NFL power rankings after Week 4: Eagles soar to the top as Panthers spiral

#13 Dallas Cowboys (3-1)

Cincinnati Bengals v Dallas Cowboys

This is just not the team I – or many others I’m sure – envisioned the Cowboys to be. When Dak Prescott broke his thumb late in their season-opener against the Bucs, it was widely believed they would struggle to contend for a playoff spot.

The main concern was what this re-shuffled offensive line and the defense as a unit would look like, with all the personnel losses they suffered. Ever since that happened, I feel like this has gone from a team wanting to push up the score and then let their D-line rush the passer, to more of an old-school approach.

Their offense has taken care of the ball, as they are tied with the Eagles and Cardinals for the fewest giveaways in the NFL at just two, and the defense has been able to continue its dominance from last year, but in a different, more sustainable way.

They are third in points per game (15.5), fourth in yards per play (4.6), second in sacks (15) and pressure percentage (32.7%), second in tackles for loss (27) and top-eight in third-, fourth-down and red-zone TD percentage.

The fact that they allow five yards per rush so far can be called a flaw, but that’s the way they ask you to win and we haven’t seen anybody but the Bucs do that, back in week one.

#14 Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

The video above breaks down the issues the Bengals had on offense when they were off to an 0-2 start. It highlights how they structure their protections in a sub-optimal way, with individual breakdowns along the front, Joe Burrow starting to let the rush affect his entire process and their inefficient early-down tendencies, leading to a rushing average of just 3.1 yards (tied for second-lowest in the league).

Well, they have scored 54 points since then, against the Jets and Dolphins, and only turned it over once. They’ve now had three different 100-yard receivers and as long as they understand their limitations on the O-line and Burrow stays healthy, they should be fine.

Their defense has really picked things up over the last two weeks as well, taking the ball away six times and holding teams to just 9-of-28 on third downs (32.1%). Trey Hendrickson in particular has been a menace, racking up 11 combined pressures and 2.5 sacks on less than 100 total snaps.

The Ravens are the clear favorite to win the AFC North, but if the Bengals win at Baltimore Sunday night, they take the lead in that division.

#15 New York Giants (3-1)

To be honest, it’s refreshing to see a team win games with more of an old-school approach offensively, even if the Giants’ record may not be fully representative of how good this team is.

New York is averaging a league-low 4.6 net yards per pass attempt, with their four passes of 20+ yards so far being only half of the next-closest team, and they’re ahead of only the Bears in net passing yards altogether (558).

This makes what Saquon Barkley and the ground game have done all the more impressive, as he individually (463) and the team as a whole (770) lead the league in rushing yards. It makes total sense for them to feature that kind of special talent heavily, considering they can’t keep Daniel Jones on his feet (he has been pressured at by far the highest rate in the league at 35.8%).

Defensively, Wink Martindale has done a great job of getting this unit to excel situationally, as they’re number two on third downs (29.4%) and red-zone touchdown percentage (35.7%), along with going after the ball and forcing a league-high six fumbles.

Wink has stayed true to his philosophy, blitzing at a league-high 45.3% of snaps, but it’s been more fire-zones than flat-out man along with it. Most importantly, Brian Daboll’s staff has given this franchise some belief and direction again.

#16 Atlanta Falcons (2-2)

Cleveland Browns v Atlanta Falcons

Going back to what I said about the Giants, it’s pretty cool to see a team go against what modern offenses typically look like and play winning football. Only the no-fly zone offense of the Bears has run the ball at a higher rate than the Falcons this season (55.5%).

They just won a game against the Browns, where their quarterback completed seven passes. When they do throw the ball, they want to attack down the field, particularly from more condensed formations, and take play-action shots, as Marcus Mariota is behind only Jameis Winston with 10.8 intended air yards per attempt.

Arthur Smith deserves credit for the creativity he’s showcased and the diversity that the unit challenges opponents with. Their one issue is, while being second in percentage of drives yielding points (47.5), they’ve also turned the ball over at the eighth-highest rate (17.5%).

I think their defense will end up breaking their back ultimately, as they’ve pressured the opposing quarterback on the third-lowest rate of dropbacks (14.3%) and currently are 21st in both yards per pass and run.

However, they’ve forced seven turnovers and only missed seven tackles on the season so far, which is tied for the fewest along with Tampa Bay. And they’ve been disciplined, being tied with the Ravens for the second-fewest penalty yards responsible for (114).