Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Congratulations to Laveranues Coles, Bart Scott, Matt Stover, Rex Grossman, Ken Hamlin, and John Carney, the NFL's Players of the Month for September.

* Those of you who tuned out of the finish to Cowboys' blowout win over Tennessee missed Moose Johnston's eloquent explanation of football as the ultimate team sport.

* Peyton Manning normally doesn't take many sacks, but he's already been sacked seven times this year, and at least once in every game.

* Unpleasant trend: networks showing commercials during replay challenges, instead of showing replays.

* Joe Gibbs needs to be careful with Clinton Portis, or his star running back will be overworked and won't stay healthy.

***

In another weekend of meaningful early-season matchups, no contest was more significant than Sunday night's meeting between the Bears and Seahawks at Soldier Field. In a matchup between the NFC's last two undefeated teams, Chicago left no doubt about which is better right now.

The Bears dictated on offense and defense, on the ground and in the air. I was particularly struck by the play of Tommie Harris, who made a bunch of big plays, creating headaches all night for Seattle's offensive linemen, who were among the league's best in 2005. The other stars on defense were Lance Briggs, who led the team with nine tackles, and Ricky Manning, Jr., who had two interceptions and a tipped ball.

Chicago dominated the contest despite some bad officiating that favored the Seahawks. Particularly egregious was a call near the end of the first half, when Mike Brown was flagged for unnecessary roughness. It was a 15-yard penalty, and helped set up a Seattle field goal, but Darrell Jackson was still in bounds when Brown tackled him, and the hit looked clean. Insult to injury, on the next play Matt Hasselbeck should have been called for intentional grounding, but wasn't. Fortunately, the game wasn't close, and officiating had no impact on the result.

Now, on to the power rankings. Brackets indicate last week's rank.

1. Chicago Bears [3] — I normally hate it when fans bring signs to football games, but I appreciate the one NBC found near the end of Sunday night's game: "Dear Rex, We are sorry for all of the bad stuff we said." A lot of fans, from Chicago and around the country, have said bad stuff about Grossman, and through four games this year, he seems to have silenced most or all of his critics. So, Rex, I'm sorry, too.

2. Indianapolis Colts [1] — Deserved to lose, but usual assumptions don't apply to this team. Third-and-15 is manageable for the Colts. When they get the ball back, down by four, with 2:20 remaining, you expect them to win. Then, sure enough, Manning only uses a minute and a half on the game-winning drive.

3. Cincinnati Bengals [2] — There are a lot of problems here, and they were all on display against the Patriots: pass protection (4 sacks), run defense (236 yards, 5.8 avg), discipline (9 penalties). Some Cincinnati fans blamed the absence of Chris Henry — who was inactive for disciplinary reasons — for the team's problems on Sunday, but it wasn't Kelley Washington giving up 20-yard runs to Laurence Maroney out there.

4. Baltimore Ravens [10] — Everyone else has them in the top three, and that's a difficult position to criticize, but I've watched three of Baltimore's games this season, and the team I've seen is very good, not great. The Ravens have played three terrible teams, blowing out two of them and barely escaping with a win against the other. They also beat a very good team on Sunday, but the game was at home, and Baltimore — which went 0-8 on the road last season — still hasn't proven it can play well on the road. If the Ravens win at Denver in Week 5, I guarantee they'll make the top three.

5. Philadelphia Eagles [6] — With Brian Westbrook out of the lineup, Donovan McNabb led the team to victory. Last season, when McNabb was playing hurt, people with short memories talked about how unproductive the Eagles' QB was without a marquee receiver. This season, McNabb leads the NFL in passing yards and TDs, with a passer rating over 100. On Monday, McNabb also proved that he can still make plays with his feet, rushing for 47 yards and two touchdowns. When he's healthy, McNabb is one of the three or four best quarterbacks in the NFL.

6. San Diego Chargers [5] — Lost a heartbreaker in Baltimore, but the defense continues to impress. San Diego held the Ravens' offense to 206 total yards, generating three turnovers and limiting Jamal Lewis to 34 yards and a 2.3 average. Antonio Gates has been quiet since Drew Brees left town, and it would be a big boost for the offense if he can get on track.

