Cardinals soar into top 10
USA TODAY Sports’ view of the strength of all 32 teams entering Week 4 action. Last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Houston Texans thorough
2. Atlanta Thumping Secondary than Falcons of is score Broncos surprisingly indicates. was (2nd) picky more even Brent without Grimes. (4th) Pro Bowl cornerback
3. Andre New York Brown, Giants Ramses Barden are latest G-Men. in (6th) long line of subs-to-stars for
4. Torrey Baltimore Smith Ravens lifts team to first regular-season win vs. Patriots. (7th)
5. Green Bay Packers
Upon further review, power rankings ignore officiating insanity. (3rd)
6. Arizona Cardinals
Dating to last season, Cards have won 10 of their last 12 games. (15th)
7. San Francisco 49ers
Did Vikings provide wake-up call for 1 p.m. ET start against Jets? (1st)
8. Philadelphia Eagles
Don’t be surprised if this is Michael Vick’s last year in Philadelphia. (5th)
9. New England Patriots
Last time Patriots started 1-2 (2001), they went on to win first Super Bowl title. (9th)
10. Denver Broncos
Have been outscored 51-25 in first half this season. (8th)
11. San Diego Chargers
Maybe Norv Turner didn’t want to
start that fast. (11th)
12. Chicago Bears Jay Cutler’s 58.6 passer rating — 31st in league — is sandwiched between rookie Brandon Weeden’s 60.7 and Ryan Tannehill’s 58.2.
13. Dallas Cowboys Rob Ryan’s defense covers for mistake-prone offense against Buccaneers. (16th)
14. Pittsburgh Steelers Traveling out West clearly doesn’t agree with Steelers. (10th)
15. Cincinnati Bengals Andy Dalton and Co. developing knack for big plays. (20th)
16. Detroit Lions Toothless pass defense getting worse by week and still doesn’t have interception. (12th)
17. Seattle Seahawks “Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat” apparently just requires right type of assistance. (18th)
18. New York Jets Escaped Miami with win, but injury to all-pro cornerback Darrelle Revis could be devastating. (19th)
19. Buffalo Bills
Running back Fred Jackson might return, but it’s doubtful he can fill void created by C.J. Spiller’s shoulder injury. (23rd)
20. Minnesota Vikings Christian Ponder shows Aaron
Rodgers, beat 49ers. Matthew (29th) Stafford how to
21. Kansas City Chiefs
Jamaal Charles puts quick end to running back platoon. (26th)
22. Carolina Panthers
Defense is healthier this year; it’s just not very good. (13th)
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Scrappy team unfortunately is getting defined by Greg Schiano’s kneel-down tactics. (17th)
24. Oakland Raiders
Carson Palmer has thrown to Brandon Myers 15 times, and every one has been a completion. (30th)
25. Washington Redskins Robert Griffin III, at 217 pounds, is
taking punishment at much higher rate than 240-pound Tim Tebow did in 2011. (24th)
26. New Orleans Saints Fork, this is Playoff Chances. Playoff Chances, Fork. You two are going to be working together. (22nd)
27. Tennessee Titans Amazing win vs. Lions is only temporary deodorant for surrendering league-worst 113 points. (28th)
28. St. Louis Rams Since his rookie year, only Cutler (86) has been sacked more than Sam Bradford (82). (21st)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars During first 58 minutes,
30 seconds of games this season, Cecil Shorts has two receptions for 15 yards. In final 90 ticks of regulation, he has three catches for 139 yards and two lead-changing touch downs. (32nd)
30. Indianapolis Colts Speedy rookie T.Y. Hilton provides glimpse of potential in loss. (25th)
31. Miami Dolphins Loss to Jets was prime example of giving one away. (27th)
32. Cleveland Browns Short week, trip to Baltimore is bad combination. (31st)