FRO's NFL Performance Rankings week 4

FRO's Performance Rankings week4
2009 NFL Season
By Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer At-Large Football Reporters Online

While there are many power rankings out there based as much on hype, expectations, and too often, unrealized and inaccurate projections, at Football Reporters Online, we prefer to rank NFL teams on what's actually happened, taking into account only how teams have performed on the field and who they’ve played. At F.R.O., you won’t find yet another power ranking that doesn’t tell you much. Instead, here are the F.R.O. NFL Performance Rankings:

Week 4

CONTENDERS:

#1 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 4-0 Wk: #1 Wk 4: Beat NY Jets, 24-10
The Saints remain at #1 for the third straight week, and they’re starting to become more of a complete team each week. We knew they could pass, but they’ve shown a strong running game and a great defense, too.

#2 NEW YORK GIANTS 4-0 Wk 3: #2 Wk 4: Won at Kansas City, 27-16
Steve Smith has emerged as the go-to receiver the Giants were seeking. Hakeem Nicks showed why the Giants used a 2009 number one pick on him, burning the Chiefs for his first career touchdown on Sunday. And, the D has been strong.

#3 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 4-0 Wk 3: #5 Wk 4: Beat Seattle, 34-17
Like a fine wine, Peyton Manning is getting better with age. Four 300-yards games in four games, all Colts’ wins, 9 TD’s and only 3 picks. Very impressive, even by Manning’s standards. Indy can all but end the Titans’ season on Sunday.

#4 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 4-0 Wk 3: #7 Wk 4: Beat Green Bay, 30-23
Speaking of getting better with age, in his final game in his 30’s, Brett Favre had a terrific game against the franchise that he’ll represent in the Hall Of Fame. As expected, Jared Allen has been a force with 18 tackles and 6½ sacks.

#5 DENVER BRONCOS 4-0 Wk 3: #6 Wk 4: Beat Dallas, 17-10
Dallas may end up a .500 team this year, but by beating them, the Broncos eased some questions about the legitimacy of their staying power in the AFC, at least for now. And, their defense has allowed a league-low 26 points (6.5 ppg).

#6 NEW YORK JETS 3-1 Wk 3: #4 Wk 4: Lost at New Orleans, 24-10
After three impressive weeks, Mark Sanchez and the Jets were dealt a huge case of reality down in the Bayou, but they only fall two spots after losing to #1 on the road, and because the defense for the most part, remains solid.

#7 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 3-1 Wk 3: #16 Wk 4: Beat Baltimore, 27-21
A big jump of 10 spots after beating last week’s #3 team. New England has righted the ship with a pair of solid home wins over Atlanta and Baltimore after raising a lot of early questions with poor showings against the Bills and Jets.

#8 BALTIMORE RAVENS 3-1 Wk 3: #3 Wk 4: Lost at New England, 27-21
The Ravens have still been pretty good overall, and thus, they’re still in the top 8, but losing a competitive game at New England, Baltimore falls from one of the elite teams down to one notch below the Patriots, for now.

#9 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 3-1 Wk 3: #8 Wk 4: Beat St. Louis
The Niners are still that one late Favre-to-Lewis Week 3 Minnesota Miracle pass from being a perfect 4-0. With everyone else in the NFC West under .500, San Francisco clearly looks like the best out west in the NFC.

#10 CHICAGO BEARS 3-1 Wk 3: #15 Wk 4: Beat Detroit, 48-24
The Bears have shown some mettle, rebounding from a tough season-opening loss in Green Bay, to win three straight. With 11 fewer first downs, 122 fewer yards, and 13 fewer minutes holding the ball, the Bears beat Detroit 48-24 (?!).

#11 ATLANTA FALCONS 2-1 Wk 3: #12 Wk 4: Bye
Matt Ryan looked sharp in a couple of home wins against poor competition (Miami and Carolina) but a trip to New England exposed some Falcon flaws. Coming off a bye, Atlanta will be tested again going to San Francisco next.

#12 CINCINNATI BENGALS 3-1 Wk 3: #10 Wk 4: Beat Cleveland, 23-20 (OT)
The Bengals are one of the league’s biggest enigmas thus far. The blow a game to Denver at home and struggle to beat the lowly Browns, yet they win at Green Bay and beat Pittsburgh. It all adds up to a good 3-1 start at the quarter mark.

