ESPN NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Patriots at # 7
by Mike-Dub on Sep 29, 2009 7:31 PM EDT
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PrintWeek How the mighty have fallen: The Pittsburgh Steelers, perennial top-5 residents, have tumbled in the latest poll.
The defending Super Bowl champions, who opened this season appropriately ranked No. 1 overall by our experts, sit at No. 16 this week.
The Baltimore Ravens remain atop the standings, though the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants flip-flopped positions and now rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The surging New Orleans Saints are No. 4, just ahead of the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 4, the Saints play host to the upstart No. 6 New York Jets. The Ravens will have their supremacy tested in a visit to the No. 7 New England Patriots.
The Cincinnati Bengals' Week 3 victory over the Steelers helped vault them 13 places to No. 11 overall.
Congratulations to the Detroit Lions, who not only snapped a 19-game losing streak in Week 3 but also vaulted to No. 28 in the latest rankings.
2009 Power Rankings: Week 4 RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT 1 (1) Ravens 3-0-0 They've got a great defense and an offense averaging 34 points per game. (Chadiha)
2 (3) Colts 3-0-0 The Colts seem to be in their traditional early season form, which means they are hard to beat. (Kuharsky)
3 (2) Giants 3-0-0 The Giants stay ahead of their long injury list by winning. (Clayton) 4 (7) Saints 3-0-0 They're 2-0 on the road and have four of their next five games at home. (Sando)
5 (5) Vikings 3-0-0 Brett Favre has lived up to the hype so far. (Chadiha)
6 (8) Jets 3-0-0 The Jets team that beat the Titans on Sunday might have more staying power than the 8-3 Jets that beat Tennessee in 2008. (Clayton)
7 (10) Patriots 2-1-0 Tom Brady might not have his offense in sync yet, but you can see it's coming. (Clayton)
8 (4) Falcons 2-1-0 You know the Falcons have made progress when a road loss to the Patriots stands as a disappointment. (Sando)
9 (9) Eagles 2-1-0 Expect Donovan McNabb to return after the bye week, but Kevin Kolb kept the offense humming during his absence. (Clayton)
10 (12) Packers 2-1-0 They should be pumped for their first meeting with Brett Favre. (Chadiha)
11 (24) Bengals 2-1-0 They haven't been this impressive since winning the division in 2005. (Chadiha)
12 (11) Chargers 2-1-0 They have a great opportunity to make a statement in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers will be feeling desperate. (Kuharsky)
13 (20) Broncos 3-0-0 A great start against lightweights will now be measured against a much tougher five-pack. (Kuharsky)
14 (14) Bears 2-1-0 It's now hard to remember how lousy Jay Cutler played in Week 1. (Chadiha)
15 (13) 49ers 2-1-0 Nothing quite like a home game against the Rams to cleanse the palate following the taste of bitter defeat. (Sando)
16 (6) Steelers 1-2-0 Think they miss Troy Polamalu? (Chadiha)
17 (15) Cowboys 2-1-0 Tashard Choice and Felix Jones prove the Cowboys can still have a running offense when Marion Barber is injured. (Clayton)
18 (16) Titans 0-3-0 Drops have to be a big practice issue this week, on special teams and for pass targets. (Kuharsky)
19 (18) Cardinals 1-2-0 The bye week comes at a good time because Kurt Warner is hurting and the Cardinals have much to figure out. (Sando)
20 (17) Texans 1-2-0 The Texans lost one they had to have to the Raiders last year. They'll try again, this time in Houston. (Kuharsky)
21 (21) Bills 1-2-0 Terrell Owens' 185-game reception streak was snapped Sunday. The next thing to snap will be T.O. (Clayton)
22 (27) Jaguars 1-2-0 Would a win over winless Tennessee qualify as an upset at this point? (Kuharsky)
23 (22) Seahawks 1-2-0 Two of their top three corners are out and the other one, Ken Lucas, has been banged up. Hello, Peyton Manning. (Sando)
24 (19) Dolphins 0-3-0 With Chad Pennington likely done for the season, the rebuilding program officially begins with new QB Chad Henne. (Clayton)
25 (25) Panthers 0-3-0 Who are these guys? Carolina seems to be searching for its identity three games into the season. (Sando)
26 (23) Redskins 1-2-0 As much as Clinton Portis is being stopped on goal-line plays, maybe Jim Zorn should let Portis call a few plays. (Clayton)
27 (26) Raiders 1-2-0 Raiders' passing average: 119.7 yards per game. Next worst passing average: Cleveland (146.7). (Kuharsky)
28 (31) Lions 1-2-0 That won't be the last victory they get this season. (Chadiha)
29 (29) Browns 0-3-0 As ugly as this looks, it's only going to get worse. (Chadiha)
30 (30) Chiefs 0-3-0 Improved third-down efficiency on offense has to be one of the Chiefs' top priorities. (Kuharsky)
31 (28) Buccaneers 0-3-0 Raheem Morris was all smiles when the Bucs hired him as head coach. He could not have known what awaited. (Sando)
32 (32) Rams 0-3-0 If QBs Kyle Boller or Marc Bulger cannot find open receivers, it's probably because there aren't any. (Sando)
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How do you figure? We went to the AFC Championship game last year after beating Miami and Tenn. on the road with a rookie QB. We then came up just short of the World Champs..again with a rookie QB. We ripped off 3 straight wins to start this year in authoritative fashion with a mature QB. We beat perennial playoff team San Diego in San Diego by outscoring them out of all things. You won’t believe it until you see it.
