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9. Tennessee Titans (3-0)
When you look at the numbers for the Titans, it's surprising to see that despite having the reigning rushing leader Derrick Henry, they are one of only three teams to not have a run of 20-plus yards on the season and they have been bad at stopping opposing ground games, allowing a half-yard more per rush than any other team in the league (5.8). The Titans can’t get opponents off the field defensively, with a third-down conversion rate of 51.5 percent allowed, but QB Ryan Tannehill has played very clean and as a team they are tied for second in turnover differential (+5). And after having a bad opening week when he missed four kicks, Stephen Gostkowski has since made the most 50-yard field goals (four) and hit the game-winner in all three of their games. The teams they have faced so far are each 1-3. That’s why it would have been so interesting to see Titans take on another unbeaten team in the Steelers last week, but we hope to see them against maybe an even better squad in the Bills this week. If they win that one, they’re probably moving up a couple of spots in the power rankings. Because so far, the Titans' toughest opponent has been COVID-19.
10. New England Patriots (2-2)
I know there are three 3-1 teams behind the Patriots, but this is one of the most impressive .500 teams I have seen in a while. The Patriots lost so many key cogs to their defense -- through free agency and players opting out -- but are still top five in third-down percentage and takeaways, as well as top 10 in yards and points allowed. They just gave Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes trouble once again and with a healthy Cam Newton, I think New England beats the NFL's No. 1 team, because even with horrible quarterback play, they were just a few missed opportunities away from pulling off the upset. Just like I thought, the Patriots' offense heavily relies on the run game, as they are behind only Dallas with 26 first downs per game, which also puts them in the top five in terms of time of possession (32:15). What makes them so tough to defend is the fact they can transform on a weekly basis to attack the weaknesses of their opposition.
11. Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
I know everybody wanted to bury Sean McVay and the Rams, but the coach has continued to evolve and is winning the battle on paper before the game even kicks off. After getting blown out by the Ravens last year, McVay has increased the rate of motion at the snap and diversified their run schemes. L.A. is a run-first team and their O-line has been so much better than expected, with the third-highest percentage of run plays at (51.2) and will run all of their play-action and throwback screens off that, while also being a top five third-down offense, converting 51.9 percent of their attempts. Defensively, the Rams are tied for fifth with 12 sacks on the year and are much more physical than I expected them to be. The Rams have also been very disciplined, as only the Giants get flagged less so far, surrendering just 23.8 yards via penalty and only two of those flags have resulted in first downs for the opposition altogether.
12. Cleveland Browns (3-1)
The numbers really tell a lot of the story for this year’s Browns team. They lead the league in rushing (818 yards) by a large margin on an NFL-best 5.9 yards per rush and they have 11 runs of 20-plus yards, which is by far the most of any team in the league; Baltimore is No. 2 with only six. On the other hand, the Browns are dead-last in passing yards (even with two teams not having played their fourth game yet) and that is by design. Yet, they still have explosive weapons like WR Odell Beckham Jr., who can take over games when needed. We saw against the Cowboys that Cleveland's back-seven on defense is still a concern and they are giving up 31.5 points per game, but DE Myles Garrett is the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. The Browns are No. 1 in takeaways (10), which with their run-oriented offense also gives them the league’s best turnover differential at +6.
