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WEEI NFL Power Rankings – Week 4 09.29.09 at 7:27 am ET
By Joe Zarbano

Entering Week 4, the Giants remain the kings of WEEI’s Power Rankings. The Giants steamrolled Tampa Bay and did not allow a single point.

The Baltimore Ravens jump ahead one spot and sit at No. 2 as Ray Lewis and the Ravens improved to 3-0 this season. The Colts, Saints and Jets fill out the top 5 as they all turned in impressive wins.

The biggest jump in the rankings probably comes as no surprise. The Cincinnatti Bengals rose up to No. 10 as they made Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers “Kiss the Baby.” The 1-2 Steelers still remain in the top 10 at No. 9.

Tom Brady and the Patriots hurdled four spots and sit at No. 6 after defeating the Atlanta Falcons without many key players, including Jerod Mayo, Wes Welker and Vince Wilfork.

Expect a lot of movement after next week’s games as there are many key matchups to watch. The Jets head to New Orleans, the Ravens play the Patriots, the Vikings take on the Packers, and the Falcons play the 49ers.

1. (Last week, 1) The one thing lacking from the Giants until Week 3 was their run game. That run game arrived and made a statement at Tampa Bay as Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs totaled 226 yards. As always the Giants D played great. They pitched a shutout and remain the top team in the NFL.

2. (3) Joe Flacco is maturing into a pretty solid quarterback. Flacco turned in another great game on Sunday with 342 passing yards and a touchdown. The Ravens defense continues to force turnovers. We’ll learn a lot about this team when they travel to New England on Sunday.

3. (5) The Colts have proven a lot over the past two weeks. They’ve played in two primetime games on the road and have come out victorious in both. Not to mention they went from Miami to Arizona and prepared on a short week. Peyton Manning and the Colts are a tough team to beat.

New Orleans Saints4. (6) The 3-0 Saints show no signs of slowing down. On Sunday the Saints did two things that showed they were for real. No. 1, they established a run game. No. 2, the Saints D proved it isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. Terrell Owens wasn’t able to record one reception. Looking forward to seeing what the Saints are made of over the next two weeks. The 3-0 Saints will face both teams from the “City that Never Sleeps” at home over the next two weeks.

New York Jets5. (9) The Jets stepped up in the fourth quarter and that is a sign of a good football team. The first-place team in the AFC East forced an interception and did not allow a point in the final 15 minutes. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez continued to roll and put his team in a position to win.

New England Patriots 6. (10) The Patriots came out with an excellent game plan to beat a very solid team. However, there are many concerns around this football team. Injuries are one problem (Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Laurence Maroney, Randy Moss and Wes Welker). The next major problem is the red-zone offense. The Patriots have scored one touchdown in their last eight tries in the red zone. One stat that has been overlooked following the win against the Falcons is the fact the Patriots only committed two penalties for a total of 10 yards after being penalized 11 times for 89 yards against the Jets. The Patriots will continue to get better as the season rolls on.

Minnesota Vikings7. (7) After Brett Favre pulled off yet another miracle comeback, it’s tough not to like this Vikings team. Unbelievable pass by Favre and an even better catch by Greg Lewis. The Vikings beat a good 49ers team and proved they don’t need Adrian Peterson to rush for over 100 yards every time to win a game.

8. (8) The Chargers are running into similar red zone problems as the Patriots. Phillip Rivers has turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the league and will fix those offensive struggles in the red zone.

Pittsburgh Steelers 9. (2) The defending champs are struggling a bit at 1-2. They had plenty of chances to put the Bengals away but couldn’t get the job done. Kicker Jeff Reed missed another field goal this week and this could be turning into a major problem. The Steelers are too talented of a team to continue to make the mistakes they have over the past couple weeks. Big test for them Sunday against San Diego.

Cincinnati Bengals10. (22) I was pretty lonely on the Bengals bandwagon a couple weeks ago. Now, after Week 3, the Bengals chant of, “Who dey, who dey? Who dey think gonna beat them Bengals?” can be heard for miles. Although I believe overall the Steelers are a better team, the Bengals have made two huge statements over the past two weeks by beating Green Bay at Lambeau and now the defending Super Bowl champs. By far, the NFL’s best story this season after three weeks.

Chicago Bears11. (11) Two straight weeks of solid football for Jay Cutler and the Bears. Many have forgotten about the QB’s miserable performance against the Packers in Week 1. Cutler showed what he can do on the road on the final drive of the game as the Bears came back and took the lead.

12. (4) The Falcons were just outcoached and outplayed against New England on Sunday. They weren’t able to establish a run game, their defensive line was pushed around, and Matt Ryan was only able to get Tony Gonzalez the ball once. The Falcons will look to rebound next week at San Francisco. Their offense is filled with too many playmakers to suffer another week like they did in New England.

Green Bay Packers13. (15) Aaron Rodgers was able to make a lot of big plays against St. Louis as he found his receivers for some huge gains. The Packers’ true ability and strength continues to be a mystery throughout this early season. They won a sloppy game against Chicago in Week 1 but lost to the Bengals at home in Week 2.  The win against the Rams didn’t really show us anything. I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat next week when the Packers and Brett Favre’s Vikings go at it.

