Week 4 Power Rankings: Dolphins, Rams fight for 32nd

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, October 03, 2007  |  Comments( 22 )

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Every Wednesday during the NFL regular season, RealFootball365.com brings you its power poll, ranking the teams from the worst of the moment to the best. This is the fourth installment of 2007.

32. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 29; 0-4) - The Dolphins have been a downtrodden team for a while now, but surrendering 299 rushing yards to Oakland's ballcarriers and five touchdowns to ex-Miami QB Daunte Culpepper in a 35-17 loss has to be among the squad's most painful low points in recent memory.

31. St. Louis Rams (LW: 28; 0-4) - The Rams have been so bad that an unnamed player on their team recently stated that he's worried about finishing 0-16. Ouch.

30. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 27; 1-3) - Times are tough for the Vikings, not surprisingly, but at least rookie RB Adrian Peterson (three 100-yard rushing games in four weeks) is as explosive as advertised.

29. New Orleans Saints (LW: 29; 0-3) - The Saints won their bye week, I guess.

28. New York Jets (LW: 23; 1-3) - It's probably time to stick a fork in the Jets, who won 10 games last year and entered 2007 with very high hopes. Don't expect any kind of miraculous rebound from this team.

27. Buffalo Bills (LW: 32; 1-3) - Speaking of sticking forks in things ... It's probably safe to say the era of J.P. Losman in Buffalo has ended. Was rookie QB Trent Edwards (22 of 38 for 234 yards) impressive in his pro debut or what?

26. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 31; 1-3) - The Falcons' 10-point win over Houston was certainly among the shockers of Week 4. Even more surprising: Joey Harrington's 354 passing yards. Michael who?

25. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 20; 2-2) - No offense, 49er fans, but your team has no offense.

24. Carolina Panthers (LW: 19; 2-2) - Because of a weak division, the Panthers are going to hang around all year and have a chance to earn a playoff spot, but they're the same erratic team -- possibly even worse -- from a year ago.

23. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 18; 1-3) - Chad Johnson's not so funny when the Bengals are losing, is he? Marvin Lewis doesn't think so.

22. Chicago Bears (LW: 16; 1-3) - One of the following will be on Chicago's roster by next September: Andre Woodson, Brian Brohm, Donovan McNabb.

21. San Diego Chargers (LW: 15; 1-3) - Chargers fans certainly want to make new head coach Norv Turner the scapegoat for their team's stunning '07 collapse, but fingers should ultimately be pointed at general manager A.J. Smith, who fired Marty Schottenheimer far too late into the offseason and had to scramble for a replacement.

20. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 14; 1-3) - It doesn't matter how bad your offensive line is, there is no excuse whatsoever for allowing 12 (!) sacks in a game. None.

19. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 7; 2-2) - When you look at this year's Ravens, what do you see? I see a team not destined to go very far. All hype entering the season, all mediocrity once the games are played.

18. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 26; 2-2) - Last week: "Congratulations for beating the Vikings by a field goal, Kansas City. You're still lousy." Well, maybe not. On the road, the Chiefs throttled the Chargers throughout the second half Sunday, so they deserve a lot of credit and ought to be taken seriously, for now.

17. Cleveland Browns (LW: 25; 2-2) - The Browns, as hard as they are to gauge, are certainly going to be a lot of fun to watch over the next 12 games. In an AFC North that isn't exactly a juggernaut, upstart Cleveland has a chance to hang around awhile.

16. Oakland Raiders (LW: 24; 2-2) - Like Cleveland, the Raiders are in a division that isn't exactly among the league's best. For that reason, as amazing as it may sound, Oakland just might make a run at the postseason. The Raiders have the No. 1-ranked running game in the league, and that's why they've already matched their 2006 win total.

15. Houston Texans (LW: 9; 2-2) - After a 2-0 start, the magic is beginning to fade in Houston. Hey, at least Matt Schaub is still looking good. If nothing else, the Texans have probably found a franchise QB.

14. New York Giants (LW: 21; 2-2) - Don't write the obituary for Tom Coughlin and the Giants just yet. Although banged up, the G-Men have found various ways to win two consecutive games against division rivals, and they have a chance to surpass the .500 mark versus the Jets this week.

13. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 22; 2-2) - Last week: "Head coach Ken Whisenhunt plans to use a two-quarterback system. Really, really bad idea, Ken. This isn't college football. Keep Matt Leinart in and let him take his lumps. Your future certainly isn't Kurt Warner." The Cards' two-QB system worked in an eyebrow-raising upset against Pittsburgh, but it's not destined to keep paying off. Understandably, Leinart is growing increasingly frustrated and upset with Arizona's coaches.

12. Denver Broncos (LW: 11; 2-2) - Two straight losses, but the Broncos remain the favorite to win the weak AFC West. The only team in the division as talented as Denver is San Diego, but the Chargers seem completely listless this year.

11. Washington Redskins (LW: 12; 2-1) - Are the Redskins for real? We'll find out this week against Detroit, which Washington had an extra week to prepare for.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 10; 2-1) - The under-the-radar Jags, coming off their bye, have two consecutive winnable games -- at Kansas City, versus Houston -- and might find themselves 4-1 heading into Indy on Oct. 22.

9. Detroit Lions (LW: 17; 3-1) - Give Mike Martz talent, you'll reap the rewards. Detroit hung 34 fourth-quarter points on the shell-shocked Bears last Sunday en route to a come-from-behind win, and it cemented its status as a legit team early this season.

8. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 13; 3-1) - If the Seahawks stay healthy, they might as well just be handed the NFC West championship banner now. Nobody in that division will be able to keep up with Seattle over the course of this entire season.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 7; 3-1) - The Bucs, among the league's surprise teams, have a brutal three-week schedule upcoming: at Indianapolis, Tennessee, at Detroit. Three straight losses? Maybe. I'm not betting against Jeff Garcia, though; I've done it too many times in the past and lost.

6. Tennessee Titans (LW: 6; 2-1) - Off their bye week, the Vince Young-led Titans shouldn't have any trouble beating Atlanta for win No. 3.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 2; 3-1) - The Steelers certainly got knocked down a few pegs by Arizona, but it's definitely not time to panic in Pittsburgh. The fact is, Mike Tomlin's team remains the class of the AFC North. Easily, to be honest.

4. Green Bay Packers (LW: 5; 4-0) - At some point, the Packers, as good as they've been, are going to have to run the ball. Don't be surprised if Chicago closes off Brett Favre and the passing game this weekend and forces the Packers' floundering runners to do it themselves. That could result in Green Bay's first loss.

3. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 4; 4-0) - The Colts are sort of like Tiger Woods, aren't they? Indianapolis seems to toy with its opponents each week, then it flips a switch and crushes its enemy in the latter stages of a game. These guys might be as great as ever.

2. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 2; 4-0) - New England is coming up in two weeks in a possible Super Bowl preview, so the Cowboys have to avoid a letdown in Buffalo this Monday night. With Tony Romo and Terrell Owens thriving, expect America's Team to hit the five-win mark in as many weeks.

1. New England Patriots (LW: 1; 4-0) - Patriots-Browns this weekend. Save yourself the embarrassment, Cleveland, and forfeit now.

Get weekly NFL power rankings at RealFootball365.com
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