#13 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2-2 Wk 3: #17 Wk 4: Beat San Diego, 38-28
If the Steelers could maintain their focus for a full 60 minutes each week, they’d rank in the top five. But, that problem let two road games Pittsburgh should have won get away, and instead of a perfect 4-0, their only at .500

#14 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 2-1 Wk 3: #13 Wk 4: Bye
The Eagles’ bye bought Donovan McNabb the final week of time he needed to recuperate and return to the lineup on Sunday. Games against three bad teams (Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Washington) ease McNabb back into things.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY:

#15 DALLAS COWBOYS 2-2 Wk 3: #9 Wk 4: Lost at Denver, 17-10
At 2-2, Dallas looks to be on the path to 8-8. What they do well one week, they may not do the next, particularly with an inconsistent Tony Romo missing Terrell Owens. Dallas gets an easy one in Kansas City next, before the bye comes.

#16 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 2-2 Wk 3: #20 Wk 4: Beat Tennessee, 37-17
From 0-2 to 2-2. Is Jacksonville better than expected or did Tennessee already quit on the season after three tough losses? Maybe both. David Garrard has played well enough for the Jags to open it up more with the passing game.

#17 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 2-2 Wk 3: #11 Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17
The Chargers reach the bye and will remain in this area of the rankings until they can raise their game to match that of better opponents. So far, wins over the bad Raiders and Dolphins, but missed chances against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

#18 GREEN BAY PACKERS 2-2 Wk 3: #14 Wk 4: Lost at Minnesota, 30-23
Sure, Favre won the big showdown, but bigger picture, Jarred Allen has 4½ sacks, and Cincinnati’s Antwan Odom had five sacks in Green Bay’s other loss. Until they can fix their offensive line woes, the Pack won’t challenge in the NFC.

#19 HOUSTON TEXANS 2-2 Wk 3: #21 Wk 4: Beat Oakland, 29-6
The Texans have been inconsistent week to week, as shown by the L, W, L, W result. The Raiders at home were the perfect medicine for what was a very shaky defense that allowed a bunch of yardage over the first three weeks.

#20 ARIZONA CARDINALS 1-2 Wk 3: #19 Wk 4: Bye
The Cards would have been wise to use the bye week to work on their defense after Peyton Manning torched them in the desert. Warner and Arizona were great in Jacksonville but they’ve yet to play well at home in two losses.

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT:

#21 WASHINGTON REDSKINS 2-2 Wk 3: #25 Wk 4: Beat Tampa Bay, 16-13
With Redskin-of-the-teeth wins over awful St. Louis and Tampa Bay, and a loss in Detroit, Washington is about as unimpressive a 2-2 as a team can be. The defense has been okay, but the Skins are still waiting on Jason Campbell.

#22 MIAMI DOLPHINS 1-3 Wk 3: #27 Wk 4: Beat Buffalo, 38-10
Starting 0-3, looking pretty bad, and losing their starting quarterback to his latest season-ending injury, the Dolphins seemed to be going nowhere. Then, a 38-10 thrashing of Buffalo. That’s the unpredictability of the NFL at its best.

#23 BUFFALO BILLS 1-3 Wk 3: #18 Wk 4: Lost at Miami, 38-10
Now the flip side of that unpredictability. The Bills play well enough to win in New England, lose to the #1 Saints (understandable), and beat Tampa Bay easily. So, 0-3 Miami without Chad Pennington? Naturally, a 38-10 loss. Huh?!

#24 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1-3 Wk 3: #22 Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17
Now that we’ve got the NFL’s unpredictability down, here lesson 2: how quickly fortunes can change. After crushing St. Louis, the Seahawks lose three straight and go from #3 on this list all the way down to #24.

#25 DETROIT LIONS 1-3 Wk 3: #24 Wk 4: Lost at Chicago, 48-24
Could it be? Two wins in a row after 19 straight losses? Trading touchdowns in a 21-21 half in Chicago, the Lions made that thought possible. But, then that pesky 27-3 second half came and Detroit became the Lions we’re used to seeing.

#26 TENNESSEE TITANS 0-4 Wk 3: #23 Wk 4: Lost at Jacksonville, 37-17
What is going on down in Tennessee? From the only 13-3 team and a number one see a year ago, to an 0-4 start this season. So, no more Haynesworth, but way too much talent on the field and on the coaching staff to be winless.

