Another win, another second-place finish.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17-3 this past Sunday, keeping the team among the shrinking ranks of the NFL’s undefeated. However, the idle New England Patriots still hold onto the top spot on SB Nation’s weekly power rankings index.
It has become increasingly clear that for Green Bay to lay claim to the No. 1 ranking, the Patriots must lose a game. That’s not an unfair expectation given the latter’s status as the reigning league champions. At the same time, that doesn’t mean the Packers haven’t played at a similarly high level during the young season.
The rest of the top six is composed of the other undefeated teams. After the Patriots and Packers, SB Nation has the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers in order.
Here’s what power rankings curator Danny Kelly had to say about the Packers’ performance during the fourth week of the season:
The Patriots were off in Week 4, but the Packers and Bengals are sure giving them a run for their money when it comes to the top spot in our power rankings. Green Bay won in impressive fashion against San Francisco and Cincy continued its tear by knocking off the Chiefs at home.
For both squads, success starts first and foremost with amazing quarterback play — Aaron Rodgers is completing 72 percent of his throws and has 11 touchdown passes without a pick this year and Andy Dalton isn’t far behind. The much-maligned Bengals signal-caller has passed for 1,187 yards (third in the NFL) while completing 67 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and only one interception.