The best teams in the National Football League were all off for Week 4 of the 2014 season. None of the sides that played on Thursday, Sunday or Monday did anything to jump ahead of the clubs that are atop NFL power rankings. The Eagles could have made a case for being No. 1 on the list, but then they went and wasted that opportunity on the road.
What was Chip Kelly thinking in San Francisco?
Week 5 NFL power rankings
32. Oakland Raiders (0-4): Sorry for sending you the worst team in the NFL, London. You deserve no regular season games better from us.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4): The Jags, as expected, played better with Blake Bortles as starting quarterback. Also not surprising is that a new QB alone isn’t fixing this team.
30. Tennessee Titans (1-3): Tennessee cannot hang with the best of the best in the league. It’s going to be a long season for the Titans and for their fan base.
29. Washington Redskins (1-3): Talk about a crash back down to earth. The ‘Skins were made to look like one of the worst teams in the NFL by the Giants last Thursday night.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3): Raise your hand if you predicted that the Bucs would go to Pittsburgh and pick up their first victory of the year. Now lower your hands, because you are lying.
27. Cleveland Browns (1-2): Want to prove you aren’t “Same old Browns?” Go beat Tennessee.
26. St. Louis Rams (1-2): Quarterback Austin Davis could light it up against the Philadelphia pass defense. How St. Louis handles the offense of the Eagles will determine if the Rams can battle on the road.
25. New Orleans Saints (1-3): The Saints are not what we thought they were. They’ve already lost at home, and New Orleans isn’t all that special when away.
24. New York Jets (1-3): I agree with those who believe Michael Vick is not the answer at quarterback for the Jets. At this point, though, the team doesn’t have any other choice.
23. Buffalo Bills (2-2): Buffalo gave QB E.J. Manuel a quick hook. Mark Sanchez isn’t doing much in Philadelphia, guys.
22. Minnesota Vikings (2-2): Teddy Bridgewater couldn’t survive a full four quarters of football without picking up an ankle injury. No bueno.
21. Carolina Panthers (2-2): The Panthers have been shockingly awful in their last eight quarters of football. You could argue that they should be lower in this list.
20. Houston Texans (3-1): Remember how bad the Texans looked against the Giants? Beating Buffalo doesn’t justify the Texans flying up NFL power rankings this week.
19. Miami Dolphins (2-2): Ryan Tannehill looked like Peyton Manning against the lowly Raiders. That will be good enough to keep him as Miami’s starter; for now.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2): Talk about a gag-job at home. If the Steelers miss out on a playoff berth or a division title by one game, that loss will come back to haunt them.
17. Atlanta Falcons (2-2): Atlanta looks like an 8-8 team that can’t win on the road. That defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed in Minnesota.
16. Chicago Bears (2-2): What the heck was that, Jay Cutler? He was dreadful in the second half of that loss to Green Bay.
15. New England Patriots (2-2): The Pats have, for years, intentionally or not been setting Tom Brady up to fail. Maybe it’s finally working.
14. San Francisco 49ers (2-2): San Fran saved its season with a home victory against the Eagles that easily could have been a loss. Questions about unrest in the locker room keep the 49ers from being higher in NFL power rankings this week.
13. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2): KC bolt up NFL power rankings after blowing New England out on Monday Night Football. That was quite the performance.
12. New York Giants (2-2): Eli Manning is playing well, and the New York defense seems to have turned back the clock. Keep on burying Manning and Tom Coughlin, media.
11. Green Bay Packers (2-2): R-E-L-A-X. Aaron Rodgers can still be great, but one can’t forget how bad the Packers looked in earlier games. They have yet to show that they are “back.”
10. Indianapolis Colts (2-2): Andrew Luck was arguably the best quarterback of the month. He will be a MVP candidate if his form holds up.
9. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): Turns out that Steve Smith Sr. can still go. The veteran wide receiver made life rough for his former team.
8. Dallas Cowboys (3-1): How bout dem Cowboys?!? A Dallas defense advertised to be the team’s weakness shut Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense down for a half.
7. Detroit Lions (3-1): Beat the teams on your schedule. It’s the name of the game. Don’t look now, but Matt Stafford is playing solid football this fall.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (3-1): The word to describe the play-calling of the Eagles against the Niners: Baffling. Philly turned a win into a loss last Sunday.
5. San Diego Chargers (3-1): Philip Rivers is playing like a championship quarterback. He will now get to take on a lackluster Jets secondary at home.
4. Arizona Cardinals (3-0): This coming Sunday’s Arizona at Denver showdown could be the game of the week; if, that is, the Cards are legit.
3. Denver Broncos (2-1): Peyton Manning will be asked to play 13 straight games without having an off week. Age and time are massive equalizers.
2. Seattle Seahawks (2-1): The ‘Hawks are rested and ready to face Kirk Cousins. That Monday Night Football game could get ugly
1. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0): What does being atop NFL power rankings at the end of September get you? Nothing. The Bengals have plenty of work and many tests ahead of them.
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Zac has been covering the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and National Football League for a variety of websites since 2006. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
