Week 4 Power Rankings and Pick ‘em

10.  Baltimore (NR) The Baltimore Sun had an interesting piece about the Ravens which questioned their ability to close out games.  They reported that they have been outscored 35-16 in the fourth quarter after outscoring their foes 105-55 in the fourth last season.  Their defense isn’t what it used to be, and they certainly aren’t getting any younger, but they still get the job done.  I just wonder what would have happened if Kurt Warner would have played the whole game last week.  The Cardinals could easily be 3-0 if a few things went the other way.

9.  Denver (2) Well, the Bronco’s weren’t who we thought they were.  They looked amazing against Oakland and Buffalo, but then again, who wouldn’t?  Last week they got exposed against Jacksonville. The 47 rushing yards they were held to was the fourth lowest total in Mike Shanahan’s reign.  With Indianapolis this week we’ll find out if their defense, which has allowed an average of 88 passing yards per game, is as good as it looks on paper.

8.  Seattle (NR) I was skeptical about putting Seattle in the top ten.  Nothing about this team makes me comfortable.  Each time Shaun Alexander touches the ball I expect him to leave the field on a stretcher, but somehow he keeps taking those hits and picking up yards.  Protective cast or not, he’s the only running back out of the big four (Alexander, Tomlinson, Jackson, Johnson) that has put numbers even remotely close to what we expect.  Unfortunately I can’t say the same for the rest of the team, and the reason they came in so low this week is because they barely snuck by a suspect Cincinnati defense that got lit up by the lowly Browns.     

7.  Tennessee (NR) If I was forced to fill out a playoff bracket today Tennessee would be included.  They’ve looked as good as anyone through the first three weeks against some stiff competition.  They dismantled the Saints on Monday night and almost took out the Colts the week before.  As much as I’d like to give the credit to Vince Young, it’s their defense that is winning these games, which is currently ranked ninth in the league. 

6.  Jacksonville (NR) Now that the quarterback controversy is behind them I wish they would pick one running back so I could feel comfortable putting Fred Taylor in my fantasy lineup every week.  He certainly looked stronger than Jones-Drew last week while picking up nearly 50 more yards on just two more carries.  That aside, I’m still not sure what to make of the Jags.  They have one of the best defenses in the AFC but their passing game is anemic.  I know that they were four points away from starting the season 3-0, but with four of their next six games on the road things could fall apart quickly.

5.  Green Bay (7) Did the win against San Diego really prove anything?  I’d like to think so, but maybe the Chargers aren’t as good as we thought they were.  The real question is how does Green Bay keep winning without a running game?   Brett Favre is good, but he isn’t good enough to keep winning like this.  817 of their 998 yards have been through the air and there here were times last week when they lined up without a running back on the field.  If they start mixing things up a little I could see them in the playoffs.  If not at least give the illusion that you might do something else.  Just because everyone in the building knows you’re going to pass doesn’t mean that you have to eliminate the possibility of the run altogether.

4.  Indianapolis (4) Speaking of fourth quarter meltdowns, the Colts almost got caught with their pants down against the Texans.  I’ve talked about how they’ve looked complacent and this was the perfect example.  Last season they never would’ve let them back in the game after being up 37-10.  This is still a 3-0 team, which is easy to forget, but last year they looked like they were on a mission.  Now it seems like they just want to get into the playoffs and then they’ll put it into fifth gear. 

3.  Dallas (3) Is it too early to start the Tony Romo for MVP campaign?  After lighting up the Bears D for 329 yards and a pair of TD’s last week I’m wondering why we waited this long.  His performance came against a unit that has been ravished by injuries (S Mike Brown and DT Dusty Dvoracek are out for the season, and LB Lance Briggs and DT Tommie Harris are hurting) so I might be jumping the gun a little, but he’s still looked as good as anyone under center.  In fact I’m starting to get convinced that I should be drinking the Cowboy’s Kool-Aid.  Seriously, who else is there in the NFC? 

2.  Pittsburgh (5) Good thing they don’t need Ben to get anything done for them.  The Defense and special teams outscored the offense 23-14 last week against the 49ers, and the fourteen came on the ground.  Ben might be overrated, he’s certainly not the second coming of Dan Marino, not even Boomer Esiason,  but all this team really needs is Big Willie Parker running the ball and for the defense to keep doing their thing.  That might be enough to get them back to the Super Bowl.

1.  New England (1) One word:  Amazing.

Week 4 Picks

Houston over ATLANTA
Jets over BUFFALO
DALLAS over Saint Louis
Chicago over DETROIT
Baltimore over CLEVELAND
MIAMI over Oakland
Green Bay over MINNESOTA
CAROLINA over Tampa Bay
Seattle over 49ERS
PITTSBURGH over Arizona
INDIANAOPLIS over Denver
SAN DIEGO over Kansas City
GIANTS over Philadelphia
NEW ENGLAND over Cincinnati
Season 28-21 (I got rocked last week)
*Home team in Caps