NFL Power Rankings: Eagles Are Looking Like True Contenders

Philadelphia is the last remaining unbeaten team, a good enough distinction for this week’s top spot. After that is something resembling parity.

We have arrived at the conclusion of Week 4. How is everybody doing?

Maybe there was nothing that seemed outwardly beautiful to you about the early slate of games on Sunday, which showcased little other than the London-inspired dreariness of the northeast, and how many times Josh Allen can rifle a bullet through the wet hands of a wide receiver, hanging his head like the too-strong Incredible Hulk after accidentally ripping a door from its frame.

Maybe you are a cynic and couldn’t enjoy the lack of precision in Lamar Jackson ripping his way improbably out of a sack and flinging something more desperate seeming than a prayer down the sideline, only to have it batted in the air and caught by his wide receiver.

But if you stared long enough into the haze, you would find that this isn’t terribly inconsistent, bad, awful, patience-bending football we’re watching. It’s not not entertaining.

It’s something of a league-wide congruency, actually. Like some kind of astral formation where everything perfectly aligns to give us a lot of football teams who are not really all that much better than the other ones. The league, in a moment of victorious haughtiness might simply refer to it as parity, even if the reasoning could be far more complicated.

The Bills, who are almost certainly the best team in football, are going to be sitting behind the Eagles in this week’s power rankings. The Giants are 3–1 with a roster that has all the prestige of the Charlotte Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League. The Seahawks are pretty good? The Raiders, who just finally got their first win of the season, are almost certainly better than half the teams on this list.

We’ll get into the why more later on this season, but for now, just take a look at the results. Power Rankings have become tedious. This used to be an easy way to game you all, dear readers, into visiting our website. Now, we actually have to work for it. Imagine that.

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1. Philadelphia Eagles (4–0)

Last week: Win vs. Jaguars, 29–21
Next Week: at Cardinals

We talked to Philly legend Howard Eskin for yesterday’s Daily Cover on the Eagles and he said something we didn’t include in the piece that absolutely floored me: The Eagles, barring any serious injury, will not be an underdog in any game until at least Christmas Eve, with the one possible outlier being Sunday Night Football at home against the Green Bay Packers. While their schedule has been somewhat friendly, the Eagles are demolishing the good teams (Vikings, Jaguars) and laughing off the bad teams alike. It’s unlikely but not entirely outlandish to suggest they could be undefeated still at Thanksgiving.

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2. Buffalo Bills (3–1)

Last week: Win at Ravens, 23–20
Next week: vs. Steelers

If forced to pick between a healthy Bills and Eagles team right now, I’d still take Buffalo. The Bills’ schedule is unforgiving, and, thanks to Miami becoming an emerging power in this league, it doesn’t let up. You could argue this better suits them for the playoffs, so long as they make it there with their best players intact.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (3–1)

Last week: Win at Buccaneers, 41–31
Next week: vs. Raiders

Don’t look now, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire has either eclipsed or come close to 100 total yards in two of the Chiefs’ last three games. Oh, and, right, Patrick Mahomes remains a football magician from another realm. How cool are the little wrinkles in this offense from Eric Bienemy? Some speed option, some wildcat, a ton of misdirection…why can’t everyone at least try to look like the Chiefs?

Patrick Mahomes is a wizard.pic.twitter.com/Bnlxoqnkfh

(via @NFL)

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 3, 2022

4. Miami Dolphins (3–1)

Last week: Loss at Bengals, 27–15
Next week: at Jets 

While it’s impossible to separate what happened to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ immediate future, this is still a well-coached team and a well-designed offense. The first significant test of the Mike McDaniel era is here, though this is absolutely not what he was referring to when he discussed facing adversity.

5. Baltimore Ravens (2–2)

Last week: Loss vs. Bills, 23–20
Next week: vs. Bengals

This is twice in four weeks that the Ravens have sprinted out to massive leads (28–7 vs. the Dolphins, 17–3 vs. the Bills) that they couldn’t close out. Their offense is still an absolute clock-draining menace (38 minutes of possession) but their inability to stop opponents on critical drives is starting to raise eyebrows.

6. Green Bay Packers (3–1)

Last week: Win vs. Patriots, 27–24 (OT)
Next week: vs. Giants

The offense, as you saw with the Christian Watson touchdown on Sunday, is starting to unfurl some of the little sleeved-aces they’ve been setting up earlier this season. While it’s not always a beautiful process, the defense has no problem breaking through against 6.5 man protection with four rushers to sack a QB out of field goal range. Green Bay’s complementary football is a powerful weapon.

