After the fourth week in the NFL, clarity on teams begins to take shape, but there are still a bunch of questions that remain answered. The top teams, though, are starting to separate themselves and the bottom of the league looks bad.
We are almost a quarter of the way through the season and before we kick-off Thursday night football with the Bears and Commanders we dive into our weekly power rankings.
1. San Francisco 49ers 4-0
The 49ers climb to the top spot after another convincing win on Sunday. They let the Cardinals hang around for awhile, but you never thought they were going to lose. Their defense remains one of the best in the league and Christian McCaffrey is looking like his once dominant self again. This team is going to be hard to beat.
2. Buffalo Bills 3-1
The Bills jump to No. 2 after their impressive win over the undefeated Dolphins. Josh Allen was great, as he went 21-for-25 for 320 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also rushed for another score. Stefon Diggs had a huge day as well, as he hauled in six passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. The Bills now look like the team to beat in the AFC.
3. Philadelphia Eagles 4-0
The Eagles remained undefeated, but it wasn’t easy. They needed overtime to fend off the pesky Commanders after they gave up a touchdown on the last play of regulation. They found a way to win and that is all that matters, but they have looked shaky in some of the wins so far this season.
4. Miami Dolphins 3-1
This team is still very good, it just had a bad game in Buffalo on Sunday. The Bills found a way to slow down the Dolphins offense, which scored 70 points the week before, and their defense was exposed. The Dolphins can still score with anyone in the league, but they need to shore up their defense if they want to compete for the AFC title.
5. Detroit Lions 3-1
The Lions went to Lambeau Field on Thursday night and dominated the Packers for their second straight win in Green Bay. The Lions are now 3-1 and at the top of the NFC North. They are an overtime loss away from being undefeated and they are looking like they might be able to compete with the 49ers and Eagles at the top of the NFC.
6. Kansas City Chiefs 3-1
The Chiefs started off hot on Sunday night against the Jets, but then they started to show some cracks and let New York come all the way back to tie the game. Patrick Mahomes threw two interceptions, but he made enough plays at the end of the game to get the win. The Chiefs are still good, but the Dolphins and Bills have looked better so far this year.
7. Dallas Cowboys 3-1
We move the Cowboys back up after their dismantling of the Patriots on Sunday. The defense once again caused a bunch of turnovers and scored a couple of touchdowns. The offense still needs to prove it can score consistently, but the Cowboys are 3-1 heading into Week 5. They get a huge test on Sunday night as they head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.
8. Seattle Seahawks 3-1
The Seahawks keep chugging along and are 3-1 on the season after an easy 24-3 Monday night win over the Giants. They aren’t flashy, but they are getting wins and sit just a game behind the 49ers for first place in the NFC West. Sunday they are back on the road against a desperate Bengals team before they head home for two straight games.
9. Baltimore Ravens 3-1
The Ravens laid claim to being the best team in the AFC North as they dominated the Browns 28-3. They did benefit from Deshaun Watson being out, but they still came away with the easy win and moved to 3-1 on the season. They get the Steelers on the road next week before playing two straight games at home.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1
The Buccaneers bounced back from their first loss of the year with a comfortable 26-9 win over the Saints on Sunday. The Bucs haven’t looked flashy, but the defense has played well and Baker Mayfield is doing enough to help them get wins. The schedule gets tough in the next three weeks as they play the Lions and Falcons at home before heading to Buffalo to take on the Bills.
11. Los Angeles Chargers 2-2
The Chargers begin the run of a cluster of teams at 2-2 on the season. You could flip a coin for most of these teams, but the Chargers get the call first due to having Justin Herbert as their quarterback. Herbert has a ton of talent and has made some plays lately to help them come away with two straight wins.
12. Los Angeles Rams 2-2
The Rams are a bit of surprise at 2-2 this year. They got a huge win against the Seahawks in Week 1 and then picked up an overtime win at Indianapolis on Sunday. Rookie Puka Nacua got the first touchdown of his career in the extra period to give them the win. Nacua now has 39 receptions for 501 yards through four games.
13. Houston Texans 2-2
In a group of teams that haven’t really separated themselves, the Texans rise up thanks to the play of rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. The signal caller from Ohio State has been fantastic through four games as he has thrown for 1,212 yards without an interception. If Stroud can keep it up, the Texans could compete for a wild card spot this year or even the division.
14. Washington Commanders 2-2
The Commanders came up short against the Eagles on Sunday, but they nearly pulled off the upset. A week after getting blown out by the Bills, the Commanders gave Philadelphia everything they could and forced overtime with a last-second touchdown pass. They got the ball to start overtime, but couldn’t get a first down and the Eagles went 23 yards to set up the game-wining field goal.
15. Cleveland Browns 2-2
The Browns were blown out by the Ravens on Sunday 28-3, as they had to play without quarterback Deshaun Watson due to an injury. The lack of Watson was a huge problem for the Browns, as the offense could get nothing going in the loss. They thankfully get a bye this week, but then will have to take on the 49ers in Week 6.
