1. Kansas City Chiefs 4-0 (-)
The Chiefs find themselves at 4-0 and their defense has been great to start the season. Offensively things have not been as smooth for the back-to-back defending champs. The offense has struggled with turnovers (-4 turnover margin) and the tackles constantly hold or allow pressures quickly. On top of these struggles add in the major injuries to Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, and Marquise Brown. It is going to get difficult for the Chiefs going forward but this is where Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid are at their best.
2. Minnesota Vikings 4-0 (+1)
The Vikings have rattled off 3 straight wins over the 49ers, Texans, and the Packers. They jumped out to an early 28-0 lead behind Sam Darnold’s hot start and the defense forcing early turnovers. The defense has been impressive behind their elite pass rush. On offense, the combination of weapons and stellar offensive line play has allowed Sam Darnold to be in the conversation for MVP
3. Detroit Lions 3-1 (+1)
The Lions offense finally exploded after a pedestrian start to the season. Jared Goff stepped up and did not throw an incompletion while adding a receiving touchdown. Their weapons are just hard to stop with the emergence of Jameson Williams as a deep threat. Defensively they still are not much improved from last year’s team and that could come back to bite them later this season.
4. Baltimore Ravens 2-2 (+4)
The Ravens bullied the Bills on Sunday night behind their 271 rushing yards in the win. The last two weeks we have seen Derrick Henry run wild and finished with 199 rushing yards against the Bills. More impressively the defense turned things up this week after being ranked last in the NFL in pass defense. They held Josh Allen to 180 passing yards and the Bills offense to 10 points. After a bad loss to the Raiders two weeks ago, the Ravens are back on track and jump up in the power rankings.
5. Buffalo Bills 3-1 (-3)
The Bills came into the matchup against the Ravens steamrolling their opposition. One of the biggest question marks I had coming into the game was their front seven. Their front seven did not hold up well against the run-heavy Ravens. On offense, they got away from the run game early and became one-dimensional. Not worried about the Bills long term but this game is a wakeup call for them.
6. Houston Texans 3-1 (-1)
The Texans won an ugly game against the dumpster-fire Jaguars that required a game-winning touchdown drive late in the 4th quarter. The connection between C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins is special, they are forming one of the best duos in the league. This offense can’t wait to get Joe Mixon back as Cam Akers has struggled running the ball the last two weeks.
7. San Francisco 49ers 2-2 (-)
The 49ers got back in the winning column with a dominant win over the New England Patriots. The 49ers defense finally played better against the inferior Patriots as Fred Warner was dominant again and deserves to be in the DPOY conversation. The Bad news from this week is that Chrisitan McCaffrey’s Achilles tendinitis is in both legs and his timeline could be even longer than expected.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1 (+6)
The Bucs came off of a tough loss to the Broncos last week and followed it up with a statement win against the Eagles. Baker Mayfield was once again very impressive, but I walked away more impressed with the Buccaneers defense. A unit that has struggled this year they limited the Eagles offense to 227 total yards and only 16 points. If the Bucs will need that defense to play better down the stretch if they plan on making a playoff run.
9. Washington Commanders 3-1 (+8)
The Commanders are playing excellent football behind rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Their offense has now put up 80 points the last two weeks and Daniels recently broke the completion percentage record for a month. They currently bully teams with their 3rd ranked rushing attack. If their defense can get better as the season goes on, they have a chance of winning the NFC East.
10. Philadelphia Eagles 2-2 (-4)
The injuries to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith hurt the passing game limiting Jalen Hurts to under 200 passing yards. The more notable thing is that their defense once again got shredded through the air. So far against two good passing teams in the Packers and Bucs that unit has gotten cooked. The Eagles do not matchup very well against good passing offenses when they do not score 30+ points.
11. Green Bay Packers 2-2 (-1)
Jordan Love’s return was not ideal as the QB had 3 turnovers in the loss. He did have 400 passing yards and 4 touchdowns helping the Packers make the score close at the end. The bigger concern is the defense still has not improved from last year. Except for the addition of S Xavier McKinney this unit is not good right now and could hold them back this season.
12. Seattle Seahawks 3-1 (-)
The Seahawks offense was impressive in the loss to the Lions. Kenneth Walker is a superstar at running back and the passing game has been great this season. On defense, despite their injuries, they put up a pathetic performance against the Lions. The Seahawks are going to be a playoff team this season if they get healthy on defense and continue to play like they have on offense.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1 (-2)
The Steelers came down to reality with their loss to the Colts this week. Despite Justin Fields 360 total yards, they were down by 3 scores early in this one. If their defense does not hold teams to 24 or fewer points it feels like the Steelers are out of the game. In a tough division, they will need more from the offense if they have playoff aspirations this season.
14. Dallas Cowboys 2-2 (+1)
The Cowboys got back in the win column in large part because their run defense stepped up on Thursday night. After getting shredded on the ground by the Saints and Ravens they limited the Giants to just 1.1 yards per carry. The Cowboys are still looking for another weapon to step up outside of CeeDee Lamb.
15. New York Jets 2-2 (-6)
The Jets took a step back on offense with their loss to the Broncos on Sunday. They only managed 9 points and were held under 300 yards. An important part of their offense, the run game, was non-existent as Breece Hall had 10 carries for 4 yards. They have two tough tests against the Vikings and Bills in the next two weeks that will determine how legit they are as contenders this season.
