NFL Week 4 power rankings: Packers, Vikings, Commanders rise after Week 3, Cowboys drop

The Jacksonville Jaguars have experienced countless ‘lows’ in franchise history, but what happened on Monday Night Football in Week 3 feels like one of the all-time worst. Trevor Lawrence is absolutely part of the problem and his contract only makes things worse. Yet, it’s also evident that head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke have utterly failed in building a competent NFL system. Change is necessary in Jacksonville, but if history is any guide, Baalke will find a way to survive and that would just continue the Jaguars’ woes.

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The Will Levis era is over, even if the Tennessee Titans don’t acknowledge it yet. Tennessee’s offensive line didn’t help matters on Sunday, but Levis is the worst decision-maker in the NFL. He was absurdly late on a throw, resulting in a pick-six, and that was one of many baffling decisions he made with the football on Sunday. It’s a shame because the surrounding talent isn’t bad, the quarterback is just dragging everything down.

If nothing else, Week 3 showed why it’s probably not safe right now for Drake Maye to be the New England Patriots starting quarterback. New England is abysmal up front, having already allowed 41 total pressures, 26 hurries and 8 sacks in three games, per Pro Football Focus. For now, England is just going to let Jacoby Brissett be the sacrificial lamb. Hopefully, at some point this year, the offensive line at least reaches a level where the Patriots won’t be risking Maye’s long-term health.

The Las Vegas Raiders looked like a team that celebrated the upset win over the Baltimore Ravens too long and didn’t spend any time preparing for the Carolina Panthers. The Raiders pass rush brought Andy Dalton down a few times, but he was picking this secondary apart when he stayed up. Who knows what version of the Raiders we’ll get next week against the Cleveland Browns, though, we’re pretty confident it will be a low-scoring game that fans should avoid.

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Evidently, Bryce Young was the problem for the Carolina Panthers. In the first two weeks of the season, the Panthers’ offense averaged 102 passing yards and 6.5 points per game. In the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders, Dalton put up 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. We’ll attribute some of this to a spark from a much-needed quarterback change, but it does appear as if Carolina won’t be historically awful this year.

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The Cincinnati Bengals should absolutely be better than this…but they aren’t. A week after coming a DPI away from beating the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati loses to Washington. The Commanders are clearly better than many expected in 2024, but that still leaves the Patriots’ loss on this team’s resume. What makes the 0-3 start even worse for Cincinnati is the undisputed fact this was a go-for-it year and Tee Higgins’ last with the team.

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It doesn’t take long to identify when a player is special. All the buzz from the New York Giants training camp suggested Malik Nabers was that caliber of player, but fans want to see it in the regular season. Yeah, he’s that dude. Nabers – 78 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns – makes this Giants’ offense go and he elevates quarterback Daniel Jones. When that combo is working and this Giants pass rush is wreaking havoc in the backfield – 8 sacks against the Cleveland Browns – you get results like this.

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We’re ready to stick a fork in the Cleveland Browns season. Deshaun Watson threw a pair of touchdown passes on Sunday, but it also came with just 148 net passing yards on 37 attempts and he took 8 sacks. Meanwhile, Myles Garrett is injured and Nick Chubb isn’t returning anytime soon. The Watson trade is really what sunk this team. Now, the Dawg Pound is once again stuck with the decision-making made by ownership.

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Maybe the Chicago Bears are just cursed? On the other hand, the more likely explanation is bad decision-makers at the top. Against an Indianapolis Colts run defense allowing over 200 yards per game, Chicago had nearly double as many pass attempts (52) as carries (28) and it averaged just 2.3 yards per carry. Of course, plenty of that can be blamed on the Bears’ offensive line and an interior that might be one of the weakest units in football. We also got caught up in Chicago’s great receiving corps and defense, completely losing sight of a line that couldn’t protect its franchise QB.

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The Indianapolis Colts have an Anthony Richardson problem. We’ll acknowledge that Shane Steichen certainly isn’t doing his second-year quarterback any favors by taking away his Cam Newton-esque rushing ability. However, that has nothing to do with Richardson’s decision-making when he is passing the ball. Richardson completed just 50 percent of his passes, finishing with a 39.0 QB rating and his NFL-high sixth interception. The talk about Richardson as an NFL MVP candidate before the season was always foolish. At this point, Indianapolis just needs him to look like a starting-caliber QB.

