NFL Week Four Power Rankings
Josh Frey
|
We are three weeks into the NFL season, and the gloves have officially come off. After around 20 teams, I stopped caring about the teams’ feelings, so if you want some emotional rants, make sure to stick around till then. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments!
Check week one’s rankings here
Check week two’s rankings here
Check week three’s rankings here
NOTES: The top 14 teams are who I consider playoff teams going into week three, seven per conference. The remaining 18 are my non-playoff teams. Trending refers to how high a team rose, or how low a team fell from week two’s rankings.
- Kansas City Chiefs
Last Week: 34-20 win @ BAL
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 10/4 vs NE
In the battle of two juggernauts on Monday night, the Chiefs proved they are still the cream of the crop in the NFL. Mahomes played incredibly well, and the defense shut down the Ravens’ offense in a way that no one else really has in the regular season. They have earned back their spot atop the rankings.
- Baltimore Ravens
Last Week: 20-34 loss vs KC
Trending: ↓1
Next Week: 10/4 @ WSH
Lamar Jackson had one of the worst games of his career on Monday, but it’s hard to say that anyone else would hold the Ravens down as much as the Chiefs did. After all, this was still a one score game going into the fourth quarter even with Jackson’s struggles. If these teams meet again in the playoffs, I still think the Ravens have a great chance of winning.
- Seattle Seahawks
Last Week: 38-31 win vs DAL
Trending: —
Next Week: 10/4 @ MIA
Russell Wilson looked pretty average for most of the game, and he still ended up with five touchdown passes. For those keeping count, he is now on pace for 61 scores this season. The defense gave up some points, but they held the Cowboys rushing attack in check better than anyone else has this season. If they keep this up, they will certainly be in the NFC Championship Game.
- Green Bay Packers
Last Week: 37-30 win @ NO
Trending:—
Next Week: 10/5 vs ATL
Aaron Rodgers’ revenge tour went straight through New Orleans like a knife through a warm beignet. Green Bay’s defense got exposed a couple times when they had to try to stop an elusive playmaker like Alvin Kamara, but they came through when it mattered most.
The strip sack of Taysom Hill was the finishing blow, and Rodgers promptly led the Packer offense to another score. Looking at the rest of this team’s schedule, I don’t know how they lose a single game. It’ll happen, but it’ll be a fluke.
- Buffalo Bills
Last Week: 35-32 win vs LAR
Trending:—
Next Week: 10/5 @ LV
I was fully prepared to put this team in the top three as of early Sunday afternoon, and then they nearly became the newest meme. After infamously being up 28-3 in the third quarter, the Rams came roaring back and took a 32-28 lead in the fourth. Josh Allen saved the day again though, and calmly led another touchdown drive to win the game. I have to give them credit for keeping their composure on that last drive.
- New England Patriots
Last Week: 36-20 win vs LV
Trending: ↑5
Next Week: 10/4 @ KC
The NFL messed up by letting Bill Belichick get Cam Newton. He has made himself such a threat to run that the defenses have forgotten to guard New England’s actual running backs. Sony Michel averaged 13 yards per carry, and Rex Burkhead got scored twice. The defense held a Raiders offense in check after looking great on Monday night against New Orleans.
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Last Week: 28-21 win vs HOU
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 10/4 @ TEN
After getting off to a slow start, Big Ben and James Conner led the comeback win against Houston. The defense really turned everything up a notch in the second half and didn’t allow a single point. It’ll have to remain that way against a dynamic Titans offense next week.
- Arizona Cardinals
Last Week: 23-26 loss vs DET
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 10/4 @ CAR
I’m not putting much stock in this loss. Things like this happen to every team, but especially teams led by young quarterbacks. They get a matchup with a clearly inferior team, and they take them for granted. Kyler Murray had a bad performance, but I expect him to refocus ahead of this week’s matchup with Carolina.
- San Francisco 49ers
Last Week: 36-9 win @ NYG
Trending:—
Next Week: 10/4 vs PHI
I fully expected to be dropping the Niners this week because of all their injuries… but it’s kind of hard to do that after such a dominant win. This game, like last week against the Jets, probably says more about how bad the Giants are than how good San Francisco can be without their stars. We’ll see how they do against Philly this week.
- New Orleans Saints
Last Week: 30-37 loss vs GB
Trending: ↓3
Next Week: 10/4 @ DET
The Saints were already coming off a bad loss against the Raiders, and now they blew a game against Green Bay. Drew Brees having a noodle arm is a real concern, and outside of Kamara, the offense really doesn’t have much going for it right now.
The defense continues to flop against good offenses as well, and the fact that New England held the Raiders to 20 points does not look good on New Orleans. This game against Detroit might be a lot closer than people think, especially if Michael Thomas either can’t go or is still hurting.
