The NFL is now through four weeks. That is enough of a sample size to start believing what you see. After a month, it is fair to think that the teams that hardly lose are actually good and the ones that hardly win are lousy.
There will be a team that's 1-3 or 0-4 that comes out and has a strong finish, and there is a team that's 3-1 or 4-0 that will plummet. Still, until that time, you can only go by what you've seen.
The power rankings heading into Week 5 are going to be harsh on a couple of contenders that haven't played well, and they are going to be nice to a handful of teams that came in with absolutely zero expectations. This is how they line up from 1 to 32.
The Contenders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 2)
2. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 3)
3. San Francisco
49ers (Last Week: 4)
4. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 6)
5. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 1)
6. Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 13)
7. Denver Broncos (Last Week: 5)
8. Chicago Bears (Last Week: 9)
9. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 7)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 12)
11. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 14)
12. New York Giants (Last Week: 18)
13. Detroit Lions (Last Week: 8)
The Kansas City Chiefs are the top dog in the league right now. They appear to be all the way back after a tough year in 2025. They have the best running game that they've ever had in the Patrick Mahomes era, and that makes them even more dangerous than they were during their Super Bowl years. Watch out for them.
The team that the Chiefs beat, the Las Vegas Raiders, fall to 3-1 in the loss. Although the Chiefs are the better team with more pedigree, the Raiders had a chance to win the game late. They do not falter in defeat here. In fact, they move up. Vegas showed that they can compete with anyone and that they are for real.
After one tough week, the defending Super Bowl champions proved that it was just a case of "can't win 'em all". They were right back to thier winning ways, showing that they are right there with the best teams in the league. Their division rival, the San Francisco 49ers, are on their tail. It will be an incredible in-division battle all year. If the Rams can show that being the preseason favorite was not fraudulent, the three-team NFC West war will be amazing theatre.
The Chicago Bears took a big fall when they were defeated by the Minnesota Vikings and lost Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury. However, two straight wins with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent have them crawling back up. It's hard to put them any higher without their star quarterback in play, but Ben Johnson is proving himself to be one of the best head coaches in the NFL.
Three of the 4 NFC North teams are in this tier, but the Detroit Lions are in danger of falling out if they don't fix some of thier issues on defense. We know they can score and have big statistical successes, but will that lead to a Super Bowl?
In Western New York, the Buffalo Bills have problems on defense. Josh Allen is super-elite, but can he overcome that lousy unit? They stay in this tier for another week, but they must figure that out if they are to be considered a true "power". Meanwhile, the New York Giants continue to find ways to win. That has climbed them into the contender tier, for now. The NFC East is open for them to take.
Teams To Watch
14. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 17)
15. New England Patriots (Last Week: 16)
16. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 11)
17. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 21)
18. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 29)
19. Carolina Panthers (Last Week: 24)
20. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 20)
21. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 10)
22. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 19)
The reason that the NFC East is there for the Giants to take is because of the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles have been so lousy. After letting Case Keenum embarrass them on Monday Night Football, the Los Angeles Rams made a multi-score fourth quarter comeback to send Eagles fans home angry. Their offensive line is putrid, Jalen Hurts can't do anything about it, and the coach may have the hottest seat in the league right now. If they don't pull themselves out of this rut soon, they will be even lower than this tier in short order.
The Dallas Cowboys are slightly better, but they have shown no reason to think they are anything other than a team with good flashes. The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots are the same way early in the season, but all three have the weaponry needed to fix it. Will they?
The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL, and he is mostly healthy. Does that mean the team as a whole is great? No. If he weren't there, they'd be in a world of pain, but he is there, so they get top-16 respect for now.
Did anybody think that the Cleveland Browns would be the better Ohio team after four weeks? We sure didn't. However, at 3-1 with a handful of impressive victories, they are right on the cusp of being a true AFC North contender. Why don't the Browns move up a tier while the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders do? Well, the Cleveland Browns have a way of failing spectacularly. Eventually, they can earn more respect by continuing to prove everyone wrong.
More To Prove
23. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 15)
24. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 28)
25. New York Jets (Last Week: 26)
26. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 25)
27. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 30)
28. Houston Texans (Last Week: 23)
29. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 22)
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 27)
31. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 31)
32. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 32)
This tier has the teams that came into the year with the "tank" mentality. Those are the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. However, there are some truly surprising teams here. Notably, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Houston Texans. All of them were playoff teams or close last year, but they are all looking for that first win after a combined 0-12 start.
After a month of play, the panic button has been hit for any of these teams that came into the year with playoff expectations. They are likely already cooked and should be focused on the 2027 NFL Draft.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFL Week 5 power rankings: Eagles plummet, Raiders rise despite loss
