We are through four weeks of the 2012 NFL season, and just three teams remain undefeated. They would be the Houston Texans, the Atlanta Falcons, and to the surprise of many, the Arizona Cardinals. And while the Cardinals are indeed a surprise, there are some on the opposite end of the spectrum that are a surprise too.
Most notably the New Orleans Saints, who sit at 0-4. You can bet that we will not be seeing them in this week’s edition of the top-five power rankings in the NFL.
So 25 percent of the season is done, let’s see who we have at the top of the league this far into the year.
The Texans simply look like the best team on both sides of the ball, cruising to an easy 3814 win this past Sunday over Tennessee. They can throw it, they can pass it, and most importantly they can play some serious defense. The Texans had two defensive scores against the Titans.
The Falcons looked like they were going to lose at home to Carolina on Sunday, backed inside their own one yard line with under a minute to go. But Matt Ryan let his playmakers make plays, and the offense drove down the field in the range of place kicker Matt Bryant. Bryant nailed the game-winner with :05 on the clock. The Falcons are 4-0 and looking great.
The 49ers loss to Minnesota suddenly isn’t looking so bad, with the Vikings sitting at 3-1 on the season. The 49ers got back on track against the Jets on Sunday, looking dominant on defense, and much improved on offense.
The Ravens didn’t look great on Thursday against Cleveland, but a win’s a win. Baltimore is a much more talented team then they showed, but every team has games like this throughout the course of a season. The important thing will be regrouping and playing better. That should be manageable with a road trip to Kansas City.
The second-half Patriots team against Buffalo on Sunday looked like the preseason Super Bowl favorites. New England scored 45 points in the third and fourth quarters against the Bills, and showed while even though they are just 2-2, they have the ability to beat anyone easily.