NFL Power Rankings after Week 4: Chiefs hang on, Lions offense wakes up, Vikings in top 3

After the first month of the season, this is what we know. The Vikings are for real. The Jaguars stink. The Chiefs are banged up but still winning and the Ravens have finally found their stride after a rocky start. Jayden Daniels should have already been named Rookie of the Year, and it’s been “Oh No” in the double O as both Ohio teams have a combined two wins through three weeks.

Here are our Power Rankings a month into the season.

1) Kansas City Chiefs 4-0, last week 1

Another week and another one possession win from the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ve been saying it for the first three weeks of the season, close wins prepare teams for tough games later in the season, but how about a blowout KC? It might be a lot to ask, but Minnesota is blowing teams out, and good teams. They won’t be worried about the margin of victory in Arrowhead, but they will be worried about replacing Rashee Rice who suffered a devastating knee injury that will have a lasting affect on the Chiefs season.

2) Detroit Lions 3-1, last week 2

The floodgates opened in Detroit on Monday night. The Lions pent up frustrating was unleashed on the Seahawks as Jared Goff pitched a perfect game from Ford Field. It might be the best performance a QB ever. QBs have had perfect games before, but Goff’s 18 completed passes were the most in ever. And he went for almost 300 yards with two TD passes. Oh yeah, and he caught a TD. Last week I second guessed if the Lions really deserved to be No. 2, but the offense was there to restore my faith in the best team in the NFC.

3) Minnesota Vikings 4-0, last week 4

Is it time for us to start seriously consider Sam Darnold for the MVP conversation? He is far and wide the most proficient passer in the game with his league leading 118.9 rating and 11 TD passes. Most importantly he has the Vikings rolling to start the season. With the defense that the Vikings are playing, he doesn’t have to be perfect but he’s been damn near perfect through the first four games of the season. Sure the Vikings almost let the Packers back in the game, but I’m sticking with the first half Vikings that took a 28-0 lead, because that’s the team I have seen for the first four weeks of the season.

4) Baltimore Ravens 2-2, last week 5

Ladies and gentleman, the Ravens might have found their formula to the top of the Power Rankings, and more importantly to the top of the AFC. We aren’t going to crown their ass (-Dennis Greene) just yet, but the Ravens are rolling thanks to Derrick Henry’s heroics over the last two weeks. The King has 350 yards rushing and four total TDs in the Ravens two wins this season, and the best news coming out of Sunday night, is they held on to a double digit lead late in the game.

5) Houston Texans 3-1, last week 7

It wasn’t easy for the Texans to return home on the heels of getting slapped around by the Vikings and take on a team that was tip toeing with disaster in Jacksonville. A desperate division rival, that knew if they lost a fourth straight game, it would most likely close the book on the season. C.J. Stroud had a monster first half with Joe Mixon still sidelined , but the offense shut down for almost all of the second half. Luckily for the Texans Stroud got one last chance to play hero and showed why he is the most highly regarded young QB in the game.

6) Buffalo Bills 3-1, last week 3

We said it earlier in the week, and we’ll say it again just to remind you. The honeymoon was bound to end sooner or later. It looked too perfect for Josh Allen and the Bills offense who were leading the league in points per game through the first three weeks. You just got the sense that once a good team came rolling around, the Bills inexperience on offense and their banged up defense would pay the price, and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday night. It’s not the end of the world, but the loss knocks them off cloud nine and brings them back down to ground level in Orchard Park.

7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1, last week 13

The Bucs were called into question by a long list of critics, including myself, after their blowout loss to the Broncos last week. No better way to silence everyone than by jumping out to a 24-0 lead over the Eagles in the second quarter from Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield didn’t stress the Week 3 loss or what Tom Brady had to say about him during the broadcast as he passed for 347 yards and the Bucs defense shut down Saquon Barkley. This win tells you the loss against Denver was nothing more than an off day.

8) San Francisco 49ers 2-2, last week 12

The Niners might be dealing with a handful of injuries this season, but a game against the New England Patriots was just what the doctor ordered. Purdy flirted with a 300 yard game and Jordan Mason went for 123 yards on the ground, but the Niners got back to basics and what they do best. The defense locked down a wounded Pats offense, as Fred Warner took a interception back for a TD and the rest of the defense forced two fumbles. Purdy still has his weapons and will still need them, but the Niners have to go back to being a mean, nasty defensive team until McCaffery comes back.

9) Seattle Seahawks 3-1, last week 15

The Seahawks may have said more with their Monday night loss in Detroit than they did with any or all of their three wins leading up to their game against the Lions. There were questions after they beat some pretty bad teams to start the season, but Geno Smith was incredible in the second half once the Seahawks began to use the ground game after halftime. They hung with the Lions in Ford Field, and that’s not an easy thing to do when that offense is clicking. The Seahawks are 3-1, and now we can say they are worthy of their record.

