Cover photo taken from The Boston Globe.
1 – 
49ers (4-0) 
1
There’s nothing I can say about the Niners that I haven’t been saying for a month now.
This is the most complete, most dominant team in the NFL and it’s not remotely close. They’re just leagues above everyone else right now. The offense is unstoppable with 30+ points scored in each game, and the defense continues to be one of the best in the league.
As it currently stands, they’re just going to mow down their opponents all year long. It’s hard to see them slowing down any time soon.
2 – 
Bills (3-1) 4
I may have picked the Bills to win on Sunday, but I never imagined it’d look like that. That might have been the best game of the Josh Allen era and was probably Allen’s finest performance to date.
The star QB let the world know the AFC East is still his division with a 21-of-25, 320 yard, 4 touchdown, perfect passer rating outing with a rushing score to boot. Buffalo dominated the NFL’s hottest team on both sides of the ball with an inspired performance that had me considering putting them atop the Power Rankings.
I’m not going to do that just yet, but I’m officially sold on this team moving forward. They have proven themselves as the current class of the AFC, although we should all be wary of the Chiefs, who always end up proving that title belongs to them.
3 – 
Chiefs (3-1) 
I don’t have much to say about Kansas City’s relative dud on Sunday night other than the fact that I’ve never seen Patrick Mahomes make some of the very strange mistakes he did throwing the ball. He lofted several interceptions right to defenders, which he never even comes close to doing 99 percent of the time. He was outplayed by Zach Wilson for crying out loud.
It was extremely strange, but I don’t think we’re going to see something like that again anytime soon. It was likely a product of the Jets playing great, sticky defense. But it should be monitored as a potential cause for concern moving forward.
4 – 
Eagles (4-0)
I don’t really want to talk about this team, but I’m not going to be petty.
The Eagles continue to prove how great they can be offensively, with an ability to hurt you in a million different ways. On Sunday, it was the AJ Brown show for the first time this year as the star receiver went absolutely nuclear, torching rookie corner Emmanuel Forbes Jr. in a “welcome to the f—— show” type of performance. Jalen Hurts did his thing, D’Andre Swift continued to flash out of the backfield, and the offensive line dominated in every aspect against a very good Commanders front.
I still have plenty of problems with this Philly defense, especially in the secondary, but it hasn’t lost them a game yet. It’s only a matter of time before it does.
5 – 
Dolphins (3-1) 
4
Again, I did not think the Dolphins would win on Sunday. But I didn’t expect their trip back to Earth to be a crash landing.
Despite some highlights and good numbers, Miami was throrougly dominated in every aspect on a very humbling day upstate. You could make the argument that perhaps the team needed this reality check after being in la la land for the last several weeks, but there’s never an excuse for a team that talented to get thumped the way they did. They went from being the talk of the league to the third best team in their conference and second best in their division.
They’ll be fine, and they’ll get back to their flashy ways immediately considering they play the Giants next week. But their stay at the top is over, and it was far more brief than they would have liked.
6 – 
Cowboys (3-1) 1
The Cowboys did exactly what they were supposed to do on Sunday: they thoroughly dominated a lifeless, anemic Patriots at home. I’ll give them credit — it’s hard to win any NFL game by that margin with that level of a performance, especially defensively. But it’s what I expected from Dallas in that game, so I’m not going to sing too many of their praises.
As I’ve been saying, this week’s primetime matchup in San Francisco will tell us what the Cowboys are made of.
7 – 
Ravens (3-1) 2
Lamar Jackson is a bad man. That’s really all that needs to be said.
The star quarterback was simply sensational on Sunday with four total touchdowns — a pair on the ground and through the air. The Ravens offense was nearly infallible and the defense was even better, limiting the Browns to just 3 points at home.
I have to take it with a grain of salt considering Cleveland was starting backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who clearly was not ready for an NFL game. But I don’t want to take anything away from Baltimore, who put together what might have been the most dominant performance of the week to establish themselves as the powerhouse of the AFC North.
8 – 
Seahawks (3-1) 1
Seattle might have put together the best defensive performance I’ve ever seen on Monday night with 11 sacks, two turnovers — including a 97-yard pick six — and a fumble recovery. Regardless of how bad the opposing offense was, those are otherworldly numbers.
The Seahawks offense was thoroughly underwhelming, but that doesn’t matter at this point. The defense has been the question mark for much of the season, and they just put together the type of game that will fuel them for weeks. First round selection Devon Witherspoon has officially made his mark, and dudes are hooping all over the field.