7. Seattle Seahawks [7] — At the end of last season, Hasselbeck looked like one of the top half-dozen QBs in the NFL. Through four games this season, he has more interceptions than touchdowns, tied for worst in the league in picks. He's also been sacked 13 times, putting him on pace for a career-high 52, and his passer rating for the season is a mediocre 74.6.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers [8] — A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I still think Pittsburgh is a very good team, but could start the season 1-3. Next week, the 1-2 Steelers travel to San Diego. The defending champs have a brutal schedule, and it doesn't get much easier in the next few weeks.

9. Denver Broncos [9] — This team has a ton of potential, and it showed some of that in Week 3 against New England. The defense has been superb, allowing only one TD all season, but the offense has yet to generate more than 17 points in a game.

10. New England Patriots [14] — Embarrassed against Denver, they bounced back with a statement game against the Bengals, routing their opponents in Cincinnati. The Bengals are an incomplete team, and New England took advantage of that on both offense and defense, but there are still obvious vulnerabilities here. Circle November 5 on your calendar: Colts at Pats.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars [4] — Entered Week 4 with the best time of possession in the league, but had a deficit of more than 10 minutes against Washington. The Jaguars are awfully good for a 2-2 team, and the hardest part of their schedule is behind them now, but Jacksonville will have to wait until Week 7 to get its first road win of the '06 season.

12. New York Giants [12] — Tom Coughlin just can't keep his team happy. A couple years ago, there was that ridiculously overblown story about Michael Strahan getting fined for not getting to a meeting early. Last season, it was Tiki Barber publicly saying that the Giants were outcoached in their playoff loss. Now it's Jeremy Shockey, always a model of restraint, saying the same in an expletive-laden rant to reporters. Being an NFL coach is a difficult job that entails much more than Xs and Os.

13. New Orleans Saints [13] — Finally got their first loss, on the road against a decent team, and that doesn't get you dropped from this part of the rankings. The next three games are at home, and the Saints' performance in those games should go a long way towards revealing whether New Orleans is for real.

14. Atlanta Falcons [15] — Defense absolutely smothered the Cardinals. Patrick Kerney had three sacks. Rod Coleman had two fumble recoveries. Michael Boley had seven tackles, a sack, an interception, and a forced fumble. The Falcons allowed just 31 rushing yards — with a 1.2 average — and limited Arizona's explosive receiving corps to 156 yards, intercepting both Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart.

15. Minnesota Vikings [11] — Everyone between here and 21st is too low. Minnesota actually looks like a team that needs to be taken very seriously in the NFC, but Atlanta is 3-1, with its only loss coming at New Orleans, and just won by 20 points. Still, the Vikings are the only team to finish respectably against Chicago this year, and 15th doesn't do that justice. One problem that does need to be fixed is penalties. Minnesota had 12 on Sunday and easily tops the league in that category, with a total of 38 so far this season.

16. Dallas Cowboys [16] — Andre Gurode got 30 stitches in his head, but apparently is going to be fine and should be able to play next week in Philadelphia. Albert Haynesworth stepping on Gurode's head — helmet off — with his cleat is probably the dirtiest thing I've ever seen on a football field. The league suspended Haynesworth for a record five games, but I don't think that's enough. I would have liked to see him suspended for the remainder of the 2006 season, and he should face criminal assault charges in Tennessee.

17. Kansas City Chiefs [17] — Absolutely destroyed the Niners, posting the most dominant victory in Week 4, but I couldn't move them ahead of Dallas, which had its own runaway victory and is over .500. The Chiefs more than doubled San Francisco's offensive yardage. It's nice to see Dante Hall returning punts for touchdowns again.

18. Carolina Panthers [18] — Important division wins in each of the last two weeks, but I couldn't move them ahead of Kansas City, which just won 41-0. The defense needs to improve immensely if this team is going to be a serious Super Bowl contender. Carolina finally stopped the run, but did so at the expense of pass defense, allowing Drew Brees to pass for 349 yards and a 110.5 passer rating.

19. Washington Redskins [19] — Very impressive in the last two weeks, with a blowout win against a bad team and a spirited victory against a good one, but I couldn't move them ahead of Carolina, which knocked off the previously undefeated Saints and is clearly a different team with Steve Smith back. Washington can identify, since it's a much different team with Portis back. Just as important as Portis, though, is Santana Moss. What a special player he's become.