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7. Dallas Cowboys (3–1)

Last week: Win vs. Commanders, 25–10
Next week: at Rams

While it was absolutely stunning to see the Commanders handing Cooper Rush the intermediate portions of the field on Sunday, the truth is that Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy have been dealing throughout this period without Dak Prescott. This has been McCarthy’s finest head coaching stretch in years, when he needed it the most.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2–2)

Last week: Loss vs. Chiefs, 41–31
Next Week: vs. Falcons

Let’s momentarily take the extraordinary Patrick Mahomes sky-hook glitch touchdown pass out of the equation for a moment and give the Chiefs a field goal on that drive, because that’s what is going to happen with most other quarterbacks in the NFL. I’m not sure we’re freaking out about a 37–31 loss yet, even if Tampa Bay still looks a little disjointed.

Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

9. Los Angeles Rams (2–2)

Last week: Loss at 49ers, 24–9
Next week: vs. Cowboys

While their 49ers matchups always seem to be an outlier (San Francisco is the only team to hold Sean McVay under 10 points on multiple occasions) the Rams have picked up where they left off post-Odell Beckham’s injury in the Super Bowl last year—and not in the best way. Getting gashed by a 49ers offense that scored 10 points against the Broncos the week before is not the way to complement an injured and inefficient offense. Oh, and San Francisco is coming to town in a few weeks again. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (3–1)

Last week: Win at Saints, 28–25
Next week: vs. Bears

The Vikings are effectively weaponizing most areas of the field now, and are starting to create some serious space for guys not named Justin Jefferson when their elite No. 1 draw too much attention. Third-and-goal from the 15? No problem. Backup running back Alexander Mattison will walk one in.

11. Los Angeles Chargers (2–2)

Last week: Win at Texans, 34–24
Next week: at Browns

Minus the 75-yard Dameon Pierce touchdown, the Chargers effectively handled the run and developed some confidence in their own running game. When Austin Ekeler is running well, he’s exhausting for a defense that is terrified of Justin Herbert.

12. San Francisco 49ers (2–2)

Last week: Win vs. Rams, 24–9
Next week: at Panthers

This is the 49ers team we are used to, which is good enough on any given day to beat any team in the NFL. While the limitations under center ultimately set a harder ceiling on where they can go, on a night where they can establish chunk plays and play with a lead on defense, they can upend even the most heavily favored team.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (2–2)

Last week: Win vs. Dolphins, 27–15
Next week: at Ravens

Only three quarterback hits and one sack on Joe Burrow on Thursday, as the Bengals put on a performance most reminiscent of their 2021 run last week. While Burrow is always decisive, he looked more willing to accept intermediate options, which led to some effective plays, like the quick game to Tee Higgins off the line.

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14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2–2)

Last week: Loss at Eagles, 29–21
Next week: vs. Texans

The Jaguars were one excusable, late-third-quarter interception away from coming back in this game after squandering their lead. They showed some tremendous maturity on the road against the best team in football.

15. New York Giants (3–1)

Last week: Win vs. Bears, 20–12
Next week: at Packers

Hats off to Brian Daboll, who we’ve been trying to tell you about for years now. This team is winning ugly, like Saquon-Barkley-at-QB ugly. But it’s a nice prelude to what they’ll be able to do with an infusion of more talent.

16. Tennessee Titans (2–2)

Last week: Win at Colts, 24–17
Next week: at Commanders

If a preferred Titans victory style exists, we saw it on Sunday: capitalize on mistakes, feed Derrick Henry and ride the game clock out. This is good enough to work more times than not, which is why we were hesitant to bury the Titans two weeks ago.

17. Atlanta Falcons (2–2)

Last week: Win vs. Browns, 23–20
Next week: at Buccaneers

Marcus Mariota’s stat line was not beautiful, but he managed certain moments effectively on Sunday. Every week, this Falcons team becomes more likable. Grady Jarrett continues to turn in elite performances and has been one of the most situationally valuable pass rushers in the NFL this year, late in tight games when it counts.

Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

18. Denver Broncos (2–2)

Last week: Loss at Raiders, 32–23
Next week: vs. Colts (Thursday)

The loss of Javonte Williams is devastating for this Broncos team, which was always going to rely on the physicality of a lively two-back backfield to carry their offense. Now, it’s time to see Russell Wilson make up some of the tough yards.

19. Las Vegas Raiders (1–3)

Last week: Win vs. Broncos, 32–23
Next week: at Chiefs

The Raiders had a nice plan for Davante Adams in their win over the Broncos. In man coverage, they were taking the back shoulder fade. In situations where they had Adams matched up against a linebacker, they were tossing it immediately. They were setting the terms instead of allowing the defense to do so.

20. New England Patriots (1–3)

Last week: Loss at Packers, 27–24 (OT)
Next week: vs. Lions

Pretty impressive that the Patriots were able to go toe-to-toe with the Packers on the road with their second and third-string passers. We’ll see how Bill Belichick and his offensive staff handle the difficult questions and potentially meager months to come.

