The NFL landscape continues to shift week after week, at least apart from the two remaining undefeated teams.
Once again the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs took care of business to keep their stranglehold atop their respective conferences.
Below them, the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears have each made a strong case for more respect. With how shaky some of the other favourites have looked, it’s not inconceivable that the Titans and Bears could end up being a force in the playoffs.
Find out where all the teams stand in our latest power rankings heading into Week 5.
1. Los Angeles Rams
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 1
They’re the clear favourites not only in the NFC, but all of football as Jared Goff looks like an MVP frontrunner.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 2
Patrick Mahomes continues to produce the kind of magic on a week to week basis that would unsustainable for mere mortals.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 4
They keep winning with their tried-and-tested formula, which is rely on the defence to gets stops.
4. New Orleans Saints
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 5
Their defence finally stepped up with an encouraging performance against an opponent with dangerous weapons.
5. New England Patriots
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 8
Predictably, they rebounded with a commanding win that reminded the rest of the league they’re not going anywhere.
6. Carolina Panthers
Record: 2-1 | Last week: 6
They’re coming of a bye and with how volatile the teams outside of the top tier have been, a week off could be even more valuable.
7. Tennessee Titans
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 17
There’s something to be said for a team pulling out close game after close game, even if it isn’t always pretty.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 13
Even though they’ve been without Joe Mixon and A.J. Green for stretches, their offence hasn’t missed a beat and continues to impress.
9. Chicago Bears
Record: 2-1 | Last week: 18
Mitchell Trubisky won’t play that well every week, but with that defence, he won’t have to for them to rack up victories.
10. Green Bay Packers
Record: 2-1-1 | Last week: 9
Even though they blew out a bad Bills team, Aaron Rodgers and the offence haven’t looked that promising.
11. Baltimore Ravens
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 14
It’s becoming clear their defence is one of the best units in the league and Joe Flacco is doing just fine.
12. Philadelphia Eagles
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 3
There’s reason to be concerned for the defending champions, who have looked unconvincing in the secondary.
13. Minnesota Vikings
Record: 1-2-1 | Last week: 7
So, their defence may not be as bulletproof as we originally thought, but they still have one of the most talented rosters.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 1-2-1 | Last week: 10
It may seems like the sky is falling in Pittsburgh, but considering their track record, they should figure things out.
15. Los Angeles Chargers
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 15
They didn’t play well and managed to secure a win against the 49ers – funny because it’s usually the other way around for them.
16. Washington
Record: 2-1 | Last week: 16
It’s difficult to gauge just good they are, especially with them coming of a bye week.
17. Miami Dolphins
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 11
They had a chance to really establish their place in the AFC hierarchy, but in typical Dolphins fashion, they fell flat on their face.
18. Denver Broncos
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 20
Despite the loss, they showed they their defence can rise to the challenge against arguably the best attack in the league.
19. Atlanta Falcons
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 19
Injuries have really hampered their defence, which is not doing the other side of the ball any favours.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 12
Fitzmagic is officially dead and it’s unlikely Jameis Winston can come close to the same heights.
21. Seattle Seahawks
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 22
Losing Earl Thomas saps the defence of even more talent and continuity, which will only make Russell Wilson’s life harder.
22. Dallas Cowboys
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 23
Dak Prescott finally threw for more than 200 yards and had an effective game, which was desperately needed.
23. Cleveland Browns
Record: 1-2-1 | Last week: 21
It wasn’t Baker Mayfield’s fault they became Oakland’s first victims and they should be better going forward.
24. Houston Texans
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 29
They could have just as easily been left with a tie had it not been for Frank Reich’s bold call in overtime, but there are signs of life.
25. Detroit Lions
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 25
Between their talented group of receivers and the emergence of Kerryon Johnson, their offence alone should be able to win them games.
26. New York Giants
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 24
They’ve not scored at least 30 points since January 2016, which is a scarily long time for such a streak.
27. Indianapolis Colts
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 26
With the Patriots on the way in a short week, they’re in real danger of dropping four of their first five.
28. Oakland Raiders
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 31
It took multiple things to go their way for them to earn their first win, but maybe that’s what they needed to get going.
29. San Francisco 49ers
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 30
They’re not going to be a playoff candidate with C.J. Beathard, but maybe Kyle Shanahan’s system can give them a chance most weeks.
30. New York Jets
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 28
After such a strong Week 1, they’ve fallen back down to Earth in a major way, especially Sam Darnold.
31. Buffalo Bills
Record: 1-3 | Last week: 27
Okay, so it seems like that performance against Minnesota was a fluke, but that’s the kind of unpredictability you get with Josh Allen.
32. Arizona Cardinals
Record: 0-4 | Last week: 32
Even though Josh Rosen didn’t look good against Seattle, all the Cardinals should be worried about is his long-term development.
