2019 NFL power rankings, Week 4: Saints rise, Chargers slide
2. team. 123. . 3-0. Previous: . Dallas Cowboys
Recap: The Cowboys kicked off the season with a pair of victories over the rival Giants and Redskins. Now Jason Garrett’s club would face its first inter-conference foe of the year in the winless Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Dak Prescott has been off to a sensational start and has spread the football around, with his 10 touchdown passes going to five different players. That includes Sunday’s showing versus the undermanned Dolphins, when he wasn’t particularly sharp early but threw for 246 yards and two scores, to wideout Amari Cooper. Meanwhile, the Dallas running game rolled up 235 yards as both Ezekiel Elliott and rookie Tony Pollard reached the century mark.
Next Week: Dallas makes their way to the Superdome for the first time since 2015 when they dropped a 26-20 Sunday night overtime decision to Sean Payton’s club. The Cowboys and Saints will meet for the second straight year in prime time. A year ago on a Thursday night at Dallas (Week 13), Garrett’s club came up with a 13-10 win.
Playoff hopes: Consistency has been the issue for these Cowboys in recent years, hence one reason this team hasn’t been to the playoffs in consecutive years in over a decade (2006 and ’07). But even if the Redskins win on Monday night at home vs. the Bears, Dallas is currently the only team in the NFC East with a winning record.
team. 47. . 3-0. Previous: . New England Patriots. 1
Recap: Last Friday, the team parted ways with wide receiver Antonio Brown. On Sunday, the defending Super Bowl champions were back home for the second time in three weeks looking to notch their 17th consecutive win (including playoffs) at Gillette Stadium dating back to Week 7 of 2017. The opposition would be the Jets, whose last win at Foxborough came in the 2010 playoffs. New England opened the scoring with a nine-play, 88-yard drive, culminating with Sony Michel’s five-yard touchdown run and was on its way. A botched punt and a pick-six off rookie Jarrett Stidham gave the Jets their points. The Patriots have not allowed an offensive touchdown this year.
Next Week: The Pats make the short trip to Orchard Park to take on an improving Buffalo squad. The team’s latest winning streak vs. the Bills currently stands at five straight dating back to the rivals’ second meeting in 2016. It’s also worth noting that New England has won seven consecutive road games in this series dating back to ’12.
More fansided.com: Power ranking the NFL defenses for 2019
Playoff hopes: The team continues its winning ways but was a bit sloppy at times late against the Jets. Still, the Patriots are off to a 3-0 start and with the way their defense is playing these days, they’re once again going to be a tough team to stop. But next Sunday’s tilt with the 3-0 Bills at Orchard Park could be a very intriguing encounter.