Post-Week 4 Power Rankings

Cover photo taken from Imagn Images.

1 – Bills (4-0)

Simply the NFL’s most well-oiled machine.

They can sleepwalk to any win against an inferior opponent. And while they’re going to get a test from the Patriots on Sunday, it’s hard to see the Bills dropping any game in the month of October. The offense is first in dropback and rush EPA for crying out loud!

2 – Eagles (4-0) 3

The Eagles have proven that they can win in any which way in just four short weeks, and it’s infuriating.

One week Jalen Hurts lights up the second half of a game, and the next, he doesn’t complete a pass in the third and fourth quarters. And the Eagles still win comfortably. And that’s going to continue to be the case until it’s not.

Just to put things in perspective: Philadelphia has the fourth-worst yardage margin in the league, being outgained by nearly 400 yards in 2025. And they’re 4-0 anyways.

3 – Lions (3-1) 1

The Lions are probably the hottest team in the league right now in the sense that there’s no one I want to play less.

They are absolutely humming on both sides of the ball; the offense is self-explanatory, but they’re getting healthy on defense with Alim McNeil on his way back while Aidan Hutchinson continues to play out of his mind. They should wax Cincy this week before a fascinating SNF showdown in Kansas City.

4 – Rams (3-1) 3

We’re transparently seeing the high-level Rams that we were promised in the offseason.

While Matt Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams have this offense playing at a blistering level, the defense is finally starting to come into its own as the young bucks up front get after it — plus, the secondary has been a pleasant surprise.

The NFC West is pretty solid, but it’s still really hard to give the top spot to anyone but LA as long as they get MVP production out of Stafford and OPOY — if not record-setting — production out of Nacua.

5 – Packers (2-1-1) 1

So, what’s going on exactly? The defense that looked like world beaters for three weeks just turned into a bunch of traffic cones. Is that an aberration or a sign of things to come? Packer fans better hope it’s the former.

At least the offense is fine, but there are two areas that I still have concerns about: Jordan Love’s decision-making and Matt LaFleur’s playcalling. I guess they go hand-in-hand, because LaFleur is being way too conservative on first and second down. Is that to keep the training wheels on Love and stop him from doing stupid things? Maybe. If so, it’s working, but it’s also limiting this offense against defenses worth a damn.

6 – Chiefs (2-2) 5

Rumors of the demise of the Chiefs were greatly exaggerated. Turns out when a team gets their best offensive players back, they return to form. Who would’ve thunk it?

I do recognize that the Ravens defense would give up 30 to your high school’s JV team, but the performance that Kansas City put forth on offense on Sunday is the kind that can galvanize them moving forward, particularly when Rashee Rice gets back in two weeks. The run game still might be a concern, but I don’t care as long as Patrick Mahomes is back there doing that.

7 – Chargers (3-1) 5

The offensive line is not just a concern, it’s a massive one — the kind that can eventually derail this season.

We rarely see teams overcome such incompetence up front, especially when you lose each elite tackle. Joe Alt will return at some point, but while he’s out, I have serious doubts that the Chargers can keep Justin Herbert protected enough to continue the MVP trajectory that we saw in the first few weeks, nor can we continue to see the emergence of Omarion Hampton, though the defense should keep them in most games.

8 – Buccaneers (3-1) 2

Sunday’s loss to Philly pretty much reaffirmed how I feel about the Bucs: they’re a very good team who needs to get healthy and avoid the odd mistake by their QB.

I really like Baker Mayfield, as we all do, but his propensity to make mistakes in an effort to be Superman — when he really doesn’t need to be — can come back and bite like they did on that endzone interception. On the flip side, he made play after play to try and come back in that game. You gotta take the good with the bad, I suppose. A more calculated Baker and a sharper defense will go a long way.

9 – Colts (3-1) 1

Like Tampa, Sunday really strengthened how I feel about the Colts. I think this offense is legit, and I think this defense is good enough to compete with the league’s best offenses.

Hell, if Adonai Mitchell doesn’t drop the ball out of the endzone on what would’ve been one of the best plays of the season or doesn’t commit a hold on an incredible Jonathan Taylor touchdown run, the Colts would be 4-0 and maybe in the top-5.

We may all be waiting for the other shoe to drop with Daniel Jones, who did throw two picks on Sunday. But maybe it just… won’t?

10 – Seahawks (3-1) 5

An elite defense, a wildly efficient quarterback, a hyper-productive wide receiver and a consistent rushing attack makes for a real contender. That’s what we’re looking at with Seattle.

