“With September kicking off the new 2015 National Football League (NFL) season, every week presents new and exciting games that help reveal the league’s strongest and smartest teams. In the end however, there will only be one team that becomes the reigning champion. The below list provides a ranking of the league’s most formidable teams heading into week four of the season.
*Statistics and records accurate as of Monday, Oct. 5. Research collected from football-reference.com
Not much can be said against the Patriots and their powerful franchise. The team has some of the best players in the NFL in Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The two players combine to create a nearly indestructible powerhouse of an offense. Luckily for the Patriots, Brady’s suspension was dismissed, which has helped the Patriots greatly and allowed them to start off the season strong. In the first four weeks of the new season, Brady has already averaged 278 yards per game at a 72.2 percent passing completion rate. In addition to Brady, the Patriots have Gronkowski, who is now completely recovered from a forearm fracture. Last year, Gronkowski received a grade of +22.9, making him arguably one of the best tight ends in the league. Last season, Brady and Gronkowski proved to be a powerful combination with a total of 37 completions between the two. Overall, the collective offensive output places them as the second in terms of offensive power. All in all, the Patriots are starting off the season strong and should continue to shine if no injuries occur.
Even with one of Green Bay’s top receivers, Jordy Nelson, out with an ACL injury, the Packers offense is still headlined by two key players, Aaron Rodgers and repeating MVP candidate, Eddie Lacey, combine with a formidable offensive force behind Rodgers’s extraordinary 72.4 percent passing completion rate and zero interception four weeks into the season. On top of that, Lacey’s last year total yardage of 1,139 yards on 246 attempts bodes well for the team’s offense this year. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Clay Matthews has a total of 61 sacks since his first season in 2009 and again can be expected to lead the team in sacks this season. In four of Matthew’s six seasons on the Packers, he has made over ten sacks and has a total of 237 tackles made in his career. All in all, the Packers have a good chance at performing well this season as long as they take advantage on their strengths and capitalize on their opponents’ weaknesses.
It is nearly indisputable that Peyton Manning, a five-time MVP, will have great impact on the Broncos’ success this season. Manning has had an extremely successful career thus far and can be expected to set another handful of records again this season. Manning’s uncanny ability to lead the offense and read the defense altogether helps with Denver’s overall success. In fact, since entering the NFL in 1998, Manning has averaged 272 yards per game. This season alone, Manning stands only 1,500 yards short of breaking Brett Favre’s career passing yards record of 71,838 yards. Manning has already started off the season well with a 63.6 percent passing completion rate in the first four weeks of the 2015 Season. Not only does Manning have a great passing game, but his knowledge and keen ability of reading the opponent’s offense only adds to his wide repertoire. On top of Denver’s strong offense, their defensive game poses a threat to their opponents. Also, the combination of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware already have a cumulative of 6.5 sacks in just the first four weeks of the new season. All in all, the Broncos are due for some measurable success if they continue to do a phenomenal job at collapsing the opponent’s run game and putting pressure on the quarterback to make it hard for the opposing team to gain yardage.
In the 2014 season, the Arizona Cardinals ended 11-5, losing to the Panthers in a Wild Card playoff game. This year, they have exhibited a seemingly unbreakable offense, scoring 31 points against the Saints and an additional 48 points to defeat the Bears. The Cardinals’ key components to offense include Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald. Palmer so far has had 289 passing yards per game and has a passing completion rate of 63.4 percent. Since Arizona’s rushing game remains average with 121.8 rushing yards per game, Palmer’s passing game plays a large role in adding to the team gain yardage and score. To add on to Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, one of the top receivers in the NFL helps the Cardinals with their offensive game. In only the first four weeks of the young season, Fitzgerald has already scored five touchdowns and received 30 passes for 432 yards. Not only does Arizona have a strong offense, but after the first week, they were ranked no. 1 in the NFL for defense on rushing, only allowing opponents 54 yards in total.
The underrated Cincinnati Bengals could make a run for this season. In the first four weeks into the season, the Bengals maintained an undefeated record with four wins under their belt in the AFC. In just four games, they have scored 16 touchdowns and Andy Dalton had an impressive amount of passing yards per game with 296.8 yards per game. His passing completion rate is already 67.2 percent, proving his capabilities of maybe leading his team through a successful season. Not only do the Bengals have successful yardage through Dalton, but also A.J. Green already has a 16.7 average yards per reception and three touchdowns. In addition to Green, Tyler Eifert is now making an appearance behind Green with an average of 13.9 yards per reception in the three contests during which he scored three touchdowns. The combination of these three players could make the Bengals a strong team to look out for in the NFL. On the defensive side, not only does the team have six sacks so far this season as a team, but Rey Maualuga and Reggie Nelson place a lot of pressure on the opponents, forcing turnovers and helping the Bengals extend their possession of the ball. Altogether, this balanced effort could potentially help the team perform well and make qutie the entrance into the postseason tournament.”
