Week four NFL Power Rankings: Surprises everywhere

Part of what makes the NFL so enjoyable is the huge variance season to season, while some teams are consistently good (or bad), there is enough change to keep things interesting. Now, three weeks into the season, we're starting to get a good understanding of the haves and have-nots in the NFL this year.

Few knowledgeable football viewers watched Will Levis last season and thought he was good, he’s too erratic, too impatient, and just not accurate enough to lead a team that some people, strangely, had optimism about.

We are usually on the side of letting rookies play early and work through their mistakes, but Drake Maye will struggle to survive behind this offensive line, let alone thrive. Jacoby Brissett is better than being used as a punching bag. The Pats need to figure something out, and quickly.

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Per USA Today, the Raiders have the worst run game in the league currently, averaging just 2.8 yards per attempt. Maybe (maybe!) you could get away with that if you had Patrick Mahomes under center, but the Raiders don’t, they have Gardner Minshew.

Last week we wrote “Bryce Young stinks”, which was a little harsh, perhaps, but Andy Dalton went and proved us correct straight away throwing for 319 yards and three TDs against the Raiders. It’s no surprise 14-year vet Dalton has a good command of an NFL offense, but it did showcase quite how far away from being competent Young is.

We were fairly optimistic about the Jags, and we may have to admit defeat on that pretty quickly. Trevor Lawrence seems to have regressed and a defense that looked good last season is now struggling.

The Browns lost to the Giants, which is worrying, but now Myles Garrett is dealing with reportedly dealing with injuries to both feet, per CBS Sports, and could miss time. Deshaun Watson isn’t an NFL QB anymore, and this defense won’t be the same without Garrett. Where’s Joe Flacco?

We have the Giants ahead of the Browns simply because they won the head-to-head in week three, but we still don’t think this is a good team. Malik Nabers is as good as advertised, which should give New York fans optimism that when they get a real quarterback, they could be a contender once again.

Is it time to start worrying about Anthony Richardson? Probably. We were high on his potential (and fun factor) but his footwork is sloppy, leading to accuracy issues. He’s also not been much of a threat with his legs so far. There’s still time to turn it around.

Was that the Bo Nix breakout game? As Bo Nix defenders, we’re going to claim, yes. He played how we expected him to, efficient in the pass game, and able to add yards with his legs when plays break down. The Broncos aren’t going to be good, but if Nix can keep that level of play up, they will win games.

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Caleb Williams started to look like an NFL QB in his third start, which is a promising sign for the city of Chicago. They did still lose to the Colts, however. Serious questions need to be asked about Matt Eberflus already, is he really the best man for the job?

Tua is out for at least the next three weeks, Skylar Thompson got injured as his backup, and now Tim Boyle is set to start (unless Tyler Huntley does). It’s a mess in Miami, but we’re just hoping Tua makes the sensible decision about his health.

We’re not big believers in the “defense wins championships” mantra, but when your D plays as badly as the Bengals’ did against the Commanders, it’s time to worry. Joe Burrow can only do so much.

What a comeback! Matthew Stafford is a joy to watch and clearly has the respect of his teammates and coaches alike. As Sporting News writes, “The Rams remain dangerous in any given week with Sean McVay's play-calling.”

So close, yet so far for the Cowboys in what was nearly an all-time fourth quarter comeback. Instead, they drop to 1-2 with a defense that “surrendered 72 points and nearly 900 yards the past two weeks,” per USA Today. Things could get worse before they get better at Jerry World.

This isn’t a great football team by any means, as their 1-2 record shows, but they were a little unlucky to lose against the Lions. We could see Arizona challenging for a wild card spot later in the year. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a stud, which helps.

Per Yahoo Sports, Jayden Daniels’ 91% completion percentage set a new rookie record in the NFL. We liked Daniels before the draft, but it’s fair to say he was completely outplayed our expectations. The Commanders may have found their long-term quarterback.

The Chargers were brought back down to earth by T.J. Watt and the Steelers’ incredible defense in week three. This is still a team in transition, to an extent, so there’s no need to be worried just yet, Coach Harbaugh will make sure they’re competitive quickly.

Is this a little high for the Falcons? Probably. We thought they performed well against the Chiefs keeping it to a one score game, they’re going to have to start winning games, however, otherwise, they could be out of contention in the NFC South quickly.

Tampa got crushed by the Broncos on Sunday, struggling to contain Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense and failing to do much offensively themselves. They host the Eagles next Sunday in a matchup they usually win so that will be a good chance to rebound.

The Saints were dominated by the Eagles for most of the game on Sunday as their vaunted offense was found out by Vic Fangio et al. They were still able to keep it close and possibly should have won it, which is encouraging.

This may catch up to us at some point, but we just don’t see the Steelers being able to continue winning like this. So far this season they have scored 18, 13, and 20 points, winning all three games. There is no doubting this defense is elite, but they need to find a way to score more points.

Matt LeFleur took Malik Willis and turned him into a game-winning QB, which is a testament to how good a coach he is. If they can keep winning with Jordan Love out, all the preseason hype around this team is going to be justified.

As USA Today writes, the Seahawks have, “feasted on a trio of teams each sporting a single win,” which isn’t a concern, but it will make Sunday’s matchup against the Lions a more interesting one.

It’s probably fair to say we were hoping to see a little bit more from C.J Stroud through three weeks of the 2024 season. Not that he’s been bad, but he hasn’t necessarily improved either. Still, it’s fair too early to worry, and the Texans are still 2-1 and atop their division.

We had the 0-2 Ravens in the top 10 last week and people were angry at us in the comments, but we’re sticking with it now they’re 1-2. It was almost a disaster for Baltimore, as they just about clung on against a ferocious Cowboys comeback. We were never worried about the Ravens, they’re just too talented to not being among the best teams in football.

The injuries are mounting for the Niners with Brock Purdy struggling with back pain, George Kittle possible missing another game, Javon Hargrave tearing his tricep, and now Christian McAffrey set to see a specialist for Achilles tendonitis per ESPN. That’s unsustainable, regardless of how good your coach is.

We were cautious about the Jets during the offseason as there was potential for it all to implode, and it still could. They are looking good though, that is undeniable as Aaron Rodgers showcased some of MVP-level ability against the Pats on Thursday Night Football.

This could become known as the Jalen Carter breakout game in years to come, with the second-year defensive tackle almost single-handedly ruining the Saints’ offense. Dallas Goedert put up 170 yards on 10 catches in a career game for the tight end. This is a good, talented football team that just needs to iron out some kinks.

Can the Vikings keep winning with Sam Darnold? Maybe, probably, honestly, we’re not sure, but right now they look like one of the better teams in football and sit 3-0. For all those doubters out there, it’s time to eat some humble pie, as Minnesota has now beaten the Niners and Texans in back-to-back weeks.

It hasn’t quite been the free-flowing, unstoppable offense of last year for the Lions, as perhaps some of their plays have been sussed out a bit. Still, they’re 2-1 and will probably continue to improve over the season.

The Bills are 3-0 and are seemingly in a much more stable place than this time last year. Josh Allen is proving why he is one of the best QBs in football after a ridiculously good performance against what was seen as a good Jags defense.

Patrick Mahomes continues to throw some uncharacteristic interceptions, and the Chiefs continue to win regardless. Mahomes is still playing good football, but Andy Reid and his coaching staff will be hoping he stops turning the ball over before it costs them games.

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