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NFL Power Rankings - Week 4: Seahawks return to No. 1; Chargers, Cardinals move up

Jeff Gross / Getty

The NFL Power Rankings are selected by a panel of theScore's NFL Editors, including David P. WoodsMichael AmatoCaitlyn Holroyd and Gino Bottero.

1. Seattle Seahawks

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
1st 1st 1st 2nd

Previous Rank: 2nd

After falling to the Chargers in Week 2, the Seahawks earned a thrilling overtime victory at home against Peyton Manning and the Broncos. After their Week 4 bye, they enter a favorable three-week stretch with matchups against the Redskins, Cowboys and Rams. - Caitlyn Holroyd

2. Denver Broncos

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd

Previous Rank: 1st

The Broncos re-vamped their defense in the offseason in an effort to compete with the Seahawks, and while they didn't get the result they wanted Sunday, they did compete, silencing the Seattle crowd as they forced overtime. If the game was played at a neutral location the final score may have been different. - Gino Bottero

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
3rd 3rd 3rd 1st

Previous Rank: 3rd

In a week in which A.J. Green doesn't catch a touchdown pass, Andy Dalton catches one. Everything's going right for the Bengals right now. The defense has weathered all perceived concerns to allow all of 33 points through three games. Opponents need to start viewing trips to Cincinnati like they do trips to Seattle. It's just as tough to play there right now. - Gino Bottero

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
4th 4th 4th 5th

Previous Rank: 5th

No team has ever conceded 17 points in the first half in each of their first three games without losing - until the 2014 Eagles. Philly is still vulnerable in some areas on defense and their offense will be tested by three NFC West opponents in the next month. That stretch should show what kind of team the Eagles really are. - Michael Amato 

5. New England Patriots

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
7th 5th 7th 6th

Previous Rank: 4th

A win is a win, but there's no way to put a positive spin on the Patriots' narrow (and probably undeserved) victory over the Raiders. The only thing more worrisome than Tom Brady's play is that of his offensive line. - David P. Woods

6. San Diego Chargers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
5th 11th 5th 4th

Previous Rank: 9th

They've been best when leaning on the ground game, and now there's some concern as to who can carry the load due to injuries. They'll be fine waiting for Ryan Mathews to return as their schedule is soft as a cloud over the next four weeks: vs. Jaguars, vs. Jets, at Raiders, vs. Chiefs. - Gino Bottero

7. Arizona Cardinals

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
6th 7th 6th 7th

Previous Rank: 11th

The Cardinals were without starting quarterback Carson Palmer again in Week 3, and managed to come away with a big win over the division rival 49ers. This team is starting to look like the real deal. - Caitlyn Holroyd

8. Green Bay Packers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
8th 6th 9th 12th

Previous Rank: 6th

Aaron Rodgers has thrown for less than 200 yards in two of Green Bay's three contests and the running game is stagnant right now. A loss to the Bears on Sunday and the Pack will slide well behind the eight ball in the NFC North. -  Michael Amato

9. New Orleans Saints

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
11th 8th 11th 9th

Previous Rank: 10th

The Saints' Week 3 victory over the Vikings wasn't pretty, but it did provide the team with some much-needed momentum to keep pace with the Falcons and Panthers. - Caitlyn Holroyd

10. Chicago Bears

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
10th 13th 10th 11th

Previous Rank: 12th

The Bears have managed two-straight wins with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery banged up. They've been powered by corner Kyle Fuller, who is putting in an early bid for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He'll be tested by the Packers passing attack on Sunday. If the Bears win, they will be two games up on Green Bay in the NFC North. - Michael Amato 

11. Indianapolis Colts

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
16th 9th 13th 10th

Previous Rank: 13th

The Colts beat up on the woeful Jaguars like they were supposed to. This week they get another punching bag - the Titans. Andrew Luck and company need to seize this chance to build momentum. - David P. Woods

12. Carolina Panthers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
14th 10th 8th 16th

Previous Rank: 7th

The Panthers took quite the beating from the Steelers in Week 3. In fact, things got so bad that Ron Rivera had to pull Cam Newton for his own safety. They will need to bring their A-game to Baltimore this week, because Steve Smith is out for revenge. - Caitlyn Holroyd

13. San Francisco 49ers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
17th 12th 16th 8th

Previous Rank: 8th

Costly penalties and second-half collapses are taking a toll on the 49ers. Over the past two games, San Francisco has committed a whopping 25 penalties for 225 yards. The 49ers will need to be much more disciplined this week if they hope to defeat the 3-0 Eagles. - Caitlyn Holroyd

14. Atlanta Falcons

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
9th 14th 18th 14th

Previous Rank: 16th

Are the Falcons as good as their 56-14 thrashing of the Buccaneers indicates? Probably not. But they definitely turned some heads. - Caitlyn Holroyd

15. Baltimore Ravens

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
13th 15th 14th 15th

Previous Rank: 14th

Things would be very different if John Harbaugh's questionable decision to kick a field goal down four with five minutes remaining hadn't worked out, but it did, and the Ravens are 2-1. Losing Dennis Pitta hurts because Owen Daniels can't gain the kind of separation Pitta can anymore, and Flacco needs that checkdown. - Gino Bottero

