Wednesday, September 30, 2015

NFL 2015: Week 4 Power Rankings & The Rest

The Power Rankings


The "That Escalated Quickly" Uno

32.) Chicago Bears (0-3  =  46-105)

The fire-sale has begun, but this is the rare fire sale where they aren't even getting anything back. The Bears are just a disaster right now, especially while Jay Cutler is out. The rare times he leaves makes you realize that for all his faults, Jay Cutler is better than Caleb Hanie (2011), or Jimmy Clausen. Good on the defense for showing up at least.


The "Remember Week 2, That was Fun!" Trio

31.) Jacksonville Jaguars  (1-2  =  49-91)
30.) Cleveland Browns  (1-2  =  58-72)
29.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  (1-2  =  49-80)

All three teams won in Week 2 in wins that gave quite a nice outlook, but a week later maybe don't look nearly as good. For the Browns, the Week 2 win was legitimate, but it just underscores how weird the decision was to move back to Josh McCown. For the Jags and Buccaneers, maybe the teams they beat in Week 2 are just bad. The Dolphins are a mess right now, and the Saints were with a partially injured Drew Brees. All three may have a future because of their young QBs, but these are the lumps you have to live through.


The "Remember 2012, That was Really Fun!" Trio

28.) San Francisco 49ers  (1-2  =  45-93)
27.) Washington Redskins  (1-2  =  55-59)
26.) Houston Texans  (1-2  =  56-60)

Let's go back to 2012 for a second. The Texans started out 11-1. The 49ers made the Super Bowl with a QB that was so exciting it made Ron Jaworski call him the most talented QB of all time. The Redskins had an ever more exciting offense and finished the season 7-1 to win the division for the first time since the 20th Century. Well, three years later things have gone to shit everywhere. The 49ers have reached the true bottom - even stranger since their Week 1 win was a reasonably good facsimile of a Harbaugh-era win. The Redskins had a nice two-day period where people called them a trendy NFC East pick (of course, that still may be in play). Finally, the Texans are winning the most ugly games possible, and apart from JJ Watt and DeAndre Hopkins have nothing going for them. Things move really quickly in the NFL.


The "Two Teams Trying to Play a Style that they need the QB from the Third Team to Play" Trio

25.) Philadelphia Eagles  (1-2  =  58-63)
24.) Tennessee Titans  (1-2  =  89-77)
23.) Miami Dolphins  (1-2  =  51-74)

The Titans have Marcus Mariota, who has looked really good playing a style that is incongruous to what he was doing in college. He was tasked with being a more conventional drop-back QB, and look what we have here: a good conventional QB. Of course, the Eagles apparently wanted to trade for him because he fits Chip Kelly's system, seemingly. And the Dolphins are trying to use a lot of Kelly's system in their team with Bill Lazor as offensive coordinators. I'm sure Miami outwardly would say they are fine with Tannehill, but they too would love to trade for Mariota. Of course the irony is the one team that Mariota is the team people felt shouldn't draft him because he doesn't fit the drop-back passer which Whisenhunt wants... and he's doing just fine.


The "Surprising 0-3 Parade" Trio

22.) New Orleans Saints  (0-3  =  60-84)
21.) Detroit Lions  (0-3  =  56-83)
20.) Baltimore Ravens  (0-3  =  70-84)

Seems like Drew Brees is coming back this week. Of course, the team looked not much worse without him, but it looks like Brees was injured for a lot of the Week 2 loss. The Saints haven't lost badly in any game. The Ravens really haven't lost badly in any game and are about just 10 plays away from 3-0. Of course, they've had to do ridiculous things to get there, like blitz all the time, sign Jason Babin, and hope Steve Smith can continue this for 16 games... and they're still 0-3. As for the Lions, who knows man? They still look competent in every area but they've struck me now for years as far less than the sum of their parts.


The "Week 1 Stars" Duo

19.) St. Louis Rams  (1-2  =  50-67)
18.) San Diego Chargers  (1-2  =  66-83)

Both teams looked excellent in Week 1. Both teams had a competitive loss. Both teams had a disastrous loss. Neither team is really that good, but both teams have the potential to be so much better. I wouldn't be shocked if either makes the playoffs, but I'll be less shocked if both finish 7-9.


