Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

We've reached the quarter pole of the 2009 NFL season. This year has seen a few surprises so far. The Denver Broncos are 4-0 after a thrilling defeat of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Brandon Marshall's 50+ yard catch and scamper being the deciding offensive play. But it was the newly dominant Broncos defense that held the powerful Dallas offense scoreless through 3 quarters. With San Diego falling to the Steelers on Sunday night, the surprising Broncos hold a two game lead in the AFC West. Cincinnati's overtime win in Cleveland has them tied for first place with the Ravens (who lost a tough road game to New England) in the AFC North. The AFC East is all tied up after New England's win over Baltimore, and the New Orleans defense finally bringing Mark Sanchez and the Jets down to earth; both teams are 3-1. The Indianapolis colts, led by fantastic quarterback play from Peyton Manning, have a firm grip on the AFC South. The big shocker in that division, and probably the entire league, are the Tennessee Titans. At 0-4 their season is likely over.

In the NFC East, The New York Giants just keep rolling, still undefeated, although a foot injury to quarterback Eli Manning could hamper their progress. Word is still out on the severity of Manning's injury. The New Orleans Saints lead the NFC south by 1.5 games over the idle Atlanta Falcons. The Saints dominance over the Jets, and still unblemished record makes them an early favorite in the NFC. In the NFC North, the Chicago Bears exploded offensively on Sunday with a blowout win over Detroit, but the Bears still trail the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings by a game in that division. Brett Favre and the Vikings defeated the Packers on Monday night to conserve their slim lead in the North. If it weren't for a crazy, closed eye, sandlot play we'd be talking about another undefeated team, The San Francisco 49ers. Led by a stout defense, which features maybe the most underrated defensive player in the league, Patrick Willis, the Niners already have a firm two game grip on the NFC West. They will need Frank Gore to return 100% healthy from an ankle strain to maintain that lead in the division that's also home to the underachieving, defending NFC champion, Arizona Cardinals.

Here are my power rankings for week 4.

1. New York Giants (Eli's injury could change their ranking drastically in the coming weeks.)

2. Indianapolis Colts (Peyton looks better than ever.)

3. New Orleans Saints (The Saints don't need Drew Brees to chuck it 50 times to win anymore.)
4. Minnesota Vikings (Even with an off night from A.P., the Vikes still pulled out the win.)

5. New England Patriots (Big win over the Ravens on Sunday)

6. Baltimore Ravens (Look for the Ravens to take out some aggression on the Bengals next week.)

7. Denver Broncos (Mike Nolan's new D has the Broncos faithful thinking playoffs)

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (The O looked okay, but Rivers and company made that game too close.)

9. San Francisco 49ers (This club should run away with the NFC West)

10. Chicago Bears (Jay Cutler now has a legitimate threat in Johnny Knox to go along with second year stud, Matt Forte.)

Drinking The Kool Aid.

The Denver Broncos are 3-0, and have to be considered one of the early NFL season's suprising stories. After an offseason filled with turmoil that has seen Mike Shannahan fired, the young Josh McDaniels hired as the teams first new head coach since 1995, Jay Cutler being traded and Brandon Marshall demanding to be traded, The Broncos have put together a string of victories that has put them on top of the AFC west. The biggest suprise however, is not that the Broncos are 3-0, but how they have achieved this success.


Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Led by a dominant, stingy defense which has allowed just 16 points in twelve quarters of play, the Broncos are a team with not only new personnel, but a new Identity. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has installed a 3-4 defense that has seen the Broncos transform one of the NFL's worst defenses over the past two seasons, to the early NFL seasons best.

Offensively, the Broncos, now led by oft criticized Kyle Orton have gone from a "sling it all over the field and win it for us with your golden arm Jay Cutler" style of play, to a quick slanting, run happy attack that has shown constant improvement over the past three weeks. With Brandon Marshall finally contributing, the offense has the talent, and the scheme to compete with just about any in the league.

I know what you're saying, "the Broncos have only played one decent team and they were very lucky to win that game" (see: "The Immaculate Deflection"), and you are right. The Broncos can only play the schedule that is laid out before them. Granted, they haven't played the "toughest" stretch of their schedule (which coincidentally starts next week with Dallas), but in my opinion every game in the NFL is a tough one and there are no such things as easy victories. Besides, if you can't have hope when things are going well, what's the point of being upset when they aren't?