This time next week, we will have officially reached the October portion of the 2026 NFL season. Phew. Time really does fly.
What have we learned so far? Well, there’s a lot to unpack.
For one, as talented as the Los Angeles Rams are on paper, it’s going to take some time for them to look like the Super Bowl favorite everyone thought they would be. It doesn’t help that Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett, L.A.’s arguably two best players, are both nursing serious injuries at the moment. In Colorado, the Denver Broncos are continuing their Jekyll and Hyde impression from last year. Which is to say they seem capable of getting blown out or going on a heater against a contending heavyweight on any given week. It's unfathomable.
Meanwhile, squads like the
Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders are both surprisingly undefeated at 3-0. Neither start feels particularly sustainable unless you believe that Brian Flores’s defense can do it all by itself for an entire season and that an older version of Kirk Cousins won’t eventually fall back to Earth, but they’re still worth noting as achievements.
With the weather outside finally turning frightful, let’s talk all about the current landscape of the league in For The Win’s Week 4 NFL Power Rankings.
32. Miami Dolphins
Last week: 32
De'Von Achane is out for the season, which robs the Dolphins of their most accomplished skill player. The good news is Miami will be trailing enough in 2026 that we won't have to be force-fed Ollie Gordon II three-run carries as a disinterested commentary booth discusses pierogi, the 90s swing dance fad, how delta-P wreaks havoc on deep sea operations … really, any of those sound better than an earnest discussion about the Dolphins. — Christian D'Andrea
31. Tennessee Titans
Last week: 29
The Titans have scored 37 points in three games so far this season. Total. On Sunday, they didn't run a play in the New York Giants' territory until the last couple of minutes of the second quarter. It's still too early to call it a failed rebuild in Nashville, but you'd like to see some progress from Cam Ward and friends moving forward. Unfortunately, Cam Ward threw it away on first-and-goal with two timeouts. — Robert Zeglinski
30. Los Angeles Chargers
Last week: 27
The Chargers forced five turnovers against Buffalo on Sunday. They somehow lost anyway. Teams with five forced turnovers and a +4 turnover margin are 3-81-1 since 2013. All three teams in that group won at the expense of the Chargers. Talk about a statistic that is so emblematic of the essence of a cursed franchise. — RZ
29. Arizona Cardinals
Last week: 25
The plucky Cardinals of Week 1 made a semi-glorious return against the 49ers on Sunday. Behind a gutty Jacoby Brissett performance, Arizona almost overcame a 17-6 halftime deficit and even brought it to 29-27 with under three minutes remaining. But the 49ers' offense was ultimately too much for the Cardinals' still-rebuilding defense. Something to monitor: Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to be a non-factor. He only caught three passes for 40 yards in a game where his team scored 30 points against a Super Bowl contender. Woof. — RZ
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week: 30
The Buccaneers are winless and now without Baker Mayfield, the quarterback in whom Tampa Bay invested $165 million this offseason. The good news is Todd Bowles will be a great defensive coordinator somewhere next season. The Bucs' -0.092 expected points added (EPA) allowed per snap is fifth-best in the NFL through three weeks. — CD
27. New York Jets
Last week: 23
New York is competent and even fun to watch as Geno Smith seems to pluck a different young prospect arrow from his quiver each week. Against the Packers, it was Adonai Mitchell. Versus the Lions, it was Kenyon Sadiq. — CD
26. New York Giants
Last week: 17
Jameis Winston and the Giants' offense had an opportunity to instill some hope against the Titans in the wake of Jaxson Dart's season-ending injury. Winston and Co. responded with a dud, rescued by offensive incompetence from the opposition and an ill-timed corny joke about New York's scoring output being double that of Dart's jersey number. The Giants remain feisty, but hoo boy, playing with a quarterback like Winston in the long term will demoralize them. Winston likely gets one more shot before they start looking at other starting options. — RZ
25. Green Bay Packers
Last week: 19
The offensive line is a mess. Jordan Love hasn't had a consistently clean pocket all season. The weapons are mediocre, which is exacerbated by Jayden Reed's indefinite absence from a neck injury. The defense consists almost entirely of average players at all three levels. Well, except perhaps for Lukas Van Ness and Micah Parsons … coming off an ACL tear. It's far too early to talk about hot seats, but head coach Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst may pay for this mess in Green Bay with their jobs unless the Packers right the ship. — RZ
24. Washington Commanders
Last week: 28
After Jayden Daniels went down with his elbow injury, it would've been easy for the Commanders to lay down. They responded by punching the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the mouth. They ground out a win in which they gained only 258 yards on offense. A measured game from Marcus Mariota helped stabilize matters, which is encouraging while Daniels is out. Any win to keep Washington afloat in his absence should be appreciated like a treasure. — RZ
23. Houston Texans
Last week: 18
