Cedric Benson going again because he is really what makes that offense churn.

16. Minnesota Vikings–  Lets see if the bye week helped get Brett Favre healthy and a little more in tune with his receivers.  I am sure that Brett and the boys spent countless hours working on timing, well at least I hope they did.  The defense is still strong and the fact that rookie Chris Cook is back will really help out on the back end.

17. Washington Redskins–  I really don’t have any worries about McNabb but the players around him give me cause for concern.  Portis hasn’t looked healthy and the wide receivers just don’t scare any defenses.  Also Trent Williams out with injury could have a long term impact as he is still a rookie and learning has a lot to do with reps.

18. Tennessee Titans– This team is really tough to figure out and I think that is mainly because of the inconsistency of Vince Young.  Chris Johnson hasn’t had a great start to the season but unless Young can show he get the ball down the field teams will continue to stack the box.

19.  Philadelphia Eagles– Quarterback instability isn’t good for any team in the NFL and the Eagles now find themselves in that situation.  No matter if Vick returns or not he will always be at risk for injury because of his aggressive style of play.  Kolb looked timid and like he lacked confidence and I am sure that has something to do with his benching.

20. New York Giants–  This is another team that I don’t quite know what to make of.  I don’t believe they can count on their defense to register 10 sacks a game so the offense is going to have to improve.  Some have said that they played it cautious Sunday night because of how well their defense was playing but until very late the Bears were only 1 big play from taking the lead.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers– Sorry Buc fans I am not on the band wagon this season.  However, I truly believe they have things going in the right direction and I love the young talent they have on this team.  I feel they are about 1 or 2 more good drafts away from being real contenders.

22. Denver Broncos–  While Kyle Orton continues to prove doubters wrong I still have my doubts with both Orton and the Broncos.  Also where is this teams running game?  I am aware that Knowshon Moreno is out with a bad hammy but he has been injury prone thus far in his young career so you really cannot count on him.  I also still have issues with their defense.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars–  The win versus the Colts was a big one but this team still isn’t very good.  David Garrard seems as though he cannot string together several good games and until he does that this team will struggle.

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24. Seattle Seahawks–  This team will have more wins then they should because they play in the lowly NFC West.  Like the rest of the division the Seahawks have a real shot at making the playoffs and might only need 7 wins to do so.  I really like the young talent on this team especially Earl Thomas!

25. St. Louis Rams– If your a Rams fan you have to feel that your team has a bright future.  Sam Bradford has lead this team to back to back wins and is getting better each and every week.  You have a young and improving offensive line and Mark Clayton seems to be gelling well with your young quarterback.  There is still a lot that needs to be done on this team but things are looking up.

26. Oakland Raiders–  Many had hope that the Raiders could get a little traction this season and win a few more games than last season but things are not looking good.  While the Bruce Gradkowski story has been fun to watch the fact remains he is not the long term answer at quarterback.  Darren McFadden has started to live up to his hype but now has gone down with an injury which has been the story thus far in his young career.

27. Cleveland Browns–  Big win last week against the Bengals but the fact remains this isn’t a good team.  Peyton Hillis has been a nice story but the Browns need to figure out the QB position for the long term and I am not sure the answer is Colt McCoy.  I really like what I have seen out of Matt Roth and its time to reward him with a contract extension.

28. San Francisco 49ers–  What a mess this is in San Fran!  I really cannot put my finger on what the overall problem is but things just are not clicking.  They have a lot of talent with Crabtree, Davis, Gore, young offensive line, and the defense is really good.  At this point you have to question the coaching, right?  This team reminds me of the Browns of a few years back when they looked poised for a breakout season but it all fell apart.

29.  Detroit Lions– Like the St. Louis Rams this team is moving away from the depths of the NFL.  They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and this past year’s draft looks like a winner.  Suh and Best are going to be mainstays on this team for many years to come.  However, I have to wonder is Matthew Stafford injury prone?

30.  Arizona Cardinals– This team just looks bad!  Without Kurt Warner running the show it is easy to pinpoint the weaknesses of this team.  There is hope but they need to get the problems at QB figured out and quickly.

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31.  Carolina Panthers–  I don’t like what I see out of the Panthers and the direction they are going.  They have handed the rains over to Jimmy Clausen but he doesn’t have anyone to throw the ball to and its only a matter of time before Steve Smith lets his frustrations known.

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32. Buffalo Bills–  No quarterback, no offensive line, and limited receivers leave much to be desired on offense.  Then take a look at the defense that is trying to make round pegs fit into square holes by switching to the 3-4 defensive scheme.  I question a lot of moves the team has made recently including, drafting Spiller and just flat our releasing Edwards.