2020 NFL Week 4 Power Rankings
We are now three weeks into the 2020 NFL season and it’s all still a bit weird. No fans in all but a few stadiums and players and personnel all going through multiple weekly tests to fight the battle against COVID-19. Despite the irregularity of the season so far one good thing still rings true, Football is back.
Not being able to go to the games doesn’t really affect me sitting in my living room in Scotland but it must be a surreal experience for the players involved. Having spent their entire playing career in front of thousands of adoring fans to go to play in what must feel like dead silence must be a bit of a culture shock and adds an extra dynamic to a highly anticipated season.
The 2020 season is starting to take shape so let’s take a look at how I have ranked all 32 franchises so far in my Week 4 Power Rankings.
32. New York Jets 0-3
To be honest this was a toss up between the two New York teams for the last spot. The Jets secured it by being so boring to watch. There is nothing good about this team being coached by Adam Gase. I don’t think Sam Darnold is the problem on offense, he has a poor playbook and a lack of weapons at his disposal. Even before his injury Le’veon Bell, one of the best running backs in recent years couldn’t get anything going in this offense. Wipe the slate and start again Jets.
31. New York Giants 0-3
There’s no doubt that the loss of Saquon Barkley has ruined any hope the Giants had of challenging for the division but even with him in the team they weren’t able to get him going. Ben Roethlisberger had a game with more rushing yards than him for goodness sake. The lack of a running game is only going to make Daniel Jones’ job harder as opposing defenses can tee off on the young QB and force him into silly mistakes and turnovers. If Jones doesn’t do much this year could the argument be made to tank for Trevor Lawrence?
30. Washington Football Team 1-2
Ron Rivera seems like he is getting ready to move on from Dwayne Haskins and to be honest it looks like it might be time. Another game littered with mistakes and turnovers that if they had been prevented they may have come out with the win against the Browns. With former Panther Kyle Allen waiting in the wings, Rivera may mix things up and go with Allen moving forward.
29. Atlanta Falcons 0-3
28. Denver Broncos 0-3
The absence of Drew Lock meant that the Jeff Driskel led offense stuttered to season lows in almost every offensive category. The Broncos are one of a few teams this year that have had their season ruined by injury. There are a few bright stars on offense that can keep them in games and still make Mile High a difficult place to go.
27. Cincinnati Bengals 0-2-1
If the Bengals came away with a win in Week 3 against the Eagles I would have had them a few positions higher, as I am extremely impressed with how Joe Burrow has started the season. Unfortunately though, he still needs to get over that hump of his first NFL win and until that happens they won’t be getting any higher on this list.
26. Detroit Lions 1-2
Sitting in one of the hottest seats in the NFL, Matt Patricia will be delighted to get his first win in almost a year. A strong defensive performance against the former number one pick, Kyler Murray, set the Lions up for a game winning field goal and temporarily cooled down the seat of the head coach.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-2
This game had a feel of “There can be only one” in the battle of the moustache versus the beard and when Gardner Minshew was put up against a less follically challenged quarterback he completely stuttered. Minshew missed his deep threat in DJ Chark and didn’t complete a pass of more than 10 yards until garbage time. For the Jaguars to challenge, maybe Minshew needs to take notes from Fitzpatrick and his outstanding beard.
24. Miami Dolphins 1-2
23. Philadelphia Eagles 0-2-1
22. Carolina Panthers 1-2
A good win against the Chargers and Matt Rhule’s first as an NFL head coach. More importantly though they did it without their talisman running back Christian McCaffrey. Once McCaffrey returns they will get more wins but the morale boost they will get from getting win number one without him is big. The defense showed out against the Chargers with eight QB hits, two sacks and four turnovers, but can they do it again against the Kyler Murray led Cardinals.
21. Minnesota Vikings 0-3
The Vikings did their best Atlanta impression and blew a double digit lead at home to the Titans. The offense can’t be blamed for this as they looked good and a shout out to rookie Justin Jefferson who totalled 175 yards from seven catches and ran in a score. The defense however can be blamed and should be blamed. They gave up 444 yards and now face Deshaun Watson and the Texans in a “win or wait on 2021” game.
20. Houston Texans 0-3
19. Los Angeles Chargers 1-2
They almost pulled out the win on a great trick play with a lateral from Keenan Allen to Austin Ekeler but it just fell short after a bad pitch from Allen and the win slipped away. Justin Herbert looks good and may hold onto the starting position on his own merit as opposed to the team doctor impaling Tyrod Taylor. Herbert has a big challenge against the Buccaneers in Week 4 but a win there will surely cement him as the starter.
18. Dallas Cowboys 1-2
If the defense in Dallas can even be slightly good and hold teams to maybe 25 points then this offense will get them a win in most games. Dak Prescott could throw for 10,000 yards to his three star receivers and unless the secondary stops other teams from scoring then this Dallas team could be the highest scoring team in all of football ever but still go 8-8.
17. Las Vegas Raiders 2-1
Darren Waller went off against the Saints but was then coached out of the game against New England by Bill Belichick. Waller needs to get more than nine yards in a game and the Raiders need to cut out some of the mistakes if they have any hope of challenging Kansas City for the division.