Should have scored 50? Have you ever scored 50? We average 34 and are first in rush defense. Brady Catwalk better be prepared to air it out. His passes have been high and long so Reed is looking for a few nice run backs. Dump it to Moss short and he’ll get folded up like a bed spread.
well if u looked at the 07/ 08 pats offense they scored around 50 a couple of times
52 vs skins 56 vs bills and close to 50 vs 2 other teams…ie 48 vs cowboys and 49 vs maimi in 07 and then in 08 under Matt Cassel the pats scored 4 on the dolphins, 49 on the raiders and 47 on the cardinals…so yes the pats have scored 50 pts or close to it… plus all the pieces of 07 offense is still here, it’s just everything must get in sync. With that said, it’s gonna be a hell of a game. and i do believe balt. is a top team this year
Well when you put the greatest QB since Unitas paired with the most physically dominating WR in NFL history, I would expect that. The fact that the Ravens have score 30+ in 3 straight games with what many thought was one of the weakest WR groups in the NFL and without a Adrian Peterson, LT, Michael Turner type back at RB. I think that deserves credit.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Remember, you're talking to a bunch of fans who have strong memories of the 2007 Brady-Moss charity year
50 points? Psh. That was just a good half of Brady throwing bombs to Moss, etc.
And yes, I’m aware that isn’t happening now. People are just hoping they throw a switch somewhere and it happens again, because the personnel are the same.
by Comedic.Sans on Sep 29, 2009 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions
They would've pushed 40 last week if everything had gelled
They put up 4 field goals all from 20 or 30 yards out (ie – basically red zone FGs because the offence misfired). There were two dropped passes that should’ve been TDs, a couple of guys pulled up on routes that they should’ve kept running, and so on. When the Pats click (and they ought to; there’s no real reason beyond Brady’s rustiness, and that’ll fall off soon) then those will stick, and they’ll rack up 40 points instead of the 20 they’ve gotten thus far.
by Comedic.Sans on Sep 30, 2009 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions
"impressive"
All the Patriots got out of it was grief for the anti-parity crime of “Running Up The Score”, especially on ‘poor’ Redskins coach Joe Gibbs who is a good guy and didn’t deserve it. (gag)
Keep the faith!
And now Brady's being criticised for NOT being in 2007 form
Make up your mind, football scribes. Criticised for throwing 300 yards and 4 TDs a game; criticised for not throwing 300 yards and 4 TDs a game.
I have a sudden urge to lead billygoats across a bridge. Billygoats with explosives attached.
by Comedic.Sans on Sep 30, 2009 7:25 AM EDT up reply actions
sorry about the name calling of Brady and knee jerk reaction above above but some newbie named “Deepthreat” has been baiting me and going after the boring Ray murder thing.
No worries
Most trolls don’t last around here. They get buried in knowledge and can’t dig their way. Lots of smart fans to contend with. Like yourself. Thanks for the Ravens perspective and info. Please keep it up.
Blogger at SBNation's Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit
all’s well and “Deepthreat” isn’t a bad dude…just a little smack flame up. it’s cool. but he did join SB Nation tonight.
Here we stick to the facts as well as homers can
and let the teams do the fighting on the field where it counts.
I like strong divisions and I like a strong conference. Teams are honed by playing 6 games in the division and 12 games in the conference. If your division and conference are weak, it doesn’t improve your level of play.
I want the Lombardi always in the AFC, preferably in the East, and definitely in the hands of the Patriots.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Sep 30, 2009 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
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