NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

Week 4 of the NFL season has finished with the Pittsburgh Steelers comfortably handling the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. It was a fairly underwhelming finish to a pretty entertaining week of action that completely shook up my Power Rankings. 

The Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens are the biggest fallers, going down seven spots each, and the Indianapolis Colts aren't far behind having dropped six places. Conversely, the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills, among others, rose four spots.

All in all the NFL feels like a completely different place than it did just a week ago, so let's dig in. 

1. New England Patriots (4-0)

Sunday wasn’t pretty for the Patriots, but it was still a win. The ability to win in different ways is underrated because it doesn’t look good or grab the headlines, but it’s always a sign of a great team. The Patriots remain the team to beat in the AFC with their defense playing unbelievable football right now.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)

The Lions gave the Chiefs a really good run for their money, and their first ‘bad’ day on offense. With that said, the Chiefs still had 438 yards of offense and scored 27 points. When that is seemingly the floor, you’re cooking with fire. The Chiefs are going to be a very frustrating team to play all year.

3. New Orleans Saints (3-1) +4

The Saints offense with Teddy Bridgewater is not going to win games, especially in a shootout, but they don’t have to when the Saints play like they have in their last two games. The defense is playing very well and the offense is doing enough to not lose. Being 3-1 right now, with wins in Seattle and against the Cowboys, is huge. With Brees back in the fold this team is the best in the NFC.

4. Green Bay Packers (3-1) +1

The Packers may have lost on Thursday night, but I believe that was a result of coming up against a playoff caliber team, on their day. The ground game struggled, as did the defense, but I firmly believe the Packers are going to be a very tough team to beat regardless of the opposition, and Thursday will prove to be the type of loss every team falls victim to.

5. Dallas Cowboys (3-1) -2

Sunday night was a come-back-down-to-earth game for the Cowboys. They got back in the rhythm of running for the sake of it, and they struggled to pass the ball when Cooper or Witten weren’t the target. However, I do have faith they’ll straighten it out. Ultimately, they played a very talented Saints team in New Orleans, and it is possible to chalk the offensive performance up to an offensive coordinator struggling in his fourth game.

6. Seattle Seahawks (3-1) +3

The Seahawks may not have been the flashiest team so far, but they just get it done. Losing at home last week may not look great, but against the Saints it isn’t the worst loss. They are 3-1, Russell Wilson is playing great and has a great ground game, when they hold onto the football, to lean on. This team is absolutely a threat to the Rams in the NFC West.

7. Los Angeles Rams (3-1) -3

Sunday’s loss was ugly and should be very worrying for the Rams. But the reason they haven’t fallen as much as the Ravens, for example, is they ultimately have more talent across the board and I trust their coaching staff a little more to get it straightened out.

8. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) +2

Having a bye week and rising two spots is quite the achievement, but it’s thanks in large part to the inconsistency of the teams below them. The 49ers are top of the NFC West, they’re the only remaining undefeated team in the NFC and they’ve shown they are a strong overall team. This coming week against the Browns should be a good marker to how good they really are.

9. Chicago Bears (3-1) +3

The Bears defense is terrifying, they may be even better than last year. What they did to the Vikings, without two of their most important pieces in Akiem Hicks and Roquan Smith, was incredible. The issue remains the offense. With Mitch Trubisky they left a lot to be desired and it will be more of the same with Chase Daniel, just with less upside. Nevertheless, the defense is going to carry this team through many games this year. They should also definitely wear those uniforms as much as possible. 

10. Buffalo Bills (3-1) +4

The Bills may have lost, but this is a very good team. Defensively they play very sound football and are very tough to beat. If not for a blocked punt they very possibly could have beaten the Patriots. However, like the Bears, their QB is currently holding them back. Allen has to be more careful with the ball or he will undo a lot of the Bills’ good work.

11. Houston Texans (2-2) -3

The Texans fell victim to a resurging Panthers team and defense. The offense just weren’t able to get anything going, something Deshaun Watson explained and owned in the post-game press conference. The defense played well, though. Thankfully for the Texans they play in the most up and down conference so their inconsistency has not come back to bite them yet.

12. Detroit Lions (2-1-1) +3

Like the Bills, the Lions’ loss was encouraging. The defense did a great job taking away the Chiefs’ big plays. Sure, they gave up 27 points, but that seems to be the Chiefs floor more than anything. This team is playing well and showed they can hang with the best teams in the NFL.

13. Baltimore Ravens (2-2) -7

The Ravens’ home loss on Sunday should have alarm bells ringing all around the franchise. Defensively, the front seven has no pass rush, the linebackers are seriously missing a veteran presence, and the secondary is all over the place – which it really shouldn’t be. Offensively they are seriously cooling off, too. The Ravens have a lot to straighten up and not a lot of time to do so.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) +4

Thursday night was a big win for the Eagles. It showed they are still a very good team in the NFC, but the injuries continue to be a big issue. Alshon Jeffrey did not look 100% and the secondary is a mess. The Eagles need to get healthy to sustain the performance they put out on Thursday, and they have to look at every option to strengthen their secondary.

15. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) -2

The Chargers won, so dropping two places may seem harsh, but it is more due to the teams around them improving. It took them a half to settle into the game against the Dolphins and they won’t be able to do that against most other teams. They get Melvin Gordon back which should steady this offense, so they could start to rise to the levels everyone expected.

16. Cleveland Browns (2-2) +3

Sunday was a huge win for the Browns and was closer to what we expected of them. Behind a stout, physical defense and an explosive ground game this team is very dangerous. It opened up the pass game and Odell Beckham’s impact was really felt in opening up every other receiver. They need to keep this up and I have no doubt Baker Mayfield will settle down and they’ll be able to lean on him and the passing game a lot more.

17. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) -6

Like the Chargers, this drop may seem harsh, but their loss only served to highlight the inconsistency of this team and their lack of superstar power. Without T.Y. Hilton the offense struggled against an okay Raiders defense, and defensively they miss Malik Hooker’s playmaking ability. The Colts can’t afford to lose games against teams they should really be beating.

18. Tennessee Titans (2-2) +2

It’s hard to tell how much of the Titans’ success was down to them finding a winning recipe or down to a declining Falcons team. Corey Davis and A.J. Brown played very well, as did Mariota, and this game seemed to show improvement, but until the Titans and their offense sustain that type of performance I won’t be convinced.

19. Minnesota Vikings (2-2) -3

It would be easy to bash Kirk Cousins some more for the Vikings offensive performance on Sunday, but I think the Bears' defense would’ve forced similarly poor results from any QB. The success of this offense completely relies on the offensive line, which is true to an extent for every team, but it seems more evident with the Vikings and the Bears fully exposed that.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) +4

The Bucs' win over the Rams was crazy. It highlighted the upside of this team whilst also showing how quickly they can slip. The game should have been out of the Rams’ hands for much of the second half, but the Bucs let them hang around and almost come back. Nevertheless, Jameis Winston and the offense are improving, and right now they have the front runner for Defensive Player of the Year in Shaquil Barrett.

21. Carolina Panthers (2-2) +4

The Panthers may be onto something. The defense is playing very well and Kyle Allen is getting enough out of the offense, or Christian McCaffrey is doing enough, to win games. Kyle Allen must fix his fumbling issues, but otherwise this team should be considered a playoff contender if they keep this up.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)

Obviously the Jags success isn’t all on Gardner Minshew II, but he may be the steadiest QB in the AFC South and the Jaguars are benefiting from it. He is doing nothing to harm this offense and the Jags are getting big plays, if nothing else, from Leonard Fournette. They are in a standoff with Jalen Ramsey, which leaves a big hole on the defense – a hole the Broncos took advantage of – but Sunday’s win was impressive for these Jaguars.

23. Oakland Raiders (2-2)

The Raiders played well against a Colts team I didn’t think they’d beat. They now head to London at 2-2, tied for second in their division. They don’t rival the Chiefs, and I think they’ll ultimately fall behind the pack, but it was an encouraging win.

24. Atlanta Falcons (1-3) -7

It seems it is time for a slight reset in Atlanta. They have plenty of talent on their roster, they just need a new head coach and coaching staff to lead them. They haven’t been able to rebound from their Super Bowl loss and Dan Quinn just seems to have run out of steam.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) -4

The Steelers may have won in convincing fashion, but it was against the Bengals and didn’t show me they’ve made much progress with Mason Rudolph. The offense is limited with him under center and their success on the ground could be attributed to playing a porous run defense. A win is a win, though!

26. New York Giants (2-2) +4

Daniel Jones is 2-0 as a starter and Wayne Gallman filled in very well for Saquon Barkley, but the Redskins didn’t pose the biggest threat. The win did show reason for optimism, I think they’ll be able to get decent offensive and defensive performances against bad to average opposition, but there is plenty of growth to be done on this team.

27. Denver Broncos (0-4) -1

Yikes. The Broncos finally got a sack on the stat sheet, but they have now lost Bradley Chubb for the season and they yet again found a way to lose a game they should have been able to seal. A rebuild may be on the horizon.

28. Arizona Cardinals (0-3-1)

Kyler Murray and the offense seem to have taken a step back. It seems teams are figuring out how to defend it and Murray’s inexperience is showing. He looks flustered in the pocket and just doesn’t trust his offensive line, and the defense is nowhere near good enough to make up for it.

29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-4)

The Bengals’ performance on Sunday night was very poor. Offensively and defensively they looked out of ideas and unable to match anything the Steelers were doing. It’s going to be a long season for the Bengals.

30. Washington Redskins (0-4) -3

The Redskins are among six teams who are just really bad. Dwayne Haskins is not ready to start in the NFL, and is certainly not going to have any success in this offense. That’s not to say he won’t come to be successful, but if he is the Redskins are going to have to change a whole lot.

31. New York Jets (0-3)

The Jets had a bye week this week, but they won’t have Sam Darnold for at least two weeks, it seems, and C.J. Mosely may remain out for a bit longer, too. Without those two this team will continue to struggle.

32. Miami Dolphins (0-4)

The Dolphins held a lead for a while! They lost it, obviously, as they continue their march towards 0-16. It really seems unlikely this team will get a win at this point, though fortunately the odds are in their favor.

What do you think? Tell me what you think in the comments below!