The "Mid-Tier Somewhat Fun Teams" Trio

17.) Oakland Raiders  (2-1  =  77-86)
16.) New York Giants  (1-2  =  78-72)
15.) Kansas City Chiefs  (1-2  =  79-89)

This is by far the most fun Raiders team since 2002. They probably aren't as good as the 2010 team, or even the 2011 team at its best, but there's real hope. Amari Cooper is really good. Derek Carr is looking better. The defense has Khalil Mack. Pieces are there. Pieces are there for the Giants and Chiefs, but unlike Oakland those pieces don't stand to get too much better in the coming years. Both teams have strong points that will keep them competitive, but their windows are closing and the Raiders may pass them silently in that night.


The "Teams that are just OK" Duo

14.) New York Jets  (2-1  =  68-41)
13.) Indianapolis Colts  (1-2  =  56-80)

Not much to say here, let's just move along form the 7th and 8th best AFC teams.


The "I Know How You Feel" Duo

12.) Dallas Cowboys  (2-1  =  75-75)
11.) Pittsburgh Steelers  (2-1  =  76-52)

The Cowboys were 2-0 with Tony Romo and looked like a team that could compete at full strength with any in teh NFL. The Steelers were on the way to 2-1 with their one loss looking better and better by the week. Then both teams had their QB go down and it all went away. Both are lucky in that their QB is going to come back at some point. The Cowboys even luckier that they play in the NFC East. But both teams had a potential to get a first round bye and that is now gone.


The "Surprises and the Favorite" Quinto

10.) Minnesota Vikings  (2-1  =  60-50)
9.) Buffalo Bills  (2-1  =  100-68)
8.) Atlanta Falcons  (3-0  =  89-72)
7.) Seattle Seahawks  (1-2  =  74-61)
6.) Carolina Panthers  (3-0  =  71-48)

The Vikings are making a good case that Week 1 was a fluke; but Teddy better start actually playing better at some point. The Bills have shown that the offense is for real, but the defense has to be consistent each game. The Falcons are just good, but they have to stop falling behind in every game (and maybe reduce Julio Jones' workload at some point). The Seahawks showed that a little Kam goes a long way, but there are issues with that offense that people shouldn't overlook just because they made Jimmy Clausen look like Jimmy Clausen. And the Panthers have lost another key contributor, but have a great coaching staff and a Cam Newton that is intent on taking a leap. All five teams are good. All five could / should make the playoffs. All five have some key that error that would not make them a playoff favorite.


The "Two AFC Fighters" Duo

5.) Cincinnati Bengals  (3-0  =  85-56)
4.) Denver Broncos  (3-0  =  74-49)

This is the fight for 2nd place in the AFC. Both teams have a good, solid footing in the division. The Bengals best competition is a team that will now be QBed by Michael Vick for 4-6 games. That is a perfect opportunity ot build an ever larger lead. If they stay healthy, they have one of the best rosters in the NFL. The Broncos have that argument as well (apart from O-Line), and if they can get a run game at all, they are really dangerous. The Broncos best competition, by the way, by record is the Raiders right now. Both will ultimately be sacrificed to Lord Belichick, but it is fun for now, I guess.


The "Let's Just Go To Week 16 Now" Duo

3.) Arizona Cardinals  (3-0  =  126-49)
2.) Green Bay Packers  (3-0  =  96-68)

Packers @ Cardinals; Week 16. Sign me up now. The Packers offense is incredible - the Cardinals offense in reality has been as good. The Cardinals are off to one of the best 3-0 starts in history. The Packers offense is showing again that if they get the #1 seed, there's no team out there that can run with them at Lambeau. The NFC has been on the whole a relative disappointment this year, but they have two damn strong horses leading the pack.


The "Just Give them the Fucking Lombardi Now Already" Uno

1.) New England Patriots  (3-0  =  119-70)

I mean really. Why play the next 16 weeks.


Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games

Byes:  Tennessee Titans (1-2), New England Patriots (3-0)

Once again, the games are pretty bad this week. I don't know what it is about this season so far. Obviously the loss of Romo and Roethlisberger makes two good teams less interesting, but even though I like a lot of the storylines in the league right now, the slate the past two weeks has been garbage. Looking ahead, things do get slightly better the next few weeks, particularly in Week 6.


15.) Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)  @  Washington Redskins (1-2)  (1:00 - FOX)
14.) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)  @  Indianapolis Colts (1-2)  (1:00 - CBS)

I call it "The Winner May Actually be in First Place?" Sunday, as yes, assuming the Saints beat a Romo-less Dallas team, and the Falcons beat the Texans, the winner of these two games will be at worst tied for first place. If the Colts win, then it will be more like a good course correction. If it is either Philadelphia or Washington, then look out. For the loser of that NFC East battle, life at 1-3 won't even be too bad as they'll likely be just one game out!


