2015 NFL Power Rankings

Believe it or not we are at the quarter mark of the NFL season. Sure, it just started a few weeks ago but there are only 16 games in the regular season which means each week is just that important. Is your favorite team sitting near the top of my rankings or floundering near the bottom with mine? Only one way to find out...

1. New England Patriots (3-0) ~ The Pats were one of two NFL squads to be given an early bye and they will head to Dallas' new stadium for the first time on extra rest to take on the wounded Cowboys. Seems almost unfair doesn't it? (Last Week's Ranking 1)

2. Green Bay Packers (4-0) ~ Green Bay sacked San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick six times over the weekend and after one sack Packers' linebacker Clay Matthews mimicked Kapernick's signature move by kissing his bicep. The Pack continue to roll and look to be an early Super Bowl favorite. (LWR 2)

3. Denver Broncos (4-0) ~ Denver is undefeated largely because of their defense. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware lead the way for a unit that already has an NFL-high 18 sacks. I've always said Wade Phillips is a tremendous defensive coordinator but is out of his element as head coach. If you didn't know, he is in charge of the D in Denver. (LWR 4)

4. Cincinnati Bengals (4-0) ~ The Bengals continue to impress and boast a dynamic running back duo with Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill toting the football. The fan base deserves a good team and they might just have one. (LWR 5)

5. Atlanta Falcons (4-0) ~ Coming in to the season everyone wondered who would be the lead back in Atlanta. For the second consecutive week Devonta Freeman has found the end zone three times. I'd say that question has been answered even when rookie Tevin Coleman comes back from a rib injury. (LWR 7)

6. Arizona Cardinals (3-1) ~ I've been gushing over the Cards all year so this past weekend I used Carson Palmer and their defense in fantasy. Backfire city. Sorry Cards fans but I probably put the hex on the team this week. That said, they still look scary good. (LWR 3)

7. Carolina Panthers (4-0) ~ Carolina has scored more points in each of their four games successively. They have also given up more points in each of their four games successively. Something's gotta give. (LWR 10)

8. Seattle Seahawks (2-2) ~ A timely forced fumble by Kam Chancellor saved the 'hawks bacon Monday night but they should have been penalized for knocking the ball out of the back of the end zone. If that flag is thrown Detroit gets the ball back and may punch it in for the winning score. If being the key word but so far Seattle doesn't look like the Seattle we've seen over the last two seasons. (LWR 6)

9. New York Jets (3-1) ~ Rex Ryan, a defensive coach, was fired at the end of the season. Four games into life post-Rex the Jets have allowed just 55 points which is the lowest in the NFL. (LWR 13)

10. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) ~ Matt Hasselbeck stepped in for the injured Andrew Luck and led the team to an overtime win over a divisional rival. It is the 15th consecutive win over a divisional opponent which ties an NFL record. They won't have to wait long to break it as they will visit Houston Thursday night. (LWR 14)

11. Buffalo Bills (2-2) ~ Down went LeSean McCoy and now down goes Karlos Williams. The rookie running back was knocked out of Sunday's contest with a concussion and his status is up in the air. Boobie Dixon could be getting the start Sunday. Set your fantasy lineups accordingly. (LWR 8)

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) ~ New kicker Josh Scobee missed twice in Thursday's overtime loss to Baltimore and wasn't even given the chance to kick in the extra period. His tenure in the 'burgh might be nearing an end. (LWR 9)

13. Dallas Cowboys (2-2) ~ Dez Bryant, who suffered a broken foot in the opener, is reportedly on track to return to action by the end of the month. That would certainly help a team that has now lost two straight since Tony Romo broke his collarbone. (LWR 11)

14. San Diego Chargers (2-2) ~ Rookie kicker Josh Lambo was wide right on a 39-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left in a tie game but was given another chance when the Cleveland Browns were offside. Lambo nailed the 34-yarder and sealed the victory. (LWR 16)

