NFL Power Rankings: Week 4 (2023)

 

We are nearly through the first month of the 2023 NFL season, and what a season it's been so far! In Week 3, we saw a whole of crazy results, including the Dolphins dropping 70 points on the Broncos' defence, the Packers coming back down 17-0 in the 4th quarter to beat the Saints, and the Cardinals pulling off a surprising upset win over the Cowboys.

Let's look at how all 32 teams are heading into Week 4.

1. Miami Dolphins (+2 from last week): Record (3-0)

The Dolphins hung 70 points in their Week 3 win over the Broncos. 70 points! This Dolphins' offence is absolutely electric and the defence is looking much improved compared to last season. On tap, they have a monster showdown against the Bills for the early lead in the AFC East on Sunday afternoon.

2. San Francisco 49ers (same as last week): Record (3-0)

The 49ers are 3-0 for just the second time in the last 25 seasons. The offence put up 30 points against the Giants, while the defence held New York to just 12 points and 150 yards of total offence. On paper, the Niners are arguably the most talented team in the league and they'll look to continue their hot streak to the season when they take on a feisty 1-2 Cardinals team in Week 4.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (+2 from last week): Record (2-1)

I get it; it's not like the Chicago Bears are even an average NFL team right now (more on them later), but the Chiefs absolutely dominated them on Sunday. The Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce connection looks as strong as it's ever been. But more surprisingly, the Chiefs defence has quietly played at a elite level through the first three games of the season. It seems like the Chiefs have finally managed to pair Mahomes with a great defence, which is horrifying news for the rest of the NFL.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (same as last week): Record (3-0)

The Eagles are 3-0, but something seems a bit off right now in the City of Brotherly Love. The offence (specifically Jalen Hurts and the playcalling) hasn't been great. But credit to general manager Howie Roseman and the coaching staff; this Philly team is dominant on both sides of the trenches (2nd in rushing yards, 1st in fewest rushing yards allowed), which is why the Eagles will be in every single game this season. Let's see if Hurts can get back to his 2022 MVP form when he and the Birds play host to the Commanders in a NFC East battle.

5. Buffalo Bills (+3 from last week): Record (2-1)

After losing in Week 1, the Bills have a point differential of +62 in their last wins over the Raiders and Commanders respectively. Josh Allen and the offence are playing well, but it's been their defence that's been absolutely suffocating this season (2nd in DVOA). That defence will face a momentous task this week against the best offence in the NFL when they host the Dolphins in Buffalo in a huge AFC East showdown.

6. Dallas Cowboys (-5 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Cowboys drop five spots down in my power rankings after they fell to the Cardinals in a huge upset loss in Week 3. The defence got gashed repeatedly in the running game while Dak Prescott and the offence struggled mightily to capitalize in the red zone. The 'Boys will try to bounce back on Sunday when they host their former franchise running back Ezekiel Elliott and the New England Patriots in "America's Game of the Week".

7. Detroit Lions (+2 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Lions got back on track after losing in Week 2, as they held a talented Falcons offence to just six points. The Lions' defence has been much better this season than it was last season; after ranking 27th in defensive DVOA in 2022, Detroit currently ranks 12th in that same metric through the first three games in 2023. The Lions will try to take an early lead in the NFC North this week, as they travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers on "Thursday Night Football"

8. Cleveland Browns (+6 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Browns are 2-1, led by their ferocious number one ranked defence. Edge rusher Myles Garrett is once again playing at a dominant level, while the rest of their talented defence is finally living up to the hype with new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz (who should be the early candidate for Assistant Coach of the Year) calling the shots. That Cleveland defence vs. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' dangerous rushing attack is one of the most tantalizing matchups in Week 4.

9. Seattle Seahawks (+3 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Seahawks got their first home win of the season last week as they knocked off the Panthers 37-27. Geno Smith and the offence were awesome, racking up 425 yards of offence in the victory. Their defence hasn't played well this season, but they'll have an opportunity to bounce back when they take on a below-average Giants passing attack on "Monday Night Football".

