Only two teams remain undefeated, while other potential contenders are on the way to the drawing board.
The San Francisco 49ers advanced with a 35-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals, while the Philadelphia Eagles narrowly survived at home with a 34-31 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders.
But the week didn’t go particularly well for other teams like the Miami Dolphins, who, after scoring 70 points and taking a 3-0 lead last week, suffered a loss of their own as the Buffalo Bills won 48-20.
Then there’s the Cincinnati Bengals, who look worse every week, losing to the Tennessee Titans 27-3 and are down to 3-1. Something may have to change sooner or later.
Let’s clear things up with the NFL Power Rankings ahead of Week 5:
32. Chicago Bears (0-4): Justin Fields had arguably the best game of his career, only for Chicago to blow a 28-7 lead against the previously winless Broncos. And Chase Claypool watched from home. The weather is worsening in the Windy City.
31. Carolina Panthers (0-4): Kirk Cousins played terribly and the Panthers still showed nothing. Who would win in a match between the Bears and the Panthers?
30. Denver Broncos (1-3): Should the Broncos even be proud of their performance? Let’s see how they use this momentum.
29. New England Patriots (1-3): Is this the worst New England has ever seen under Bill Belichick? They very well could have been 0-4 if the New York Jets had Aaron Rodgers.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (1-3): Rookie Aidan O’Connell got his chance, but he doesn’t raise the floor any more than Jimmy Garoppolo did when Las Vegas lost three straight.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3): Aside from Joe Burrow’s injury issues, there is no logical reason for Cincinnati to be doing so poorly. Maybe they need a change somewhere soon.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2): Mike Tomlin has already expressed the need for change. Conclusion: Pittsburgh despite the 2-2 start.
25. New Orleans Saints (2-2): Shockingly, Derek Carr isn’t moving the needle. Jameis Winston should get a chance at some point.
24. Atlanta Falcons (2-2): Their defense can keep up, but unfortunately Desmond Ridder hasn’t made any progress.
23. New York Giants (1-2): The sample size here will have to wait until the Seattle game on Monday.
22. Washington Commander (2-2): Inspiring performance against Philadelphia, but they conceded too many points three weeks in a row.
21. Arizona Cardinals (1-3): Joshua Dobbs and the Cardinals are struggling, even if their talent gap is large.
20. Indianapolis Colts (2-2): The Colts won both road games but lost both at home. Anthony Richardson needs receivers who can catch.
19. Tennessee Titans (2-2): Order the AFC South any way now and it probably makes sense.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2): The Jaguars should win this division based on their playoff run last year, but they haven’t shown it yet.
17. Houston Texans (2-2): DeMeco Ryans may be building something special and their next three games will be against teams not from the Tampa Bay NFC South. Why not 5:2?
16. Minnesota Vikings (1-3): The Vikings were neither completely bad nor convincingly good. No. 16 feels fair.
15. Seattle Seahawks (2-1): How Seattle handles the Daniel Jones test will greatly impact their movement here.
14. Los Angeles Rams (2-2): Sean McVay must be thrilled to have Puka Nacua. Giving away a 23-0 lead against Indianapolis isn’t right.
13. New York Jets (1-3): Man, the Jets defense is good and they could have gotten a win against Kansas City.
12. Cleveland Browns (2-2): Deshaun Watson wasn’t at his level in Houston, but Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s first start wasn’t memorable.
11. Green Bay Packers (2-2): It wasn’t a pretty performance on Thursday, but the Packers have something on their hands.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2): Justin Herbert didn’t have a good game by his standards, but the Chargers’ defense stepped up due to key injuries.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1): They have tough games on the schedule, but the Bucs can — and should — make the NFC South their own.
8th. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): The Ravens are a strange loss for Gardner Minshew and the Colts are far from undefeated. Her schedule for the next few weeks is also quite favorable.
7. Miami Dolphins (3-1): You never want to lose 48-20 to a rival while talking about a title contender, but the Dolphins need to bounce back and show they can handle adversity.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (3-1): It’s been obvious since Week 1, but the Chiefs didn’t look like defending champs. But they have Patrick Mahomes and that was enough.
5. Detroit Lions (3-1): The Lions showed courage and won a prime-time game in Lambeau. This feels…different?
4. Buffalo Bills (3-1): Buffalo made a statement against Miami to cap its third straight loss. A Josh Allen without turnovers can take the Bills to the promised land.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (4-0): Yes, it’s an undefeated start for Philly, but some of their results could have easily meant losses. They need more confidence in their style.
2. Dallas Cowboys (3-1): Trevon Diggs’ absence wouldn’t have been overlooked against New England’s weapons, but aside from the blip against Arizona, this Cowboys team makes its games its own. That’s what the Eagles are missing.
1. San Francisco 49ers (4-0): Controlled and calm in all four confident victories – the signs of a real Super Bowl contender. Next week against Dallas is the first big test.