NFL Power Rankings roundup: Unbeaten Vikings, Chiefs get respect

Admin October 3, 2024

The NFL season has remained unpredictable through four weeks of play, though at least some teams are starting to circle back towards expectations.

For some teams, the season has gone according to plan: the Kansas City Chiefs, the only unbeaten team in the AFC, look equipped to defend last year’s Super Bowl title. The Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans, who all hold 3-1 records, were all expected to finish safely above .500 this season. At the bottom of the standings, few can be particularly shocked to see teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars (the lone 0-4 side left in the NFL) and Carolina Panthers.

In a few other cases, though, teams are either underachieving or are way ahead of schedule. Few expected the Washington Commanders to be 3-1, but rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has sparked a surprise start to the campaign. The Baltimore Ravens, on the flip side, aren’t supposed to be 2-2, while an injury for Tua Tagovailoa is one of many things to go wrong for the Miami Dolphins, who are possibly the season’s biggest disappointment at 1-3.

Here’s what NFL experts from around the internet are saying about the best (and worst) teams as we head into Week 5:

NFL power rankings Week 5: Do surging Baltimore Ravens rocket all the way up to No. 1?

NFL Power Rankings roundup:

Nate Davis, USA TODAY: Ravens into top three after Bills win

Davis was impressed with Baltimore’s Week 4 rout of Buffalo, pointing out that the league’s most prolific rushing attack hasn’t even hit its apex. As a result, the Ravens surged up this set of power rankings, jumping to third after being no. 17 a week earlier. Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and Washington all climbed into the top 10 in Davis’ eyes, while Philadelphia dropped six places thanks in part to Jalen Hurts’ tendency to turn the ball over.

USA TODAY’s top 10:

Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
Baltimore Ravens
Detroit Lions
Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco 49ers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Commanders
Atlanta Falcons

Eric Edholm, NFL.com: Commanders climb into top 10

The Washington Commanders have Edholm already talking about a possible playoff run, and he notes that “the Daniels magic appears to be real, and the NFC East isn’t nearly the gauntlet some thought it would be.” That comes after crushing Arizona in Week 4, with the Commanders vaulting nine places in NFL.com’s power rankings. At the opposite end of things, the Miami Dolphins tumbled all the way down to no. 30 after Monday’s penalty-laden 31-12 loss to a Tennessee Titans squad that was 0-3 coming into the game.

NFL.com’s top 10:

Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit Lions
Buffalo Bills
Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens
Washington Commanders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers

David Helman, Fox Sports: KC stays in first despite Rice injury

The Kansas City Chiefs maintained their place atop Fox Sports’ power rankings, but the uncertainty surrounding Rashee Rice’s knee injury has allowed for the possibility of a changing of the guard in the near future. Helman was less impressed with the New York Jets, dropping them eight places after last week’s humbling 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos saw Aaron Rodgers and co. fail to produce a single touchdown.

Fox Sports’ top 10:

Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit Lions
Baltimore Ravens
Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills
Houston Texans
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders
Philadelphia Eagles

ESPN staff: Buccaneers trending in the right direction

Tampa Bay climbed into the top five in part because of a strong showing from their defensive line in a 33-16 win over the Eagles. ESPN did point out that the Bucs hadn’t been able to do that in previous games, producing just two sacks, which makes Week 5 a litmus test of sorts. On the other hand, they were less impressed with the Los Angeles Rams, who fell seven places to 25th in this set of power rankings after a road loss to Chicago.

ESPN’s top 10:

Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens
Houston Texans
San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders

Bleacher Report staff: Undefeated Vikings push towards top

The Minnesota Vikings are highly rated in just about any credible power ranking out there, which is no shock given their 4-0 start. Despite a bit of a wobble in the second half last week, Minnesota is leaning on Sam Darnold’s surprising performance at quarterback to pick up wins. Elsewhere, the banged-up Los Angeles Chargers took a hit, falling five places to no. 19 despite losing a tight 17-10 decision to the Chiefs.

Bleacher Report’s top 10: