2017 NFL Power Rankings: Week 4
Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd
It was a trip across the pond to forget for Baltimore. The fact that Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense was held in check by the Jaguars was not actually surprising. The more shocking development was Flacco’s counterpart, Blake Bortles, tearing the Baltimore defense apart.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | San Francisco 49ers | -10.15 | 0-3 | 0.5% | 30 | 30 | 0 |
| 31 | Cleveland Browns | -6.91 | 0-3 | 1.6% | 18 | 22 | -1 |
| 30 | Chicago Bears | -6.78 | 1-2 | 4.2% | 27 | 29 | -1 |
| 29 | New York Jets | -5.77 | 1-2 | 6.1% | 20 | 25 | +2 |
| 28 | Indianapolis Colts | -4.34 | 1-2 | 11.9% | 28 | 23 | 0 |
| 27 | Miami Dolphins | -3.47 | 1-1 | 14.0% | 26 | 21 | -4 |
| 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | -3.18 | 0-3 | 6.0% | 32 | 9 | 0 |
| 25 | Houston Texans | -2.71 | 1-2 | 15.4% | 29 | 13 | 0 |
| 24 | New York Giants | -1.24 | 0-3 | 4.4% | 23 | 16 | -2 |
| 23 | Baltimore Ravens | -0.98 | 2-1 | 47.0% | 31 | 6 | -18 |
Bortles, who has been one of the league’s least efficient quarterbacks since making his debut, completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns in Jacksonville’s 44-7 win. It was also only the third game of Bortles’ career in which he didn’t throw an interception or get sacked.
Baltimore came into the game ranked first in Defensive NEP and had only allowed 4.9 yards per play, but conceded an average gain of 6.0 on Sunday. The Ravens offense was held to 3.4 yards per play, while Flacco was 8 for 18 for 28 yards, along with a pair of sacks and interceptions.
The other teams near the bottom of the league remain mostly unchanged, as San Francisco continues to hold up the rear even though they put forth a competitive showing against the Rams on Thursday night.
Also, despite a 23-17 upset win over the visiting Steelers, the Bears remain third from the bottom, as the underlying metrics suggest Pittsburgh played better than the result shows. The Steelers had the edge in terms of yards per drive and first downs, but only came away with 17 points on four red zone trips, which ultimately made the difference.