16. Pittsburgh Steelers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
12th 17th 12th 17th

Previous Rank: 15th

Credit to Le'Veon Bell for working his butt off in the offseason and transforming himself into one of the league's best running backs. Big Ben's looked good when he's wanted to, and Antonio Brown can't be covered. The defense is looking like Swiss cheese right now and won't be getting any better after the litany of injuries suffered Sunday night. - Gino Bottero

17. Detroit Lions

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
15th 16th 15th 13th

Previous Rank: 17th

Impressive win over the Packers last week. The Lions offense gets all the headlines, but their defense is quietly the best in the league after three weeks, conceding just 733 total yards. With that kind of balance Detroit could be playoff bound. - Michael Amato 

18. Dallas Cowboys

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
19th 24th 17th 20th

Previous Rank: 22nd

The defense isn't as bad as eveyone thought and when DeMarco Murray isn't coughing up the football, he's one of the league's best backs. Still, their wins have come against the Titans and Rams, so let's keep things in perspective. - Michael Amato 

19. Buffalo Bills

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
18th 19th 19th 25th

Previous Rank: 18th

We saw more of EJ Manuel in Week 3 than we had seen all year - and it wasn't pretty. The Bills can't contend until the play of their quarterback drastically improves. A loss this week will make the Bills' 2-0 start will feel like a distant dream. - David P. Woods

20. Kansas City Chiefs

Previous Rank: 24th

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
25th 18th 20th 22nd

The drop from Jamaal Charles to Knile Davis isn't as great as people think, but there's just not a lot to like about this Chiefs team apart from the backfield. The defense suffered some big injuries in Week 1, which will catch up with them eventually. - Gino Bottero

21. New York Jets

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
22nd 20th 26th 19th

Previous Rank: 21st

Tap the brakes on the notion that Geno Smith is ready to take a big leap in his second year. The Jets' season is teetering at the edge of a cliff. If the public starts demanding Michael Vick, it could spell the end of Smith and Rex Ryan in the Big Apple. - David P. Woods

22. Cleveland Browns

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
21st 23rd 27th 18th

Previous Rank: 23rd

A sneaky good 1-2 team that's not far from being 3-0. Their two losses came by a combined five points. Brian Hoyer's been good enough at quarterback that we haven't heard the cries for Johnny Manziel quite yet. - Gino Bottero

23. Houston Texans

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
24th 22nd 22nd 21st

Previous Rank: 19th

Ah, there's the Ryan Fitzpatrick that fans in Buffalo and Tennessee came to know all too well. This team better hope Ryan Mallett is spending every waking moment learning the playbook. He'll be called upon sooner than you think. - David P. Woods

24. Miami Dolphins

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
26th 21st 21st 24th

Previous Rank: 20th

Talk of benching Ryan Tannehill in favor of Matt Moore tells you everything you need to know about the state of this team. The Dolphins are in full-blown panic mode and Joe Philbin knows his job is hanging by a thread. - David P. Woods

25. Washington Redskins

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
20th 25th 23rd 26th

Previous Rank: 26th

Kirk Cousins looks like more than a suitable replacement for Robert Griffin III, but the next three weeks will be trying. After a quick turnaround for a dreaded Thursday night contest against the Giants, Washington gets Seattle and Arizona in succession. If Cousins can continue his current level of play through that stretch, RG3 may not see the field again in 2014. - Michael Amato 

26. New York Giants

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
23rd 28th 24th 23rd

Previous Rank: 30th

The Giants were powered to a win by Rashad Jennings, but he won't be able to carry the ball 34 times every week and survive the season. The G-Men still need to clean up their ball security, as twice they came away with nothing after driving inside the Texans 15 last Sunday. You won't win many games when that happens. - Michael Amato 

27. Minnesota Vikings

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
27th 26th 28th 28th

Previous Rank: 25th

It's the Teddy Bridgewater show in Minnesota now, but I'm sure no one expected to have the rookie playing without the luxury of Adrian Peterson in the backfield. Expectations should be very low for Bridgewater and the Vikings in 2014. - Michael Amato 

28. St. Louis Rams

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
28th 27th 25th 30th

Previous Rank: 27th

The Rams' defense was supposed to be one of their strong points this season, but the team has managed just one sack through three games and is allowing an average of 28.3 points. A week's worth of rest should do them good. - Caitlyn Holroyd

29. Tennessee Titans

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
29th 29th 29th 27th

Previous Rank: 28th

Congratulations to Jake Locker for making it to Week 3 before getting hurt. Is that a record? The injury could be a blessing in disguise for a team that's probably better off with Zach Mettenberger behind center. - David P. Woods

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
31st 30th 31st 29th

Previous Rank: 31st

This is Blake Bortles' team now. There's reason for optimism about the overachieving rookie, but there's also reason to fear for his life behind that disaster of an offensive line. - David P. Woods

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
32nd 32nd 30th 31st

Previous Rank: 29th

This was not the way the Lovie Smith era was supposed to begin in Tampa Bay. The Bucs have a lot of ground to make up following their embarrassing blowout loss to the Falcons. - Caitlyn Holroyd

32. Oakland Raiders

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
30th 31st 32nd 32nd

Previous Rank: 32nd

The Raiders didn't play terribly against the Patriots, but that game told us more about New England than it did Oakland. The team still has major issues on both sides of the ball, and Derek Carr is playing like a rookie. - Gino Bottero

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