16. Atlanta Falcons 2-2 (-)
The Falcons managed to win against the Saints without scoring a touchdown on offense. A muffed punt and a pick-six helped carry the Falcons offense, who could not finish drives, to the finish line. Their defense is turning out to be possibly the strength of this team. With a key matchup against the Bucs on Thursday night football the defense is going to need to be ready to go again.
17. New Orleans Saints 2-2 (-4)
The Saints should feel like they beat themselves on Sunday after they outgained the Falcons in total yards and had 11 more minutes of possession time. They are better than the 2-2 record shows behind a good defense and an above-average offense. It seems like it will be a tight race in the NFC South this season and it will be up to Derek Carr to dictate where the Saints end up in that race. They have their biggest test of the season this week as they travel to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs.
18. Indianapolis Colts 2-2 (+5)
Jonathan Taylor is a monster. He had another 100 total-yard performance and was a key factor in the win against the Steelers. They finally got Michael Pittman Jr. going in the win as he had 6 catches for 113 yards. The injury to Anthony Richardson is something to monitor, but Joe Flacco is one of the best backups in the NFL. The Colts are within striking distance of the Texans and jumped up the power rankings this week.
19. Cincinnati Bengals 1-3 (+2)
The Bengals are finally in the win column after beating up the Panthers on Sunday. If the Bengals turn this thing around Joe Burrow is an MVP candidate. On the year he now has 978 passing yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. They finally utilized Chase Brown more on offense and he had a breakout performance with 2 touchdowns. They host the Ravens in week 5 in what will be one of the best matchups of the weekend.
20. Chicago Bears 2-2 (+4)
The Bears got back in the win column behind a stellar performance from D’Andre Swift this week. Swift had 165 total yards and 1 touchdown in the win after entering the game with only 66 rushing yards on the season. Caleb Williams keeps trending in the right direction. The defense is one of the top units in football and will have to keep doing the heavy lifting.
21. Los Angeles Chargers 2-2 (-1)
The Chargers were not expected to play as well as they did Sunday against the Chiefs. They fought hard and Justin Herbert gutted out a high ankle sprain playing well. On defense, this unit is going underrated to start the season. Without Joey Bosa and Derwin James they held the Chiefs to 10 points in large part due to the constant pressure Mahomes was facing. The foundation is being built in LA.
22. Denver Broncos 2-2 (+4)
The Broncos have an elite defense behind the masterful scheme of Vance Joseph to start the season. They rank as one of the highest in pressure rates and blitz percentages in the NFL which helped against Rodgers returning from an Achilles injury. That is two straight impressive wins for the Broncos and if they get the offense going, they could be a sleeper pick to make the postseason behind their defense.
23. Arizona Cardinals 1-3 (-5)
The Cardinals offense has disappeared after their 41-point performance against the Rams. With the offense not producing at a high level, they have no chance with their defense. They allowed 42 points to the Commanders and have struggled all season. With a defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon you would expect more from this unit.
24. Los Angeles Rams 1-3 (-5)
Matthew Stafford is just really good at football. Outside of Stafford and Kyren Williams, the Rams are depleted on both sides of the ball. With a tough schedule remaining, they have an uphill battle. They just need to be in contention by the time Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp get healthy.
25. Las Vegas Raiders 2-2 (+5)
Without Maxx Crosby and Devante Adams the Raiders were able to come away with a win against the Browns. They won this one with Gardner Minshew only throwing for 130 passing yards and relying on the defense. The drama continues to brew in Las Vegas about the potential of a Devante Adams trade before the deadline.
26. New York Giants 1-3 (-1)
The Giants passing game right now is fun to watch. Brian Dabol is a mastermind and has Danny Dimes out here looking like a solid QB. The duo of Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson is a headache for teams. Defensively their trio of Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns is elite. A lot to like about the future of this team.
27. Cleveland Browns 1-3 (-5)
The Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland has hit an all-time low after a loss to the Raiders. Under 200 passing yards again and another turnover for Watson resulted in 16 points. He is not the only guy to blame as the offensive line play has been horrible to start the season. Where do they go from here?
28. Tennessee Titans 1-3 (+3)
The Will Levis experiment was put on hold with a shoulder injury that led to Mason Rudolph throwing 2 touchdown passes. The Titans are not a bad team by any means, they have talent on offense and defense. If they get better play from their offensive line and QB position, they will be competitive down the stretch.
29. Carolina Panthers 1-3 (-1)
The Panthers offense with Andy Dalton is vastly different compared to what we have seen from Bryce Young in the last two seasons. Diontae Johnson and Chuba Hubbard can showcase their talents as that offense had another good week. Defensively they are a mess though. Expect more shootouts going forward.
30. New England Patriots 1-3 (-1)
The Patriots have had a tough schedule to open things up this season. This week was no different with the 49ers steamrolling them. They just need to get more talented up front on both sides of the ball. They need to avoid throwing Drake Maye in this season.
31. Miami Dolphins 1-3 (-4)
It is impossible to watch the Dolphins without Tua under center right now. At times you forget this offense has Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane. Mike McDaniel needs to do a better job of scheming up plays down the field despite their QB situation.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-4 (-)
They fought hard against the Texans but their late turnover on downs in the red zone to put the game away was a perfect summary of the Jags last 9 games with Trevor Lawrence. Doug Pederson needs to go, and they need a fresh start in Jacksonville.