16. Indianapolis Colts 2-2
The Colts great start to the year hit a road block on Sunday when they lost at home in overtime to the Rams. The Colts got off to a slow start and trailed 23-0 in the second half. They flipped the script to score the next 23 points, but they couldn’t stop the Rams in overtime and took the loss. They still sit 2-2 overall and tied with the rest of the division.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-2
The Jaguars bounced back from a blowout loss to the Texans with an easy win over the Falcons in London. The Jaguars still have some question marks, but Trevor Lawrence has played well. They will stay in London for the week as they get ready to take on the Bills.
18. Green Bay Packers 2-2
The Packers looked bad in the first half of their Thursday night game against the division-rival Lions. They did play better in the second half, but Jordan Love struggled for the first time this season. They do have two winnable games the next two weeks against the Raiders and Broncos, but both of those games are on the road.
19. Tennessee Titans 2-2
The Titans got a big win on Sunday when they dominated the Bengals with a 27-3 win. The Titans still have a lot to work on the offensive side of the ball, but they are 2-2 and tied with the rest of the teams in the AFC South.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-2
The Steelers offense is a mess. Kenny Pickett is struggling and they can not get the run game going despite having Najee Harris in the backfield. They do have two wins, but both of the wins were ugly and they looked bad in their two losses.
21. Minnesota Vikings 1-3
The Viking finally got their first win of the season and we still think they are better than their record indicates. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson are just too good to be held down much longer, but they do need to keep getting wins or they will drop down even further.
22. New Orleans Saints 2-2
The Saints lost for the second straight game on Sunday as the offense struggled against the Buccaneers. They could be 3-1 right now, but they could also be 0-4. They have found a way to win a couple of games, but this team does not strike fear into many teams.
23. Atlanta Falcons 2-2
The Falcons are 2-2, but the offense does not look good right now. Desmond Ridder has not been good over the last two weeks as they have scored just 13 total points in losses to the Lions and Jaguars. The two wins are starting to look like fool’s gold. Bijon Robinson has been good on the ground, but he needs help and they need to find a way to get Kyle Pitts more involved in the passing game.
24. New York Jets 1-3
The Jets offense finally looked competent at times against the Chiefs, but they still came up short in a 23-20 loss. The defense will keep this team in games, but the offense will need to keep improving if they want to compete for a possible playoff spot. The win against the Bills from Week 1 helps, but it seems like a distant memory now.
25. Arizona Cardinals 1-3
The Cardinals have just one win, but they are a lot of more competitive than anyone could have imagined this year. They lost on Sunday to the 49ers, but they trailed just 21-16 heading into the fourth quarter. They still aren’t a great team, but they are not bad either. If they can beat the Bengals on Sunday then this team could battle for a .500 record this year.
26. Cincinnati Bengals 1-3
Something is seriously wrong with the Bengals and it doesn’t look like it is getting fixed anytime soon. For the second time this year they have scored just three points and they are now just 1-3 on the season. Joe Burrow has not been good and the offense looks lost, partially because of Burrows calf injury. They have to win next Sunday at the Cardinals, but even that isn’t a guarantee right now.
27. Las Vegas Raiders 1-3
The Raiders lost their second straight by one possession as they nearly completed a comeback from 17 points down to the Chargers. The Raiders held Los Angeles scoreless in the second half, but they just couldn’t get the stop at the end of the game they needed. The offense needs to be better, but they have two straight home games coming up against the Packers and Patriots and could win both.
28. New England Patriots 1-3
The Patriots have fallen a long way since Tom Brady was quarterback. Mac Jones continues to struggle and the once vaunted defense has not been good. The Patriots only win this year was against the Jets and even that was ugly. They do have a couple of winnable games coming up before they play the Bills and Dolphins in back-to-back weeks.
29. New York Giants 1-3
The Giants offense continues to struggle as they put up just three points against the Seahawks at home on Monday Night. They have now scored just 15 combined points in three losses this year and it doesn’t look like it is going to get any better anytime soon. It gets even harder for the Giants coming up, as they have back-to-back road games against the Dolphins and Bills.
30. Denver Broncos 1-3
The Broncos finally got their first win in the Sean Payton era, as they erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Bears 31-28. The defense still looked suspect at best, but they did get a huge fumble return for a touchdown that helped them complete the comeback. It wasn’t pretty, but they got that elusive win.
31. Carolina Panthers 0-4
The Panthers led the Vikings 13-7 and were driving towards another touchdown in the third quarter and looked like they might be on their way to their first win. That was the end of their hopes, though, as Bryce Young fumbled and D.J. Wonnum returned it 51 yards for a touchdown and the Panthers never led again in a 21-13 loss.
32. Chicago Bears 0-4
The Bears looked like they were on their way to their first win since last October when they lead the Broncos 28-7. It didn’t happen, though, as they gave up 24 straight points and lost for the 14th straight time. Justin Fields looked good in the first half, but a fumble and interception in the fourth quarter doomed the Bears.
