Power Rankings - Week 4
Oct 6, 2020 15:50:56 GMT -5
Colts GM (Darryl), Rams GM (Frank), and 6 more like this
Post by Panthers GM (Jesse) on Oct 6, 2020 15:50:56 GMT -5
Fun week of rankings this week. I feel like a lot of teams showed their true colors with some lowly ranked teams showing they can put up points and some highly ranked teams showing their roster's weaknesses in some surprising ways. Next week will be a table setter for another round of divisional matches in week 6. Best of luck everybody!
32. (=) Indianapolis Colts (0-4)
Combined offensive skill position stats for the Colts this week: 4 catches for 53 yards. HOU TE Jordan Akins had 3 for 46.
31. (-1) Cincinnati Bengals (0-4)
Krys Barnes again had a good week with 6 tackles. Sadly, because Driskel was benched the Bengals could only locate 65 points this week, the lowest total in the league so far this year.
30. (+1) Cleveland Browns (0-4)
What continues to impress me about the Browns is that in a league where you can start up to 5 WRs, they have only three rostered, two of them real life free agents. The other being Adam Humphries. That would drive me insane. Tanking looks boring.
29. (=) Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
Will Fuller. Jerry Jeudy. CeeDee Lamb. Without this trio, the Chiefs would have scored a not-so-nice 69 points.
28. (-2) Minnesota Vikings (0-4)
Not to rip my weekly Colts offensive sporting style, but the Vikings offense this week had 2 rushes for 2 yards and added 7 catches for 25 yards. The defense continues to look like that of a much higher scoring squad.
27. (+1) San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
A sub 100 point performance this week. I will copy/paste last week’s blurb, with the caveat that D’Andre Swift had 8 touches for 52 yards and a TD this week, some much needed statistical improvement over previous weeks.
“The rookies aren’t doing well at the moment and Tua still doesn’t have the starting job. As long as those facts are both true, the 49ers won’t have many more wins this year. They’re losing the race to the bottom currently with that week 1 win on their record.”
26. (+1) Houston Texans (1-3)
The Texans continue to sit atop the heap that is the bottom feeders of Legacy, like an buoy atop the Dead Sea. This week they pulled a very unexpected upset over a Jaguars team that was #10 in my rankings last week and it only took Houston 117 points to do it. Score one for the little guy.
25. (=) San Diego Chargers (1-3)
The Chargers are settling into a spot where the defense is so underwhelming (also no kicker) that even big games from Fitzpatrick, Cook, Freeman, Tyreek and Sanders can barely move the needle past 150 points.
24. (-4) Buffalo Bills (1-3)
The Bills had a huge chance to cause some ruckus in the AFC East standings this week, but flopped because once again they really only have The Lawfirm of Allen, Robinson and Sanders on offense. Allen and Beasley did their parts, but they started two players who didn’t play, and their kicker is a FA. The Bills have too much talent to be this bad.
23. (-2) Green Bay Packers (1-3)
The Packers have been gut punched by injuries defensively and underachievement offensively. Now Ekeler is hurt. Luckily they own Justin Jackson so they will keep production out of their RB spot, but there’s not much to say right now. The Packers will keep beating bad teams and losing to teams with a little more big play pop.
22. (+1) Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
Cardinals saw some breakout performances on their bench this week that could come in handy down the road if they were trying to win this year. Unfortunately, the insane lack of defensive depth, (Really any at all) is going to reduce the Cardinals to the status of “unofficial bye week” soon.
21. (-2) New Orleans Saints (2-2)
101 bench points in the losing effort for New Orleans this week, that should have been lower with Mike Williams being ruled out but still in the Saints lineup. The Saints are deep everywhere but just don’t have the top end production to hang in their brutal division. A little like the Cowboys, they’re a major spoiler team that is going to improve with time.
20. (-4) Chicago Bears (3-1)
This week began the firesale for the 3-1 Chicago Bears, see their trade block for deals on the finest Chicago has to offer, including an electric Tom Brady on a one year deal. The Bears are ceding the NFC North crown to the Lions this year.
19. (+3) Denver Broncos (2-2)
On the back of Robert Tonyan’s offensive explosion in week 4, the Broncos upset the Chargers to move into 2nd place in the AFC West. The thing about the Broncos and the other teams currently in the running for the 2nd AFC Wildcard spot (Jets, Jaguars, Ravens) remains the amount of untapped potential they have offensively. This isn’t an offense that’s impressing anybody, but if a RB or two step up, or any of their number of talented rookie WRs step up, they could get scary quick. The Broncos are one of a handful of teams that take a 0 every week from their kicker.
