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NFL Power Rankings: Week 4

Published: September 29, 2009

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Many questioned my rankings last week, when I placed Cincinnati 13th—three spots ahead of Pittsburgh. I did that because the Bengals had just beaten the Packers, who defeated the Bears in Week One, who downed the Steelers the following week. Makes sense, right?

Not to some readers.

“If the Bengals and the Steelers played right now, who would win?” they asked incredulously. “You can’t honestly say the Steelers are worse.”

Cincinnati 23, Pittsburgh 20.

Am I allowed to rank the Bengals ahead of the Steelers now?

1. (1) Baltimore Ravens (3-0)

The Ravens absolutely dismantled the Browns, 34-3. They now have the second-best offense of 430.3 yards per game, and seventh-best defense of 282.7 yards per game in the league.

2. (2) New York Giants (3-0)

The G-Men outgained the Bucs, 397-86.

3. (3) Indianapolis Colts (3-0)

Peyton Manning and the Colts put up 505 yards at Arizona on Sunday night, but the injury to Dwight Freeney will be costly.

4. (4) Minnesota Vikings (3-0)

If only Brett Favre hadn’t retired twice, everyone would’ve been so happy for him after his amazing touchdown pass to beat the Niners instead of cringing because they knew it would just lead to another Chris Berman love-fest on The Blitz.

5. (5) New Orleans Saints (3-0)

The Saints proved they could still win without Drew Brees throwing for at least 311 yards.

6. (9) New York Jets (3-0)

Thanks to Yom Kippur, the Jets and Giants played at the same time for the first time in 25 years. I’d have to guess that most neutral fans were tuned to Rex Ryan’s outstanding defense, which forced four Titans turnovers.

7. (7) San Diego Chargers (2-1)

Without LaDainian Tomlinson for a second straight week, the Chargers ran for just 69 yards, but were still able to beat the Dolphins, thanks in part to Chad Pennington’s injury.

8. (8) Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

Despite some sloppy tackling and terrible play-calling inside the five-yard line, the Cowboys were able to get past the Panthers on Monday night.

9. (10) New England Patriots (2-1)

The Pats proved they weren’t dead yet by using a balanced ground attack to outscore the Falcons, 13-0, in the second half.

10. (6) Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

The Falcons drop after losing at New England and we suddenly realize that the two teams they’ve beaten, Miami and Carolina, are 0-6.

11. (11) Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

No Donovan McNabb, no Brian Westbrook, no problem. At least not against the Chiefs.

12. (12) Denver Broncos (3-0)

People still don’t think the Broncos deserve to be ranked this high? They went into Oakland and held the Raiders to three points and 156 yards. The Broncos have allowed a league-low 13 points through three games. The Titans gave up 14 in the first quarter to the Jets.

13. (13) Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)

It’s nice to see everyone else’s power rankings are finally catching up to mine.

14. (14) Green Bay Packers (2-1)

It’s good to see the Packers weren’t looking past the Rams to their big Monday night showdown next week against Favre and the Vikings in Minnesota.

15. (15) Chicago Bears (2-1)

Following a terrible performance in Week One, Jay Cutler is quickly learning how to work with his young wide receivers.

16. (16) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)

No reason to drop the Steelers because I already had them ranked 16th last week.

17. (17) San Francisco 49ers (2-1)

The Niners remain in the same spot after their tough-luck loss at Minnesota. No one is questioning Mike Singletary’s coaching tactics anymore, but losing Frank Gore for three weeks will definitely hurt.

18. (18) Buffalo Bills (1-2)

Terrell Owens was held without a catch for the first time in 13 years. I think it’s about time for another phony suicide attempt.

19. (19) Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

After a record-setting game last week, Kurt Warner looked old against the Colts’ defense, led by Syracuse alum and apparent Yankees fan Dwight Freeney.

20. (26) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)

The Jags are the big movers of the week after their win at Houston. They’ll have a chance to win two in a row when they host Tennessee this weekend in a game that could virtually eliminate the loser from contention in the AFC South.

21. (20) Houston Texans (1-2)

The Texans have the worst defense in the NFL at 455.5 yards per game.

22. (21) Tennessee Titans (0-3)

Things don’t get much easier for the Titans, who have Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and New England coming up on their schedule.

23. (22) Seattle Seahawks (1-2)

Seneca Wallace didn’t have a terrible game (26-44-261-1-1), but Seattle needs Matt Hasselbeck back fast.

24. (23) Carolina Panthers (0-3)

Terrible tackling and a disastrous offensive second half at Dallas has the Panthers winless heading into October.

25. (24) Miami Dolphins (0-3)

Winless and without Pennington for the rest of the year? Things aren’t looking good for Miami.

26. (27) Oakland Raiders (1-2)

Oakland has the second-worst offense in the league at 223 yards per game.

27. (28) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-3)

Let’s see if Josh Johnson can do any better at quarterback.

28. (29) Cleveland Browns (0-3)

Seven teams scored more points this week than the 26 the Browns have scored this entire season.

29. (30) Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)

Just 196 yards of offense for the Chiefs in their loss against Philly.

30. (32) Detroit Lions (1-2)

I had the Lions over the Redskins in my pick’em pool this week. However, I won’t be taking them in their next three games against the Bears, Steelers, and Packers.

31. (25) Washington Redskins (1-2)

Rock bottom.

