Fours weeks into the NFL season and already teams are eliminated from any chance of postseason playoff dreams. Also, as of now, 10 teams look to be Super Bowl contenders. Yet it’s still way too early to jump on the championship caliber contenders just yet. Still, trends are moving in a direction to signify the legitimacy of teams making progress. The first four weeks are a glimpse into what could be a special year for two teams trying go all the way into the Super Bowl for 2023. Without further ado, here are the NFL power rankings after a month of action.
READ MORE: Week 5 Starts and Sits
NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs are Moving Up
Is it the usual suspects like the Kansas City Chiefs? The Chiefs have been the most consistent over the last five years. With Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, it’s hard to bet against them in the AFC.
In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles came into 2022 with high expectations. By staying undefeated, the Eagles look to clamp down against the blue-blood Green Bay Packers or San Francisco 49ers. Here are my power rankings by category.
Super Bowl Contenders
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. San Francisco 49ers
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. New York Giants
The Philadelphia Eagles deserve the number one spot. The only undefeated team left has to be the NFL’s king at least for the time being. Still, the Kansas City Chiefs are undoubtedly the best team in the AFC. Mahomes looks better than ever, and he’s doing this without Tyreek Hill. Finally, the New York Giants are in my top 10. The Giants have a healthy Saquan Barkley and, while the wins haven’t exactly been pretty, 3-1 is overachieving in my book.
Playoff Contenders Seeking Respect
11. Minnesota Vikings
12. Dallas Cowboys
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
15. Los Angeles Rams
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Cleveland Browns
18. Tennessee Titans
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Denver Broncos
Few surprises here. Obviously, the Jacksonville Jaguars are ranked higher than other outlets. But make no mistake, this team is at least a playoff contender at the moment. On both sides of the ball, the Jags are ranked in the top 10. The Minnesota Vikings might be too low, as they’re playing like the best team in their division.
Conversely, the Los Angeles Rams are trending downwards after getting thumped by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Matt Stafford leads the league in interceptions with six. This better change quickly for the Rams to even have a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Playoff Pretenders Running out of Time
21. Las Vegas Raiders
22. Seattle Seahawks
23. Detroit Lions
24. New Orleans Saints
25. New York Jets
26. New England Patriots
27. Washington Commanders
28. Indianapolis Colts
So far, the bigger disappointment has to be the New Orleans Saints after a lackluster 1-3 start. The pieces were there on paper to convince multiple experts to be bullish on the black and gold. Even Peter King picked the Saints to be the top team in the NFC. However, it’s been a myriad of mistakes and penalties plaguing the Saints through four games.
On the other hand, the fans of the Detroit Lions should feel optimistic about the future there. Their high octane offense is putting up tons of points. Unfortunately, the defense is non-existent. The Lions are averaging 35 points a game. Their defense…well giving up 35.3 doesn’t equal out. Still, the future doesn’t look nearly as bleak as past years.
The Final Four Jockeying for the First Pick
29. Chicago Bears
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
31. Carolina Panthers
32. Houston Texans
Wrapping up the NFL power rankings are the consensus four worst teams in the league. In my opinion, the Carolina Panthers are so close to surpassing the hapless Houston Texans. The Panthers do have a win against the Saints but the victory wasn’t pretty. Regardless, these four teams look to battle it out for the first overall pick in 2023. The only team out of these four look to stand to bounce back is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin makes bad teams good. He will look to the rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett to bring back the Steelers.