The offense still has a bit to figure out, especially what they’re doing (or not doing) with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but I feel as confident as ever in the Seahawks. This team is flat out dangerous.
9 – 
Lions (3-1) 1
I owe the Lions a bit of an apology. I have continued to undermine them, and they have continued to prove me wrong. Consider me fully sold on this team now.
This is as complete of a team as there is in the NFL, and they are completely dominant in the trenches. They play physical defense and they completely beat you up on offense. They can hurt you in a plethora of ways, and now they get their vertical threat back in Jameson Williams.
The Lions are only getting better, and the NFC North is now theirs to lose. I think they can only go up from here.
10 – 
Chargers (2-2) 4
I think the Chargers are physically incapable of playing a normal football game. Even when it looks like they’re completely dominating a vastly inferior opponent who is starting a rookie quarterback who looks completely overwhelmed by the moment, they find ways to completely mess it up and nearly lose. On Sunday, it was a flurry of untimely turnovers and extremely strange mismanagement of Justin Herbert after he fractured his damn finger. But, some key takeaways of their own, a whopping six Khalil Mack sacks, and common Herbert late-game heroics got LA to .500 on the year and trending upwards.
I still don’t really know what to make of this team right now, but I know that as long as #10 is slinging the rock around the yard, they should be in every game they play.
11 – 
Rams (2-2) 7
The Rams continue to impress me in a multitude of ways. This week, it was getting off to a torrid start and shoring up when the going got tough to come away with a clutch, hard-fought overtime win on the road, which is never easy in this league. Puka Nacua was obviously the star of the show once again, who continues to play like not just one of the best rookies, but best receivers in the league with his nose for the football and playmaking ability. This offense might look very spooky once Cooper Kupp returns, which might just be this week (at least this is his first eligible week to return from IR).
I obviously would’ve liked to see LA close the game out in regulation, but on all other fronts, I was very pleased with their performance. It’s time for me to start putting some respect on them.
12 – 
Jaguars (2-2) 1
The Jags got back on track in Andy’s Room with a nice win, but it still wasn’t exactly what I had been hoping to see out of them. The defense balled out, but they were practically spoon-fed turnovers by Desmond Ridder. The offense was fine thanks to the efficiency of Trevor Lawrence, but the running game remains invisible. That’s a concern.
Jacksonville simply still is yet to put together a complete performance this year. I need to see one out of them if they want to be considered with the elites of the league.
13 – 
Packers (2-2) 3
The Packers played a pretty terrible half of football before staging a mini-comeback and then going flat again to close things out on Thursday night. As a guy who has been singing this team’s praises since the summer, that was a pretty bad look for me.
The offense was completely invisible in the first half as Jordan Love repeatedly handed the ball to the Lions and the running game was nonexistent. Love had a better second half, but it was far too little too late. There’s only so much you can do when you bury yourself in a 20-point hole so early in the game. I’m more concerned with Green Bay’s defense, which straight up looked slow, like it didn’t even want to be there. It’s a talented unit that should never play a game that poor, and could definitely be a cause for concern.
14 – 
Buccaneers (3-1) 7
It’s still very early, but it might be time for me to start eating crow with Baker and the Bucs. I had no hopes for them this year. I discredited their first two wins because of how poor the opposition was. But for them to go into New Orleans and beat the Saints while snapping their streak of not allowing 20 points all while Tampa’s own defense completely dominated? That’s something to be impressed with.
Baker once again cooked with his first three touchdown performance since the 2020 Wild Card in Pittsburgh, making light work of the best secondary he has faced this year by a huge margin. It’s getting to the point where I’m starting to believe this is sustainable. And with the defense playing like it is, combined with how horrible the rest of this division is, who knows how far that can take Tampa in 2023?
15 – 
Titans (2-2) 7
Can the Titans please be consistent? This is getting exhausting.
This week, it was back to the top of the roller coaster as the defense completely decimated a lifeless Bengals team while Derrick Henry made minced meat of a stout Cincy defense to the tune of a completely dominant victory. It was essentially the exact opposite of Tennessee’s last game.
It’s so hard to get a read on this team at this point. Are they the anemic, boring team we saw in Weeks 1 and 3 or the inspired bunch we saw in Weeks 2 and 4? I have no earthly idea.
16 – 
Browns (2-2)
I’m essentially striking this Browns performance from the record. They got one of the absolute worst performances I’ve ever seen out of a backup quarterback in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was clearly not ready to play. The moment was simply too big for him. Yes, the defense struggled as well, but there was only so much they could do when the offense was as bad as it was. Cleveland gets a very big pass this week.
17 – 
Commanders (2-2)
I’m tired. I’m really, really tired. Exhausted, if you will. There’s so many things I want to say about Sunday’s loss in Philadelphia, but I’m still just too emotionally and mentally drained to do it. So I’ll try to keep this brief.
For starters, I was thoroughly impressed with Sam Howell from start to finish. For him to bounce back from his awful performance against Buffalo with probably his best game as a pro, including an insanely clutch drive to tie the game at the buzzer in regulation, tells me all I need to know about him. The kid is simply a gamer. He has more heart than any Washington quarterback since Kirk Cousins combined. And I know he has the skills to do great things if we just stay patient. Him and Terry McLaurin were truly robbed in overtime, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m not going to sit here and complain about refereeing. I’m above that.
We beat ourselves on Sunday. We’re the ones who didn’t get key third down stops. We’re the ones who didn’t make any adjustments on A.J. Brown as he was torching Emmanuel Forbes Jr. all game long. We’re the ones who picked a great time to stop being able to defend the run. We’re the ones who gave up 30 points for the third game in a row. It wasn’t a missed false start or a bad call on a catch being out of bounds. It was us. It’s always us.
18 – 
Texans (2-2) 8
C.J. Stroud is him. Need I say more?
The rookie quarterback has absolutely electrified this franchise, along with the rest of the NFL, continuing to set records while lighting up the scoreboard with his dominant, efficient, and clean play. Over 1200 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions in four games is remarkable. He continues to throw the ball with pinpoint accuracy and anticipation beyond his years. There are a lot of people involved with this rebuild in Houston, but Stroud is single-handedly reviving this franchise.
But I thought they couldn’t develop quarterbacks at Ohio State?
19 – 
Falcons (2-2) 7
It’s good to know that I have been completely vindicated on my take that Desmond Ridder is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. At this point, it might not be particularly close. Zach Wilson and Daniel Jones give him a run for his money, but at least those two have flashed in 2023. Ridder has shown nothing of remote value, and the sooner Atlanta moves on from him, the sooner they can get back to winning football games.
I understand that they’re essentially stuck for the year, so it might be time to shift the focus to next year. Because that nice start to the season means nothing when that pumpkin is back there “throwing” the ball and spoon-feeding turnovers to the opposing defense.
20 – 
Steelers (2-2) 5
Like the Dolphins, I predicted the Steelers to lose on Sunday, but I never could have seen it being as embarrassing as it was. That’s probably the only comparison I’ll ever make between Miami and Pittsburgh this season.
The Steelers are simply going nowhere, and it’s for the exact same reasons that I have been saying all season long. The offense is horrible and inexcusably elementary thanks to the ineptitude of Matt Canada, whose job security is mind-numbingly still not in question. The secondary is comprised of a bunch of guys who have no idea what they’re doing. Kenny Pickett is straight up not good, even with the scheme weighing him down, and now he has to deal with a knee problem for the foreseeable future. Even if he doesn’t miss any playing time, the injury is still going to affect him, making this atrocious offense somehow even worse.
Buckle up, Steelers fans. If you thought Sunday was bad, it’s about to get a lot worse.
21 – 
Saints (2-2) 2
I can’t fathom for the life of me why Derek Carr decided to rush back from an apparently serious shoulder injury to sabotage his own team and lead them right into the dirt with their worst offensive performance of the year to lose a key divisional home game. It makes no damn sense, and it honestly makes me more angry than anything else.
I just hate this idea that quarterbacks should tough it out and play through clearly serious injuries that obviously limit them and make them largely ineffective, and we’re seeing exactly how stupid it is with performances like this one from Carr and the last four from Joe Burrow. It’s just dumb.
22 – 
Bengals (1-3) 11
The Bengals are quite easily this week’s Team of Shame, and they might be the saddest one yet. The season is absolutely cooked in Cincinnati, and they have no one to blame for themselves. They have completely mishandled Joe Burrow’s injury (shocking, I know) and now the entire team is unraveling. It’s such a shame for a team that had real championship aspirations and chances just a month ago.
23 – 
Vikings (1-3)
In the most Vikings and least convincing way possible, Minnesota is finally off the schneid in 2023.
Other than finally having a 1 in the win column, there’s not much to feel great about here, especially considering the offense had its worst performance of the year by a huge margin. The defense had a nice outing, but it was against what might just be the NFL’s worst offense, so we should take it with a very big grain of salt. I just don’t think this is a very good team.
There’s a lot to like offensively, but that’s it. And if they put together more offensive performances like that, then there will be nothing positive at all in Minnesota.
24 – 
Cardinals (1-3)
There’s not much I can say about the Cardinals this week. They held their own against the best team in football and were just as competitive as I expected them to be. They continue to be a very stingy group, and I continue to like what I see out of them.
More than anything, Josh Dobbs keeps on looking great. Against all odds, he has the 10th best passer rating in football. That’s awesome to see.
25 – 
Colts (2-2)
I’ve said all season long that the main goal for the Colts this season should be developing Anthony Richardson and seeing what he’s made of. Through essentially two games, I can say that Richardson is the real deal, and if he can continue to hone his skills, he can be one of the best quarterbacks in this league. His talent jumps off the screen, and his leadership abilities clearly have a massive impact on this team, as Indy nearly pulled off an all-time comeback on Sunday against the Rams before falling short in overtime.
But I don’t really care about wins and losses for this team. In fact, losses feel like wins. All that matters is that AR15 is looking like a franchise guy, already proving me very, very wrong.
26 – 
Patriots (1-3) 6
I wanted to make the Patriots this week’s Team of Shame, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense to me. Because I already knew that this team was absolutely dreadful.
Sunday’s embarrassment against the Cowboys was just further proof of everything I already knew. New England is an abhorrent football team with a starting quarterback that doesn’t belong in the NFL and an offense with no playmakers whatsoever. The only good thing about this team was its defense, which just lost its best player by far in Matthew Judon and its rising star in rookie corner Christian Gonzalez.
It’s just all falling apart for Bill Belichick and company. This feels like the right time to stick a fork in them.
27 – 
Jets (1-3) 3
There are no moral victories. But everyone felt good about what they saw out of Zach Wilson on Sunday night. He chose a hell of a time to play the best game of his career, and it was nice to see both his team and everyone else rally around him. Maybe, just maybe, he can figure this out. I severely doubt it, but it would be nice to see.
Oh, and stop complaining about the refs. It makes you look foolish.
28 – 
Raiders (1-3) 1
I don’t want to be too rude to the Raiders considering they nearly fell ass backwards into a road win against a divisional opponent despite starting a quarterback who looked like he didn’t belong on an NFL field.
At the same time, there’s not much I can say about them this week for that very reason. It’s difficult to assess them after such a nothing performance. It just confirmed much of what we already knew about this team: the offensive line is atrocious, the running game is nonexistent, and the defense is pretty bad too. But at least Davante Adams is here… for now.
29 – 
Broncos (1-3) 2
They finally did it. The Sean Payton-Russell Wilson Broncos won a football game. It took a 21-point second half comeback against the worst team in football, but it happened. And it was honestly a pretty impressive comeback.
Enjoy it, Denver. That’s probably going to be the peak of your season.
30 – 
Panthers (0-4) 1
I don’t think we’re paying enough attention to how disastrous the Panthers have been to start the season.
Frank Reich’s offense has been miserable and Bryce Young has been terrible — although any rookie quarterback behind that bad of an offensive line in a unit completely devoid of playmakers is going to look that bad. Yes, the defense is solid, and they made huge plays on Sunday. But it doesn’t matter when the offense is that dreadful.
This is a team that is squarely in the race for the No. 1 pick in the draft, but it doesn’t matter because they gave away their pick for a quarterback who looks awful right now. Bryce will be fine, but you just get the feeling that Carolina is going to be in the dumps for a while.
31 – 
Giants (1-3) 3
It’s embarrassing. It’s shameful. And it’s hilarious.
I can’t get enough of how absolutely dreadful the Giants are. For them and their fans to have victory lapped after an overachieving season and an inexplicable $160 million extension for Daniel Jones just for the season to crash and burn with three primetime embarrassments is just too funny.
I’m going to continue to cherish these moments for as long as I can.
32 – 
Bears (0-4)
Making the Bears the Team of Shame every week would just be too easy. It’s low-hanging fruit. And they certainly deserved it this week. But again, I won’t do it.
I’ll just say that this is getting really sad on all fronts. Matt Eberflus needs to be fired yesterday, and this trainwreck of a team needs to start the hell over.
All stats taken from ESPN.
Raza Talks Sports 