10. Baltimore Ravens (-4 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Ravens suffered a tough overtime loss at home to the Colts on Sunday. They outgained the Colts in total yards of offence (364-327), but two costly turnovers ultimately did them in. Up next is a big AFC North rivalry matchup against a very good Browns team in Cleveland.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (+5 from last week): Record (2-1)

Winners of two straight, the Steelers currently sit in first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh's offence didn't look good during the first two weeks, but at the same time, both of those games were against two of the top four defences in the NFL according to DVOA, and Kenny Pickett looked much better against the Raiders' porous defence in Week 3. The Steelers will look to win their third game in a row on Sunday when they face C.J. Stroud and the Texans in Houston.

12. Green Bay Packers (+5 from last week): Record (2-1)

It looked like the Packers were going to lose in what was Jordan Love's first game at Lambeau Field as the Packers' starting quarterback, but led by Love and a great performance by the defence (headlined by Rashan Gary), Green Bay mounted a wild comeback after being down 17-0 in the 4th quarter against the Saints. Next, the Pack will look to end their three-game losing streak to the Lions on "Thursday Night Football".

13. Cincinnati Bengals (same as last week): Record (1-2)

The Bengals weren't overly impressive in their Week 3 win over the Rams, but they got the win and that's what they desperately needed. The defence played great against Matthew Stafford, sacking him six times while picking off two of his passes. But Joe Burrow still doesn't look like himself. Maybe he will perform at a higher level this week when Cincy travels to Tennessee to take on the Titans in an AFC clash.

14. Los Angeles Chargers (+4 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Chargers didn't really stop "Chargering" when they took on the Vikings last Sunday. But they managed to walk out of U.S. Bank Stadium with their first win of the season. Justin Herbert continued his MVP-caliber play to begin the season, but now, star wide receiver Mike Williams is out for the season with a torn ACL, so it will be interesting to see how the Chargers' offence fares for the rest of the campaign. They'll host the Raiders, who are also 1-2, in a key AFC West matchup on Sunday.

15. New Orleans Saints (-4 from last week): Record (2-1)

It initially looked like the Saints were going to spoil the Packers' home opener, as they took a 17-0 lead early on. However, once starting quarterback Derek Carr exited the game with a shoulder injury, the Saints offence lost all of its juice as they didn't score another point for the rest of the game. Carr is currently week-to-week with a AC joint sprain on his throwing arm, which means Jameis Winston will probably get the start this week against the Buccaneers (Winston's former team) in a pivotal NFC South battle on Sunday.

16. Atlanta Falcons (-6 from last week): Record (2-1)

After scoring 49 points in their first two games of the season, the Falcons managed to score just six points against the Lions, resulting in their first loss of the season. The bread and butter of Atlanta's offence is the running game behind running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, but once Detroit shut that down, the Falcons had zero answers. They'll try to regroup when they take on the Jaguars in London on Sunday.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars (-9 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Jaguars were viewed by many as Super Bowl contenders heading into this season, but after a blowout loss at home to a rebuilding Houston Texans team, it might be time to readjust our expectations for this team. Trevor Lawrence and the offence are having big issues when it comes to converting on third down, and the defence is struggling to generate pressure on the quarterback. Let's see if they can rebound against the Falcons this week in their annual trip across the pond.

18. Washington Commanders (-3 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Commanders received a brutal wake-up call in Week 3, as they got thrashed by the Bills 37-3 at home. Quarterback Sam Howell threw four interceptions and was sacked a whopping nine times in that contest. Washington will try to regroup this week, though it certainly won't be easy as they travel to Philadelphia to take on an elite Eagles squad.

19. New England Patriots (+5 from last week): Record (1-2)

Bill Belichick's squad got their first win of the season last week when they beat the AFC East rival Jets for the 15th consecutive time. The defence was excellent against the Jets and that unit has been very good throughout the year so far, but the offence is only averaging 17.3 points per game, which is the seventh-worst mark in the NFL. Something tells me that if the Pats want to be a playoff team this season, that number is going to have to improve and improve quickly, starting with this week's marquee matchup against a loaded Cowboys team.

20. Indianapolis Colts (+8 from last week): Record (2-1)

It's time to give this Colts team some respect. Without Anthony Richardson, Indy went on the road with a backup quarterback (although Gardner Minshew is definitely no slouch) and beat a good Ravens team. Running back Zack Moss also had a great performance, the defence forced two timely turnovers, and kicker Matt Gay made four field goals over 50+ yards (take that, Justin Tucker). The Colts will try to win their third straight game when they take on the Rams at home this Sunday.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2 from last week): Record (2-1)

The Bucs lost on Monday night to the Eagles, but they battled 'till the very end against the defending NFC champs. However, there is definitely some cause for concern, as Baker Mayfield and the offence only managed 174 yards of total offence in that game. If Tampa Bay's offence isn't capable of doing damage against elite defences, the ceiling for this team gets increasingly lower.

