NFC Power Rankings Week 4
By Julian Green
Over the course of the 2017 NFL Season, I will be giving you my weekly NFC power rankings. I will also highlight a few teams that stood out to me from the previous week.
Week 4 NFC Power Rankings:
The farther we get into this season, the more the Falcons look like the most complete team in the conference.. (3-0). . Atlanta Falcons. 1. team. 44
Dallas should stick to the ground and pound formula.. (2-1). . Dallas Cowboys. 2. team. 123
49. The Packers let the Bengals get ahead by 21 points. Then Aaron Rodgers happened. How long can that last?. (2-1). . Green Bay Packers. 3. team
. Detroit Lions. 4. team. 50. Can Matt Stafford be this years Matt Ryan? There shootout last week was fun to watch.. (2-1)
5. team. 54. Not sold on this team yet but they are young and exciting.. (2-1). . Philadelphia Eagles
60. Was that Case Keenum or Drew Brees?. (2-1). . Minnesota Vikings. 6. team
8. team. 87. I am officially concerned about Cam Newton. They rushed him back and he has no continuity with the skill position players.. (2-1). . Carolina Panthers
36. When do we panic about this team?. (1-2). . Seattle Seahawks. 9. team
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 10. team. 48. Jameis needs to stop throwing the ball to the other team.. (1-1).
team. 51. Todd Gurley looked like 2015 Todd Gurley last Thursday night. This team should be following the Cowboys blueprint as they continue to develop Goff.. (2-1). . Los Angeles Rams. 11
15. The Saints saved their season last week but I am not sure how many good teams they can beat.. (1-2). . New Orleans Saints. 12. team
13. team. 57. The Bears front seven is dominant at times and the secondary has come together nicely. Cohen and Howard might be the best 1-2 punch in the game. None of that matters because Mike Glennon is the QB. Also, Marcus Cooper should be suspended a week…. (1-2). . Chicago Bears
31. Valiant effort from Eli and the Giants last week but it still was not enough. I’d consider waving the white flag if they lose this week and start attending some USC games.. (0-3). . New York Giants. 14. team
The Cardinals defense is still a solid unit but this team should’ve tried to trade up for one of these QBs in the last draft. What you see is what you get with this team.. (1-2). . Arizona Cardinals. 15. team. 32
San Francisco 49ers. 16. team. 42. After drafting Carlos Hyde in fantasy the last two years, his big game last week really upset me. I like that this team is competitive and plays hard every week.. (0-3).
Teams To Watch:
Seattle Seahawks:
The team that dropped most in my power rankings is also the team who’s window seems to be closing the fastest. After the 2013 season, multiple Super Bowl’s seemed to be in the cards for this team. After four years of spending money on defense and poorly drafting offensive talent, the Seahawks no longer look like the NFC title game lock that they used to be. They have the defensive pieces locked up for the next few years so they will have a little time to get the rest of the team right, I am just not sure that can happen in the middle of a season.
New York Giants:
Eli Manning bought himself a lot of time after two championships with the Giants but it’s starting to become apparent that time is running out. His arm was never the strongest and it doesn’t seem like he can make all the throws he used to make. This situation also reminds me of the Bears of 2013-14 under Marc Trestman. I think Giants players and New York media are starting to realize head coach Ben McAdoo might be in over his head. I could be wrong and this team could turn it around, but I think a slide further down the standings and rankings is more likely. Also, despite all of the nonsense (most of which is overblown anyway), Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the most dynamic talents to ever grace the field in the NFL.
Chicago Bears:
It was nice to see the Bears finally get a win against the Steelers last week. What was not fun, was seeing Mike “Check Down” Glennon hold this offense back. I hate to beat a dead horse but the Bears run game finally got going and they still almost lost the game. A competent QB would’ve won that game by two touchdowns. Glennon threw for 101 yards, most of which came on the Tarick Cohen screen in OT. I’m not going to beat around the bush either, it’s time for a change at QB. Give the kid a chance. The Bears front 7 is ferocious and the DBs have improved every week. Kyle Fuller even looks like a solid starter in this league. The Bears might not have good receivers but every team has a bad unit and that seems to be the excuse for Glennon’s poor play. What I am really getting at is that this team could be a .500 team that challenges for a playoff spot if they had a starting QB playing.