- Indianapolis Colts
Last Week: 36-7 win vs NYJ
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 10/4 @ CHI
Jonathan Taylor scored again this week, and Phillip Rivers threw his 400th career touchdown pass. Honestly, I’ve gotten to the point where if a team doesn’t blow out the Jets, it’s considered a down week, so I don’t have much else to say about this game. A win in Chicago next week will be much more impressive.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Week: 28-10 win @ DEN
Trending: ↑2
Next Week: 10/4 vs LAC
The Buccaneers defense had a field day with the withered Denver offense, and the offense had a very good day. Chris Godwin returned, and he immediately became a deep ball target, and Scotty Miller bounced back from a no-show week two. This team has firmly planted themselves in the playoff picture atop the NFC South.
- Tennessee Titans
Last Week: 31-30 win @ MIN
Trending: —
Next Week: 10/4 vs PIT
I’m not sure what to do with Tennessee anymore. They have played back to back close games with teams that they probably should have blown out, but they’ve come out on top in each game so I can’t really knock them for it. Derrick Henry ran wild on Minnesota’s defense, but the Titans finally now have a test against a very good Pittsburgh team.
- Dallas Cowboys
Last Week: 31-38 loss @ SEA
Trending: ↓4
Next Week: 10/4 vs CLE
It’s happening again. Dallas is seemingly on their way to another season of eight or nine wins after their loss to Seattle. The Cowboys cannot seem to find a way to get both Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott to simultaneously have good games, especially when they need it against good teams. I’m sure they’ll shine against Cleveland next week though.
- Chicago Bears
Last Week: 30-26 win @ ATL
Trending: ↑4
Next Week: 10/4 vs IND
It’s really hard to put a 3-0 team in the bottom half of the league. Look, I don’t really like the Bears team, and I especially don’t like their quarterback situation. I’ve never seen an undefeated team have to bench their QB midgame.
The defense has proven to be decent to this point, but I really don’t know how much longer this team holds up as the schedule gets harder. On the other hand, maybe this is just the next chapter of Nick Foles’ magic? We’ll see what happens against Indy this week.
- Los Angeles Rams
Last Week: 32-35 loss @ BUF
Trending: ↓1
Next Week: 10/4 vs NYG
They almost did it. They almost made the comeback. Their defense was just too terrible this week. Look, if this was a long term outlook rather than a week-to-week ranking, I would definitely put them above the Niners and give them a playoff spot. This week though, they gave up 35 points to admittedly a very good Bills offense.
The fact that they were down by as much as they were in the first place is concerning. Luckily, they put up enough of a fight to avoid a serious hit in the rankings. They also have easy matchups the next two weeks against the Giants and the Washington Football Team.
- Houston Texans
Last Week: 21-28 loss @ PIT
Trending: —
Next Week: 10/4 vs MIN
Yes I know, the Texans are 0-3. I still have them ranked here because I’m not convinced this is a basement NFL team. I will counter their record by saying that they have played by far the hardest schedule, they have a very good quarterback, and they have at least been competitive in every game they’ve played so far. This week especially, they played the Steelers a lot better than any other team has to this point. Their schedule gets easier this week too with a home matchup against Minnesota.
- Detroit Lions
Last Week: 26-23 win @ AZ
Trending: ↑8
Next Week: 10/4 vs NO
A lot of teams from last week’s 16-24 range had really bad losses this week, and the Lions got an impressive win. So, here we are I guess. The Lions have jumped eight spots. Maybe it’s a testament that I overreacted after losses to Chicago and Green Bay who are both undefeated, but it could also just be a fluky week. I’m not sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they will be competitive against the Saints this week.
- Cleveland Browns
Last Week: 34-20 win vs WSH
Trending: ↑5
Next Week: 10/4 @ DAL
Again, a lot of bad losses allowed Cleveland to move up a lot just by beating a bad team. Cleveland is also above .500 for the first time since 2014, so here you go Cleveland fans, my gift to you is a five spot jump in the rankings. Do I fully expect them to get stomped by Dallas this week? Yes.
- Los Angeles Chargers
Last Week: 16-21 loss vs CAR
Trending: ↓4
Next Week: 10/4 @ TB
This is as much as I feel comfortable punishing the Chargers for last week’s embarrassment. This team has alternated weeks with a bad week one, impressive week two, and now a bad week three. Justin Herbert made more rookie mistakes this week than against Kansas City, so it’s hard to say which game we’ll see more of moving forward. Hopefully they go back to having a good week against Tampa Bay.
- Las Vegas Raiders
Last Week: 20-36 loss @ NE
Trending: —
Next Week: 10/5 vs BUF
Of all the losses by this range of teams this week, this one is oddly the least embarrassing. Says a lot about the other games, but we’ll get into those in a bit. Derek Carr stayed good, but Josh Jacobs finally looked human. The defense also got torn apart by New England. All that said, New England seems like a Super Bowl contender, which can’t be said of a lot of these other teams.
