NFL Power Rankings

Believe it or not, the majority of the NFL has reached the quarter pole of the season; four games down, with 12 to play. As a result, it’s pretty easy to see which teams are headed in the right direction and which ones need to start looking ahead to 2015 and beyond.

What teams are in which category? The editors at cover32 gathered to assemble this week’s Power Rankings in an attempt to answer that question. Here are the results after four weeks of the 2014 season:

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1. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) – Sitting back and getting a chance to watch the rest of the teams in the league during their bye week had to make the Bengals feel pretty good; they’re clearly the top dog at the moment. 

2. Arizona Cardinals (3-0) – The Cardinals 3-0 start includes two wins by Drew Stanton and an epic Monday night comeback. Beat the Broncos in Denver this Sunday and no one will question them as a legit Super Bowl contender.

3. Seattle Seahawks (2-1) – A bye week following a dramatic OT win is never a bad thing, as the Seahawks took Week 4 to observe the rest of the NFL. They’ve got to be licking their chops getting Kirk Cousins this coming Monday night. 

4. Denver Broncos (2-1) – The Broncos have some issues that they need to address, namely on offense. As hard as it is to believe, Denver can’t quite figure out what it’s personality needs to be when they have the ball in their hands.

5. San Diego Chargers (3-1) – Four games into the season, Philip Rivers is amongst the three or four top candidates for league MVP honors. If he keeps playing at this level, the Chargers are a threat in the AFC West and beyond.

6. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – A potent offense and a tough defense; that’s the recipe for success that some people saw the Ravens possessing during training camp. And four weeks into the year, it’s finally come to fruition. 

7. Philadelphia Eagles (3-1) – Losing to the Niners on the road by five isn’t that big of a deal, but scoring zero offensive points is pretty discouraging. Chip Kelly and Co. need to make sure their system can work against everyone, not just bad teams. 

8. Detroit Lions (3-1) – Winning at home has never been that big of issue for the Lions, but victories like the one they pulled out in New York can make the difference when it comes to playing in January. That was a massive W for Detroit. 

9. Dallas Cowboys (3-1) – DeMarco Murray is an early favorite for MVP after posting another monster game against the Saints on Sunday Night Football. Maybe Tony Romo can succeed without all the pressure solely on his shoulders.

10. Green Bay Packers (2-2) – Aaron Rodgers wanted Green Bay fans to relax, and backed it up with a huge performance in Chicago. Like it or not, the Packers remain the favorites in one of the NFL’s toughest divisions. 

11. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) – Beating up on Jacksonville and Tennessee got the Colts back on track, but simply rolling through the weak AFC South isn’t going to be enough for this team; they have to show they can beat elite teams.

12. San Francisco 49ers (2-2) – The 49ers defense saved 2014, holding the high-powered Eagles offense to a stunning zero points. Wins can keep a locker room together, something San Francisco will need plenty of moving forward.

13. Houston Texans (3-1) – With J.J. Watt dominating games on the defensive side of the ball, the Texans will be competitive every week. But they need to get better play from Ryan Fitzpatrick to be a true contender. 

14. Atlanta Falcons (2-2) – Win in Atlanta, double-digit loss on the road. Win in Atlanta, double-digit loss on the road. The Falcons are in a disturbing pattern right now and they just lost to a rookie QB making his first career start. 

15. Chicago Bears (2-2) – Jay Cutler has all the talent in the world, but until he can string great stretches together that span months, the Bears QB will be middle of the pack. Sunday’s poor performance against Green Bay was vintage Cutler. 

16. Carolina Panthers (2-2) – Maybe the AFC North is not the right match-up for the Panthers? Maybe their defense just isn’t that good? Regardless, no team has looked worse than Carolina the last two weeks after such a promising start.

17. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) – After an 0-2 start, the Chiefs were left for dead. But back-to-back wins over the Dolphins and Patriots has things looking up in Kansas City. How does Andy Reid do it year after year after year? 

18. New England Patriots (2-2) – If any team not coached by Bill Belichick and quarterbacked by Tom Brady was playing this way, they’d be written off as a joke. Only the Hall of Fame duo keeps hope alive in New England. 

19. New Orleans Saints (1-3) – It might be the most shocking early development of 2014, but reality is starting to set in: New Orleans just isn’t very good. Sunday’s beat down from the Cowboys confirmed something is very wrong with the Saints. 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) – A week after dismantling Carolina on the road, the Steelers returned to Heinz Field and lost to the previously winless Buccaneers. That type of up-and-down play isn’t going to get it done in Pittsburgh. 

21. Miami Dolphins (2-2) – Miami is perhaps the NFL’s most unpredictable team, winning big when they seem to be in shambles and getting blown out when they appear to be on track. The Dolphins are impossible to figure out.

22. Minnesota Vikings (2-2) – Why the Vikings didn’t start Teddy Bridgewater from the get-go is a mystery, but at least he’s in there now to make things right. Minnesota’s steal looks poised to make many NFL GMs regret their decisions.

23. Cleveland Browns (1-2) – On one hand, the Browns are a couple of plays from being 3-0; that’s encouraging. By the same token, they’re also a play or two away from being 0-3. They’re living on a razor’s edge right now. 

24. New York Giants (2-2) – In a span of just five days the Giants went from one of the league’s biggest disappointments to a 2-2 team right back in the thick of things. The lesson? Never count out Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning. 

25. Buffalo Bills (2-2) – Just in case any diehard Bills fans didn’t believe that their team was in a tailspin just eight days after riding high at 2-0, Buffalo replacing EJ Manuel with Kyle Orton provided the evidence they needed. 

26. St. Louis Rams (1-2) – While the QB situation is the trendy thing to discuss, the Rams can claw their way back into contention if their defense finally shows up. That starts with Robert Quinn, who’s been a ghost so far to start the season. 

27. New York Jets (1-3) – It’s not all Geno Smith’s fault, but the quarterback’s mistakes are certainly making it tough on the Jets on a weekly basis. Four games in and people are already calling for Michael Vick; that’s not good. 

28. Washington Redskins (1-3) – All of those good vibes surrounding the Kirk Cousins-led Redskins are gone after a disastrous Thursday night performance. Maybe he deserves to be just an NFL backup after all. 

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) – It was a gritty and much-needed effort in Pittsburgh by the Bucs to get their first win of the season. At this point, Lovie Smith has to give Mike Glennon a shot to see if he’s a capable NFL QB. 

30. Tennessee Titans (1-3) – Three weeks in a row, the Titans have been blown out. That’s all the proof anyone needs, including head coach Ken Whisenhunt, that Tennessee isn’t close to being a contender. 

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4) – There was at least one really big positive that emerged from the Jaguars loss to the Chargers: Blake Bortles looked pretty good in his first start. The rest of the year is all about developing the rookie QB.

32. Oakland Raiders (0-4) – Going to London and getting blown out by the Dolphins was all Mark Davis needed to see; Dennis Allen is out as head coach, meaning the rest of the year is a dreaded 12-game interim-basis audition.