22. Los Angeles Rams (same as last week): Record (1-2)

The Rams lost their second straight game on Monday night against the Bengals, but had L.A. been better in the red zone (they went 1-4 in that area in that game), they probably would have won the game. Credit to head coach Sean McVay and his coaching staff for keeping this team competitive, which was not what many (including myself) were expecting to see this season. The Rams will try to get back to .500 when they face off against the Colts in Indianapolis this week.

23. Minnesota Vikings (-2 from last week): Record (0-3)

For the first time in 10 years, the Vikings have started off a season with a 0-3 record. The funny thing about this is that last season, the Vikings finished with a staggering 11-0 record in one-score (games decided by seven points or less) contests. But so far this season, it seems like their late-game magic has disappeared, as all of their three losses have come in one-score games. The offence is fine, but the defence is definitely not. They have to get that side of the ball fixed and when I say fixed, I mean fixed ASAP.

24. Arizona Cardinals (+6 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Cardinals rose up six spots in my power rankings after they defeated a very good Cowboys team by double digits. Quarterback Josh Dobbs has been great, and even though this isn't the most talented team in the league, new head coach Jonathan Gannon has his squad flying all around the field and playing with extreme effort, which is great to see. The 49ers won't have it easy against them this week, that's for sure.

25. Houston Texans (+6 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Texans are coming off a monster win over the Jaguars on Sunday. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud continued his excellent start to his NFL career, as he threw for 280 yards and two touchdown passes with a 118.8 passer rating in the win. Also, this defence under new head coach DeMeco Ryans has been solid as well. They'll look to keep the good times rolling this week when they host the Steelers at NRG Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

26. Tennessee Titans (-7 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Titans got beat into submission by the Browns on Sunday. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill barely had any time to throw the football (shout-out Myles Garrett), Derrick Henry couldn't gain any traction in the ground game and the defence got torched by Deshaun Watson. Tennessee will try to bounce back with a home win over the Bengals this week.

27. New York Jets (-8 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Jets offence is pitiful and it sucks that this is the case. Zack Wilson is playing horribly, but he's not the only problem with this unit right now; the offensive line can't protect him and can't open up any running lanes for Breece Hall or Dalvin Cook. Up next is a home game on "Sunday Night Football" against the defending world champion (shout-out Noah Lyles) Chiefs.

28. New York Giants (-3 from last week): Record (1-2)

The G-Men got predictably blown out by the 49ers on "Thursday Night Football" last week. The offence without star running back Saquon Barkley just simply isn't good, and the defence isn't good enough to cover for that deficiency. Let's see if the Giants can bounce back this week when they host a good Seahawks team on Monday night.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (-3 from last week): Record (1-2)

The Raiders lost their second consecutive game of the season last week as they lost in a close one to the Steelers. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo struggled in his home debut with the team, throwing three interceptions. Garoppolo is currently in concussion protocol as of this writing so there's a chance that he could miss this week's important game against the Chargers.

30. Carolina Panthers (-1 from last week): Record (0-3)

The Panthers are coming off a tough loss to the Seahawks last week. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton got the start in that one and he played well, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdown passes on the road. Carolina will try to get their first win of the season when they host the Vikings (who are also 0-3) on Sunday.

31. Denver Broncos (-4 from last week): Record (0-3)

You know how I said that the Titans got beat into submission on Sunday. Well, whatever happened to the Broncos was even worse! Denver lost by 50 (not a typo) points last week. I know the Dolphins have a very explosive offence, but giving up 70 points is crazy. Sean Payton and Co. have a TON to clean up this week, but fortunately for them, they get to play a team that is somehow worse off than the Broncos are right now.

32. Chicago Bears (same as last week): Record (0-3)

Yep, you guessed it! The Bears are horrible on the field and off the field right now. It's actually crazy how they went from being the worst team in the league to being--you guessed it again--the worst team in the league. Everybody knew that the defence wouldn't be good this season, but the fact that quarterback Justin Fields hasn't taken the fabled "third-year-jump" is very concerning for this franchise.