16. Cleveland Browns 2-1
I would have had them above the Cardinals if one of Arizona’s wins wasn’t against a full health 49ers. The Browns offense is playing well but they haven’t had much opposition on defense in the Bengals and the Chase Young-less Washington. There is definite improvement and Baker Mayfield looks like he is enjoying himself, but still a long way to go for these Browns.
15. Arizona Cardinals 2-1
Brought back down to earth with a loss to the Detroit Lions could be exactly what Kyler Murray needs. He has looked excellent to start the season but the last thing he needs is to get ahead of himself. Maybe dropping one now and having to take it on the chin is just what the Cardinals need.
14. Chicago Bears 3-0
I know a lot of people will think this is still quite high for a Bears team who have only beaten teams with a combined record of 1-8 but the most important thing is getting the wins on the boards. The Bears are getting the wins, doesn’t matter how they do it, just that they do it, and the Bears are doing it.
13. New Orleans Saints 1-2
Something seems off in New Orleans. Drew Brees isn’t throwing the ball deep which makes them a lot easier to scheme against. There is far too much talent there for them not to right the ship, and the return of Micheal Thomas will help with that. Failing that, the way Alvin Kamara is playing might be good enough to just give him the ball and follow him to the playoffs.
12. Indianapolis Colts 2-1
11. San Francisco 49ers 2-1
With all the injuries the 49ers have suffered could you really have blamed them if they just decided to cancel Week 3 and start again on Week 4?? Not the 49ers though, they played their B team and ran riot over the New York Giants. They will need to start getting some players back from injury or risk losing touch in their division and sliding down this list.
10. Los Angeles Rams 2-1
A gut wrenching loss to the Bills on Sunday but still plenty of signs that they can compete in the toughest division in Football. Once their offense got going they racked up the points on one of the better defenses in the league. Coinciding with that, the defense started getting stops and pressure on the opposing QB. Next for the Rams is getting both sides of the ball off to a quick start.
9. New England Patriots 2-1
Cam Newton looks back to his Superman self and like he is loving playing football again. Add his prowess into an elite level coaching staff and you have yourself a legit weapon in not only the passing game but also the running game. The running game looks scary good so far for the Patriots, and teams around the league should be worried when Rex Burkehead is running in three touchdowns.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-1
7. Tennessee Titans 3-0
All the Titans need to do is give Derrick Henry the ball. They are 10-0 when he has 25 carries or more and the offensive coordinator has the easiest job in football. Until it fails keep giving him the rock and watch him pile up the yards. Then when he does stumble, give it to Gostkowski, the man loves a game winning field goal.
6. Buffalo Bills 3-0
Josh Allen can get it done. He is talking himself into being mentioned in the MVP race with his play just now and boy is he entertaining to watch. The defense collapsed in Week 3 and with the help of a dodgy PI call the Bills offense got themselves together and rallied to get the win. Josh Allen is a leader of men and that wasn’t more on show than when he ran in for a touchdown against Aaron Donald of all people and then later in the game he even went to run right at him again before being penalised for a face mask penalty. The Bills are looking good and the AFC East could be Josh Allen’s for the near future.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-0
Speaking off strong pass rushes, have you seen these Steelers?? They have four players currently playing who are in the top 18 of franchise history for sacks recorded. Cam Heyward, TJ Watt, Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt have made mincemeat of quarterbacks so far and they don’t look like slowing down. The biggest bonus for the Steelers this year has to be the return of number seven and the impact he is having on the receivers and the running game. The offense looks dangerous and with that defense look for them to climb higher in these rankings as the season goes on.
4. Baltimore Ravens 2-1
Another loss to Patrick Mahomes for Lamar Jackson and if he isn’t already in his head then he’s knocking on the door. The Chiefs showed that the Ravens run game can be slowed way down and until Jackson can show he is capable of throwing the ball like a top tier quarterback he won’t be mentioned in the same category as Patrick Mahomes as a quarterback.
Yes it was Mahomes and yes he is out of this world, but the Ravens secondary couldn’t stop the big play and couldn’t land on any of their blitz packages. There are other strong offensive lines out there and the Ravens D will need to find a way to get penetration if they want that Super Bowl win.
3. Green Bay Packers 3-0
2. Seattle Seahawks 3-0
Seattle have scored at least 35 points in every game so far and don’t look like stopping in Week 4 against the Dolphins. They have a quarterback who is playing better than any other quarterback has ever done before to start the season. The way Russell Wilson is playing I think I could line up as a receiver and get a few touchdowns, but luckily for Seattle they also have top quality receivers to go with their QB. The defense will need to stop allowing so many points, but to be 3-0 after playing Dallas, New England and Atlanta is just the start Seattle needed in the toughest division in Football.
1. Kansas City Chiefs 3-0
Not much to say here really than, Did you think it would be anyone different in the number one spot? A big win on Monday Night Football may set the tone for who gets the number one spot come January. Patrick Mahomes continues to outshine Lamar Jackson by a country mile and takes a commanding three game lead in this rivalry. The Baltimore Ravens may still be their closest rivals in the AFC but they are way off the mark currently. A great performance by Eric Bieniemy in calling the offensive plays has the Chiefs set up nicely for a matchup with the New England Patriots in Week 4.
