NFL Power Rankings: Royal Rumble Style
Lots of changes this week in the NFL Power Rankings this week; a lot of teams are going over the rope
Let me remind everyone that NFL power rankings are the fantasy football equivalent of a horoscope. They feel official, they sound confident, and by Sunday evening they have been proven wrong in at least six or seven different ways. I spent a perfectly good Tuesday night staring at 32 team names, trying to decide whether a 4-0 team that scores like it’s 1-3 deserves to sit above a 2-2 team that gives up points like it’s running a clearance sale. The answer, as always, is whatever I decide, and you are free to scream at me about it.
This week brings some fun developments. Five teams are still winless, and one of them is Miami, which shocked absolutely no one. Several starting quarterbacks are banged up, so backups across the league are about to find out whether holding the clipboard was the better gig. Jacksonville is a legitimate contender, a sentence my 2023 self would have spit his coffee out reading. And the Browns are 3-1, a fact I have decided to treat like a typo until further notice.
Here’s the latest NFL Power Rankings list heading into Week 5.
Last Week: 4
The only team in the league that can claim the best offense and a top-half defense at the same time. San Francisco is 4-0 with 122 points scored and just 64 allowed. Brock Purdy has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in football. I had them fourth last week, and that was too low.
Last Week: 6
The 2-2 record is misleading. The Rams have been outscoring teams only slightly, but they have also lost the turnover battle by five, which is the main reason the record looks worse than the team. Fix the giveaways and this is still a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
Last Week: 14
Biggest jump on my board, and I think it is earned. Jacksonville has scored 104 points while giving up only 53 and owns a plus-six turnover margin. Trevor Lawrence has been steady, and the defense has been smothering. A year ago I would have laughed at this ranking. Not anymore.
Last Week: 3
The defense is still the best in the league, and it keeps Seattle in every game. Drew Lock has held the offense together after the Sam Darnold injury. Seattle slips one spot only because Jacksonville has been a little better, not because anything went wrong.
Last Week: 2
4-0 and still moving down my list, which says more about the teams above them than the Chiefs. Kansas City has scored 118 points and is plus-five in turnovers. Patrick Mahomes is not putting up video game numbers yet, but the running game keeps this offense on schedule.
Last Week: 1
The offense is as good as any in the NFL, but 107 points allowed through four games is becoming a problem. Josh Allen can cover for a lot, and he has, but I am not sure he can cover for this defense in January. They stay in the top six for now.
Last Week: 7
No movement, but a big question mark hanging over this ranking. Lamar Jackson is dealing with an ankle sprain described as a rarer type that could cost him multiple weeks, and he looks unlikely to play against Atlanta. If he is out, expect the Ravens to slide next week.
Last Week: 10
3-1 with 112 points scored and only 65 allowed, and that was with the quarterback position in flux. Caleb Williams is out with a hamstring and will not practice this week. Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent have kept the offense afloat, which tells you a lot about how good the rest of this roster is.
Last Week: 8
A .500 team that I still think is better than its record. The offense is moving the ball well, and the defense with Dexter Lawrence has held up better than most people expected. It sits at 2-2 and needs to start stringing wins together.
Last Week: 9
4-0, and I still do not fully trust it. The Vikings have scored only 86 points in four games, which is low for an undefeated team, and the defense has done most of the work. A plus-five turnover margin has helped too. Keep winning and I will keep moving them up.
Last Week: 5
Six spots is a big fall, but it is what 74 points scored in four games gets you. The defense has been fine. The offense, with the best offensive line in football, has not shown up. This team needs Bo Nix and the run game to get going immediately.
Last Week: 24
The 2-2 Patriots jump 12 spots, though that says as much about how far I had them dropping as about what they have done. Drake Maye and the offense have been inconsistent, and the turnover margin is minus-five. But I got this team too low last week.
Last Week: 16
Every Cowboys game is a shootout. They have scored 122 points and allowed 112. CeeDee Lamb caught 17 of 21 targets for 189 yards in the 34-30 win over Houston. The offense is elite. The defense is a disaster. That makes Dallas fun to watch and impossible to trust.
