NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* The last time Cincinnati opened 4-0, the Bengals went to Super Bowl XXIII. The last time Washington started 3-0, it won the Super Bowl. So obviously, this February, it's Washington over Cincy.

* Gerry Austin clearly has a different definition of "indisputable visual evidence" than I do.

* Jimmy Smith broke three tackles on his touchdown scamper this weekend. Nine years after his first 1,000-yard season, he's still one of the league's best wide receivers.

* Current division leaders: Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Miami, Denver, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Washington, Seattle. That will change before the end of the season, but I guarantee that no one picked those eight teams.

* It is time for television networks to stop using the "worst-seat-in-the-house" camera on kickoff returns. We can't see anything from that view.

***

The first NFL regular-season game ever played outside the United States took place in Mexico City on Sunday night. A record crowd of over 100,000 showed up, made itself heard, and remained late into the game when the contest had become a blowout.

For as many things as went well, those of us who see the glass as half-empty had plenty to keep us satisfied. Topping the list were the remarkably ugly "fútbol americano" helmet decals. I'm not just here to complain, though, so here's some constructive advice. First, the decals should not have been ugly. Second, they should not have been green. Third, no one but the 49ers and Cardinals should have worn them.

I also question how much of a home game this was for the Cardinals. Their commute was significant, and the crowd's support of the "home" team was mixed. I know crowds in Arizona are often comprised largely of visiting fans, but it's still a shame. The NFL also should have chosen a faster officiating crew for the game. The biggest complaint international sports fans have with football is that the game is boring — it's too slow. But 40 minutes after kickoff, the first quarter wasn't half over yet, and I bet a lot of potential fans tuned out for something with more consistent action, like that other "football." A game between two teams that aren't the worst in the NFL might have been a nice nod to the people of Mexico City, as well. Why not Dallas/Oakland?

All in all, Sunday night's experiment seemed to go well, but it had a circus atmosphere that didn't seem to mix with meaningful football. I hope the NFL will be moderate and cautious about its plans for any further regular-season games outside the USA.

On to the power rankings. As always, brackets show previous rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — Allowed a season-high 10 points, but continues to top the NFL in scoring defense. The offense finally showed up against Tennessee's dismal defense, and the Colts looked like a real Super Bowl team for the first time this season. One of the most impressive stats from Sunday's win: only one penalty. They should win each of their next three games by double-digits.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers [3] — I'm not thrilled about having them this high, but they can earn it with a win in San Diego next Monday night. That game was looking like a dud after Week 2, when Pitt was atop the power rankings and the Chargers hadn't won a game, but now it looks like a matchup that could play a big role in determining the AFC playoff picture.

3. Cincinnati Bengals [4] — Fourth in scoring, second in points allowed per game, first in the NFL in point differential. The offense continues to get the glory, but check out the other side of the ball, too. The defense is only 10th in total defense, which is good, but not spectacular. However, the team hasn't allowed more than one touchdown in a game this season and leads the NFL in turnovers (17) by a wide margin. Next week, the Bengals can prove they're for real by winning at Jacksonville.

4. Atlanta Falcons [5] — A mighty pass defense lives in Atlanta, led by Rod Coleman and DeAngelo Hall. Against Minnesota, the Falcons got nine sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. They held the Vikings to 4.6 yards per pass and 1-for-10 on third downs. I won't vouch for them against teams that can run the ball and stop the run, but Atlanta's pass defense looks like the best the NFL has seen since at least the 2002 Bucs.

5. Philadelphia Eagles [6] — This is a great team. It would be ridiculous to deny that. But there's no balance on offense, and that should concern Eagles fans. On Sunday, Philadelphia had 25 first downs, and 23 of them came through the air. That's partially a product of necessity, since the Eagles trailed for most of the game, but for the season, Philly has only 19 rushing first downs, compared to 73 passing and another seven on penalties. The RBs are averaging just 72 yards per game on the ground.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [7] — Even if his hamstring problem isn't serious, this week marked the second time in four games that Cadillac Williams has had to leave the game due to injury. I know this sounds like a broken record, but he can't be expected to get so much work and stay healthy.

7. New England Patriots [2] — Anyone else with the same results through two games would be lower than this. The injuries New England has sustained would doom any team, but the Patriots defy analysis. By all rules of logic, New England shouldn't have had a chance against the Colts, Steelers, or Eagles in last year's postseason. Instead, it beat all three. In Week 3 this year, the Pats won at Pittsburgh. This ranking is pretty close to a wild guess.

8. Denver Broncos [11] — Every year, there are Week 1 flukes. This season, Denver got demolished at Miami. Since, they've beaten a good Chargers team, embarrassed Kansas City, and won at Jacksonville. I'm not sold on the Broncos' consistency, and they've got a stretch of four tough games coming up before the bye, but Mike Shanahan's group is looking awfully good right now.

9. San Diego Chargers [14] — Scored over 40 points each of the last two weeks, but that streak ends in Pittsburgh Monday night. The Chargers dominated time of possession against New England, winning in all phases of the game, but it all starts with running the football. LaDainian Tomlinson is an extremely gifted back, and Lorenzo Neal, his lead blocker, is finally getting a lot of credit, but don't underestimate this offensive line. Toniu Fonoti missed the first two games, and the offense has been on fire since he came back.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars [8] — 12 rushing yards. 14 penalties. 16-minute time of possession deficit. The concern for this team is the same as it has been since Mark Brunell's glory days: where's the offense?