10) Philadelphia Eagles 2-2, last week 6

The Eagles injury problems surfaced against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday afternoon. With no AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith, the Bucs knew the only way Philly could hurt then was on the ground with Saquon Barkley. Barkley got just 10 carries as the Eagles went down two TDs in the blink of an eye and spent the whole game trying to climb out of the early hole they dug for themselves. Tampa is a good team, and losing to them on the road isn’t a disaster. What Philly needs is their WRs back to full strength, because this is a talented team but not a deep team.

11) Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1, last week 8

When your offense can’t score and the defense is the only thing that keeps you in the game, you start the game giving the other team a head start. If that team then comes out and drops two TDs on you in the first quarter, you are really behind the eight ball. That was the case in Indy for the Steelers, and if Mike Tomlin was tongue and cheek about who the future QB1 was when this team was undefeated, he will be even more so now.

12) Atlanta Falcons 2-2, last week 17

We tend to over exaggerate records in the first few months of the season (being a Power Rankings writer, I’m one of the primary people responsible). Teams are still figuring out how to play, and sure going undefeated in the first four weeks is cool, but lets say Younghoe Koo misses the game winning kick against the Saints. The Falcons would be 1-3, and things wouldn’t be so peachy in the Peach State. Atlanta has played the Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs and Saints to start the season. Given the gauntlet that this newly assembled team has had to get through to start the season, Raheem Morris has to like what he’s seen so far.

13) Green Bay Packers 2-2, last week 9

Obviously you want Jordan Love under center in big divisional games. He is the big money QB in Lambeau, and the face of the franchise. I’m not questioning wether or not the Packers should have thrown him out there that soon after he suffered an MCL sprain, but they had to know there was a possibility of what happened on Sunday afternoon happening against the Minnesota defense. The Vikings tortured Love who looked lost for the first three quarters of his return.

14) New Orleans Saints 2-2, last week 10

The Saints had the game won. Kamara’s TD run with a minute left had the Saints in perfect position, but an obvious pass interference on Paulson Adebo gave the refs no choice but to blow the whistle and set the Falcons up in FG position. The NFC South is going to be tight for the rest of the year, and these divisional wins and losses are going to be huge come January. This loss hurts, especially when you see the Chiefs and Bucs coming up in the next two weeks.

15) New York Jets 2-2, last week 11

Fasten your seat belts because the Jets are starting to experience some turbulence in New York following the ugly loss to the Denver Broncos. Aaron Rodgers failed to lead the team into the end zone on a day in which the Jets committed 13 penalties. Things got a little bumpy in the post game pressers Rodgers cadence was called into question to which the QB rebutted: “that’s one way to do it. The other way is to hold them accountable.” Rodgers is too much of a professional to have this affect him or the team, but this could be the start of something much bigger in New York?

16) Washington Commanders 3-1, last week 19

Do we need to wait any longer? Can we just give the Rookie of the Year award to Jayden Daniels after the first month of the season? In just three games he had done something that had never been done in the history of Super Bowl Era: play two consecutive games without punting or turning it over. Daniels and the Commanders stretched that scoring drive streak to 15 in the first half of the game against the Cardinals as Washington stomped Arizona in the desert to move to 3-1.

17) Dallas Cowboys 2-2, last week 14

For a team in desperate need of a win, the Cowboys went into the Meadowlands and did the bare minimum. Dak played ok, and CeeDee had a nice game but Mike McCarthy’s team committed 11 penalties and nearly let a team that didn’t score a TD the entire game beat them. This win doesn’t extinguish any fires, or calm any nerves in Dallas. If anything, it only raises more questions.

18) Los Angeles Chargers 2-2, last week 16

It was the dream start for the Chargers on Sunday in LA. They forced a Chiefs fumble on the opening possession of the game, score a TD, picked off Mahomes on the next series and took a double digit lead in first quarter. So far, it’s been the defense that has been shouldering most of the burden as the Justin Herbert and the offense look to getting things sorted. That was the case on Sunday, but unfortunately the Chargers offense couldn’t add to their 10 point lead, and against the Chiefs 10 points will never be enough, no matter how good your defense is.

19) Indianapolis Colts 2-2, last week 21

How do you beat a team with the best defense in the league? Get up early and make them chase you for the rest of the way. That’s exactly what the Colts did to the Steelers despite losing their starting QB, Anthony Richardson, to a hip injury. Joe Flacco came in and threw two TDs to extend the lead. We are not sure how bad the injury is but I would argue that Joe Flacco gives this team the best chance to win now. I get Richardson is the QB of the future, but he has to figure out a way to play and stay on the field. Until then Flacco has proved he can handle the work load.

20) Denver Broncos 2-2, last week 27

It was a slop fest in the Meadowlands, and Sean Payton couldn’t have asked for a better forecast for their game against the Jets. The rain neutralized New Yorks’ QB advantage as it became a battle of two of the top defenses in the game. It was an ugly, messy game in which Bo Nix passed for just 60 yards, but the defense and special teams led the rookie QB to a win on a day in which he threw for his fist TD pass.