18. (-8) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
Taking the hardest Rick Flair chest chop this week were the Jaguars, who only scored 113 points and fell to the Texans. Now, rarely will Calvin Ridley score zero points, but this is the floor of the 2020 Legacy Jaguars. With only 8 bench points to speak of this week and one offensive player missing due to Covid (James Washington), the Jaguars have to sort this out if they want to catch Tennessee.
17. (-4) New York Jets (2-2)
At this point it seems fair to believe the 2020 Jets have settled as a violate midcarder in Legacy. They can give you the worst of times, they can give you the best of times. At the end of this year though Joe will know what he has with this roster. Expect them to trim the fat as time goes on. 2021 should be much brighter. A week 4 thrashing by New England that saw the Jets score 139 points will be followed by a likely win versus the Bengals next week.
16. (+8) Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
If timing worked out better and Baltimore was able to bench Covid bye week CB Joe Haden for Thursday night Jets CB Pierre Desir they would have scored 220 points this week. Something to ponder when you see them on your schedule in the future. The offense continued to underwhelm as they now have no TE from Reed’s injury and plenty of issues at other skill positions, but Aaron Rodgers and the genuinely strong defense continue to put up points.
15. (+3) Dallas Cowboys (1-3)
Dallas put up 207 points this week (9th highest) in a losing effort versus NYG. The best 1-3 team in the league is no real condolence, but this is a team that can jump up and beat anybody. That 207 was accomplished on offense from some genuinely talented players having good games, but also plenty of players (Especially WRs) that can and should do more than they did this week. I wouldn’t count out Dallas quite yet, and I wouldn’t overlook them on the schedule.
14. (+1) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
Pittsburgh, still refusing to pick on someone their own size, continue to bash the groggy AFC East on a weekly basis. In terms of dynasty value it was good to see Damien Harris and Ke’Shawn Vaughn show some wiggle this week.
13. (+4) Detroit Lions (3-1)
With the Bears in selloff mode, the Lions are looking like a near lock to win this division after a putting away of Green Bay this week. It’s frankly time to make any changes the Lions want to make for a potential playoff run. Might I suggest a breathing running back. Outside their division, Detroit runs against Washington this week, in what will be an exciting, well matched game with major NFC consequences.
12. (+2) New York Giants (3-1)
This was the week 4 result that raised an eyebrow for me. The Giants put up 229 points this week and those points were spread throughout the roster. No big 50 point DE game here, just a bunch of good players doing what they were supposed to do. Chris Carson and Latavius Murray each scored 2 TDs to put the Giants in position to finish 5th in points this week. The Giants upcoming schedule (CHI, PHI, WAS) should tell us all we need to know about this squad. The NFC East is far from decided.
11. (-7) Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)
The surprise bye weeks possibly lost this very important divisional matchup for Philly this week, but the loss of Nick Chubb is going to be the one that haunts. Not to mention the benching of Nick Mullens, leaving the Eagles with no realistic QB option until Jimmy G returns.
10. (+1) New England Patriots (3-1)
This is a Patriots team that just consistently puts up 200 points every week. They have a high floor, and an unknown ceiling. The wide receiver room remains a mess, but they could soon feature Kareem Hunt, Raheem Mostert and one of Chase Edmonds, Jerick McKinnon, or Zack Moss on offense every week starting with Dak. I think this is a team that should be making moves, because they have the juice to be a contender in the AFC if they do.
9. (+3) Washington Football Team (4-0)
Talk about a signature win for a franchise that was, frankly, pits last season. Blaine’s Football Team™ is on fire in 2020. They’ve made moves to massively improve their offense the past few weeks and their defense remains strong. This week, they used their new toys to defeat the previously surging, undefeated Eagles. Up next is a tough but beatable Lions team that could make the Football Team 5-0.
8. (+2) Miami Dolphins (3-1)
CMC and Michael Thomas are nearing their returns. The Patriots have the look of a true challenger for the AFC East throne this year as both they and the Dolphins improve to 3-1 this week. Week 6 features that head to head matchup, though Michael Thomas (and Julian Edleman, and David Moore) will be on bye. As it stands, Miami faces a beatable Ravens team week 5.