Sam Darnold has been brilliant, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an early contender for OPOY, and like I’ve been saying, that defense is blowing me away. Thursday night’s game was only close because of the end-of-game shenanigans, and the Seahawks still pulled it out due to their elite QB-WR duo. If they can continue this form, Seattle is going to be a force in the NFC.

11 – Broncos (2-2) 1

Nice to know you guys can dispatch of Jake Browning and the Bengals. Just had to make sure.

The Broncos have been about what I’ve expected: the defense is playing well, the rushing game has been extremely consistent and Bo Nix has been… fine. Monday night was probably his best game of the season, but for some reason, I still feel like we need to see some more juice out of him. Maybe that’s asking for too much.

12 – Commanders (2-2) 2

This defense is officially a problem. That’s not something I expected to say after Week 1, but we’ve now seen three consecutive lackluster performances out of that unit, particularly on the backend.

Sunday was the first time I saw the defensive line get pushed around, but I’m hoping that doesn’t become a trend. But the secondary getting torched? That’s the new norm. Marshon Lattimore is absolute BBQ chicken, Mike Sainristil is having a dreadful season — though he had a nice interception — and the losses of guys like Will Harris are very much felt.

The good news? The best defender on the team is Jayden Daniels. And he’s coming back this week. That will help the defense tremendously. For as good as Marcus Mariota has been in relief — and he’s been outstanding — he doesn’t make the difference that No. 5 does. With Daniels back, the Commanders should be able to string together drives for longer and give their defense more rest, all while putting more points on the board.

This offense clearly isn’t the problem, and Kliff Kingsbury is really earning his money this season. Daniels being back gives them the ability to win shootouts, which Washington will apparently have to do in bunches to succeed.

13 – Jaguars (3-1) 6

Two main things: this defense is playing at an incredible level, but it’s not sustainable. That being said, it doesn’t have to be! The offense has been meticulously crafted to run the ball at will and let Trevor Lawrence do the rest without being too reckless. That’s a winning formula.

How long will it continue? Who knows. This defense has the talent to continue playing at an elite level, even if they don’t force four turnovers a game. Devin Lloyd is playing at an All-Pro caliber, and the tandem of him and Foye Oluokun is the best LB duo in football right now. If the offense keeps doing its thing, this is a clear-cut playoff contender.

14 – Ravens (1-3) 5

It’s far too early to declare that it’s over. But man, we are dangerously approaching that territory.

Defense can’t stop a scarecrow in an open field? Check. Derrick Henry is being completely ignored in the offense? Check. And now, an injury to Lamar Jackson that could sideline him for close to a month? Boy, it might get late early in Baltimore.

This was apparently never a championship team with this defense. But losing Lamar could put them even further behind the 8-ball with the Texans and Rams coming up. I don’t doubt that a late push with Jackson can get them back in the thick of things, but the Ravens have dug themselves a hole that’s going to be very, very difficult to get out of.

15 – 49ers (3-1) 2

It has been a month and I still have no clue what the 49ers are. It doesn’t matter who starts at QB, who’s on the injury list or who’s out on the field. I just don’t know.

I guess we know that Christian McCaffrey is still a beast and that Ricky Pearsall has truly emerged as a WR1. But any given week, we don’t know who’s going to line up under center or what version of this young defense we’re going to get. This team just isn’t trustworthy right now, even with a great record.

16 – Falcons (2-2) 1

It was a predictable bounce-back, but an emphatic one. Good for Michael Penix Jr. and this offense to get back on track with that performance, which was by far the best of his career thus far.

Getting lost in the equation here is the defense putting up arguably their worst game of the young season, but they were sharp on third down and tightened up when they needed to. That’s worth a lot, even if they gave up 27 points.

If Atlanta can get the best out of both sides of the ball, they’ll look much closer to the team we saw in Week 1, for example, rather than Week 3.

17 – Cardinals (2-2) 1

I would like to believe that the Cardinals we saw in the fourth quarter on Thursday night could be the Cardinals we see more consistently. But I just don’t think that’s going to happen. I’d love to be proven wrong, though!

With all the injuries in the backfield, a lot of the responsibility will be on Kyler Murray and the passing game. If Marvin Harrison Jr. can carry some positive momentum into the future, it’ll make a world of difference.

18 – Steelers (3-1) 2

Yeah, I just don’t care. The Steelers are the most nothing team in the NFL to me right now; I’m not moved by a 3-1 record when they are so damn unwatchable.

Aaron Rodgers has been… fine, I guess? The defense is playing better in the last two weeks, but that could be more due to the incompetence of the offenses they’ve faced. But, most importantly, this team is now in the driver’s seat in the AFC North, which is just gross. I don’t want to watch this team in January, but we just might have to… again.