21) Cincinnati Bengals 1-3, last week 24

What do you want me to say? Way to go Bengals! Great win over the Panthers. This should have been a routine win for Cincy, but instead we saw Burrow and Chase celebrating touchdowns like it was the AFC Championship in Charlotte. I think this team has lost it’s grip on reality a bit, and I get the sense there is a “just because we’ve been there before means we can get there again” attitude in the locker room that could be the downfall of this team.

22) Las Vegas Raiders 2-2, last week 28

No clue what to tell you about the Raiders. Are they the team that beat the Baltimore Ravens, or are they team that lost to the Carolina Panthers? They didn’t look like either of those teams in their win over Cleveland, but they did enough to get a win, and that will be more than enough for head coach Antonio Pierce who had to be pleased with how his defense got to Deshaun Watson on a constant basis.

23) Chicago Bears 2-2, last week 22

This young Chicago isn’t quite in a position to beat good teams yet. That’s why Sunday’s game against the Rams was so important. This team is learning on the fly, and figuring out how to win. The defense is leading the way as Caleb Williams slowly wades into the deep end, getting more and more comfortable with the offense on a weekly basis. He had his best game of his young career in Week 4 going 17/23 and most importantly he took care of the ball. This won’t sit well in Chi-Town or the Windy City, but this team reminds me of the Packers of last year. As long as the defense can keep the Bears afloat until things start to click for their young quarterback, Chicago will stick around in a tough NFC North.

24) Los Angeles Rams 1-3, last week 20

Every time RedZone flashed over to the Rams-Bears game, it seemed like LA’s offensive line needed a spatula to get Matthew Stafford off the turf. He got sacked three times, but was hit over and over again as his make shift offensive line did him no favors against Chicago’s front four. If he doesn’t get some help soon, he’s going to be joining Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp on the sidelines in no time and things will really get ugly for the Rams.

25) Arizona Cardinals 1-3, last week 18

A let down game usually comes the week after a big win against a good team, but in the case of the Cardinals their let down game came after losing to the Lions last week. They went all in, trying to take the Lions down and it seemed like they were just flat out of gas for the Washington Commanders. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels picked the defense apart and Kyler Murray was running for his life all afternoon.

26) Cleveland Browns 1-3, last week 26

It’s a good thing the NFL can’t go back and take away awards like Coach of the Year, because Kevin Stefanski’s COY award would be in serious jeopardy. Deshaun Watson is back but he can’t buy a block from his offensive line, which means the run game is non existent and the league’s best defense from last year just got sliced up by the Raiders who have the second worst rushing attack in the league.

27) Miami Dolphins 1-3, last week 23

I get that Tua is out and the Dolphins are in a rough situation when it comes to QB play, but that doesn’t let the defense off the hook for giving up 31 points to a terrible Titans team. I’m not going to put the Dolphins at the bottom of the rankings because I’m not sure of their plan with Tua, but without him they are the worst team in the league.

28) Carolina Panthers 1-3, last week 30

This is better from Carolina. They look like a respectable football team, that opponents will have to take seriously with Andy Dalton under center. That still doesn’t make up for the overwhelming lack of talent from top to bottom on the roster. Shout out to my boy Xavier Legette for getting his first NFL TD reception. The more we get him in front of the mic, the happy the world will be.

29) Jacksonville Jaguars 0-4, last week 25

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost 9 of their last 10 games dating back to last seasons historic collapse. The carry over into this year has to have consequences. Trevor Lawrence is the only untouchable considering his contract situation, but everyone else should be on the hot seat. It’s interesting to think how things could have been different if Travis Etienne didn’t fumble on the one yard line in the season opener. But the Jags can’t do anything about that now as their season is essentially a lost cause.

30) New England Patriots 1-3, last week 29

No offensive line against one of the most dangerous, and turnover hungry defensive units in the game. That was a perfect storm for a Patriots team that went into the Lions den against the Niners who had lost their previous two games. Rhamondre Stevenson never got the run game going which didn’t make life easy for Jacoby Brissett who was sacked six times and pressured countless other times. At this rate, the Drake Maye might never get on the field if the offensive line continues to let pass rushers free range on their quarterback.

31) New York Giants 1-3, last week 31

The momentary feeling of ecstasy came and went real fast in the Big Apple following their Week 3 win. Daniel Jones and the Giants failed to find the end zone and reminded the world on national TV why they have been a laughing stock for the last few years. They were within striking distance all night, but when you can’t score touchdowns you can’t win games.

32) Tennessee Titans 1-3, last week 32

The Titans won their first game of the season on Monday night, which means they won’t be the last winless team in the league. They can hang their hat on that fact, but not much else. They didn’t do much to win the game, the Dolphins just handed it to them.