- Miami Dolphins
Last Week: 31-13 win @ JAX
Trending: ↑6
Next Week: 10/4 vs SEA
Maybe last week against Buffalo wasn’t quite a fluke, but I fully expect this to be the highest ranking the Dolphins get. FitzMagic still exists in September of 2020, and he showed up in a blowout win against a Jaguars team that I expected to win this week. Again, do I think they get stomped against Seattle? Of course, but there are so many bad losses this week that they have to be put here.
- Denver Broncos
Last Week: 10-28 loss vs TB
Trending: ↓3
Next Week: 10/1 @ NYJ
I want to preface this by saying that I think this team is overall a worse team than a lot of teams I have below it. I’m just much less angry at the Broncos for being bad. It’s hard to be good without your defensive anchor, starting qb, and one of your star running backs. Denver suffered a bad loss against the Bucs, but I expect them to look great against the Jets on Thursday.
- Carolina Panthers
Last Week: 21-16 win @ LAC
Trending: ↑7
Next Week: 10/4 vs AZ
Same disclaimer that I had for the Broncos. Except the Panthers actually got a win this week! Sure they played a rookie quarterback coming off an emotional game and a defense that was probably exhausted from chasing the Chiefs all over the field, but hey, a win’s a win. Better than anything these last eight teams have to say for themselves.
- Cincinnati Bengals
Last Week: 23-23 tie @ PHI
Trending: ↑2
Next Week: 10/4 vs JAX
Cincinnati is the last of the teams that get a pass from me. Look, the Bengals were supposed to be one of the worst teams this year, so looking at the schedule and saying they are playing competitively is a success in and of itself. Next week’s matchup against Jacksonville should be a fun one between two young quarterbacks.
- Jacksonville Jaguars
Last Week: 13-31 loss vs MIA
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 10/4 @ CIN
Jacksonville finally played as badly as everyone had expected them to play all year. After a close loss against Tennessee last week, I expected this team to come out hungry against Miami on Thursday night. Instead, they came out flat and uninterested in the game.
The defense was terrible, and Minshew played about as badly as I have ever seen him play. At least James Robinson is fun though. There is absolutely nothing fun about the last six teams in this week’s ranking.
- Minnesota Vikings
Last Week: 30-31 loss vs TEN
Trending: ↓9
Next Week: 10/4 @ HOU
This is the first of five dumpster fires in the NFL that have absolutely no excuse for being as bad as they are.Tennessee didn’t even play that good this week, and Minnesota still blew it. Kirk Cousins looked great when he was up by two scores, but as soon as the game got tight, he started throwing interceptions and just having brain lapses.
At the end of the day, the defense desperately needs Danielle Hunter to come back, and it doesn’t look like he will be ready for this week. An 0-4 start is supremely disappointing, but seems likely this week. At least they’ve lost all their games to playoff teams though.
- Atlanta Falcons
Last Week: 26-30 loss vs CHI
Trending: ↓6
Next Week: 10/5 @ GB
It isn’t even funny at this point. Another week, another blown lead for this Atlanta team. In week two, they had a 99.9% chance to win, and in week three they had a 99.2% chance to win. They are quite literally a one in a million team. At some point, you have to assume that something is wrong with the coaching.
- Washington Football Team
Last Week: 20-34 loss @ CLE
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 10/4 vs BAL
At some point, you have to try someone other than Dwayne Haskins right? He threw three interceptions this week, and he just doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket at all. This team at least has the disclaimer that no one expected them to be good this year, so I’m not including them in the dumpster fire category.
- Philadelphia Eagles
Last Week: 23-23 tie vs CIN
Trending: ↓5
Next Week: 10/4 @ SF
Punting for a tie is the absolute worst way to end a football game. It is the most cowardly play you could possibly draw up, and of course, it was the Eagles that did it. Carson Wentz has looked horrible, and this team is the most dysfunctional thing I’ve seen this year. Philly should absolutely blow out San Francisco this week, yet I fully expect them to lose.
- New York Giants
Last Week: 9-36 loss vs SF
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 10/4 @ LAR
I’m not giving the Giants a pass for this loss, and I am fully aware that they didn’t have Saquon Barkley. They were playing against the 49ers second team, and they got completely blown out. I don’t think having Saquon makes up the 27-point difference. It’s year two of Daniel Jones, and he still can’t even keep his team competitive in games. At what point do we start calling these teams out for being so bad?
- Bye Week
- New York Jets
Last Week: 7-36 loss @ IND
Trending: ↓↓↓↓↓
Next Week: 10/1 vs DEN
Every week that Adam Gase is still the coach of this team is a loss. So, if Gase is still coaching by week 11, the Jets’ bye week, I’m calling them losers on a bye week. This may be the worst NFL team we’ve ever seen, and the entire Jets franchise should be embarrassed.