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Credit where it’s due, rookie quarterback Bo Nix stepped up on Sunday. The Denver Broncos’ signal-caller protected the football, avoided sacks and did a nice job taking what the defense gave him while mixing in a few deep shots. That is truly all this Broncos offense needs from him because Denver’s defense is making a statement this season.

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If anything positive comes out of these next few games for the Miami Dolphins, it’s the importance of Tua Tagovailoa. Maybe he is a system quarterback, but he executes everything Mike McDaniel wants and plays well behind a porous offensive line. Remove Tagovailoa from the equation and you see a team that can’t effectively get the football to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle nor can the offensive line hold up. Miami’s offense is in for a rough next few games against the Titans and Patriots.

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That might be one of the most remarkable wins we see in the NFL this season. It’s one thing for the Los Angeles Rams to respond to a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter against their biggest rival. What makes this comeback victory so incredible is that Los Angeles accomplished it without Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Darious Williams. Just an incredible team effort.

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It’s another loss for the Arizona Cardinals, but this young team is showing they can at least make things interesting against some of the best NFL teams. Kyler Murray is healthy and that version of Murray is electrifying. Unfortunately, Arizona’s defense just doesn’t have the talent to set up Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. for more scoring opportunities and better field position. Still, Cardinals fans should feel very excited about this team’s future and even this season will be a lot of fun.

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Losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers is fine, we expected that. What’s concerning for the Los Angeles Chargers coming out of Week 3 is Justin Herbert leaving in a walking boot. If Jim Harbaugh’s offense doesn’t have a quarterback opponents have to respect, they’ll stack the box to stop the run. Seeing as how this Chargers defense isn’t particularly strong, that could pose significant problems if Herbert is sidelined multiple games.

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It’s a loss and a 1-2 record but anyone who watched Sunday Night Football had to come away impressed with the Atlanta Falcons. Kirk Cousins is really starting to settle in and it’s unlocking this Falcons offense in ways we haven’t seen in years. Atlanta is far from flawless defensively, but Jessie Bates’ playmaking ability is a difference-maker. Set to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, Atlanta has a very good chance to move to .500 on the season if they can replicate what we’ve seen these last two weeks.

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It’s amazing what a franchise-caliber quarterback can do for a team. The Washington Commanders took some of the handcuffs off this offense in Week 3 and Daniels delivered one of the best Monday Night Football performances we’ve seen in years. Thanks to the rookie quarterback, Washington’s offense has now scored on 14 consecutive drives, excluding kneel-downs. Washington’s defense is still abysmal and the offensive line is a work in progress, but this is the best the Commanders have looked in years.

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Well, at least the fourth quarter prevented it from being a blowout. Week 3 was a reminder that Jerry Jones’ willfully disregarding the importance of the ground game is costly. It also doesn’t help that Dallas seemingly chose not to upgrade its woeful run defense from last season. Still, Dak Prescott nearly saved the day on an afternoon when CeeDee Lamb made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes. The 1-2 record is a tough spot to be in, but that fourth quarter could provide a small spark to work from.

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We’re willing to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a pass in some regards for Sunday’s blowout loss to the previously winless Denver Broncos. The Buccaneers inactive list included Antoine Winfield Jr, Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. Also known as the three best players on Tampa Bay’s defense. With that said, after Denver’s 70-yard opening touchdown drive, the Bucs’ defense allowed just 282 yards and 1 touchdown.

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What’s concerning, sending Tampa Bay plummeting down the Week 4 NFL power rankings, is an offense that went 3-for-11 on third-down attempts and finished with under 230 total yards for the second consecutive game. If things don’t improve quickly, the Bucs are losing next week to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New Orleans Saints are much better than we, or anyone else, expected to see this season. However, there are always going to be limitations for a team with Derek Carr under center. Carr was only sacked once on Sunday, but he completed just 14-of-25 attempts with a 5.7 yards per attempt average. Then, when the game was on the line, he threw an inexcusable interception that wiped out a shot at the Eagles defense giving up another game-winning drive. Another thing to keep in mind in a 15-12 final score, Philadelphia outgained New Orleans by 239 yards with turnovers and a missed field goal making the scoreboard look closer.

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Pretty sure the Baltimore Ravens fan base didn’t need that for their health. Lamar Jackson and Co. utterly dominated Dallas for three quarters, coasting into the fourth with a 28-6 lead. Then, the Ravens seemingly forgot there was another 15 minutes left to play. Fortunately, Jackson and Henry’s 238 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns were just enough to escape Dallas with a victory. That game isn’t good for the heart, but it is the turnaround this Ravens’ season needed.

