‘05 Power Rankings: Week 4

By Dave Shepherd | Wednesday, October 05, 2005 | ( 0 )

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Let's take a look at this week's NFL Power Rankings:

1 (1) Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Peyton Manning threw for four touchdowns as the Colts finally exploded. The scariest part however, is the fact that their defense still played well. Mark it down on your calendars: November 7th ? Colts at Patriots.

2 (3) Cincinnati Bengals (4-0)
The Texans put up more of a fight than most expected, but the Bengals proved they can win the tight games too, something that is essential when January rolls around.

3 (2) Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)
They showed tremendous heart in coming back from an early 17 point deficit but the fact that they let a team roll up 17 points in the first quarter is slightly alarming, thus the drop in rankings.

4 (7) Atlanta Falcons (3-1)
Vick and the Falcons rolled over the pathetic Vikings, keeping the race in the NFC South interesting. Now they have to face a wounded Patriots team, and if Vick's healthy, they have a shot.

5 (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-0)
They had a tougher time with Detroit than they should have, and could've lost the game if not for instant replay. Their early season schedule hasn't been particularly demanding, and they're looking at another relatively easy game against the crippled New York Jets.

6 (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
They're coming off a bye-week to play San Diego on Monday night. It should be a great match up, as the Chargers seem to be picking up steam.

7 (15) San Diego Chargers (2-2)
There's nothing like destroying the defending Super Bowl Champions to raise your ranking. San Diego played a great game, and they'll need to keep it up this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

8 (5) New England Patriots (2-2)
Injuries have finally caught up with the Patriots. You might be able to out-coach weaker teams, but talented teams like the Chargers and the upcoming Atlanta Falcons will exploit their weaknesses.

9 (11) Denver Broncos (3-1)
After the season opening loss to Miami, the Broncos have been perfect. Look for it to continue this week against the Redskins.

10 (12) Miami Dolphins (2-1)
An early week off, and now head coach Nick Saban and the rest of the Miami Dolphins look to continue their pursuit of the division title against Buffalo.

11 (10) Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
Didn't have the power to get past the Raiders, but they did slow them down. Philadelphia's going to be even tougher.

12 (8) Seattle Seahawks (2-2)
They made a game of it against Washington, and if not for a missed field goal, they would've won. It should be an old-fashioned NFL shoot-out between them and the St. Louis Rams this week.

13 (14) Washington Redskins (3-0)
How long can this good luck last? They've won games by 1, 2 and 3 points. It's going to be tough to do that again against the Denver Broncos.

14 (9) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
If they want to remain a contender in the ultra-competitive AFC, they have got to get their offense going. Seven points just isn't going to cut it.

15 (17) Chicago Bears (1-2)
Would anyone be surprised if a losing team won the NFC North? It sure looks like it's going that way. Chicago has a chance to become .500 against the Cleveland Browns.

16 (19) New York Giants (3-1)
They absolutely destroyed the St. Louis Rams, and Eli looked an awful lot like his older brother, both of them throwing for four touchdowns. It's a good game to go into a bye-week on.

17 (13) Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
Just when it was looking like Kansas City finally had a defense, they give up 67 points in two games. It must be fixed, or they will continue to plummet in the NFL rankings.

18 (16) St. Louis Rams (2-2)
They got lit up by Eli Manning, and if they don't fix their leaky defense, they're going to have a tough time holding down the Seahawks.

19 (23) New Orleans Saints (2-2)
In their first "home game" they were able to beat up on a sliding Buffalo Bills team. They have a decent chance to become 3-2 as they travel to Green Bay to take on the winless Packers.

20 (24) Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
Well they were bound to win sometime. Holding the Jets to three points was a great start; the offense is still a little shaky though. That may change this week against the Detroit Lions.

21 (18) Carolina Panthers (2-2)
They climbed to 2-2, but they're going to have to play better in a division that features both the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They should be able to beat Arizona for a much needed 'W'.

22 (20) Detroit Lions (1-2)
They were able to stop Cadillac Williams, but they weren't able to stop the other playmakers on the Buccaneers offense. They almost won the game, but lost on the review. They are still tied for first in the NFC North.

23 (29) Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
They were able to dominate the 49ers in Mexico, but come on, it's the 49ers. Beating the Carolina Panthers is doubtful at best.

24 (25) Oakland Raiders (1-3)
Their offense didn't really break out, but they played well enough to win the game against the Dallas Cowboys. Heading into the bye-week, some adjustments are needed.

25 (21) Tennessee Titans (1-3)
They were competitive for their first few games, but they couldn't stop the Colts. It just wasn't going to happen. They should be able to beat the Texans though.

26 (27) Green Bay Packers (0-4)
Favre couldn't get it done against the Panthers, despite his best efforts. Letting Carolina roll up 32 points... I wonder when the management is going to realize you do need a defense to win games in the NFL.

27 (28) Cleveland Browns (1-2)
It was a nice week-off, giving them time to prepare for the Chicago Bears. They'll have a chance to improve to .500, but after that they travel to Baltimore.

28 (22) Buffalo Bills (1-3)
This team is in desperate need of an offense. How long until they start considering a QB switch?

29 (26) New York Jets (1-3)
The Jets will not be able to win games with a third string QB. If they can only put up 3 against Baltimore, they're going to be destroyed by a much better Tampa Bay team.

30 (32) Houston Texans (0-3)
They put up a fight against the high powered Bengals, and it was enough to move them out of last place. That's the only good news for the Texans so far.

31 (30) Minnesota Vikings (1-3)
Just when Culpepper was starting to look alright again, he gets sacked nine times and is only able to lead the Vikings to 10 points. The loss of Randy Moss didn't hurt?

32 (31) San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
Start preparing for next week. The last NFL's lowest ranked team gets to face top ranked Indianapolis. If you let Arizona put up 31 points, I don't want to even think about what the Colts will do.

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