7. (+1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2)
The real beauty of a good team is seeing zero goose eggs in the lineup. If everyone chips in even a few points and the stars have some big weeks, good things happen. The Buccaneers appear to have lost TE OJ Howard and Allen Lazard for the foreseeable future on top of Reagor, but they do get Leveon Bell back next week. A strong week from Ronald Jones II is a big sign for optimism in the Legacy Bucs offense. A super massive test awaits as the Buccaneers take their turn with Frank’s Rams this week.
6. (=) Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
There are more than one way to take a loss. In context, scoring the 2nd most points in the league week 4 and dropping the game is frustrating, but it shows that the Falcons are no paper tiger. Scheduling is brutal this year with the NFC South and West facing off and Atlanta has the juice to hang with everybody. This wasn’t the week for a win, but next week should be vs 49ers while the Bucs play the Rams and Panthers battle Seattle. Just keep swimming.
5. (+2) Tennessee Titans (3-1)
Titans take care of business this week vs Indy this week, they should be able to take Denver’s candy this week. A steady week on defense with some lackluster performances out of the pass catchers, and a real life weak week from Lamar Jackson still translates to 32 points here in Legacy. They are beginning to separate themselves from Jacksonville in the AFC South
4. (-2) Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
The bad news for Seattle, they put up paltry numbers this week. Injuries and the surprise bye week for their backup RB hurt, but they had no real depth to lean on this week and they are going to run into more of these issues when top players go on byes in the future. The good news, they played San Francisco and still won by 60. Seattle must bounce back in a big way with Carolina on deck.
3. (+2) Carolina Panthers (3-1)
Panthers/Falcons delivered on the intrigue it promised this week with the #1 scorer of the week taking down the #2 scorer in a divisional match. Carolina crawls into 1st in the NFC South at 3-1, all opponents sitting just behind at 2-2. Next week they take on Seattle without the luxury of elite RB Aaron Jones.
2. (+1) Las Vegas Raiders (4-0)
No Chris Godwin this week for Las Vegas, but they still cruised to a thorough stomping of the Chiefs with 244 points, 4th highest in the league this week. The Raiders are absolutely brutalizing the rest of the AFC right now in win/loss record, points, everything. They take on a Jacksonville team next that put up a tiny 113 points this week. Aside from that Jacksonville team and a usually strong Eagles team in week 7, the Raiders remaining schedule is a breeze. It’s runaway train time in Vegas.
1.(=) Los Angeles Rams (4-0)
The first team to top 1,000 points on the young season, the Rams took down division rival Arizona this week. Their All-Play record currently sits at an insane 121-3. Next week they continue their run through most of the top teams in the league versus a worthy challenger in Tampa.
32. (=) Indianapolis Colts (0-4)
Combined offensive skill position stats for the Colts this week: 4 catches for 53 yards. HOU TE Jordan Akins had 3 for 46.
31. (-1) Cincinnati Bengals (0-4)
Krys Barnes again had a good week with 6 tackles. Sadly, because Driskel was benched the Bengals could only locate 65 points this week, the lowest total in the league so far this year.
30. (+1) Cleveland Browns (0-4)
What continues to impress me about the Browns is that in a league where you can start up to 5 WRs, they have only three rostered, two of them real life free agents. The other being Adam Humphries. That would drive me insane. Tanking looks boring.
29. (=) Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
Will Fuller. Jerry Jeudy. CeeDee Lamb. Without this trio, the Chiefs would have scored a not-so-nice 69 points.
28. (-2) Minnesota Vikings (0-4)
Not to rip my weekly Colts offensive sporting style, but the Vikings offense this week had 2 rushes for 2 yards and added 7 catches for 25 yards. The defense continues to look like that of a much higher scoring squad.
27. (+1) San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
A sub 100 point performance this week. I will copy/paste last week’s blurb, with the caveat that D’Andre Swift had 8 touches for 52 yards and a TD this week, some much needed statistical improvement over previous weeks.
“The rookies aren’t doing well at the moment and Tua still doesn’t have the starting job. As long as those facts are both true, the 49ers won’t have many more wins this year. They’re losing the race to the bottom currently with that week 1 win on their record.”
26. (+1) Houston Texans (1-3)
The Texans continue to sit atop the heap that is the bottom feeders of Legacy, like an buoy atop the Dead Sea. This week they pulled a very unexpected upset over a Jaguars team that was #10 in my rankings last week and it only took Houston 117 points to do it. Score one for the little guy.
25. (=) San Diego Chargers (1-3)
The Chargers are settling into a spot where the defense is so underwhelming (also no kicker) that even big games from Fitzpatrick, Cook, Freeman, Tyreek and Sanders can barely move the needle past 150 points.