13.) Oakland Raiders (2-1)  @  Chicago Bears (0-3)  (1:00 - CBS)
12.) Cleveland Browns (1-2)  @  San Diego Chargers (1-2)  (4:05 - CBS)
11.) Carolina Panthers (3-0)  @  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2)  (1:00 - FOX)

I call it 'Meh' Sunday, as really, who gives a damn about these three games. There's a few interesting notes. The Raiders can start 3-1 for the first time since 2002, and them being favorites on the road is news by itself. The Panthers can stat 4-0 for the first time since 2003, though it will be a pretty unimpressive 4-0. As for Browns and Chargers, I have nothing interesting to say about that game.


10.) Houston Texans (1-2)  @  Atlanta Falcons (3-0)  (1:00 - CBS)
9.) Green Bay Packers (3-0)  @  San Francisco 49ers (1-2)  (4:25 - FOX)

I call it "Testing the 3-0's" Sunday, as the Falcons and Packers get interesting test. The Falcons face a team in Houston that should really test their new-found offensive line prowess. Of course, their defense will roast on that Mallet-led offense, but the Falcons offense vs. the Texans front is a good matchup. For Green Bay, they get a chance to lay a cathartic victory on San Francisco. Back in 2012-13, the 49ers beat the Packers four straight times, going 2-0 in each building, and winning with different QBs. Only the final game was particularly close. Now, the roles are completely reversed.


8.) Dallas Cowboys (2-1)  @  New Orleans Saints (0-3)  (MNF - ESPN)
7.) Baltimore Ravens (0-3)  @  Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)  (TNF - CBS)

I call it "How to get on-track? Beat a back-up QB" Thursday and Monday, as the weekend begins and ends with an 0-3 team looking to win their first game against a good opponent forced to play their backup QB. The Saints and Ravens should count themselves lucky. They likely lose if it is Romo and Roethlisberger in there, but alas it is almost like the NFL fixed that to give those sad 0-3 teams a chance to build some kind of momentum. Weird stat, Roethlisberger has missed 17 regular season games in his career. Somehow, seven of them have come against Baltimore, with the Ravens going 5-2 in those games.


6.) New York Jets (2-1)  @  Miami Dolphins (1-2)  (9:30AM - CBS)

I call it "London again asks, is this really the NFL?" Sunday, as we get a nice early morning treat, and I use treat in the loosest sense of the word. On paper, this looked like a competent matchup, but the Dolphins have been anything but competent the last two weeks. It might seriously help them that after that disaster last Sunday they get to play a 'home' game 4,000 miles from home.


5.) St. Louis Rams (1-2)  @  Arizona Cardinals (3-0)  (4:25 - FOX)
4.) Detroit Lions (0-3)  @  Seattle Seahawks (1-2)  (MNF - ESPN)

I call it "Games That May Just Be a Little More Competitive Than They Look" Sunday, as we get two seemingly one sided matchups, with the Cardinals and Seahawks facing lesser teams, at home no less, but the opponent has a chance. The Rams have the front to seriously dent the Cardinals deep-pass offense.The Lions have a team that is capable of shutting down the Seahawks offense with their ability to cover TEs. It probably won't happen, but I'm really trying hard to hype these games up this weekend.


3.) New York Giants (1-2)  @  Buffalo Bills (2-1)  (1:00 - FOX)
2.) Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)  @  Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)  (1:00 - CBS)
1.) Minnesota Vikings (2-1)  @  Denver Broncos (3-0)  (4:25 - CBS)

I call it "Thankfully, There are Actual Good Games" Sunday, as we get three games that generally are good. The Giants and Bills is a fascinating matchup. We get that solid Giants offense against the Bills stout defense; the Giants opportunistic defense against a Bills team that may turn over the ball. The Giants get Victor Cruz back just in time to play a team with a deep secondary. The Giants are better than 1-2, so this is an even matchup. The Chiefs are also probably better than 1-2 and get to play Cincinnati. The Bengals started last season out at 3-0, too, before getting smacked by New England. Let's see if they can finally do a 4-0. And finally, another round of the 'Manning, the Septuagenarian QB' chronicles!

About Me

I am a man who will go by the moniker dmstorm22, or StormyD, but not really StormyD. I'll talk about sports, mainly football, sometimes TV, sometimes other random things, sometimes even bring out some lists (a lot, lot, lot of lists). Enjoy.