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Pretty sure the Baltimore Ravens fan base didn’t need that for their health. Lamar Jackson and Co. utterly dominated Dallas for three quarters, coasting into the fourth with a 28-6 lead. Then, the Ravens seemingly forgot there was another 15 minutes left to play. Fortunately, Jackson and Henry’s 238 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns were just enough to escape Dallas with a victory. That game isn’t good for the heart, but it is the turnaround this Ravens’ season needed.

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The Seattle Seahawks certainly benefitted from facing a Miami Dolphins team without Tua Tagovailoa, but this team also just played really well in Week 3. Geno Smith is replicating the success from his breakthrough 2023 season and this Seahawks defense is a lot better under Mike Macdonald than it was for years with Pete Carroll. Plus, this Seahawks offense could get Kenneth Walker back for Week 4.

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The New York Jets have a top-10 defense and the combo of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen is shaping up to be one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. That leaves New York’s potential up to Aaron Rodgers. Even playing at a slightly above-average level makes this a definitive playoff team. If Rodgers looked like he did on Thursday Night Football, operating like a top-10 quarterback, the Jets are Super Bowl contenders.

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When the Green Bay Packers initially ruled out Jordan Love for 3-5 games, everyone in Wisconsin hoped the team could pull 2 wins out of that stretch with Malik Willis. Mission Accomplished. Willis looks like one of the best acquisitions in the NFL this summer and Green Bay doesn’t win this game without him. Now, the Packers get ready for a must-see battle against the Minnesota Vikings. It’s going to be a fantastic battle, especially with Love expected to start in Week 4.

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Russell Wilson isn’t getting this job while. While Justin Fields did throw his first interception of the season, he more than made up for it with the rest of his performance through the air. Pittsburgh’s offense is much better than it was last season, even if that’s a low bar to clear. All Mike Tomlin needed was a league-average offense that protected the football, because this Steelers defense is elite. Together, Pittsburgh is rightfully 3-0 even if most want to see the Steelers beat a great team before giving them their flowers.

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This is Saquon Barkley’s team. On the road against a scorching-hot New Orleans Saints team, the Philadelphia Eagles rose to the occasion for the first time in a year. Barkley led the way with 156 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns, but Dallas Goedert (10-170) also stepped up with A.J. Brown still out. The Eagles defense also deserves its share of the credit for holding the Saints offense to 1-for-3 on red-zone trips. We still have some questions about Nick Sirianni, but the talent on the Eagles roster and some great game plans from Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio made the difference on Sunday.

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Even one of the most talented skill groups in the NFL with an outstanding quarterback was no match for Brian Flores’ defense. The Houston Texans just had no answer for anything the Minnesota Vikings did. Houston’s defense was the least of its problems, with Stroud turning it over multiple times. It was also evident how much this Texans offense missed a run game, with third-string running back Cam Akers bringing nothing to the table. Ultimately, Houston just has to learn from this and hope it can rebound next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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That’s much closer to the version of the Detroit Lions we expected to see this year. It’s a bit concerning that Jared Goff threw an interception for the third consecutive game, but it was also the lone blemish on his line. Fans also had to love seeing Detroit get back to its identity, relying on Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to put the offense on their back. If this Lions defense can keep improving, that will be the true difference-maker moving forward.

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Considering that his peers voted Josh Allen as the most overrated player in the NFL, it’s even better that he is also regarded as one of the biggest trash talkers in the league. When you are this good, that means you can back it up and Allen proves that with MVP-caliber player every year. Just a dominant performance by Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, proving that offseason losses and a number of injuries already this year aren’t slowing down one of the best NFL teams.

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The Minnesota Vikings are the best team in the NFC. Heading into Week 3, many picked the Houston Texans to come out with a win in a matchup of two of the best NFL teams right now. Instead, Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson and the Vikings defense controlled this game. Yes, Houston had some self-inflicted wounds, but the Vikings looked like the better football team. Not only that, two of Minnesota’s wins have come against two teams in the top 10 of our NFL Week 4 power rankings.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL. That means finding ways to win, even without Marquise Brown and Isiah Pacheco. Rookie running back Carson Steele, aka The Alligator Man, really stepped up in Pacheco’s absence. The real standout, of course, was Rashee Rice proving he is a true No. 1 receiver in this offense. Kansas City did a nice job protecting Patrick Mahomes, though, the Falcons pass rush isn’t the best litmus test. All that matters for the Chiefs is being 3-0 and remaining in the driver’s seat atop the NFL.

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