Last Week: 21
0-4 and moving up seven spots sounds ridiculous, but the numbers suggest this team is better than the record. The defense has played well, and the 34-30 loss to Dallas was a shootout they could have won. The offense needs help, and the standings do not leave much time to find it.
Last Week: 11
The offense is great, and the defense is giving up almost as many points as it scores. Detroit has allowed 127, more than any team except New Orleans. Shootouts are fun, but it is hard to build a contender around a defense that cannot get a stop.
Last Week: 20
2-2 with 121 points scored, and the plus-three turnover margin is helping. The defense still gives up too much. Carolina moves up four spots because the offense keeps scoring, but I need to see more stops before this goes any higher.
Last Week: 12
The Eagles have scored only 75 points, and with a ton of injuries on offense, the problems aren’t getting any easier. The defense has been solid, but this offense is being carried by Jalen Hurts alone; they would be 0-4 with just about any other QB. That is not sustainable.
Last Week: 13
3-1 on the season, but I am not buying it. The Raiders have a plus-three turnover margin, and the underlying numbers are not great. Nice start, but I need to see this team do it again before they move up.
Last Week: 30
0-4 and moving up 11 spots. Strange, but the Chargers have played better than the record suggests. The defense is decent, and a team with this much talent on paper cannot stay this bad. Justin Herbert needs more help from the offense, though.
Last Week: 26
Jets are 1-3, but they have been competitive and have a plus-three turnover margin. Geno Smith is giving them just enough, and this team can still play spoiler. A long way from a contender, but not the disaster some expected.
Last Week: 15
The defense is good enough to keep this team in games, but the offense has scored 77 points through four weeks. That is nowhere near enough. Aaron Rodgers and the offense need to wake up, or this is going to be a long season.
Last Week: 22
Green Bay has given up 105 points, and the offense has scored only 73. That is a team that is not winning on either side of the ball. 2-2 is better than they have played. No movement, and I am not sure anything changes soon.
Last Week: 29
2-2 and climbing six spots. Michael Penix Jr. has been efficient, and the offense is moving the ball. The problem is turnovers, where Atlanta is minus-five. Clean that up, and this team starts winning more games, but the Ravens, even with questions at quarterback, will be a big test.
Last Week: 19
The worst turnover margin in the league at minus-six, and it is the biggest reason this team has been inconsistent. The win over Washington in London was good, but 104 points allowed is far too many. Protect the football and this team is better than 24th.
Last Week: 27
1-3, with 117 points allowed. The defense is not getting stops, and the offense is too inconsistent to make up for it. A small bump this week only because other teams fell.
Last Week: 18
Giants fans should enjoy the 3-1 record, because Jaxon Dart is out and the offense has scored only 82 points even with him. Dart was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in football, so losing him is a huge blow. Eight spots is a big drop, but the offense without him is a different team.
Last Week: 25
0-4 and Baker Mayfield is out. The offense has been below average all year, scoring just 76 points, and the defense has not been able to keep up. Tough to see a path to a win without the starter.
Last Week: 23
The Commanders have given up 122 points, and the quarterback situation is a mess. Marcus Mariota is doubtful with an MCL sprain, and Jayden Daniels is questionable. If Daniels cannot go, this team is in trouble.
Last Week: 17
The defense has allowed 128 points, the most in the league. That is a long way from the team that nearly beat Detroit in Week 1. The offense is scoring, but it cannot overcome this defense. A big drop, and a deserved one.
Last Week: 28
The Browns are 3-1, and I still do not believe it. They have scored only 81 points and the underlying numbers are bad. Some team has to be this lucky, and for now it is Cleveland. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Last Week: 31
0-4 with only 55 points scored, the lowest total in the league. Not much to say. The offense cannot move the ball, and the defense cannot make up for it.
Last Week: 32
46 points scored in four games and 101 allowed. Last in the league in both. Tanking.