24. (-4) Buffalo Bills (1-3)
The Bills had a huge chance to cause some ruckus in the AFC East standings this week, but flopped because once again they really only have The Lawfirm of Allen, Robinson and Sanders on offense. Allen and Beasley did their parts, but they started two players who didn’t play, and their kicker is a FA. The Bills have too much talent to be this bad.
23. (-2) Green Bay Packers (1-3)
The Packers have been gut punched by injuries defensively and underachievement offensively. Now Ekeler is hurt. Luckily they own Justin Jackson so they will keep production out of their RB spot, but there’s not much to say right now. The Packers will keep beating bad teams and losing to teams with a little more big play pop.
22. (+1) Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
Cardinals saw some breakout performances on their bench this week that could come in handy down the road if they were trying to win this year. Unfortunately, the insane lack of defensive depth, (Really any at all) is going to reduce the Cardinals to the status of “unofficial bye week” soon.
21. (-2) New Orleans Saints (2-2)
101 bench points in the losing effort for New Orleans this week, that should have been lower with Mike Williams being ruled out but still in the Saints lineup. The Saints are deep everywhere but just don’t have the top end production to hang in their brutal division. A little like the Cowboys, they’re a major spoiler team that is going to improve with time.
20. (-4) Chicago Bears (3-1)
This week began the firesale for the 3-1 Chicago Bears, see their trade block for deals on the finest Chicago has to offer, including an electric Tom Brady on a one year deal. The Bears are ceding the NFC North crown to the Lions this year.
19. (+3) Denver Broncos (2-2)
On the back of Robert Tonyan’s offensive explosion in week 4, the Broncos upset the Chargers to move into 2nd place in the AFC West. The thing about the Broncos and the other teams currently in the running for the 2nd AFC Wildcard spot (Jets, Jaguars, Ravens) remains the amount of untapped potential they have offensively. This isn’t an offense that’s impressing anybody, but if a RB or two step up, or any of their number of talented rookie WRs step up, they could get scary quick. The Broncos are one of a handful of teams that take a 0 every week from their kicker.
18. (-8) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
Taking the hardest Rick Flair chest chop this week were the Jaguars, who only scored 113 points and fell to the Texans. Now, rarely will Calvin Ridley score zero points, but this is the floor of the 2020 Legacy Jaguars. With only 8 bench points to speak of this week and one offensive player missing due to Covid (James Washington), the Jaguars have to sort this out if they want to catch Tennessee.
17. (-4) New York Jets (2-2)
At this point it seems fair to believe the 2020 Jets have settled as a violate midcarder in Legacy. They can give you the worst of times, they can give you the best of times. At the end of this year though Joe will know what he has with this roster. Expect them to trim the fat as time goes on. 2021 should be much brighter. A week 4 thrashing by New England that saw the Jets score 139 points will be followed by a likely win versus the Bengals next week.
16. (+8) Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
If timing worked out better and Baltimore was able to bench Covid bye week CB Joe Haden for Thursday night Jets CB Pierre Desir they would have scored 220 points this week. Something to ponder when you see them on your schedule in the future. The offense continued to underwhelm as they now have no TE from Reed’s injury and plenty of issues at other skill positions, but Aaron Rodgers and the genuinely strong defense continue to put up points.
15. (+3) Dallas Cowboys (1-3)
Dallas put up 207 points this week (9th highest) in a losing effort versus NYG. The best 1-3 team in the league is no real condolence, but this is a team that can jump up and beat anybody. That 207 was accomplished on offense from some genuinely talented players having good games, but also plenty of players (Especially WRs) that can and should do more than they did this week. I wouldn’t count out Dallas quite yet, and I wouldn’t overlook them on the schedule.
14. (+1) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
Pittsburgh, still refusing to pick on someone their own size, continue to bash the groggy AFC East on a weekly basis. In terms of dynasty value it was good to see Damien Harris and Ke’Shawn Vaughn show some wiggle this week.
13. (+4) Detroit Lions (3-1)
With the Bears in selloff mode, the Lions are looking like a near lock to win this division after a putting away of Green Bay this week. It’s frankly time to make any changes the Lions want to make for a potential playoff run. Might I suggest a breathing running back. Outside their division, Detroit runs against Washington this week, in what will be an exciting, well matched game with major NFC consequences.
