LA Rams, KC Chiefs stay atop RJ’s NFL rankings
Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Rams 4-0 (1). Football nerds marveled at the Rams’ offense that scored 38 points against the Vikings in a classic Thursday night affair. Los Angeles is a level above the rest after the first quarter of the season.
2. Chiefs 4-0 (2). Patrick Mahomes can do more than just jump out to big leads. The second-year QB ignited a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Broncos on the road and proved he’s the real deal.
3. Jaguars 3-1 (4). Everything went right for Jacksonville in a win versus the Jets. Blake Bortles was dealing and the defense dominated.
4. Saints 3-1 (6). Alvin Kamara alone can generate 30-plus points for the Saints even on an off day for the offense.
5. Panthers 2-1 (5). Cam Newton and the Panthers got the week off. They get the Giants in Week 5.
6. Patriots 2-2 (8). This was no surprise. Of course, the Patriots were going to trounce the undefeated Dolphins at home.
7. Eagles 2-2 (3). The Carson Wentz-led offense finally woke up but it wasn’t enough versus the upstart Titans.
8. Packers 2-1-1 (9). Green Bay didn’t sleep on the Bills, and the defense made sure they didn’t score.
9. Bengals 3-1 (14). Andy Dalton has the offense clicking after four weeks. They escaped Atlanta with a victory last week.
10. Dolphins 3-1 (7). Yes, the AFC East still runs through New England. But don’t count out Miami as a playoff team.
11. Ravens 3-1 (15). Joe Flacco threw for 363 passing yards against the Steelers despite the Ravens’ playcaller trying his hardest to throw off his rhythm with Lamar Jackson wildcat plays.
12. Bears 3-1 (16). Six touchdown passes in a game should quiet the Mitchell Trubisky critics for at least a week.
13. Titans 3-1 (18). First-year coach Mike Vrabel is getting the job done in Tennessee.
14. Vikings 1-2-1 (10). What has happened to Mike Zimmer’s defense? Suddenly, the Vikings are an offensive squad.
15. Steelers 1-2-1 (11). There might be no fixing this poor Steelers defense. Not even a Le’Veon Bell arrival.
16. Chargers 2-2 (20). The Chargers got to October at .500. That’s much better than the 0-4 start in 2017.
17. Broncos 2-2 (17). Denver might have given the rest of the league the formula to slowing down the Chiefs.
18. Falcons 1-3 (13). Atlanta might not be able to dig out of this hole after close losses to the Eagles, Saints and Bengals.
19. Buccaneers 2-2 (12). Thanks for the memories, Ryan Fitzpatrick. That was a fun three weeks before the beat down in Chicago.
20. Cowboys 2-2 (22). Dallas finally fed Ezekiel Elliott and he repaid them with 240 yards from scrimmage.
21. Redskins 2-1 (19). Washington returns from a bye week to face the Saints on “Monday Night Football.”
22. Seahawks 2-2 (27). Seattle gained Doug Baldwin but lost Earl Thomas for the season.
23. Browns 1-2-1 (21). Baker Mayfield had an impressive start in a loss to the Raiders.
24. Texans 1-3 (30). Houston held on for its first win of the season in a wild overtime game against the Colts.
25. Raiders 1-3 (31). The Raiders finally finished and the offense took off against a tough Browns defense.
26. Colts 1-3 (23). Frank Reich lost the game on a gusty fourth-down overtime decision, but he won the locker room by going for it.
27. Giants 1-3 (24). Another subpar performance from Eli Manning led to only 18 points against a bad Saints defense.
28. Jets 1-3 (25). Coach Todd Bowles’ seat is burning after a third consecutive loss.
29. 49ers 1-3 (28). The Niners showed life with quarterback C.J. Beathard under center.
30. Lions 1-3 (26). Matthew Stafford and Golden Tate looked helpless on the sideline while watching the defense blow the game against the Cowboys.
31. Bills 1-3 (29). Buffalo came back to earth with a 22-0 loss to the Packers.
32. Cardinals 0-4 (32). Josh Rosen gave the Cardinals’ offense a pulse, but they came up short versus Seattle.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