15. St. Louis Rams (2-2) ~ Todd Gurley ran wild in his first extensive NFL action rushing for 164 yards as the Rams upset the previously unbeaten Cardinals and moved to 2-0 in the NFC West. (LWR 18)

16. New York Giants (2-2) ~ Two weeks ago the Giants were winless and left for dead in the NFC East. After a convincing win in Buffalo the G-Men are back on track and may be the best team in what is shaping up to be an awful division. (LWR 19)

17. Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) ~ In need to stop the bleeding of a three-game losing streak the Chiefs will play host to the Chicago Bears this coming weekend. A golden opportunity awaits and they just have to take it. (LWR 12)

18. Minnesota Vikings (2-2) ~ They put up a hell of an effort on the road in Denver and maybe I'm being a bit too hard on them but that's what you get to do when you make a rankings blog. Whatever you want. (LWR 15)

19. Baltimore Ravens (1-3) ~ Joe Flacco and company may have needed overtime to dispatch the Roethlisberger-less Steelers but they picked up a much-needed win. If they started 0-4 their season would just about be over at this point. (LWR 20)

20. Washington Redskins (2-2) ~ Kirk Cousins led a 90-yard drive that culminated in the winning touchdown with less than a minute left to give Washington the win over division rival Philadelphia. It was Cousins' second career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. (LWR 24)

21. Oakland Raiders (2-2) ~ Derek Carr looks like a completely different player this year. Maybe it's because he has some wideouts in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree that would make the late Al Davis smile. (LWR 22)

22. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) ~ Last season's NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray is unhappy with his workload for the struggling Eagles and made it known after Sunday's defeat against the Redskins. Will head coach Chip Kelly listen and give the ball to his star running back? That remains to be seen. (LWR 17)

23. Cleveland Browns (1-3) ~ Rookie Duke Johnson was given some playing time and he made the most of it on Sunday grabbing a team-high nine catches for 85 yards and a score while also rushing for 31 yards on eight carries. Expect him to see more playing time going forward. (LWR 25)

24. Tennessee Titans (1-2) ~ Tennessee has scored at least 33 points in two of their three games this season. Can rookie signal-caller Marcus Mariota keep the offense rolling against a stout Buffalo defense this week? (LWR 26)

25. Houston Texans (1-3) ~ Brian Hoyer replaced an ineffective Ryan Mallet and threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Naturally he will be back on the bench this weekend. (LWR 21)

26. New Orleans Saints (1-3) ~ The happiest person in New Orleans right now has to be kicker Zach Hocker. After missing a chip shot 30-yard field goal at the end of regulation to force overtime he was bailed out early as Drew Brees tossed an 80-yard touchdown on the second play of the extra quarter. (LWR 31)

27. Miami Dolphins (1-3) ~ Joe Philbin became the first NFL coach to lose his job this year after the Dolphins turned in another lackluster performance, this time on a national stage in London. (LWR 23)

28. Detroit Lions (0-4) ~ I mentioned it earlier in the Seattle recap but the Lions got hosed Monday night. That said, I did mention last week they could be staring 0-5 in the face. Detroit is now the only winless team left in the NFL. (LWR 27)

29. Chicago Bears (1-3) ~ Jay Cutler returned to the lineup and directed a drive that led to Robbie Gould's game-winning field goal with two seconds left. The Bears are in the win column. (LWR 32)

30. San Francisco 49ers (1-3) ~ San Francisco is averaging an anemic 12 points per game. That just isn't going to be enough. (LWR 28)

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) ~ Another loss, yes, but at least this time the Jags were competitive unlike the egg they laid in New England the week prior. (LWR 29)

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) ~ Jameis Winston threw another pick-six amongst his four interceptions. The top overall pick in this year's draft now has more picks (seven) than touchdowns (six) to start his career. (LWR 30)

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to leave them below in the comments. Good or bad. Either way is fine by me. Want to bug me on Twitter? Give me a follow @therichwhiteguy.