NFL Pecking Order - Week 4

By Charlie Portelli

After each week in the NFL I will do a segment called “NFL Pecking Order” breaking down what I view as the top ten teams in the NFL at that time. Unlike most other sites or blog lists ranking NFL teams on a week by week basis, I look at the big picture instead of just wins and losses. Most other lists are flawed because they only look at wins and losses, more specifically on recent wins and losses. For example, if a team is 1-2 with two road losses to tough teams, it isn’t always correct to rank them behind a 2-1 or even a 3-0 team with less impressive teams. Like I said, I will look at the teams with a big picture perspective in mind. This should be a very interesting segment this year because the teams in the league is so close. To me, there isn’t an enormous gap between the teams I rank 3-5 and the teams I rank 8-10, and even the teams I leave outside the top 10. With that said, lets rank the top ten NFL teams heading into week 4 starting with number 10.

10. Green Bay Packers (1-2, NFC NORTH)

      The Green Bay Packers have lost two games to two teams that rank in the top 10 in my “NFL Pecking Order” but rank low on this list because of their defense. Their defense has some nice players on the roster with Clay Mathews and some good corners but the proof is in the pudding, they can’t stop anyone. This problem stems from a couple years ago and losing jack of all trades Charles Woodson is proving very difficult to overcome. They blew a huge 3 score lead to Andy Dalton and the Bengal’s week. Not a Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees led team….Andy Dalton. That’s not necessarily a knock on Andy Dalton but he’s certainly not among the leagues elite at QB. With that said, they have arguably the best overall QB in Aaron Rodgers (who by the way has more competitive nature than anyone and wants to win), and that weapon alone gives this team the ability to beat anyone in the league at any time.

9. Baltimore Ravens (2-1, AFC NORTH)

            The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a resounding win against the Houston Texans in which they were underdogs at home and faced an early deficit. Once the Ravens took the lead they did not look back and went on to win 30-9. Many people doubted the Ravens coming into this season after their Super Victory after losing huge pieces of their team including their defensive leaders in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. They also lost their best linebacker in Dannell Ellerbe and their best wideout in Anquan Boldin. However, this team knows how to win behind of one the leagues greatest coaches, John Harbaugh. They won soundly last week over the Texans despite not having their most lethal weapon in Ray Rice. This team has the best pass rushing tandem in Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil and that duo is something most teams in this league would die for. The Ravens always draft well and they replaced those aging players admirably.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0, AFC WEST)

            The Kansas City Chiefs are the real deal. This team is not a fluke. Last year they had 6 pro bowl players on a team with the worst record in the league. Insert Andy Reid. Andy Reid is an excellent coach and just because he went out in losing fashion with the Eagles doesn’t change that. He has real players on defense with superior playmakers. This team has real speed on defense and that wins in the NFL. He’s also surrounded himself with good coaching. He has one of the most relentless pass rushers that I have ever seen in Tamba Hali and an elite safey, Eric Berry. This team reminds me of the San Fransisco 49er team that Jim Harbaugh took over in his first year that I believe was 6-10, and turned into a 13-3 team the next year. Coincidentally, that team was also quarterbacked by Alex Smith. Alex Smith limits this offense a bit because he does not have a great upside but they have real weapons in Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe. They had some really nice pieces that needed the correct coaching scheme and needed to be introduced to a winning environment. Andy Reid will provide that in KC and they will make the playoffs.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1, AFC NORTH)

            The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the most talented rosters, top to bottom, in the NFL. There is no denying that. The real question is how far can Andy Dalton take them? He has all the weapons he needs starting with an elite WR, two good TE’s, two RB’s that complement each other and a great offensive line. I’m not sure I really trust Marvin Lewis as a head coach to lead them to playoff victories. To me, the longer a coach stays in one place, the less likely they are going to succeed. There’s evidence of that all over sports. Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh, Andy Reid in Philly, just to name a couple. They were both great coaches who were successful and had their time, but before long, the franchise needs a new face, a new voice and a kick in the ass and I’m not 100% sure Marvin Lewis brings that in Cincinnati any longer. With that said, they are talented and I love their offensive and defensive coordinators in Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer. They are deep on defense but the jury is still out on this team going forward.

6. Indianapolis Colts (2-1, AFC SOUTH)

            The Indianapolis Colts just pulled off what I thought was one of the most improbable victories I’ve seen in a while. They beat an enraged 49er team who was at home coming off an embarrassing national television performance. Coming into that game Jim Harbaugh had not lost two games in a row in the NFL. I believe Andrew Luck is an elite QB in this league already. He is young but he is perhaps the most cerebral QB in the game with the exception of Peyton Manning. He has a winning pedigree instilled in him that we could all see when he was winning at Stanford in college being coached by QB guru Jim Harbaugh. No QB in the league has more 4^th quarter comebacks than Andrew Luck since the beginning of last year when he started his very first NFL game. With the addition of Trent Richardson they made in the middle of last week, the sky is the limit for this team and I see them having no problem winning the division over the Houston Texans this year.