32. (31) St. Louis Rams (0-3)

And now the Rams, losers of 13 straight, take over as the worst team in football.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees Community Leader. His book “Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man” is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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NFL Power Rankings: Week 3

Published: September 22, 2009

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The Bengals’ 31-24 upset win over the Packers at Lambeau Field really shook up the rankings, as Cincinnati jumped from 25th to 13th in front of Green Bay.

Then Pittsburgh lost to Chicago, dropping the top-ranked Steelers all the way down to 16th, behind the Bears, who lost to the Packers in Week 1.

The big winner in all this was 2-0 Denver, which leaped from 24th to 12th, thanks to its miracle victory over Cincy in Week 1.

1. Baltimore Ravens (2-0)

Baltimore’s impressive 31-26 win at San Diego, combined with Pittsburgh’s loss, leaves the Ravens atop the rankings this week. Baltimore has the best rushing defense (41 yards per game) and fourth-best rushing offense (164 ypg).

2. New York Giants (2-0)

The G-Men spoiled the Cowboys’ opener at their new stadium by picking off Tony Romo three times. The Giants have the fourth-best pass defense (157 ypg) in the NFL.

3. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)

Against Miami, Indy had the ball for only 14:53, the lowest time of possession for a victorious squad in 32 years.

4. Minnesota Vikings (2-0)

The Vikes have opened the season with two road wins, albeit over Cleveland and Detroit.

5. New Orleans Saints (2-0)

Scoring 45 on Detroit is one thing, but putting up 48 at Philly is another. The Saints have the best offense (468 ypg) in the league.

6. Atlanta Falcons (2-0)

You think Matt Ryan likes having Tony Gonzalez on his team? The two hooked up for more than 70 yards and a score for the second straight week.

7. San Diego Chargers (1-1)

Even without LaDainian Tomlinson, the Bolts hung tough with a strong Ravens team. It was a far better performance than their game against Oakland in Week 1, even though they won that contest.

8. Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

Did anyone else catch those “Cage Girls” dancing above the cheap seats at the new Cowboys Stadium? Bravo, Jerry Jones.

9. New York Jets (2-0)

I guess those seven points the Jets allowed the Texans in Week 1 was no fluke, especially since Houston went out and scored 34 on Tennessee. Rex Ryan has the best defense in the NFL (241 ypg).

10. New England Patriots (1-1)

Not sure how some people had the Patriots among the top two in their power rankings last week after they barely snuck by the Bills, which those same people had ranked some 20 spots lower.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)

There’s no shame in losing to the Saints when you don’t even have Donovan McNabb available, but McNabb doesn’t play defense and giving up 48 at home is never a good thing.

12. Denver Broncos (2-0)

I think this is the biggest surprise so far this season. The seven points the Broncos held the Bengals to in Week 1 is looking a lot more impressive after Cincinnati scored 31 at Green Bay on Sunday. Denver has the second-best defense in the league (253.5 ypg).

13. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)

A lot of knockout pool participants were cringing at around 4 p.m. on Sunday.

14. Green Bay Packers (1-1)

Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 10 times in two games: more than any other quarterback in the league.

15. Chicago Bears (1-1)

After a 43.2 QB rating at Green Bay in Week 1, Jay Cutler turned in a 104.7 performance at home against the Steelers.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)

A loss to Chicago, combined with the fact that their Week 1 win over Tennessee doesn’t look as good anymore, drops the Steelers 15 spots.

17. San Francisco 49ers (2-0)

Since Week 13 of last year, the Niners have won six games. By comparison, the Patriots have won just five.

18. Buffalo Bills (1-1)

The Bills have the sixth-best rushing attack in the NFL (154 ypg).

19. Arizona Cardinals (1-1)

Kurt Warner’s record-breaking 24-for-26 performance led the Cards to a nice bounce back win at Jacksonville, despite the east coast 1 p.m. start for a West Coast team.

20. Houston Texans (1-1)

After a disappointing home-opening loss to the Jets during which they scored just seven points, the Texans put up 34 at Tennessee.

21. Tennessee Titans (0-2)

The Titans have the second-best rush defense in the league (49.5 ypg) but the worst pass defense (339 ypg).

22. Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

Seahawks fans could be looking at a repeat of 2008 if Matt Hasselbeck isn’t able to recover quickly from a rib injury he suffered against San Francisco.

23. Carolina Panthers (0-2)

At least Jake Delhomme only threw one interception this game.

24. Miami Dolphins (0-2)

I feel a little better about taking Ronnie Brown over Brian Westbrook in my fantasy draft now.

25. Washington Redskins (1-1)

I don’t care if they win, scoring only nine points on the Rams will get you dropped three spots in my rankings.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

The Jags are 5-14 since beating the Steelers in the 2007 wild card playoffs.

27. Oakland Raiders (1-1)

The Raiders beat the Chiefs despite only having 176 yards of offense and holding the ball for just 21:21.

28. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-2)

The Bucs have the second-worst defense in the league (450 ypg).

29. Cleveland Browns (0-2)

Disappointing start for the Eric Mangini era in Cleveland.

30. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)

Even with Matt Cassel back, the Chiefs can’t win.

31. St. Louis Rams (0-2)

Fifty-eight players have scored more points than the Rams this year, including Olindo Mare and Shayne Graham.

32. Detroit Lions (0-2)

Even Ernie Harwell couldn’t get the Lions a win.