NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Bills claim No. 1 spot,…
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Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a madman when it comes to calling defense.
The philosophy is simple, really: Blitz, blitz, and blitz some more. He has taken defense and made it truly fun to watch.
The Vikings are blitzing at a rate of 73-78% of passing plays, depending on the site giving out the data. That is by far the highest percentage in the league — and it’s not close.
They are a zone-blitz unit that shows a ton of looks that confuse offensive lines and quarterbacks to the point that the passers are often left seeing ghosts even when the pressure isn’t there. It’s why the Vikings lead the league in sacks with 14 and are quickly becoming a team opposing quarterbacks fear.
They registered six sacks of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield in their 23-16 victory Sunday, a game in which they made the Tampa Bay offensive line look bad. They also ran through backs and tight ends in pass protection, and Mayfield was jumpy all day.
It looked like Minnesota was playing with 13 players on defense all day long.
The Vikings are 3-0 because of that defense. Their quarterbacks haven’t thrown for over 168 yards in a game because they haven’t needed it, thanks to that dominant defense.
Minnesota is up to No. 4 in my Power Rankings as Flores continues to show off his impressive defensive mind. If the offense, with Kyler Murray back under center, can get some flow in the passing game, this is going to be a tough team to beat week in and week out. It’s also going to make for tough weeks for opponents to recover after playing them, since they beat you up on defense.
The Buffalo Bills move to the top spot of my rankings after the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Washington Commanders. Buffalo beat the Los Angeles Chargers despite turning the ball over five times. That’s the sign of a good team.
There are five undefeated teams left. They are Buffalo, San Francisco, Kansas City, Minnesota and the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are the real surprise of the group as Kirk Cousins has led them to a fast start.
The Raiders aren’t in my top 10 yet, but if they beat the Chiefs this week in Vegas, it will be time to truly pay attention. That’s not to take away from their great start. Who saw them at 3-0? I didn’t.
As for the bottom team, Miami stays there, although the Tennessee Titans are pushing them hard for that spot as the Titans’ offense continues to struggle with Cam Ward.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
It wasn’t pretty against the Chargers, but they found a way. They turned it over too many times, and the offensive line was bad. | 1 | 3-0-0 |
2 |
|
Brock Purdy for MVP. Sounds crazy? Look at his numbers. He’s playing out of his mind. | 1 | 3-0-0 |
3 |
|
At 3-0, the people who buried them need to admit they were wrong. They play a big one this week at Las Vegas against the unbeaten Raiders. | 2 | 3-0-0 |
4 |
|
If only they had a better offense. They might just be considered the best team in football. Brian Flores and the defense have led them to a 3-0 record. | 2 | 3-0-0 |
5 |
|
Losing to a backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota is not a good look. Sam Darnold did some good things in his return, but the pick-six he threw was not good. They will be back. | 4 | 2-1-0 |
6 |
|
Coming back to win games late is their calling card. They did it again against the Rams Sunday night, but that’s playing with fire on a weekly basis. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
7 |
|
They bounced back from their first loss with a dominant victory over the Patriots. The defense, which is No. 1 in the league in points allowed, came up big in that one. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
8 |
|
Beating the Cowboys on the last play really changes how they feel about their start. There is a big difference between 2-1 and 1-2 in the tough AFC North. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
9 |
|
They beat up the Eagles Monday night. The defense played much better, and Case Keenum was sharp in his first start. Maybe they can handle Caleb Williams being out for a month. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
10 |
|
The Dream Team is 1-2 after three weeks. So much for cruising to a Super Bowl. They need Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua back in the worst way. | 2 | 1-2-0 |
11 |
|
That was an embarrassing loss to the Bears Monday night. Now they face a tough test against the Rams at home this week. | 4 | 2-1-0 |
12 |
|
Jahmyr Gibbs is carrying this team and is in the early MVP conversation. They have to be happy to be 2-1 with all the defensive injuries. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
13 |
|
At 2-1, they are getting some good play from Aaron Rodgers. He looked like the old Rodgers in the victory over the Bengals. | 9 | 2-1-0 |
14 |
|
The defense came back to reality in the loss to the Steelers. They now face a tough Jaguars offense at home this week. | 10 | 2-1-0 |
15 |
|
They are 3-0 and the surprise of the league so far. The next four games – Chiefs at home, at Patriots, Bills and Rams at home – will define who they are. | 1 | 3-0-0 |
16 |
|
Losing to the Ravens with one second left is a tough one to take. Now they face a tough turnaround against a desperate Texans team on the road. | 1 | 1-2-0 |
17 |
|
They have a Drake Maye problem right now. When does he turn it around? He isn’t playing good football, and it’s bleeding over to the rest of the team. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
18 |
|
They blew a lead to the Raiders in the fourth quarter, which has to sting. This is a team that can’t turn it over as much as they did in that game. | — | 1-2-0 |
19 |
|
Jameis Winston is 1-0 this year as a starter, but he should thank the defense. They came up big in beating the Titans to get to 2-1, but losing rusher Brian Burns (ACL) for the year is a big hit. | — | 2-1-0 |
20 |
|
The defense showed improvement in the victory over the Texans, breaking a nine-game losing streak that dated back to last year. Then again, it had nowhere to go but up. They play the Commanders in London. | 5 | 1-2-0 |
21 |
|
It’s amazing what getting a functional quarterback can do for a team. Just keep giving it to Bijan Robinson and things will be fine for the offense. | 9 | 1-2-0 |
22 |
|
They have big problems across the board. The offensive line can’t block, they can’t run it, Jordan Love hasn’t been good and the defense has been mauled. Other than that, everything is good. | 9 | 1-2-0 |
23 |
|
They battled against the 49ers, but the defense just wasn’t good enough. They let Brock Purdy carve them up. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
24 |
|
They played in desperation mode on the road against the Bills, and it still wasn’t good enough. The schedule is brutal, and a 0-9 start is possible. | 1 | 0-3-0 |
25 |
|
Who had them going 2-1 to start, especially after the blowout loss to the Jaguars in Week 1? They are tied for first place in the AFC North. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
26 |
|
At 1-2, they have to be happy they are in a bad division. Losing to the Browns on the road is not a good look, and the injuries are piling up. | 6 | 1-2-0 |
27 |
|
At 0-3, their season is on the line against the Cowboys this week. The offense just isn’t good enough right now. | 3 | 0-3-0 |
28 |
|
Marcus Mariota led them to an upset of the Seahawks on Sunday, which changes the narrative about this team for now. The defense made some big plays. Now they head to London to play the Colts. | 1 | 1-2-0 |
29 |
|
At 0-3, they are only out of first place by a game in their bad division. But with Baker Mayfield out with a dislocated thumb for a bit, it’s going to be tough to get it turned around. | 8 | 0-3-0 |
30 |
|
They showed well in the loss to the Lions, especially Geno Smith. But the injury to Breece Hall bears watching. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
31 |
|
They badly need Cam Ward to pick up his play. The defense played well enough to beat the Giants. Ward’s late interception was brutal. | — | 0-3-0 |
32 |
|
The beat goes on. They compete in games, but they just aren’t good enough. It wasn’t that bad against the Chiefs. | — | 0-3-0 |
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