0-3 isn't new ground for the Texans. They've been able to rally from three winless weeks to start the season and into the playoffs twice before. Just like those Houston teams, this one is playing the hits: A disheveled offensive line, iffy quarterback play, and a lack of receiving depth behind its star. This team has too much talent to remain this bad, but an uphill trudge to respectability isn't what anyone wanted for DeMeco Ryans and company. — CD
22. Atlanta Falcons
Last week: 31
The Falcons entered Lambeau Field on Thursday night with one mission: Stuff the ball into Bijan Robinson's chest over and over. It worked to perfection. In a 31-touch, 213 all-purpose yards, two-touchdown performance, Robinson looked unstoppable against a Packers defense that needs a refresher on tackling. It is these sorts of All-Pro games from Robinson that should afford Michael Penix Jr. some solid footing as he gets an earnest chance at the Falcons' long-term starting quarterback job. — RZ
21. Cleveland Browns
Last week: 26
Huh. Deshaun Watson, who once faced more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct that the NFL would later characterize as "predatory behavior," all of a sudden looks kind of … fine? Sure, let's go with that. I'm not convinced Watson has turned a meaningful corner for the Browns. But it is notable that he hasn't looked like the NFL's worst quarterbacks over the past couple of weeks in a Cleveland winning streak. This version of Watson may be good enough to keep the Browns relevant into the later stages of the season. Stay tuned. — RZ
20. New England Patriots
Last week: 14
Drake Maye is a mess. The quarterback who was the league's top passer against pressure has shrunken into a shell. He's forcing passes that work in practice without assessing whether or not the same circumstances are unfolding on game day. Is this tied to departures in his receiving corps and the continued unavailability of A.J. Brown? Or is it a case of the yips that will tear at the fabric of a potential franchise cornerstone? Fortunately, there's still plenty of time to figure it out. — CD
19. Carolina Panthers
Last week: 16
The Browns have a recent knack for discombobulating NFC South teams. It's still concerning that the Carolina defense got soundly and repeatedly stung by Deshaun Watson. The Panthers allowed not one but two late lead-taking drives that sealed their fate, suggesting Week 2's rebound did not portend better things and that this unit is closer to the one that gave up 59 points in the season opener than something worthy of frightening playoff teams. — CD
18. Indianapolis Colts
Last week: 21
It's hard to call the Colts "fixed" after they finally got their first win of 2026 against the Texans. Outside of Jonathan Taylor, it's unclear what this version of Indy hangs its hat on. It's certainly not a middling passing offense or an average defense. Until further notice, the Colts seem destined to float just above water, but nothing else. — RZ
17. Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week: 24
Pitted against the rival Bengals in a huge AFC North game, the Steelers actually rose to the occasion. Aaron Rodgers, in particular, was great even if his caretaker, playmaking performance remains a far cry from his prime MVP days. Mike McCarthy was also in his play-calling bag by keeping the Bengals' defense on its heels. For now, Sunday's victory feels like Pittsburgh notching a fluke in the win column. Take care of business with an upcoming soft schedule, and the conversation changes around the black and gold. — RZ
16. Dallas Cowboys
Last week: 20
The offense, as expected, is remarkable when running smoothly. The run defense, even after giving up nearly 200 yards to the Baltimore Ravens, showed up when it mattered most for tide-changing run stuffs on Derrick Henry. But the secondary was already iffy before getting crushed by injury. Unless there's a trade deadline deal in place — hmmmm, Joey Porter Jr.? — 2026 won't break the Cowboys' string of futile postseasons. — CD
15. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 22
Kirk Cousins is officially rejuvenated, having thrown three touchdown passes in each of the Raiders' three wins to start 2026. Even at 38 years old, his mobility has recovered enough to reintroduce play-action schemes to his offense, and a young tailback platoon is keeping defenses honest while creating space for an underwhelming receiving corps. Just as importantly, Las Vegas has been a steel trap on defense. Its -0.198 EPA allowed per snap is second only to the Minnesota Vikings, though that'll be put to the test with games against the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams in three of the next four weeks (not you, Patriots). — CD
14. New Orleans Saints
Last week: 11
The Saints are only 1-2, but it's certainly not from lack of trying on the part of Tyler Shough. The second-year quarterback now has an 8-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, 917 passing yards, and is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. He also has a 99.2 passer rating. Sure, Shough isn't pushing the ball downfield as much as you'd like yet, but the Saints might have finally found themselves a legit signal-caller of the future. — RZ
13. Philadelphia Eagles
Last week: 15
This is a team unable to get out of its own way, prone to stupid mistakes. Nick Sirianni's inscrutable fourth down punt/go calls seem designed to infuriate Philadelphians and the Eagles walked off the field in Chicago having gotten rocked by Case by-god Keenum. Surely it will be a measured week on Pennsylvania talk radio. — CD
12. Minnesota Vikings
Last week: 13
Kyler Murray, in terms of EPA, has been worse than every other quarterback in the NFL but Cooper Rush. And yet, Minnesota is 3-0 because Brian Flores' defensive playbook is that one Jackass scene where they drop a bunch of angry bees into a limousine. I don't know if it's sustainable, but it's very fun to watch. — CD