11. Washington Redskins [19] — If the whole game had been played on third down, they would have scored 70 points. I thought Washington got ripped off in the Laveranues Coles trade this summer, but Santana Moss is a money player. He just made big plays on Sunday. The offense needs to be more successful on first and second down.

12. Seattle Seahawks [9] — There were a lot of things that could have turned the game their way — most notably was a questionable interference penalty and two missed field goals — but the fact is that they were outplayed. The Seahawks stacked the box early to stop Washington's ground game, and Brunell beat them with his arm.

13. New York Giants [18] — They were 3-1 at this time last year, too. They won two of the next three, then dropped eight in a row. I'm not drawing any conclusions until they beat someone good.

14. Carolina Panthers [13] — I don't understand why Stephen Davis, who looks old and slow, is starting ahead of DeShaun Foster, who stiff-armed a defender for 30 yards in a row on Monday night. The defense, which was supposed to be great, has looked awfully weak.

15. Baltimore Ravens [12] — Even the 2000 offense wasn't as bad as this year's. Now they can't even run the ball. Some of that is on an aging offensive line that looks anything but sharp, but a lot of it falls on the perpetually overrated Jamal Lewis, whose lost fumble on Sunday could have cost Baltimore the game. Lewis has had a fumble problem throughout his career; his average of .41 fumbles per game is the highest of any running back in the league.

16. Kansas City Chiefs [15] — The defense has allowed more points each week. That trend stops in their next game, home against Washington.

17. Detroit Lions [16] — It looked like a touchdown to me.

18. Miami Dolphins [21] — Historically a team that struggles on the road, so if they can win at Buffalo in Week 5, they're probably for real.

19. Minnesota Vikings [17] — There's no running game, so I expected them to lose ugly to Atlanta. If they lose ugly to Chicago, the Week 6 rankings will reflect that.

20. Oakland Raiders [24] — Another game, another 14 penalties.

21. Dallas Cowboys [20] — All of their games have been down to the wire, with an even 2-2 split. Terence Newman chased down Randy Moss from behind, which I must have seen before, but not that I can remember. I do remember my old roommate from Minnesota telling me about a game when he saw Moss outrun Robert Smith to get upfield and make a block. That's fast.

22. New Orleans Saints [27] — It was nice to see the Saints play with a friendly crowd behind them, but I still believe the stress and travel and uncertainty are going to wear this team down over time.

23. Buffalo Bills [10] — I should have dropped them after last week's loss of Takeo Spikes, but the biggest problem here is on offense. There hasn't been a passing game since Peerless Price left town.

24. St. Louis Rams [23] — Marc Bulger threw 62 passes on Sunday. He's been sacked 16 times this season, more than anyone but Daunte Culpepper and David Carr. For some reason, people still think of the Rams as a good team. They're not.

25. Cleveland Browns [25] — They could stand to clean up the defensive play a little, and a four-game stretch against Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, and Houston should be just what they need. With Romeo Crennel in charge of a young defense with a lot of new faces, you have to figure this unit will improve as the year goes on.

26. Tennessee Titans [26] — They beat the pants off of Baltimore in Week 2, and losing at St. Louis in Week 3 is at least excusable. There's no shame in losing to the Steelers and Colts, either, but those losses were by a combined 48 points. A stretch of winnable games the next few weeks will determine whether or not Tennessee has a shot at drafting Matt Leinart.

27. New York Jets [22] — Eight first downs, 1.9 yards per rush, 152 total yards, 22 minutes time of possession, five sacks. The offense is miserable, and while Vinny Testaverde may help a little, I don't see any reason for serious optimism.

28. Chicago Bears [28] — The only team in their division with a positive point differential, they're in first place on a tiebreak win over the Lions. An early bye gives them plenty of time for musical quarterbacks, which was the team's hobby last season.

29. Arizona Cardinals [32] — As Sunday night's game was ending, Mike Patrick accidentally called the Cardinals "St. Louis." Old habits die hard. His broadcasting partner, Joe Theismann, said that he was "impressed by Josh McCown" and that the young QB was "making all the throws he needs to." Less than one minute later, Theismann complained, with a straight face, that all of McCown's throws were high. "He's had three opportunities for touchdowns in my opinion, and he's been long on every one."

30. Green Bay Packers [29] — Their last three losses have been by a combined six points, but none of the three were as close as the score indicates. Al Harris appears to be the only defender capable of tackling in the open field.

31. Houston Texans [31] — Carr was sacked seven times on Sunday, putting him on pace for 107 this year, which would break his own record of 76. My favorite quote of the week is from Trey Wingo on Monday Quarterback: "Odell Thurman, hi, this is David Carr. He's used to this."

32. San Francisco 49ers [30] — During the game, Paul Maguire defended San Francisco's "strong defense," and at the end of the game, he claimed that Arizona "went up against a pretty good defense tonight." The 49ers are last in the NFL in total defense by almost 50 yards a game and in scoring defense by almost a touchdown per game. They're also last in first downs allowed per game, time of possession, pass defense, and passing TDs allowed. Their best player, LB Julian Peterson, was out against Arizona, and they made Josh McCown look like an All-Pro. Calling San Francisco a pretty good defense may be the stupidest thing Maguire has ever said on the air.