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BwareDWare94
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
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1. Broncos (4-0)
We heard it all before the season. The Broncos are down. The Raiders are on the upswing. Kansas City will be there. There's no way the Broncos are as good this season as they were last season. How quickly people forget how bad the QB play was in Denver last season, and the Broncos were still a dominant team. The QB play is markedly better this season, and the Broncos are decimating opponents. No matter how many times analysts try to tell you that the NFL is an offensive league, the teams at the top of the pecking order will generally boast stout defenses.
2. Patriots (3-1)
The next two teams on this list boast arguably the two best head coaches in the business. Obviously, Belichick is the best coach in American football right now, and that was on full display throughout the first quarter of the season with the Patriots winning despite the absence of Tom Brady, not to mention missing Gronk for a few games and still not having the beast at full strength. If Denver's defense didn't look every bit as good as last season's unit, I'd have the Patriots at #1.
3. Vikings (4-0)
Mike Zimmer has drawn a line in the sand in front of every other non-Belichick head coach. Can you overcome these losses? he asks. The answer, in most cases, is definitely a no. What the Vikings have built in Minnesota is a complete defense with depth, to boot. Need some time for the offense to gel with a new quarterback? Have at it, boys, we're only playing Green Bay and Carolina the next two weeks. Zimmer's game plans and his players stepped up to the challenge and allowed Sam Bradford to put his one or two drives a game into the end zone. In week 4, the Vikings offense mustered three TD drives, two of which ended in rushing touchdowns, something that hadn't happened yet so far this season for Minnesota. This Vikings offense is coming along nicely, and there are players that have yet to have their full impact. Did we get our first taste of an expanded role for Cordarrelle Patterson last night?
4. Steelers (3-1)
You'll have to pardon me for calling the Eagles loss an anomaly, because this Steelers offense is so good it's not going to matter how sub-par the defense is. And that defense will get better as they get healthy. Make no mistake, a gimpy Ryan Shazier is a major loss. The Steelers also need some young pass rushers to step up. There's no reason that James Harrison should still be on the field in passing situations, at least not as an edge rusher. Want to throw him in the middle of the line for pure potential? Sure, but the Steelers will be downright scary if they can find a way to pressure opposing QBs.
5. Packers (2-1)
I do think something is wrong in Green Bay, but there are a lot of teams that haven't met their full potential yet so a dangerous Packers squad will continue to hold a high ranking. Let's be honest, though. Mike McCarthy has run his course. He's a good coach, and he's done well in Green Bay with consistent playoff appearances, but there's too much talent here for this offense to be struggling like it is. Yeah, I get it, they set fire to the Detroit Lions defense in one half in their last outing, but then it was back to more of the same.
6. Eagles (3-0)
I'm really hesitant about this, but the Eagles defense looks to be legitimate so I think Carson Wentz will have some leeway in order to work through his eventual growing pains. At some point, the Eagles aerial weapons will let him down in more meaningful ways than dropping perfectly placed deep ball touchdowns in consecutive weeks while the game is in hand, already. That being said, the measure of a quarterback between competence and greatness is defined by who makes who better, and so far it's Carson Wentz making his teammates better. Here's to hoping the Eagles pass catchers get over their collective case of the dropsies.
7. Seahawks (3-1)
With that offensive line, I have a hard time placing the 'hawks so high, but they appear to have found their primary running back in Christine Michael, at least until Rawls returns, but with Rawls' injury history, why lessen Michael's workload in any significant way? It's the defense that makes things tick in Seattle. Finally, Russell Wilson had a good game this season against the Jets, but seriously, do real football fans buy into the narrative that he's some kind of great quarterback when the Seattle offense has made a habit of disappearing entirely for long stretches of time? Repeat after me: the Seahawks are nothing without their defense. Say it again: The Seahawks are nothing without their defense.
8. Bengals (2-2)
I kind of feel like I'm placing the Bengals here arbitrarily, but other teams simply haven't earned this spot as of yet. We know Cincinnati will be in the game week in and week out.