19 – Vikings (2-2) 5

This is a good team just about everywhere but quarterback. And we’re seeing firsthand how much that can hold a team back. Missing Sam Darnold yet, are we?

Minnesota’s defense is good enough to keep them in every game, but this level of QB play is going to stunt them all year long. We’ll see if JJ McCarthy can take a leap when he returns from injury. I won’t get my hopes up on that front.

20 – Texans (1-3)

NFL teams playing the Tennessee Titans is the equivalent of when SEC teams play Chattanooga and Mercer in September before conference play. It serves as nothing more than a tune-up. Sunday’s shutout win showed me nothing I didn’t already know about the Texans: their defense is great, and their offense is not, largely due to their offensive line.

That being said, the emergence of Woody Marks is extremely promising. If they can unlock their rookie RB, it will go a very long way to take some pressure off CJ Stroud and the passing game. But, there are no promises behind that OL.

21 – Cowboys (1-2-1) 1

Dak Prescott is legitimately playing at an MVP caliber right now. I’m not convinced there’s a better QB in football at the moment, and this is probably the highest level he’s played at in at least two years, if not his entire career.

And yet, it doesn’t matter. This is a historically bad defense, particularly against the pass, and it negates any chance the Cowboys have of being a threat. And that’s honestly a damn shame.

22 – Bears (2-2) 1

Caleb Williams was not very good on Sunday, but he made some very nice plays, and those proved to be the difference in the game. Well, that and the game-winning field goal being blocked. Comme ci, comme ça.

In any case, this defense stinks. The offense is seemingly finding a groove, but it’s been against two horrendous defenses. So, I still don’t have a lot of faith in this squad moving forward. I’ll be at their first game on the other side of the bye, so I really, really hope this doesn’t come back to bite.

23 – Patriots (2-2)

Credit where credit is due: Drake Maye is playing at a very high level right now. But, the training wheels are clearly still on, and his best performances have come against some of the worst teams in the league.

Sunday Night Football in Buffalo is going to tell us all we need to know about this team. I’m actually really interested to see if they’re up to the task.

24 – Giants (1-3) 2

Jaxson Dart being inserted into the lineup brought exactly what I thought it would to the Giants: life. This team played and coached with a sense of juice that has been lacking in New York for a while. So, good for them.

Losing Malik Nabers for the season is brutal beyond description, though. I feel terrible for him. He is completely irreplaceable, and I hope he recovers swiftly. I don’t have a lot of faith in the Giants offense moving forward without him.

25 – Raiders (1-3)

Yeah, I’m ready to stick a fork in this experiment. Geno Smith is as erratic as ever, Pete Carroll has been a shell of the coach we once knew, and this defense is a joke.

Yes, they finally seem to have unlocked Ashton Jeanty despite his alleged lack of an “it-factor.” Cough, cough. But I don’t think that’s enough to save this trainwreck.

26 – Bengals (2-2) 2

Okay, this one is definitely over. Throw in the towel. Jake Browning is so far from the answer that he shouldn’t even be an option anymore. I don’t know what other choice the Bengals have, though. And that sucks.

Gotta feel bad for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. At least they got those contracts in.

27 – Browns (1-3)

What will handing the keys over to Dillon Gabriel do to elevate this offense? My money’s on absolutely freakin’ nothing.

28 – Dolphins (1-3) 2

Finally, a win! All it took was… Tyreek Hill suffering a gruesome leg injury that could derail his entire career. I hate it.

Maybe the Fins have found something in post-retirement Darren Waller. Who knows. De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle and even Malik Washington comprise a solid set of weapons, too. But I still don’t expect much out of this squad.

29 – Panthers (1-3) 1

I think we’re approaching the tail end of the Bryce Young experiment. I don’t know that it’s anyone’s fault but his own, but I don’t think that Carolina can continue to trot him out in confidence for much longer. They should be squarely in the conversation to bring in a quarterback this offseason.

30 – Jets (0-4) 1

The Jets feel simultaneously better than their winless record and deserving of it. Their offense simply has a low ceiling with Justin Fields at the helm, and the defense clearly isn’t good enough to make up for it.

I know this was never going to be a season worth a damn in New York. I just hope it’s not a complete disaster. We’ll see what this Aaron Glenn experiment spits out.

31 – Saints (0-4) 1

Full marks for competitiveness. That’s about it. That first win will come eventually, I promise!

32 – Titans (0-4) 1

I can’t say the same about you. That first win feels like it’s on Mars right now.

But hey, don’t take my word for it. Take Cam Ward’s.