#27 CAROLINA PANTHERS 0-3 Wk 3: #29 Wk 4: Bye
Good news for Panthers fans! Jake Delhomme didn’t turn it over last week. Oh right, Carolina was off. Ever since last year’s regular season ended, Delhomme has not been the same quarterback. At 0-3, he’d better find it again soon.

#28 OAKLAND RAIDERS 1-3 Wk 3: #26 Wk 4: Lost at Houston, 29-6
Jamarcus Russell has completed a shade under 40 percent of his passes and there’s talk of head coach Tom Cable being arrested for breaking the jaw of one of his assistants. The Raiders are a mess right now, but at least they have a win…

#29 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 0-4 Wk 3: #31 Wk 4: Lost at Washington, 16-13
Which bring us to the winless bottom four, and we start with the Bucs, who early on, couldn’t stop anyone while moving the ball some. Now that the defense has improved a little, the offense has disappeared. Long season in Tampa.

#30 CLEVELAND BROWNS 0-4 Wk 3: #32 Wk 4: Lost to Cincinnati, 23-20 OT
The Browns nearly got a… well, not a win, but almost a tie. Hey, gotta set you sights somewhere before you get better.
Cleveland did play Cincinnati tough after three bad games, so maybe there’s a some hope for a little improvement.

#31 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 0-4 Wk 3: #30 Wk 4: Lost to NY Giants, 27-16
All you need to know about the Chiefs so far this season, besides losing to three good teams each by double digits, is that when they statistically dominated the bad Raiders at home, they still managed to lose that one as well.

#32 ST.LOUS RAMS 0-4 Wk 3: #28 Wk 4: Lost at San Francisco, 35-0
And, bringing up the rear this week, falling four spots to get here after a horrid performance in Frisco, are the Rams. Two shutouts already? Just 24 points in four games? St. Louis is the NFL’s version of minor-league football right now.

NFC South Week 4 Wrap Up

                                                     NFC South Week 4 Wrap Up
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
 New Orleans 24 New York Jets 10
When rookie QB Mark Sanchez took the field he was looking to keep his team undefeated. Well reality set in as well as mistakes and the kid turned out to be human after all. Darren Sharper picked off two Sanchez passes, returning one 99-yards for a touchdown, to help keep the Saints unbeaten. Just two weeks ago he set the team record when he ran one back 97-yards against Philadelphia. He now has 10 career touchdowns and that ranks him second all time behind Rod Woodson’s 12. Sanchez was harassed all day and finished 14-27 for just 138 yards and three picks. Remi Ayodele also had a touchdown when he recovered a Sanchez fumble after he was sacked by Saints end Will Smith. Pierre Thomas had another strong showing with 86 yards to lead the running game. For the second consecutive game Drew Brees did not throw a touchdown pass and he had only 190 yards passing. So Brees has a sub par day and the running game does not have a 100-yards runner but they win by 14. The Saints still showed that they are capable of playing a complete game on both sides of the ball. They have the Giants in two weeks after a bye.  After the G-Men take care of the Raiders next week it will be another clash of the unbeaten.
 
Washington 16 Tampa Bay 13
The young Bucs came into this game believing they could win it. After all, the Redskins had just come of a loss to the Lions, ending their 19-game winless streak. Things started well for them in the first few minutes of the game. At the 13:00 mark quarterback Josh Johnson put the Bucs up when he hit Antonio Bryant for an 8-yard touchdown on his first pass of the game. By halftime it was 10-0 and Washington QB Jason Campbell was wondering if he should come out for the second half. Whatever was said in the locker room worked. The Skins came out in the third quarter and scored 16 points to put the game away. Campbell was 7 of 9 for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the quarter. Johnson showed his inexperience and finished up 13-22 for 106 yards one touchdown and one pick. The ground game could never get started and the offense could not mount a drive in the second half. They are now 0-4 and head coach Raheem Morris is still looking for his first NFL win.
 
The Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers were idle this week. Next week the Falcons go to San Francisco and try to beat a 49er team that is 3-1 and looking better every week. Carolina looks to get into the win column when they host the Redskins next week. They need quarterback Jake Delhomme to get on track as he has had a shaky start to 2009.