9. Raiders (3-1)
Remember when Bortles and Bridgewater were better prospects than Derek Carr despite the fact that Carr was more refined than Bortles and had significantly better arm talent than Bridgewater? Year after year we ask ourselves why we didn't realize that "so and so" was a top tier QB prospect. Nobody thought Carr was bad, but in reality we should have realized he was the best immediate impact prospect in his QB class. In his 3rd year, he's blossoming while Bortles struggles and Bridgewater tries to recover from a horrific injury. That's not to say the Carr/Bridgewater comparisons are fair as of right now, but arm talent is no laughing matter.
10. Falcons (3-1)
All across the NFC South we see teams with glaring weaknesses, and that includes the Atlanta Falcons, but Atlanta has fought and clawed to a strong start to the 2016 season, and there's nobody breathing down their necks like last year. If the defense can improve as the season progresses, there's no reason to think Atlanta can't blossom into a very good team.
11. Ravens (3-1)
I want to rank this team higher, but the offense is nonexistent for stretches at a time, much like Seattle's. The defense, however, is much improved so Baltimore's offensive ineptitude is not so obvious. A silver lining to their first loss of the season is Terrance West's emergence against the Raiders. Can this often and deservedly criticized tailback keep his shit together and take a firm hold on the lead back role in Baltimore? Only time will tell.
12. Cowboys (3-1)
This offense is a well-oiled machine, and very much resembles the unit that drained the clock and kept their defense off the field in 2014. Dak Prescott has yet to turn the ball over, and has been every bit as calm and decisive as Carson Wentz. I do like Prescott's arm talent, and I hope the Cowboys let him display it a bit more as the season progresses. At this point, I think we can consider Tony Romo done as a Cowboy. With his injuries, he may be done as a starting NFL quarterback. I sure as hell hope not, and football fans should hope not, as well. On the other side of the ball, it's heartwarming to see Mo Claiborne playing like a first round draft pick after finally getting healthy for the first time in years. Even early in his career--when healthy, he was solid. Let's just hope he can avoid more injuries and continue to play at a high level. He's under the radar right now, but it won't be for long if his play continues.
13. Texans (3-1)
Let's get this out of the way--Brock Osweiler is a joke when you consider how much money he's making. He's not a bad starting quarterback, but he's not good enough for big money, and he's going to get trashed by Minnesota this Sunday. They're going to hit him. They're going to pick him off more than once. Against great defenses, Osweiler's horribly fucked up mechanics and tendency to stare down his receivers will continue to be exposed, but the AFC South is so bad it won't matter, and we'll be seeing Houston come playoff time.
14. Redskins (2-2)
I see a team slowly gelling and getting better in the Washington Redskins. Offensively, Kirk Cousins simply needed to calm the hell down and be himself. Is he a top level QB? No. He can put up stats but he's missing certain traits that will stop him from ever ascending into the top 10 ranks. Nevertheless, I really like what Washington's defense can become if they can get their heads out of their asses.
15. Bills (2-2)
I really like Tyrod Taylor at QB, and the Bills offense looks like a completely different unit with a new OC. Firing Greg Roman simply looked like a scapegoat move, but it's clear that the playcalling is better now and the offense is doing enough to give their defense needed breaks. If Buffalo simply wins the games they should win--and their next three games are extremely winnable--we could honestly be looking at the first Buffalo playoff appearance in years.
16. Chiefs (2-2)
No matter how good Jamaal Charles is once he's healthy, and no matter how good the Chiefs secondary is, I simply do not trust Andy Reid to let this offense cut loose enough to truly grow as a unit. Kansas City should be better than they are, but continuing to run this offense like points will only come at a premium puts too much pressure on the Chiefs defense, and that will completely sabotage any chance the Chiefs have at truly contending.
17. Panthers (1-3)
The secondary is a mess, but the offense should be fine so long as Cam Newton doesn't have a terrible concussion. The Panthers are much better than they've looked so far, and that'll show in coming weeks. I'm not saying that Panthers fans should relax, but they are not destined for a bad season.
