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

#25 Seattle Seahawks (2-2)

Atlanta Falcons v Seattle Seahawks

Objective Seahawks fans would have likely been happy with beating Russell Wilson in his return and being 2-2 a month into the season. Their 48-point explosion against the Lions certainly made up for a big portion of it, but only Detroit and Miami have averaged more than their 6.3 yards per play. They’re also tied for second with the Dolphins in offensive DVOA (20.6%).

The only quarterbacks that have put up a higher EPA per pass this season than Geno Smith are Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen.

Seattle are behind only the Bills in third-down percentage offensively (55.1%), but unfortunately only the Broncos – who they defeated in week one – have converted a lower rate of red-zone possessions into six points (41.7%).

The defense has actually been the issue, as they’ve given up 0.8 yards more per pass than any other team in the league (8.2), as well as being tied for the third-most yards per rush (5.1).

They can’t really stop anything, as teams are running more plays, gaining more yards and points per drive against them than anybody else. They’re the only defense against wich opponents average more than a field goal (3.03 points) every time they take the field. And that’s with the Broncos scoring only six points combined on four red-zone possessions on opening Monday.

#26 New England Patriots (1-3)

It's shocking that the Patriots were able to take the Packers to overtime this past Sunday at Lambeau Field and it feels bad to have them this low on the list, but the numbers bear that out.

Mac Jones has been one of the better deep-ball throwers since entering the league, so once he returns, they’ll inevitably move back up the list. However, I don’t see Brian Hoyer or Bailey Zappe providing those explosive plays through the air.

They are also one of five teams in the NFL without a rush of 20+ yards, despite averaging 21 more carries than the other four squads. Considering they turn the ball over at the second-highest percentage of drives (21.4%), that’s just not a recipe for success.

New England’s defense has performed better than expected for the most part, considering the overhaul of personnel, but they’re bottom-five in yards per rush (5.1) and third-down percentage (46.3%).

Bill Belichick and his coaching staff have done a solid job with what they have at their disposal, but the margin of error to still win games is razor-thin. Their next five opponents before the bye have eight combined wins. This would be the time to rack up wins before a much tougher second half of the season.

#27 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3)

New York Jets v Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s Kenny Pickett time! He tossed three picks in the second half on Sunday against the Jets on his debut, but he also made some inspiring plays. For the Steelers, it can’t get much worse than Mitch Trubisky, 30th in EPA per play and the offense averaging just 4.8 yards per play (tied for second-fewest).

With Najee Harris averaging just 3.5 yards, they need to take advantage of their talented receivers to make things feel less condensed. Pittsburgh’s defense has certainly felt the loss of T.J. Watt, but Alex Highsmith has stepped up in a major way in his absence (currently second in the league with 5.5 sacks) and Minkah Fitzpatrick might be the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year right now.

They haven’t really been able to get off the field on third downs, allowing opponents to convert 45.3% of those (26th in the league), which is a big factor in them being 31st in time per drive on either side of the ball and time of possession overall.

Let’s see if their offense can put some pressure on the opposition going forward, so they don’t have to count on takeaways as frequently.

#28 Indianapolis Colts (1-2-1)

Tennessee Titans v Indianapolis Colts

It's just been so disheartening to watch the Colts go through QB purgatory in recent years. They brought in Matt Ryan with the hope of turning things around, but that hasn't been the case so far.

Their offensive line has gone from one of the best in the league to an abject disaster. The Colts are currently 30th in the NFL in pass-block win rate, according to PFF, and if you take out their 177-yard rushing showcase in Week One against one of the worst defenses in that regard in the Texans, they’ve averaged just 2.8 yards per carry and 58 yards per game on the ground.

All of that has them averaging a league-low 1.3 points per drive. Ryan has already fumbled three times (his career-high is five) and they’re tied for the second-worst turnover differential in the league at -6, with Washington being the only team to take it away less (three).

Their defense is holding opponents to just 3.1 yards per rush (second-fewest in the league), but on 10 red-zone trips against them, opponents have scored eight times.

All-in-all, they’re 32nd in total team DVOA and losing games by exactly a touchdown on average – second-worst to only the Commanders. For a team that was favored to win their division, that’s highly disappointing.