12. (+2) New York Giants (3-1)
This was the week 4 result that raised an eyebrow for me. The Giants put up 229 points this week and those points were spread throughout the roster. No big 50 point DE game here, just a bunch of good players doing what they were supposed to do. Chris Carson and Latavius Murray each scored 2 TDs to put the Giants in position to finish 5th in points this week. The Giants upcoming schedule (CHI, PHI, WAS) should tell us all we need to know about this squad. The NFC East is far from decided.
11. (-7) Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)
The surprise bye weeks possibly lost this very important divisional matchup for Philly this week, but the loss of Nick Chubb is going to be the one that haunts. Not to mention the benching of Nick Mullens, leaving the Eagles with no realistic QB option until Jimmy G returns.
10. (+1) New England Patriots (3-1)
This is a Patriots team that just consistently puts up 200 points every week. They have a high floor, and an unknown ceiling. The wide receiver room remains a mess, but they could soon feature Kareem Hunt, Raheem Mostert and one of Chase Edmonds, Jerick McKinnon, or Zack Moss on offense every week starting with Dak. I think this is a team that should be making moves, because they have the juice to be a contender in the AFC if they do.
9. (+3) Washington Football Team (4-0)
Talk about a signature win for a franchise that was, frankly, pits last season. Blaine’s Football Team™ is on fire in 2020. They’ve made moves to massively improve their offense the past few weeks and their defense remains strong. This week, they used their new toys to defeat the previously surging, undefeated Eagles. Up next is a tough but beatable Lions team that could make the Football Team 5-0.
8. (+2) Miami Dolphins (3-1)
CMC and Michael Thomas are nearing their returns. The Patriots have the look of a true challenger for the AFC East throne this year as both they and the Dolphins improve to 3-1 this week. Week 6 features that head to head matchup, though Michael Thomas (and Julian Edleman, and David Moore) will be on bye. As it stands, Miami faces a beatable Ravens team week 5.
7. (+1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2)
The real beauty of a good team is seeing zero goose eggs in the lineup. If everyone chips in even a few points and the stars have some big weeks, good things happen. The Buccaneers appear to have lost TE OJ Howard and Allen Lazard for the foreseeable future on top of Reagor, but they do get Leveon Bell back next week. A strong week from Ronald Jones II is a big sign for optimism in the Legacy Bucs offense. A super massive test awaits as the Buccaneers take their turn with Frank’s Rams this week.
6. (=) Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
There are more than one way to take a loss. In context, scoring the 2nd most points in the league week 4 and dropping the game is frustrating, but it shows that the Falcons are no paper tiger. Scheduling is brutal this year with the NFC South and West facing off and Atlanta has the juice to hang with everybody. This wasn’t the week for a win, but next week should be vs 49ers while the Bucs play the Rams and Panthers battle Seattle. Just keep swimming.
5. (+2) Tennessee Titans (3-1)
Titans take care of business this week vs Indy this week, they should be able to take Denver’s candy this week. A steady week on defense with some lackluster performances out of the pass catchers, and a real life weak week from Lamar Jackson still translates to 32 points here in Legacy. They are beginning to separate themselves from Jacksonville in the AFC South
4. (-2) Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
The bad news for Seattle, they put up paltry numbers this week. Injuries and the surprise bye week for their backup RB hurt, but they had no real depth to lean on this week and they are going to run into more of these issues when top players go on byes in the future. The good news, they played San Francisco and still won by 60. Seattle must bounce back in a big way with Carolina on deck.
3. (+2) Carolina Panthers (3-1)
Panthers/Falcons delivered on the intrigue it promised this week with the #1 scorer of the week taking down the #2 scorer in a divisional match. Carolina crawls into 1st in the NFC South at 3-1, all opponents sitting just behind at 2-2. Next week they take on Seattle without the luxury of elite RB Aaron Jones.
2. (+1) Las Vegas Raiders (4-0)
No Chris Godwin this week for Las Vegas, but they still cruised to a thorough stomping of the Chiefs with 244 points, 4th highest in the league this week. The Raiders are absolutely brutalizing the rest of the AFC right now in win/loss record, points, everything. They take on a Jacksonville team next that put up a tiny 113 points this week. Aside from that Jacksonville team and a usually strong Eagles team in week 7, the Raiders remaining schedule is a breeze. It’s runaway train time in Vegas.
1.(=) Los Angeles Rams (4-0)
The first team to top 1,000 points on the young season, the Rams took down division rival Arizona this week. Their All-Play record currently sits at an insane 121-3. Next week they continue their run through most of the top teams in the league versus a worthy challenger in Tampa.