18. Giants (2-2)
There are too many weapons here for the Giants offense to continue to struggle. Call last night what it was--a bludgeoning, but elite defenses don't care who lines up at WR. They just do their jobs and get off the field. New York will not face another defense like that this season unless Denver is on their schedule. Things will get better. Unfortunately for Giants fans, the rest of the division looks strong.
19. Rams (3-1)
This is a fluke, and I don't even want to waste the time to address the Rams. The defense is solid, but they've played mostly bad offenses. The offense is incompetent, and every snap that Case Keenum takes at starting QB is wasted time. Let's see Goff already, for fuck's sake. Oh, and somebody wake Todd Gurley up. Talk about a sophomore slump.
20. Lions (1-3)
The Lions have some tough decisions to make. The running game is nonexistent, and without a great run-blocking OL, backs like Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick NEED to be situational players. Abdullah is gone for awhile, so it's time to put Riddick back at third down back in passing situations, and give the majority of between the tackles carries to second year player Zach Zenner and rookie Dwayne Washington, once he's healthy. I don't care if players like Abdullah and Riddick have more big-play potential. None of that matters when they can't run through contact at the line of scrimmage. Simply look at the spark Detroit's offense was given when Zenner got a series last Sunday. I don't care if he was an undrafted player, and neither should Detroit. This guy rushed for over 2000 yards twice in his college career, and was just two yards shy of a third consecutive 2000 yard season in his senior season. This isn't a project running back. This is a guy who probably should have been drafted. Zenner has earned a bigger role. Defensively, the Lions will get immediately better when their linebackers heal up. The Lions are better than 1-3--that much is very clear.
21. Cardinals (1-3)
Carson Palmer's career is ending before our eyes. Palmer's descent is awfully similar to what Jake Delhomme went through in his final years in Carolina. Obviously, Delhomme was never the kind of quarterback that Palmer was, but that doesn't mean their careers can't end in similar ways. Bruce Arians might be a great coach, but his reluctance to get into the quarterback discussion these past two drafts has me scratching my head about how he evaluates quarterback prospects. I'm going to make a surprise prediction, here--I think Tony Romo ends up in Arizona.
22. Bears (1-3)
Like the Lions, the Bears are better than 1-3, and once they get their pieces together on defense, Fox and Fangio are going to have a nasty defensive unit on their hands. Offensively, people need to stop buying into the Hoyer replacing Cutler narrative. Brian Hoyer always tapers off, and Cutler will settle in with Jeffrey and White, eventually.
23. Jets (1-3)
This roster is much better than 1-3, as well. Fitzpatrick should be given one more game to get his head out of his ass, or it's time to let Geno take another crack at it.
24. Chargers (1-3)
This team is very dangerous offensively, thanks to Rivers, but otherwise they just seem to fold in the second halves of games. They might claw back into the discussion, but it's not likely.
25. Jags (1-3)
They'd be lower because of Gus, but on pure potential alone, the Jaguars might be the team that actually recovers from a 1-3 start in the AFC. I'm not saying it's likely but if their running game can continue to look like it did on Sunday, and Chris Ivory should help with that, it might open some things up for Bortles and allow their defense to get enough rest to reach their potential as a unit.
26. Bucs (1-3)
Jameis Winston is far too careless with the football, and the Bucs dearly miss Doug Martin. I don't see it getting better but, much like the Jags, on pure talent alone the Bucs are definitely capable of improving.
27. Saints (1-3)
The single most overrated franchise in sports. I love that they are terrible, and I hope that they're terrible forever.
28. 49ers (1-3)
There's all this talk about Gabbert being so bad...the 49ers are bad, folks. Kaepernick would fare worse in this offense, and Gabbert's upside as a passer is worth leaving him out there.
29. Colts (1-3)
I love that they are terrible, and I hope that they're terrible forever.
30. Dolphins (1-3)
I love that they are terrible, and I hope that they're terrible forever.
31. Titans (1-3)
Good running backs, terrible receiving options with the exception of Walker at TE. Tennessee really needs to upgrade their pass catchers if they want Mariota to grow at all.
32. Browns (0-4)
Who else belongs here? Honestly?