11. Detroit Lions
Last week: 12
The Lions are 2-1, but those two wins came over the Saints and Jets, needing a stop on a two-point conversion and a late strip sack, respectively, to escape. The offensive line is still coming together, the secondary is a mess, and a pass rush punching above its weight class has been unable to cover for it. Detroit is a flawed team. Will those flaws be fatal, or will they keep the fireworks show going for the next 20 weeks? — CD
10. Chicago Bears
Last week: 10
It wasn't perfect, but Chicago course corrected and showed it could win games with Case Keenum (and maybe gave Ben Johnson a minor quarterback conundrum with Tyson Bagent healthy). More importantly, an embattled defense made the Eagles look foolish (though they didn't need much help). The coverage held up, the pass rush eventually got home and, even if Keenum played like a man who hasn't been anything close to a full-time starter since 2019, created all the space the Bears needed for a win. — CD
9. Los Angeles Rams
Last week: 7
This wasn't quite a Michigan-style robbery, but the ref show ensured the Rams couldn't get away with dropped interceptions and stalled drives in Denver. Los Angeles has the talent to be a wrecking ball, but the execution thus far has been well below what you'd expect from a Sean McVay team. Why did he move away from Kyren Williams on a heater? How did the defense backslide so significantly in the second half? L.A. has to answer these questions before it can reclaim "Super Bowl favorite" status. — CD
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Last week: 5
Was Sunday a one-off against a motivated divisional opponent on the road, or a harbinger of things to come? The Bengals' defense looked like a dominant, well-oiled machine through the first two weeks of the season. Then it let a washed-up Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers offense put up 30 points and over 400 yards. Suffice it to say, Cincinnati still has work to do on that side of the ball. — RZ
7. Denver Broncos
Last week: 6
Denver has had a weird start to the season. Blown out by a revitalized Chiefs team in Week 1. Smothered the Jaguars in Week 2. Then, after getting dominated for one half, a 16-point comeback win over the preseason Super Bowl favorites. The defense is underperforming, and Bo Nix appears to be some kind of psychological experiment inflicted on the NFL, but the talent is here to build on last season's run to the AFC Championship Game. — CD
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
Last week: 8
The Jaguars have officially reached a place where they can blow an opponent out while in cruise control. Five separate touchdown drives with just over 300 yards of offense on Sunday is a perfect example of the Jaguars reaching a higher plane as an AFC contender. They don't have to be at their absolute best to win every time. Liam Coen is pushing all the right buttons. Trevor Lawrence is an early MVP candidate. An opportunistic defense is making timely plays. The sky might be the limit in Duval County. — RZ
5. Kansas City Chiefs
Last week: 4
You don't get style points for beating the Dolphins, but the Chiefs proved their offense still works even when Kenneth Walker III has an average day. A lack of receiving depth remains a problem. Rashee Rice had seven catches for 88 yards on only 18 routes, but 55 of those yards came after the catch. Can the Chiefs still be THE CHIEFS without a viable downfield threat? — CD
4. Baltimore Ravens
Last week: 9
As is tradition, the Ravens need more receiving help for Lamar Jackson — something more than a healthy Ja'Kobi Lane can likely provide. Derrick Henry's lack of success on 3rd-and-4th-and-short runs against the Cowboys is a concern as well. But Baltimore dispelled concerns about clutchness with a seven-second game-winning drive, and the AFC will provide plenty of opportunity for Jackson to chase down the playoff success that's eluded him. — CD
3. Seattle Seahawks
Last week: 1
It turns out the reigning champs do have a weakness. When Sam Darnold isn't firing on all cylinders, like he was in a two-pick afternoon against the Commanders on Sunday, Seattle is eminently vulnerable. That the Seahawks were still almost able to pull out a win says something about their resilience. Their defeat feels like an "any given Sunday" kind of loss, which is why they didn't take much punishment in these rankings. — RZ
2. San Francisco 49ers
Last week: 2
Players keep getting hurt, and the Niners keep winning, which is pretty much par for the course in a Kyle Shanahan season. This year, Brock Purdy is the eye in the center of this tempest, playing by far the most efficient football of any NFL quarterback in a tiny sample size. He leads the league in touchdown rate (10.8 percent) despite missing several members of his receiving corps. He hasn't yet taken a sack, even after losing Trent Williams for a significant stretch in Week 3. He is the league's entirely too-early 2026 MVP. — CD
1. Buffalo Bills
Last week: 3
For years, we've decried the Bills' lack of receiving depth. A ragtag group of playmakers featuring D.J. Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, and Dawson Knox might be the best of the Josh Allen era. What is more encouraging is how the Buffalo defense continues to pull its own weight. While Allen was busy vomiting all over himself against the Chargers, Greg Rousseau and friends stepped up and ensured Justin Herbert never enjoyed a moment of peace in the pocket. The Bills will ultimately be judged by what they do in the winter, but they are the NFL's best team right now. — RZ
This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Rams haven't shown proof of concept as Super Bowl contender
