Oh, how the mighty keep on falling.
This week the Patriots, 49ers and Texans all suffered crushing defeats that made many recalculate their expectations.
But what did our analysts think? Well let’s find out in our Pro Football Focus Power Rankings.
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And now for the overall rankings (with last week’s rankings in parentheses).
1. Atlanta Falcons (3rd)
A reluctant No. 1? Only two of our five had them at the top after three wholly unconvincing wins. But they did win and remain undefeated — but for how much longer if they don’t step up their game?
2. New York Giants (7th)
I obviously saw enough to put them atop my ballot, but for Nathan they're a team that couldn’t crack the Top 5. Maybe he needs to see more of how they played against San Francisco. Has any team played that well this year?
3. Houston Texans (1st)
They lost their perfect record, and in the process some serious questions were asked for the first time after a rather soft schedule to start the year. The line looks to have taken a step back from last year and they may struggle to cope without Brian Cushing on defense. Testing times ahead.
4. San Francisco 49ers (2nd)
After two blowout wins comes a blowout loss. The defense wasn’t quite as smothering against a well prepared Giants offense, and you wonder if they’re trying to get too cute on offense with the mix up of players and packages.
5. New England Patriots (4th)
Like a person who just got dumped, it seems we can’t get over what we thought the Patriots were (Super Bowl contenders) and still believe it could be. In truth they’re not playing badly, but they lack the kind of killer instinct you associate with them. How long before they find their mojo?
6. Green Bay Packers (12th)
They’re back. So convincing were they in beating the Texans that they’ve jumped a huge six spots in a week. If Aaron Rodgers can play like that all year, then what defense can stop them?
7. Denver Broncos (10th)
If only they got themselves started a little sooner. It seems like it takes them until the fourth quarter to get going, but it’s clear Manning is getting more and more comfortable. That’s dangerous.
8. Chicago Bears (6th)
You take a week off and suddenly everyone realizes that you haven’t actually beaten anyone of note. Such is life in the world of Power Rankings.
9. Baltimore Ravens (5th)
They win and drop four spots. What gives? Well, it was the manner of the win, and the cost of doing business in the NFL. Losing a leader like Ray Lewis, and an elite cornerback like Lardarius Webb, how do you come back from that?
10. Seattle Seahawks (15th)
That was a statement win for Russell Wilson and his Seahawks. The remarkable thing about this franchise is how quickly they turned around one of the weakest rosters, and made it into one of the deepest. Kudos John Schneider.
11. Minnesota Vikings (10th)
To some they’ve already done better than expected, but that defeat to Washington was a reminder they’ve got a lot more work to do.
12. Washington Redskins (17th)
They keep RG3 healthy and look what they can do. Do they have the legs to last the pace in the NFC East? Maybe not this year. But they’re a team who can cause anyone problems.
13. Philadelphia Eagles (13th)
Atlanta fans remember this Michael Vick a lot more than the guy they’ve seen over the past two years. His regression and his turnovers are killing this team.
14. Miami Dolphins (20th)
They weren’t completely convincing in beating the Rams, but the scary thing is this team that looked like such a mess on Hard Knocks, is two overtime defeats away from being 5-1. Far more competitive than anyone believed they would be.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (9th)
At times they just look a little old. The defense doesn’t appear to be what it was, and they’re now so reliant on Ben Roethlisberger that when he isn’t completely on, winning is a tough ask.
16. Dallas Cowboys (14th)
It’s all well and good playing well, but the win is ultimately what matters most. Time and time again Dallas find a way to blow it. There are problems here.
17. Arizona Cardinals (13th)
The mess of an offensive line can’t be overlooked any more, while teams are starting to realize you can have joy running the ball against them if you get a couple of bodies on Calais Campbell. On the positive side, many at PFF didn’t think they’d manage four wins all year.
18. San Diego Chargers (15th)
That’s now two weeks in a row they’ve blown substantial leads. Things aren’t clicking with the defense, while Philip Rivers isn’t the player he was two years ago. There are flashes, but where’s that consistently top-notch guy?
19. St Louis Rams (21st)
They jump two spots after dominating their game against the Dolphins for long periods. It still didn’t result in a win though, and it remains a case of building for the future.
20. New Orleans Saints (19th)
How big a game for New Orleans this week? Win that and could we start realistically talking about them as a playoff team? Stranger things have happened.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (18th)
Do you believe in Andy Dalton right now? Not to play well in just one game, but play well over and over again? Apparently our staffers don’t.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23rd)
A win against the Chiefs is still a win, but they’ll rarely have it quite so easy. They are playing a lot tougher on both sides of the ball, but is it enough to bridge some areas lacking in talent?
23. Detroit Lions (22nd)
They fall a spot primarily because the team seems unconvinced by Matthew Stafford. Last year saw a similar story of his erratic play hurting the Lions and he came good in the end. Can he do that again?
24. Buffalo Bills (25th)
It wasn’t exactly pretty but they found their running game, with C.J. Spiller looking positively electric. The downside? Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing like his days as a starter in the NFL are numbered. Conservative at times, inaccurate at others, he inspires no confidence.
25. New York Jets (25th)
They got their running game going, but can they do it against better defenses? Their own defense was grateful for Andrew Luck missing a number of open receivers. They’ve done well to get to 3-3.
26. Indianapolis Colts (24th)
Wasn’t Andrew Luck meant to be the most NFL-ready quarterback? Right now three other rookies are outperforming him as he does a lot more learning on the job than some advertised.
27. Tennessee Titans (29th)
Yeah, they beat the Steelers but did they really ‘wow' you in the process? That win needs to be the start of something and not just the high point of a low season when they caught a bruised and battered Steelers team on a short week.
28. Cleveland Browns (32)
Secretly a lot of our team have wanted the previously winless Browns a lot higher. They’ve played hard and kept it close, so their first win was well deserved. The long road back to relevancy begins.
29. Oakland Raiders (30th)
They should have beaten the top team on this list. But they didn’t, and that’s indicative of why the Raiders are where they are.
30. Carolina Panthers (27th)
The more you think about what the Panthers are doing, the more you have to be convinced their front office and coaches aren’t on the same page. They’re wasting a lot of offensive talent right now by turning their team into the Cam Newton Show.
31. Kansas City Chiefs (28th)
Speaking of squandering talent. The Chiefs look like they’ve given up, and with no Todd Haley to blame who takes the fall this time? It was criminal that Justin Houston rushed the passer just nine times last week.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (31st)
Early-season optimism has made way for mid-season disappointment. They’ll be looking to come back rejuvenated from their bye week, which means their offense starting to move the ball consistently.
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