San Francisco 49ers14. (16) The loss of Frank Gore will hurt the 49ers and will force quarterback Shaun Hill to throw the ball more. From what we’ve seen of the young QB so far he is ready for the challenge. He’s thrown just one interception all year. The 49ers suffered a heartbreaking loss to Minnesota and this team’s talent and character will be tested following that loss and without their star halfback.

15. (14) The Eagles are 2-1 heading into a much-needed bye week. They will rest up, get healthy and be a tough team to beat when McNabb and Westbrook are back.

Dallas Cowboys16. (13) Tony Romo did not turn the ball over on Monday night and the Cowboys running game rose to the occasion with the absence of Marion Barber. Dallas still needs to improve on defense.

Denver Broncos17. (23) The Broncos’ record does not reflect the type of team they really are. They have been blessed with a pretty easy schedule to start the season. It doesn’t get much worse than the Browns and Raiders. What’s next for the Broncos, you ask? Cowboys, Patriots, Chargers, Ravens, Steelers. I’d be surprised if the Broncos came away with one win.

18. (12) Being held scoreless into the fourth quarter with an interception and a sack on two drives down the stretch makes it tough to win a game. Plus Kerry Collins didn’t receive much help from his receivers — there were a lot of dropped balls. The Titans have run into some pretty solid teams and must be looking forward to the Jaguars this Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals19. (17) The Cardinals’ defense had no answers for Peyton Manning and the Colts offense. Plus the Cards turned the ball over twice when they were driving in Indianapolis territory. The Cardinals have been under-performing and disappointing so far this season.

Seattle Seahawks20. (20) Jim Mora Jr. made it quite clear after the loss to Chicago on Sunday that the Seahawks will be looking for a kicker to replace Olindo Mare. If Mare didn’t miss two key field goals they could be a lot higher in the rankings.

Buffalo Bills21. (18) Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. Just counting down the days until Terrell Owens goes ballistic. Trent Edwards needs to find a way to get T.O. and Lee Evans the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars22. (27) The Jaguars need more than just Maurice Jones-Drew to be successful in this league.

Houston Texans23. (21) The Texans defense that many said would be highly improved this year ranks at 29th in total defense and 28th in points allowed in the NFL.

Miami Dolphins24. (19) Unfortunately for Chad Pennington, he suffered another major injury on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season. Chad Henne is no Matt Cassell. I don’t have much confidence in Henne, especially against teams like the Patriots and the Jets. The Dolphins season is “done like dinner” and they’ve only played three games.

Carolina Panthers25. (24) The Panthers continue to run into the same problems. Jake Delhomme threw an interception to Terrence Newman, who ran the ball into the end zone to seal the game for the Cowboys. Although the pick probably wasn’t Delhomme’s fault this time, the Panthers always seem to find a way to turn the ball over in the fourth quarter.

Detroit Lions26. (30) The Lions jump higher once again after finally getting “King Kong off our back,” in the words of Lions owner William Clay Ford.

Washington Redskins27. (25) The Redskins can’t seem to match results with the talent they have on their team. It doesn’t get much worse than a loss to a team that hasn’t won a game since December 2007 following a near loss against the worst team in the NFL, the Rams. Time to hit the panic button.

Oakland Raiders28. (26) You’ve got to feel bad for a guy like Richard Seymour who goes from playing with Tom Brady to JaMarcus Russell. When Russell figures out he’s not supposed to throw the ball to the other team maybe the Raiders will be able to pull off a W.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers29. (28) The Bucs allow an average of over 30 points a game. Maybe if they had the offense of the Saints, Falcons or Patriots they would be able to win a game.

Kansas City Chiefs30. (31) The Chiefs were 0-11 on third down and committed 10 penalties in their loss to the Eagles. Scott Pioli has his work cut out for him.

Cleveland Browns31. (29) Things can’t get much worse for Eric Mangini and the Browns. The Browns have the worst offense in the NFL but that’s not even the worst part. When the players file a grievance against their own coach, a team has hit rock bottom.

St. Louis Rams32. (32) The Rams rank 28th in total offense and 26th in total defense. Marc Bulger suffered a bruised rotator cuff. How bad can it get for St. Louis?

Read More: NFL Power Rankings, Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Broncofan

    You are a dweeb by putting Denver seven spots under Cinci when Denver not only beat Cinci, they held them to just seven points. You have been listening to those Bengals fans screaming that Denver only won by one play, forgetting completely that Cinci never even scored until the 4th quarter. Cinci lost that game fair and square by not being able to score more than 7 points. Denver Rocks

  • Just another dude

    I have to agree with BroncoFan. And how would it be surprising if the Broncos win one of their next 5? This is an underrated team playing with confidence and cohesion. They’re dangerous. Dallas in Denver is definitely not a favorite in my book. I have to say, you missed one here.

  • UmmNo

    This ranking is really bad , there are errors everywhere not only did you place Steelers above the Bangles, Green Bay below the bears, and the Chargers who almost lost to oakland above far better teams. And Right now I would not put the Vikings above the pats… I’m a huge pats fan but they have not performed as well as the vikings.