We heard it all before the season. The Broncos are down. The Raiders are on the upswing. Kansas City will be there. There's no way the Broncos are as good this season as they were last season. How quickly people forget how bad the QB play was in Denver last season, and the Broncos were still a dominant team. The QB play is markedly better this season, and the Broncos are decimating opponents. No matter how many times analysts try to tell you that the NFL is an offensive league, the teams at the top of the pecking order will generally boast stout defenses.
2. Patriots (3-1)
The next two teams on this list boast arguably the two best head coaches in the business. Obviously, Belichick is the best coach in American football right now, and that was on full display throughout the first quarter of the season with the Patriots winning despite the absence of Tom Brady, not to mention missing Gronk for a few games and still not having the beast at full strength. If Denver's defense didn't look every bit as good as last season's unit, I'd have the Patriots at #1.
3. Vikings (4-0)
Mike Zimmer has drawn a line in the sand in front of every other non-Belichick head coach. Can you overcome these losses? he asks. The answer, in most cases, is definitely a no. What the Vikings have built in Minnesota is a complete defense with depth, to boot. Need some time for the offense to gel with a new quarterback? Have at it, boys, we're only playing Green Bay and Carolina the next two weeks. Zimmer's game plans and his players stepped up to the challenge and allowed Sam Bradford to put his one or two drives a game into the end zone. In week 4, the Vikings offense mustered three TD drives, two of which ended in rushing touchdowns, something that hadn't happened yet so far this season for Minnesota. This Vikings offense is coming along nicely, and there are players that have yet to have their full impact. Did we get our first taste of an expanded role for Cordarrelle Patterson last night?
4. Steelers (3-1)
You'll have to pardon me for calling the Eagles loss an anomaly, because this Steelers offense is so good it's not going to matter how sub-par the defense is. And that defense will get better as they get healthy. Make no mistake, a gimpy Ryan Shazier is a major loss. The Steelers also need some young pass rushers to step up. There's no reason that James Harrison should still be on the field in passing situations, at least not as an edge rusher. Want to throw him in the middle of the line for pure potential? Sure, but the Steelers will be downright scary if they can find a way to pressure opposing QBs.
5. Packers (2-1)
I do think something is wrong in Green Bay, but there are a lot of teams that haven't met their full potential yet so a dangerous Packers squad will continue to hold a high ranking. Let's be honest, though. Mike McCarthy has run his course. He's a good coach, and he's done well in Green Bay with consistent playoff appearances, but there's too much talent here for this offense to be struggling like it is. Yeah, I get it, they set fire to the Detroit Lions defense in one half in their last outing, but then it was back to more of the same.
6. Eagles (3-0)
I'm really hesitant about this, but the Eagles defense looks to be legitimate so I think Carson Wentz will have some leeway in order to work through his eventual growing pains. At some point, the Eagles aerial weapons will let him down in more meaningful ways than dropping perfectly placed deep ball touchdowns in consecutive weeks while the game is in hand, already. That being said, the measure of a quarterback between competence and greatness is defined by who makes who better, and so far it's Carson Wentz making his teammates better. Here's to hoping the Eagles pass catchers get over their collective case of the dropsies.
7. Seahawks (3-1)
With that offensive line, I have a hard time placing the 'hawks so high, but they appear to have found their primary running back in Christine Michael, at least until Rawls returns, but with Rawls' injury history, why lessen Michael's workload in any significant way? It's the defense that makes things tick in Seattle. Finally, Russell Wilson had a good game this season against the Jets, but seriously, do real football fans buy into the narrative that he's some kind of great quarterback when the Seattle offense has made a habit of disappearing entirely for long stretches of time? Repeat after me: the Seahawks are nothing without their defense. Say it again: The Seahawks are nothing without their defense.
8. Bengals (2-2)
I kind of feel like I'm placing the Bengals here arbitrarily, but other teams simply haven't earned this spot as of yet. We know Cincinnati will be in the game week in and week out.