21. New York Jets (2–2)

Last week: Win vs. Steelers, 24–20
Next week: vs. Dolphins

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are not the Pittsburgh Steelers right now, this was another instance of the short-handed Jets swinging with one hand tied behind their back. A year ago, this was a loss. And a win over Mike Tomlin should be cherished regardless of the circumstances. He doesn’t hand out many of those.

22. Detroit Lions (1–3)

Last week: Loss vs. Seahawks, 48–45
Next week: at Patriots

This team is loaded with potential but is getting absolutely gashed defensively. Currently, Detroit is dead last in points surrendered (48 against the Seahawks, 38 against the Eagles). As good as offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been in maximizing the weapons, the Lions are not built to win like Texas Tech.

23. Cleveland Browns (2–2)

Last week: Loss at Falcons, 23–20
Next week: vs. Chargers

This is a different, far more vulnerable defense without Myles Garrett. Right now, Cleveland is the third-worst team in the NFL at defending the run, which, despite the small sample size, will be concerning regardless of who is under center.

24. Arizona Cardinals (2–2)

Last week: Win at Panthers, 26–16
Next week: vs. Eagles

The Arizona Cardinals went into opening day with the third-oldest roster in the NFL, a coaching staff that has been in place since 2019 and a quarterback who just received a massive extension. Having an EPA per play on par with the Patriots and Giants offensively is inexcusable.

Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

25. Seattle Seahawks (2–2)

Last week: Win at Lions, 48–45
Next week: at Saints

The feel-good story of 2022 continues, after Geno Smith put up West Virginia numbers in a win over the Lions this week. Smith LEADS THE NFL in a composite of expected points added per play and completion percentage over expectation. Russell Wilson is 20th. Kyler Murray is 25th. If you can’t be happy for this man getting a nice tailwind after some hard years in the NFL, you may be the type of green furry creature who steals Christmas presents.

26. Chicago Bears (2–2)

Last week: Loss at Giants, 20–12
Next week: at Vikings

I was watching the Bears in person on Sunday and, boy, is Justin Fields something else. Does he miss throws? Yes. Does he have a lot of time in the pocket and (relative to his peers) fewer hurries? Yes. It ain’t perfect. But if Chicago can figure out a way to get rubber on the road, and get him into a flow where his reads and athleticism and arm strength all seem to match up? Watch out.

27. Indianapolis Colts (1-2-1)

Last week: Loss vs. Titans, 24–17
Next week: at Broncos (Thursday)

The Colts can’t run the ball and they turn it over far too much. It’s not complicated, even if we’re all making it seem that way. This could get out of hand in a hurry, with three really talented defensive coaches—Broncos (Ejiro Evero), Jaguars (Mike Caldwell) and Titans (Mike Vrabel)—all coming up next on their schedule.

28. New Orleans Saints (1–3)

Last week: Loss vs. Vikings, 28–25
Next week: vs. Seahawks

This was supposed to be a defense-forward team that rode the ebbs and flows of a Jameis Winston offense and complemented his erraticism with a punishing unit on the other side of the ball. Thus far, New Orleans is playing the run really well, but struggling to contain the pass. Even a mediocre defense isn’t going to be enough to keep this team in the hunt.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers (1–3)

Last week: Loss vs. Jets, 24–20
Next week: at Bills

Here’s our preseason scouting report on Pickett. While obviously a sunny side of the spectrum, the thought that the rookie can regularly complete medium-to difficult-range throws and smartly supplement with his legs, a talented core of receivers can pick up the pieces. Then again, we said that about Mitch Trubisky, too.

30. Washington Commanders (1–3)

Last week: Loss at Cowboys, 25–10
Next week: vs. Titans

Carson Wentz is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL and he continues to operate in a Commanders offense that is allowing him to hold the ball as long as Russell Wilson in the pocket without any consequences (except, you know, getting pummeled).

31. Houston Texans (0-3-1)

Last week: Loss vs. Chargers, 34–24
Next week: at Jaguars

Last year during their head coach hiring process, it seemed like the Texans were eyeing a three-year rebuilding window from the start of 2022. Right now, they are 26th in scoring points and 17th in giving them up. They’re 29th in earning first downs and 29th in stopping them. They’re 25th in rushing the ball and 31st in stopping it. They may need every inch of that space.

32. Carolina Panthers (1–3)

Last week: Loss vs. Cardinals, 26–16
Next week: vs. 49ers

We are seeing the opposite end of the potential curve here in Carolina. On one hand, this could have been a roster that potentially picked the low-hanging fruit, won their winnable games an ended up with a No. 7 seed. This is the other end: questions about swapping Baker Mayfield under center.