  • GMONEY

    Now I understand why Bronco Fan feels the need to defend his team but seriously look at the teams ahead of the Broncos on this list would you really put them ahead of any of them? Bengals going into Lambeau and coming back to beat the Steelers is a whole lot more impressive than a Stokley look what I found catch and then beating up on the Browns and Raiders. I mean come on open your eyes.

  • blunt blazer

    hey Bronco fan, the 80′s called and they want there insult back… dweeb, did you really just use dweeb? come on bro, your better than that, other than that you make some good points, the broncos are fruads but the way they have played so far they are deserving of a higher ranking, give them 3 weeks and this ranking will be accurate

  • slide 9.

    hello, the broncos have allowed just 16 points, and kyles not giving the ball away,bring on the gaullet.

  • Mike

    Are people really complaining about where the Broncos are, i mean cmon, they beat two terrible teams and beat the Bengals on a last second hail mary. I mean the Pats position is a little biased but other than that these are pretty solid.

  • daneboy

    Wow, WEEI ranking the Pats 6th. They should be 1-2. I wonder when they’re going to stop kissing Bill’s ring.

  • Chris Jenkins

    Do not fear Broncos fans. Our #1 defense won’t be overlooked for very long. You saw it here folks: Denver, a 3-0 team, ranked 17th. Tennessee, an 0-3 team, ranked 18th. Meanwhile Minnesota (3-0) gets ranked 7th because Favre got lucky in the closing seconds of a HOME game where the 49ers made the fans sweat all game, not to mention the Vikings first two opponents weren’t exactly ’08 playoff teams either (funny no one talks crap about the Bengals anymore now that they beat Pittsburgh, despite Denver holding them to 6 points–yet Denver gets no credit for that).

    If you really think the Cowboys and Chargers are impenetrable forces of doom for Denver, think again. Those teams are totally beatable for Denver. Ravens & Patriots could easily be losses but they could still also be wins. I don’t think mentioning the Steelers in the same breath as those teams is merited. Keep writing off Denver and when they take the AFC West and San Diego, pitiful as they are, craps out with a 7-9 record because San Diego isn’t nearly as good as everyone thinks.

  • Chris Jenkins

    Yo Mike since you can’t read and are obviously inept, we’ll say it again: DENVER HELD THREE STRAIGHT OPPONENTS TO A TOTAL OF 16 POINTS. Do you have any idea when the last time that happened? Do you have any idea how RIDICULOUSLY difficult that is unless you’re lucky enough to have 3 straight games against the 2008 Detroit Lions? Average out the points allowed by Cleveland and Oakland’s other opponents and you’ll realize why Denver’s defense is supremely dominant.

  • JeffG

    I had the Broncos at 9-7 this year — they have a brutal middle of the schedule — but this ranking is rather curious.
    Sure, the Broncos have beaten two suspect teams, but what the writer here doesn’t take into account is HOW they beat them: They held Oakland to 130-something yards, and Cleveland to about 200 yards. They won by 21 points and 20 points.

    That’s how a good team is supposed to dominate a bad team.

    They may not be ready yet on offense to beat Dallas this week, but they’ll be in the game and play tough. That’ll prove what kind of team they are.

  • Mike

    Beat Dallas and San Diego then youll get some respect, until then you got lucky against Cincy, and you played the Browns and the Raiders. You guys might be a very good team, especially in the worst division in football, but you have to beat someone good. I dont think I could take the Broncos over any team ranked ahead of them.

  • Leigh

    Denver seems to deserve a bit better than middle of the pack. Saints sitting as high as they are gonna get. Even if they blow out the Jets they wont move above the giants or colts, and the Raven/ Pats winner. Might drop even if they win if the Pats look impressive. If the Saints lose to the Jets its doubtful they will merely flip-flop. Sorry Saints it was fun while it lasted.

  • DmAZZZZZZZZZ

    Why r people even talking about a team who’s QB is Kyle Orton and best player is a career criminal. These ranking might not be spot on but, the AFC and NFC title game teams will all come from the top 9 minus the Chargers.

  • Jeff Sczycky

    DmAZZZZZZZZZZZZ I love hearing posteriors talk like they know the outcome of a season after week 3. Please enlighten us as to how bad Denver truly is just because they have Kyle Orton and a “career criminal”. What are your opinions on Randy Moss? Do the Pats not deserve respect because of his criminal history? You’re a moron.

  • KLu

    Who cares about when Mcnabb gets back, the guy is a bum. Kolb is the first QB ever to throw for over 300 yrds in his first two starts.

    Why are there so many Denver fans on here anyway? I give 100% credit to Belichick for their 3-0 start, without him McDaniels would be nobody and the Broncos would be 0-3(besides the easiest schedule through the first 3 games of course)

    49ers are too high, a loss and the huge loss of Gore=seeyaaa

  • patsfan

    Id have to pretty much agree with these rankings joe. however id like to see dallas higher up on the list, did you see their numbers againt the panthers in the 2nd half? they really stepped up their game. and denver needs to beat a good team in order to get some credit as far as im concerned, its only week 3 they have a long way to go, dont get your hopes up just yet broncos

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