Baltimore Beatdown Power Rankings, Week 4: Ravens heating up, Eagles, Falcons nosedive

Five of the 12 teams that reached the 2013 Playoffs heading into Week 4, in no particular order - Colts, Saints, Packers, Chiefs, 49ers - were on the brink of falling into a 1-3 pit. Yikes. Green Bay, Indianapolis and Kansas City decisively took care of business and the 49ers' goal-line stand against the Eagles' dangerous offense eeked out a meaningful victory.

On Sunday night a new-look Dallas Cowboys team disassembled the high-octane Saints.

When diagnosing NFL teams, sometimes I struggle. I, ahem, apologize in advance, hooligan20112. In Week 4's Rankings, I focused on one factor: team chemistry.

Dive with me:

1. BENGALS (3-0) EVEN

Bye.

2. CHARGERS (3-1) EVEN

Their running backs (Branden Oliver and Donald Brown), averaged a combined 2.2 yards-per-carry against the stinkin' Jags. This is quarterback-friendly weather, no argument there, yet if they choose to not repair the backfield A.S.A.P., the Chargers could grow cold and potentially lose their last five games.

3. BRONCOS (2-1) EVEN

Bye.

4. RAVENS (3-1) +2

Adversity builds character; character builds chemistry, or strong relationships. With all the nasty gunk that oozed (is still oozing) out of Baltimore, the team has used the gooey substance as a gel to hold them together. #RealTeamChemistry

5. SEAHAWKS (2-1) +2

Bye.

6. CARDINALS (3-0) -1

Bye.

7. LIONS (3-1) +5

"The Lions lead the NFC North" headline is all too familiar for Lions fans. They're glad that the club is finally winning games with, or without, Megatron (two catches, 12 yards). NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal stated that the Lions aren't putting up "crooked numbers."

8. COLTS (2-2) +1

Reggie Wayne: The Takeover.

9. STEELERS (2-2) -1

Antonio Brown doesn't drop that perfect pass from Roethlisberger and the Bucs don't pull a rabbit out of the hat in the fourth quarter. Neither of them panned out.

10. COWBOYS (3-1) +11

After the Eagles disappointing performance in San Fran, the Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC East. #challengeflag

11. 49ERS (2-2) +8

That cross-the-body, baseball lob to Frank Gore was a rehearsed, designed play. With a quarterback as athletic as Kaepernick is, the 49ers' offense will practice those -- disguised-to-look-like broken plays -- in the near future. Kudos to their defense for defending the goal-line on fourth down.

12. PACKERS (2-2) +6

First half: 21 Packers, 17 Bears. Second half: 17 Packers, Bears 0. Talk about making the correct halftime adjustments.

13. EAGLES (3-1) -9

The Eagles offense, thunderstruck. I see solid teams dissecting their style of play as we move forward.

14. BEARS (2-2) EVEN

When tested by elite receivers, the Bears' defense is clueless. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson finished with a total of 17 receptions, 221 yards and four touchdowns.

15. FALCONS (2-2) -5

The Vikings speared the Falcons and cooked them for dinner on Sunday. Enough with these wishy-washy teams!?

16. PATRIOTS (2-2) -5

No quarterbacks need to be evaluated, scoff. Vince Wilfork worded it best: "they [Chiefs] beat us like we stole something."

17. SAINTS (1-3) -4

The Saints are licking their wounds. Their offense is letting the team down: allowed two sacks on Brees, Travaris Cadet and Jimmy Graham fumbled the ball and No. 9's pass intended for Robert Meachem was tipped-and-picked by Justin Durant. #SaintsSteamrollOFF

18. CHIEFS (2-2)* +7

Andy Reid got his Super Bowl-revenge with his new team against Bill Belichick Monday night. Game manager Alex Smith was efficient; Travis Kelce, along with Kniles Davis, need to stay healthy for this team to be considered competitive.

19. BROWNS (1-2) -4

Bye. Come to realize, the Browns have a long way to go before they beat the aforementioned teams.

20. GIANTS (2-2) +2

Beating Washington proved that the Redskins could use a lot more help. I can't picture the G-men beating the Browns, Chiefs, Bears, Falcons, Patriots or Saints just yet.

21. JETS (1-3) -5

How hot is Rex Ryan's seat right now?