9. Raiders (3-1)
Remember when Bortles and Bridgewater were better prospects than Derek Carr despite the fact that Carr was more refined than Bortles and had significantly better arm talent than Bridgewater? Year after year we ask ourselves why we didn't realize that "so and so" was a top tier QB prospect. Nobody thought Carr was bad, but in reality we should have realized he was the best immediate impact prospect in his QB class. In his 3rd year, he's blossoming while Bortles struggles and Bridgewater tries to recover from a horrific injury. That's not to say the Carr/Bridgewater comparisons are fair as of right now, but arm talent is no laughing matter.
10. Falcons (3-1)
All across the NFC South we see teams with glaring weaknesses, and that includes the Atlanta Falcons, but Atlanta has fought and clawed to a strong start to the 2016 season, and there's nobody breathing down their necks like last year. If the defense can improve as the season progresses, there's no reason to think Atlanta can't blossom into a very good team.
11. Ravens (3-1)
I want to rank this team higher, but the offense is nonexistent for stretches at a time, much like Seattle's. The defense, however, is much improved so Baltimore's offensive ineptitude is not so obvious. A silver lining to their first loss of the season is Terrance West's emergence against the Raiders. Can this often and deservedly criticized tailback keep his shit together and take a firm hold on the lead back role in Baltimore? Only time will tell.
12. Cowboys (3-1)
This offense is a well-oiled machine, and very much resembles the unit that drained the clock and kept their defense off the field in 2014. Dak Prescott has yet to turn the ball over, and has been every bit as calm and decisive as Carson Wentz. I do like Prescott's arm talent, and I hope the Cowboys let him display it a bit more as the season progresses. At this point, I think we can consider Tony Romo done as a Cowboy. With his injuries, he may be done as a starting NFL quarterback. I sure as hell hope not, and football fans should hope not, as well. On the other side of the ball, it's heartwarming to see Mo Claiborne playing like a first round draft pick after finally getting healthy for the first time in years. Even early in his career--when healthy, he was solid. Let's just hope he can avoid more injuries and continue to play at a high level. He's under the radar right now, but it won't be for long if his play continues.
13. Texans (3-1)
Let's get this out of the way--Brock Osweiler is a joke when you consider how much money he's making. He's not a bad starting quarterback, but he's not good enough for big money, and he's going to get trashed by Minnesota this Sunday. They're going to hit him. They're going to pick him off more than once. Against great defenses, Osweiler's horribly fucked up mechanics and tendency to stare down his receivers will continue to be exposed, but the AFC South is so bad it won't matter, and we'll be seeing Houston come playoff time.
14. Redskins (2-2)
I see a team slowly gelling and getting better in the Washington Redskins. Offensively, Kirk Cousins simply needed to calm the hell down and be himself. Is he a top level QB? No. He can put up stats but he's missing certain traits that will stop him from ever ascending into the top 10 ranks. Nevertheless, I really like what Washington's defense can become if they can get their heads out of their asses.
15. Bills (2-2)
I really like Tyrod Taylor at QB, and the Bills offense looks like a completely different unit with a new OC. Firing Greg Roman simply looked like a scapegoat move, but it's clear that the playcalling is better now and the offense is doing enough to give their defense needed breaks. If Buffalo simply wins the games they should win--and their next three games are extremely winnable--we could honestly be looking at the first Buffalo playoff appearance in years.
16. Chiefs (2-2)
No matter how good Jamaal Charles is once he's healthy, and no matter how good the Chiefs secondary is, I simply do not trust Andy Reid to let this offense cut loose enough to truly grow as a unit. Kansas City should be better than they are, but continuing to run this offense like points will only come at a premium puts too much pressure on the Chiefs defense, and that will completely sabotage any chance the Chiefs have at truly contending.
17. Panthers (1-3)
The secondary is a mess, but the offense should be fine so long as Cam Newton doesn't have a terrible concussion. The Panthers are much better than they've looked so far, and that'll show in coming weeks. I'm not saying that Panthers fans should relax, but they are not destined for a bad season.