5. Chicago Bears (3-0, NFC NORTH)

            The Chicago Bears are 3-0 and they are the most impressive 3-0 in the league in my opinion with wins over the Bengals at home, the Vikings at home, and the Steelers on the road. I know you are probably saying, “Hey two of those wins are against winless teams!” Well I will say this. The Vikings are not a bad 0-3 team. They were a playoff team last year who carry the best RB in the league and have a good defensive front. The Steelers are indeed a mess but the Bears basically routed them on national television on Sunday night sending them to 0-3 in their own stadium. Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger are among the best in the game when it comes to winning football games so I do not take that victory lightly at all. You also read what I said about the Bengals being one of the most talented rosters, so that impressed me as well. Marc Trestman might have been just the answer Jay Cutler was looking for to lead this Bears franchise back to glory. I am still very unsure of the Bears and am very anxious to see how the year will play out for them. They are unproven, sure, but nonetheless have been surprisingly impressive so far this year. They face a nice test in a road game next week versus a division foe in the Detroit Lions so we will see how that one plays out.

4. New Orleans Saints (3-0, NFC SOUTH)

            I ranked the New Orleans Saints higher than most probably would but that’s just because they have taken care of business rather quietly so far this season. They haven’t looked overly impressive but it has been a year without their coach Sean Payton and it is going to take some time to get back in the groove of things. While they have been getting back in the groove of things, they’ve managed to stockpile 3 wins already. Drew Brees is in charge and Jimmy Graham looks like the force he was two years ago. Their defense will always be this teams Achilles heel but they quietly have only given up 17, 14, and 7 points through the first 3 weeks, so they must be doing something right. They also have one of the greatest home field advantages playing in the Superdome. Just ask Matt Ryan how hard it is to win there, because he cannot seem to figure it out.

3. San Fransisco 49ers (1-2, NFC WEST)

            The 49ers have looked rather pedestrian the last two weeks after feeling like they were on top of the world after an impressive week 1 win over the Packers where Kaepernick looked simply unstoppable. Since then he has cooled, getting trounced by the Seahawks and the 12^th man and then surprisingly being handled by the Colts defense. However, I’m not jumping ship on this team. They are a complete team and Kaepernick is too talented to stay down. They have perhaps the best coach on the planet in Jim Harbaugh and he will work as hard as he needs to in order to win. I wouldn’t doubt that this man would divorce his wife in a second if it meant he could win, he is borderline insane. These recent failures will only make him work even harder and this team will be fine. Something that does concern me about this team is losing DE Aldon Smith for an indefinite period of time while he goes to rehab. He is one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the game but it is sounding like they might have to only miss his services for about a month.

2. Denver Broncos (3-0, AFC WEST)

            Peyton Manning runs this offense like a well oiled machine. This is his second year with the team and it couldn’t have started any better than it has for Manning and the Broncos. They have a surplus of offensive weapons that go unmatched. They have a possession target with great hands and size in Decker, perhaps the best slot receiver in the game in Welker, and an overall prototypical receiver who can run after the catch with all the space this offense provides in Demaryius Thomas. The concern I have with this team is their losses on the offensive line. They have lost one of the best offensive tackles in the game in Ryan Clady who gave up only one sack last year and in the preseason they lost their elite center. If there is any QB in the league who could win a Super Bowl with a garbage offensive line it would be Peyton because he has the quickest feet of any QB and gets rid of the ball fast. Their defense has looked the part so far even without Von Miller. I want to see a team that can effectively get a pass rush with 3 or 4 lineman and drop 7 or 8 in the secondary who can play physical and see how Peyton handles that because right now he looks like he is on a mission and he looks unstoppable.

1.Seattle Seahawks (3-0, NFC WEST)

             The Seahawks were hyped more than any other team in the league over the offseason and they have more than lived up to the lofty expectations. Other than maybe Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson is the most impressive young QB I have ever seen play. He does exactly what he needs to and runs this offense perfectly. He has a great back in Marshawn Lynch and when this team runs the read option, the sky is the limit. They have the greatest home field advantage of any team in the history of sports in my opinion and if they have that throughout the playoffs they will be next to impossible to beat. Their defense has been near perfect and they are just getting back two of their very best defensive players in Clemons on the defensive line and Browner at corner complementing the best corner in the game, Richard Sherman. Seattle has a Super Bowl on their mind.