Sporting Joe NFL Power Poll: Week 4

A mere four weeks into the season and a coach is gone.  Dennis Allen’s seat was red hot in Oakland after an embarrassing 0-4 start.  Yet every coach feels pressure, even the best coaches included.  Bill Belichick, Chip Kelly, and Marc Trestman face scrutiny following very rough outings over the weekend.                                               

1)      Seattle- If Kirk Cousins found the Giant’s defense unsettling last week he needs to prepare himself for a rested and raucous Seahawks team on Monday night.               

2)      Denver- The Broncos better have enjoyed the bye week.  Their next four games, Arizona, New York Jets, San Francisco, and San Diego, feature hard-hitting defenses.  The ice tubs will be very busy in the coming month.

    

3)      San Diego- Phillip Rivers has completed 70% of his passes this season and claims a 9-1 touchdown to interception ratio.  There may not be another quarterback in the NFL playing at a higher level.

   

4)      Cincinnati- Geno Atkins does not receive the media attention he deserves.  The best defensive player in the AFC not named J.J. Watt is again anchoring a stingy unit.  The Bengals are allowing a mere 11 points a contest, which leads the NFL.

   

5)      Arizona- The Cardinals have flown under the radar and beaten two good teams, San Diego and San Francisco, now the country will notice should they beat Denver.  Patrick Peterson vs. Peyton Manning is the essence of a generational clash.

       

6)      New England- The offensive line is a pressing issue but Tom Brady and company have overcome adversity in the past.  History and prudence say it is too early to hit the panic button in New England. 

      

7)       Green Bay- Aaron Rodgers taught remedial spelling to Cheeseheads with his R-E-L-A-X comment.  If only he could impress upon his offensive line the value of R-U-N B-L-O-C-K-I-N-G.

 

8)      Philadelphia- Lane Johnson returns this week to bolster an offensive line that found itself as Justin Smith and crew’s personal playthings in San Francisco.  The Ram’s front four will offer another stern test. 

    

9)      Chicago- Bears fans can embrace Matt Forte’s 171 total yards from scrimmage as a positive step or bemoan the fact that Chicago was the only NFC North team to lose this week.  Bears fans will stay positive, right?

10) Indianapolis- The inclination is to rank Houston over the Colts.  That is a valid argument, except that over time Andrew Luck will guide his team to more victories than Ryan Fitzpatrick.