18. Giants (2-2)
There are too many weapons here for the Giants offense to continue to struggle. Call last night what it was--a bludgeoning, but elite defenses don't care who lines up at WR. They just do their jobs and get off the field. New York will not face another defense like that this season unless Denver is on their schedule. Things will get better. Unfortunately for Giants fans, the rest of the division looks strong.
19. Rams (3-1)
This is a fluke, and I don't even want to waste the time to address the Rams. The defense is solid, but they've played mostly bad offenses. The offense is incompetent, and every snap that Case Keenum takes at starting QB is wasted time. Let's see Goff already, for fuck's sake. Oh, and somebody wake Todd Gurley up. Talk about a sophomore slump.
20. Lions (1-3)
The Lions have some tough decisions to make. The running game is nonexistent, and without a great run-blocking OL, backs like Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick NEED to be situational players. Abdullah is gone for awhile, so it's time to put Riddick back at third down back in passing situations, and give the majority of between the tackles carries to second year player Zach Zenner and rookie Dwayne Washington, once he's healthy. I don't care if players like Abdullah and Riddick have more big-play potential. None of that matters when they can't run through contact at the line of scrimmage. Simply look at the spark Detroit's offense was given when Zenner got a series last Sunday. I don't care if he was an undrafted player, and neither should Detroit. This guy rushed for over 2000 yards twice in his college career, and was just two yards shy of a third consecutive 2000 yard season in his senior season. This isn't a project running back. This is a guy who probably should have been drafted. Zenner has earned a bigger role. Defensively, the Lions will get immediately better when their linebackers heal up. The Lions are better than 1-3--that much is very clear.
21. Cardinals (1-3)
Carson Palmer's career is ending before our eyes. Palmer's descent is awfully similar to what Jake Delhomme went through in his final years in Carolina. Obviously, Delhomme was never the kind of quarterback that Palmer was, but that doesn't mean their careers can't end in similar ways. Bruce Arians might be a great coach, but his reluctance to get into the quarterback discussion these past two drafts has me scratching my head about how he evaluates quarterback prospects. I'm going to make a surprise prediction, here--I think Tony Romo ends up in Arizona.
22. Bears (1-3)
Like the Lions, the Bears are better than 1-3, and once they get their pieces together on defense, Fox and Fangio are going to have a nasty defensive unit on their hands. Offensively, people need to stop buying into the Hoyer replacing Cutler narrative. Brian Hoyer always tapers off, and Cutler will settle in with Jeffrey and White, eventually.
23. Jets (1-3)
This roster is much better than 1-3, as well. Fitzpatrick should be given one more game to get his head out of his ass, or it's time to let Geno take another crack at it.
24. Chargers (1-3)
This team is very dangerous offensively, thanks to Rivers, but otherwise they just seem to fold in the second halves of games. They might claw back into the discussion, but it's not likely.
25. Jags (1-3)
They'd be lower because of Gus, but on pure potential alone, the Jaguars might be the team that actually recovers from a 1-3 start in the AFC. I'm not saying it's likely but if their running game can continue to look like it did on Sunday, and Chris Ivory should help with that, it might open some things up for Bortles and allow their defense to get enough rest to reach their potential as a unit.
26. Bucs (1-3)
Jameis Winston is far too careless with the football, and the Bucs dearly miss Doug Martin. I don't see it getting better but, much like the Jags, on pure talent alone the Bucs are definitely capable of improving.
27. Saints (1-3)
The single most overrated franchise in sports. I love that they are terrible, and I hope that they're terrible forever.
28. 49ers (1-3)
There's all this talk about Gabbert being so bad...the 49ers are bad, folks. Kaepernick would fare worse in this offense, and Gabbert's upside as a passer is worth leaving him out there.
29. Colts (1-3)
I love that they are terrible, and I hope that they're terrible forever.
30. Dolphins (1-3)
I love that they are terrible, and I hope that they're terrible forever.
31. Titans (1-3)
Good running backs, terrible receiving options with the exception of Walker at TE. Tennessee really needs to upgrade their pass catchers if they want Mariota to grow at all.
32. Browns (0-4)
Who else belongs here? Honestly?