AFC South Week 4 wrap up

                                         AFC South Week 4
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
 Jacksonville 37 Tennessee 17
As the season continues one wonders how long will it be before Kerry Collins gets benched in favor of Vince Young? The fans and media alike will start the arguments across the football land. The Titans however are in a bind much deeper as they stick by the quarterback that led them to the best record in the league last year at 13-3. Now they find themselves in a hole called 0-4 with games against Indianapolis and then at New England. So 0-6 is more the reality at this time because this team does not look like one that can get up enough to beat their next two opponents. The offense was a repeat of weeks past. They cannot count on the run because Chris Johnson seems to get a big run or next to nothing. Collins is under more pressure than normal and his passer rating is getting lower than the average high temperature in the fall. The secondary is getting worse by the week and now with the injury to Nick Harper Tennessee will have to turn to rookies to get it done. Jags quarterback David Garrard torched them as he went 27-37 for 323 yards with three touchdown and no picks. He had time to throw and room to get the ball to his receivers. Mike Sims-Walker used his speed and skills to burn the Titans for 91 yards on seven catches good for two touchdowns. It was 30-3 five minutes into the third quarter and the game was essentially over. Johnson got 83 yards on 16 carries but could not become a factor in a game he could not win by himself. One of the few bright spots continues to be rookie receiver Kenny Britt as he had seven catches for 105 yards and after four games is the team’s leading receiver with 17 grabs. He also got his first NFL touchdown and turned a short pass into a 42-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Collins finished 29-48 for 284 yards, one touchdown passing, one rushing and two interceptions. He continues to struggle with his receiving corps. They have not found that timing from last year mainly due to new faces on the field. In the meantime Young continues to wait on the bench for his turn. The followers will call for his reinstatement to the starting job and say that now is the time to inject the offense with a spark. An argument was made that said that the Titans wouldn’t be turning the ball over to a rookie. They would be giving the ball back to the player they picked third in the draft a few years ago. They would be asking him to earn his rightful place back if he can. It's not like he would be replacing a star. He would be replacing a 15-year veteran that is on the last legs of his NFL career. If things go bad against Indy next week why not give your huge investment a chance to see if he still has it? Do it soon before it’s too late and he is lost for good.  
 
Indianapolis 34 Seattle 17
This one was over by the end of the first half as Peyton Manning threw for two touchdowns and the Colts had a 21-3 lead. Then to put a stamp on it they scored 13 points more in the second half to increase the lead to 34-3. Manning was a terrific going 31-41 for 353 yards and has his team at 4-0. He has a new set of receivers to go with Reggie Wayne and he doesn’t miss a beat. He continued his rise in the record books as he tied Fran Tarkenton for number three with his 342nd touchdown pass. He joined Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to throw at least 55 touchdown passes to two different receivers. Next week they go to Tennessee looking to put the dagger into a dismal season for the Titans. Indy’s run defense was solid, as Seattle backs had no place to go. They sacked Seneca Wallace five times and hurried him plenty more. With the defense playing well and Manning at the helm the Colts look ready to play in January and it’s only October.
 
Houston 29 Oakland 6
The story here was how would JaMarcus Russell do against this Texan defense and it turned out bad. They shut him down and held him to 128 yards on 12-33 passing. They held the Raider running game to 45 yards and the offense had a good day. Steve Slaton had a touchdown run of 32 yards and also caught an 18-yarder for another score; Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 95 yards for another touchdown, as Houston outclassed the Raiders. Matt Schaub started quickly and then tapered off finishing 11-22 for 224 yard and one touchdown. The offense put up 329 yards but had to punt seven times to stall drives. Now Houston has a chance to go 3-2 next week if they can pull one out in Arizona in a game they should feel good about.  

FRO's Fantasy Sleeper – WEEK 4 By William Queen-contributing writer-Football Reporters Online

FRO's Fantasy Sleeper – WEEK 4 By William Queen-contributing writer-Football Reporters Online

This week, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler serves as my fantasy sleeper. His first year with the Bears, Cutler has put up solid production so far, throwing for more than 750 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first 3 games alone.
 
Yardage is always a given when your talking about Cutler, but a solid TD-Int. ratio is usually a concern. However, he shouldn’t have to worry about that when he lines up against the Lions this Sunday. I don’t think I have to go into much detail after I saw the Lions.
 
Even though they won their first game last week vs. the Redskins, I don’t expect Detroit’s defense to be any better than they were before. They’ve allowed 10 passing touchdowns so far this season, which statistically gives the average opposing quarterback more than three touchdowns.
 
You may have passed up on Cutler in your fantasy draft since it’s his first year with the Bears, and other teams in your league may have done the same. So if Cutler just happens to be a free agent, I’ll make up your mind for you, take him. Take him now while you still can.