By Paul Imig Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Sep 30, 2015 at 5:26 PM

Was the Packers' strong victory over the Kansas City Chiefs enough to get them into the number one spot? Or are the Patriots – and their 51-point romping of the Jacksonville Jaguars this past weekend – still the team to beat? And are the winless Bears in the NFL cellar? Check out the NFL power rankings going into Week 4 and find out. 

1. New England Patriots (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 1)

The defending Super Bowl champions continue to dominate. The Patriots’ latest outing involved scoring 51 points, as Tom Brady’s mission to destroy all defenses rolls on.

2. Green Bay Packers (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 2)

Aaron Rodgers is making it look too easy. If he keeps playing at this level, it’s difficult to see the Packers losing – no matter how many more injuries the team suffers at other positions.

3. Arizona Cardinals (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 3)

Arizona has outscored its three opponents by 77 points. That is by far the biggest point differential in the NFL.

4. Denver Broncos (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 4)

The Broncos have yet to look great in any of their three wins, and the combined record of their first three opponents is 1-8. Between Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, however, Denver has boasted the best pass-rush (and arguably, the best overall defense) in the league so far. 

5. Seattle Seahawks (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 5)

The Seahawks have Kam Chancellor back, which instantly made their defense a lot better. And now Jimmy Graham is getting involved on offense. However, Seattle’s Week 5 and 6 opponents (Bengals and Panthers) are currently a combined 6-0.

6. Atlanta Falcons (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 6)

Julio Jones can’t be stopped, and Matt Ryan has reemerged into the conversation as a top-six NFL quarterback. Atlanta’s defense might be somewhat suspect all season, though.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 8)

The Bengals won again, and that’s ultimately what’s important. But their last two victories came over teams with a combined 1-5 record, and Cincinnati only won those games by a total of nine points.

8. Buffalo Bills (Record: 2-1; Previous rank: 12)

Aside from a bad performance against a terrific Patriots team, Buffalo has been really good. The Bills made the Dolphins look like a JV opponent in Week 3 with a 41-14 win.

9. Minnesota Vikings (Record: 2-1; Previous rank: 16)

The Vikings looked terrible Week 1. Since then, however, Adrian Peterson has racked up 260 rushing yards, and Minnesota’s defense has been great.

10. Carolina Panthers (Record: 3-0; Previous rank: 13)

They haven’t been impressive wins for the Panthers, but a relatively easy schedule and a good defense has gotten Carolina off to a fast start.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (Record: 2-1; Previous rank: 7)

Ben Roethlisberger’s knee injury will keep him out for the next month. In the meantime, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown will have to play very well to keep the pressure off of Michael Vick.

12. Dallas Cowboys (Record: 2-1; Previous rank: 15)

The Cowboys let a huge halftime lead slip away at home against Atlanta. Dallas is a well-rounded team, but winning without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant won’t be easy.

13. New York Giants (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 18)

The Giants were close in both of their losses to open the season. Now they got in the win column with a good performance over Washington.

14. Kansas City Chiefs (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 9)

Kansas City’s schedule to begin the regular season was difficult, playing Denver and Green Bay. The Chiefs will eventually have to win those type of games if they’re going to make the playoffs, but they have the talent to do so.

15. St. Louis Rams (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 10)

The Rams have scored the fifth-fewest points in the NFL. If they ever figure it out offensively, St. Louis’ strong defense can carry it the rest of the way.

16. Oakland Raiders (Record: 2-1; Previous rank: 24)

Oakland is finding ways to win, and that’s a very positive step for a franchise that has struggled mightily in recent years.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 27)

The Eagles have too much talent to remain near the bottom for long. A road win over the previously undefeated Jets was a good start.

18. New York Jets (Record: 2-1; Previous rank: 11)

On the flip side of what happened with Philadelphia, the Jets fell back to Earth a bit by losing at home to the previously winless Eagles. 

19. San Diego Chargers (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 14)

The Chargers were average through two games, then got beaten up by Minnesota. San Diego is still searching for answers and an identity, but there is talent on that roster.

20. Indianapolis Colts (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 21)

Hey, at least the Colts got their first win. Something seems off about Andrew Luck this season, but a quarterback that talented eventually will figure it out.

21. Washington (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 19)

Washington hasn’t been exciting, but they’re staying close in games. Being competitive is half the battle for a team with relatively low expectations.

22. Tennessee Titans (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 22)

Marcus Mariota has done quite well for a rookie quarterback. Mariota also benefits from having a very good defense keeping opponents from scoring too many points.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 20)

A team like the Jaguars shouldn’t expect to go into New England and win, but a 34-point loss doesn’t exactly speak well for Jacksonville’s outlook.

24. Miami Dolphins (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 17)

There’s plenty of talent for Joe Philbin to work with in Miami. So far, however, it has yet to translate to consistent on-field production.

25. Baltimore Ravens (Record: 0-3; Previous rank: 29)

Baltimore has not been able to find a way to win. But each of their losses has been by no more than six points. 

26. Detroit Lions (Record: 0-3; Previous rank: 23)

The Lions’ offense has been dreadful. It certainly hasn’t helped Detroit that Matthew Stafford is playing some of the worst football of his career.

27. Houston Texans (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 31)

It’s too bad that J.J. Watt’s prime years are being wasted on a team that has an offense this bad.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 28)

Tampa Bay hasn’t done much well yet this season. The Buccaneers scored just nine points against the previously winless Texans in Week 3.

29. New Orleans Saints (Record: 0-3; Previous rank: 30)

The Saints had a decent performance Week 3 without Drew Brees. New Orleans doesn’t have the roster to contend this season, though.

30. Cleveland Browns (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 26)

The Browns went back to Josh McCown after Johnny Manziel got them a win. And while McCown played OK against Oakland in Week 3, the countdown is on for when Cleveland turns back to Manziel.

31. San Francisco 49ers (Record: 1-2; Previous rank: 25)

Since winning Week 1, the 49ers have been awful. Their latest embarrassment was a 40-point loss to division-rival Arizona. Colin Kaepernick is really struggling.

32. Chicago Bears (Record: 0-3; Previous rank: 32)

The Bears lost again, and then they traded Jared Allen and Jonathan Bostic. It’s as close to "calling it a season" as an NFL team can possibly do in September. It also doesn’t help that Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery are still trying to recover from injuries.

Paul Imig Special to OnMilwaukee.com
Paul Imig spent the past five years working for FOX Sports WI. He began by covering the Milwaukee Bucks and Milwaukee Brewers before taking over the Green Bay Packers beat in 2011. In addition to his writing, Paul also made television appearances nationwide on FOX Sports 1. He can be heard on the radio statewide on The Bill Michaels Show and can be seen on Time Warner Cable's Roundtable show with Dennis Krause. Paul is the 2015 recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's award for Graduate Of the Last Decade (GOLD).