20. New York Jets [20] — Gave the Colts all they could handle, and excited a lot of people with that string of laterals at the end of the game, but I couldn't move them ahead of Washington, which beat another good team. I liked John Madden's take on criticism of Eric Mangini's decision to go for a touchdown on 4th-and-goal. Madden noted that someone who would have played it safe on fourth down, kicking the field goal, probably would have played it safe earlier in the game, too, eschewing the onside kick that led to a Jets touchdown.

21. Buffalo Bills [21] — The last team rated too low. The Bills got their first really quality win of the season, but I couldn't move them ahead of the Jets, who beat them last week and nearly upset Indianapolis in Week 4. J.P. Losman had an efficient game against the Vikings, and the defense controlled the contest, shutting down Minnesota's ground game and intercepting Brad Johnson twice, only the second time since 2003 that he's thrown two picks in a game.

22. St. Louis Rams [23] — Ranked correctly. It annoys me that last week I praised the defense and this week it gave up 34 points to Detroit, the Lions' highest total of the season. Former Rams coach Mike Martz is Detroit's new offensive coordinator, so maybe he just exploited weaknesses in St. Louis' defense, but if Green Bay lights up the scoreboard in Week 5, the Rams are in trouble.

23. Miami Dolphins [22] — Every team between here and 29th is too high. On Sunday night, I dreamed that Joey Harrington was starting at quarterback for the Dolphins. It was one of those really realistic dreams that it takes you a while to realize it was just a dream, although for some reason, in the dream, Harrington was No. 55 (which is actually worn by linebacker Keith Newman). He'd never admit it, but I wonder whether Nick Saban would rather have Gus Frerotte back than Daunte Culpepper.

24. Green Bay Packers [24] — Both teams were missing their top running backs on Monday night, and it showed, as each team lost a fumble on the exchange between QB and RB. The Packers have bigger problems, though. Brett Favre has few weapons to work with and is painfully inconsistent. The defense is a wreck, and Green Bay is one of only five teams to allow more than 100 points this season.

25. Arizona Cardinals [25] — When Dennis Green coached the Vikings, they consistently had one of the league's best offenses. So far, though, he hasn't had that kind of success in Arizona. Even when the Cardinals post big numbers, it's because they're playing from behind and passing a lot.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [26] — Got off to a disappointing start this season, but things don't get any easier. Nine of the Bucs' next 11 games are against teams at or above .500. The exceptions are at the Giants and Steelers. I'll be shocked if it happens, but Tampa has an outside shot at going 0-16.

27. Cleveland Browns [28] — There were a weirdly high number of Charlie Frye references in last week's column, and I've been told that I made Frye sound like the worst player in the league, which he's certainly not. In fact, I started Frye against Oakland in my fantasy league. The Browns are a young team that's still coming together, and I think they'll be better at the end of the season than they are now.

28. San Francisco 49ers [27] — They've been blown out each of the last two weeks, and lost to the Cardinals in Week 1, but they somehow beat St. Louis — the Rams' only loss this season — in Week 2, so I can't rank them last. Yet. The loser of next week's Oakland/San Francisco matchup is clearly a very, very bad team.

29. Detroit Lions [29] — Allowed over 30 points for the third game in a row. St. Louis averaged 15.7 points in its first three games this season, but exploded for 41 against the Lions. New quarterback Jon Kitna does seem to be settling in, and trails only McNabb and Manning in passing yards.

30. Houston Texans [32] — Sackfest in Houston on Sunday. The Dolphins and Texans have allowed a combined 36 sacks this year, and each team tallied five in Week 4. Houston has a bye next week, but the team plays on the road in four of its next five games, and six of the next eight.

31. Oakland Raiders [31] — Last year, Raiders fans were incensed when I predicted that their team would finish 6-10. They went 4-12. At the beginning of this season, Oakland fans complained when I ranked the team 27th and called the defense subpar. The team is terrible and the defense is subpar. Last week, Raider Nation took offense to my suggestion that "Randy Moss seems washed up." Moss is on pace for 37 catches, 448 yards, and five TDs, all career-lows. He's also on pace for career-lows in first downs, receptions of at least 20 yards, and receptions of at least 40 yards.

32. Tennessee Titans [30] — Vince Young is still adjusting both to the speed of NFL defenders and to not having a superior offensive line. It's going to be a long year and a steep learning curve for Young, so the coaching staff will have to make sure the rookie quarterback doesn't get too discouraged by mistakes and disappointments early in his career.