It’s hard to believe how quickly the 2020 NFL regular season is flying by! All 32 teams have played 25 percent of their schedule (except for Tennessee and Pittsburgh, who had a way-early bye week in Week 4 thanks to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Titans), and we’re starting to see some separation. The Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills are two of the most pleasant surprises of the young season, while the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons probably have the most wrath in their fan base.
As you consider your NFL betting for this coming weekend, take a look at our latest NFL power rankings.
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NFL Power Rankings after Week 4
#1 Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)
The Chiefs are 4-0 for the fourth straight year — the first team in NFL history ever to pull off that feat. Starting with their Monday night win over New England, they enter a stretch of three games in 11 days. If they can emerge from that stretch relatively injury-free, and with even more improvement on offense, they might have the AFC West largely salted away by the midpoint of the season.
#2 Seattle Seahawks (4-0)
Russell Wilson is tied with Peyton Manning for the most touchdown passes ever through four games (14). They sit at 4-0, with some questions on defense, but already with a two-game advantage on the 49ers. They host Minnesota on Sunday night and then enter their bye week, which should help them get some players back off IR.
#3 Green Bay Packers (4-0)
The NFC’s version of Tom Brady is back, as Aaron Rodgers is once again putting up huge numbers in the passing game, even with Davante Adams and Allen Lazard unavailable at wide receiver.
#4 Buffalo Bills (4-0)
The biggest change so far for the Bills has been quarterback Josh Allen, who has overcome the inaccuracy woes that plagued him in his first two seasons in the league. He’s throwing into tight windows with confidence, and he’s hitting his receivers for big plays. The defense needs to tighten up — but just about every team in the league can say that.
#5 Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
According to FPI, Baltimore has the second-easiest schedule left to play, favored by seven or more points in eight of their last 12 games. They do have a sticky November, facing Pittsburgh twice along with Indianapolis, New England and Tennessee. But then they finish with Jacksonville, the Giants and Cincinnati, so a 3-0 finish is almost a given. Can they take down a big contender in the postseason, though?
#6 Tennessee Titans (3-0)
In Weeks 2 and 3, the defense permitted 60 points. Luckily, the team scored 63. Now things get tough (assuming the Titans can stop having COVID-19 outbreaks on the roster), as a stretch with Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Baltimore comes next.
#7 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)
Big Ben is back and finding his rhythm, but the offense has shown balance and the defense has shown resolve. They still have all six AFC North games remaining.
#8 Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
The Rams are a game out of first in the NFC West and could be 4-0, if it were not for a dreadful PI call in the late seconds of their game in Buffalo. They’ve been fortunate so far as far as the injury and COVID-19 bugs. Can their defense tighten up down the stretch?
#9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
Tom Brady has definitely turned the clock back behind a rejuvenated O-line. He led the Bucs back from a 17-point deficit to knock off the Chargers on Sunday, with five touchdown passes, each to a different receiver. The Bucs don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to winning, but Brady can mentor them.
#10 New Orleans Saints (2-2)
Like many of the other teams, th eSaints have a ton of injuries, but their list includes wide receiver Michael Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders has yet to step up in his absence. Also, Drew Brees continues to look a little tentative when it comes to throwing the ball down the field.
#11 New England Patriots (2-2)
The Pats looked awful in Kansas City, but they had had to travel from Boston on the day of the game, and they had Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. Newton’s return this Sunday is still questionable, depending on COVID-19 protocols, and the Pats just saw Stephon Gilmore come back with a positive test, taking away a key piece on defense.
#12 Indianapolis Colts (3-1)
The good news for the Colts is that Philip Rivers can let the defense and the running game dictate the rhythm. No defense has given up less than the Colts’ unit. They have a tough schedule remaining, with Tennessee (twice), Green Bay, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
#13 Cleveland Browns (3-1)
Tailback Nick Chubb is out for a few weeks due to a knee injury that he suffered in Dallas in Week 4. With Kareem Hunt and several others waitingi n the wings, though, the Browns have an offense that looks like the real deal. They do need to figure out what’s going on in their secondary, though, as Dallas turned a 41-14 fourth quarter deficit into a 41-38 nailbiter before the Browns scored an insurance touchdown.
#14 San Francisco 49ers (2-2)
Losing to Philadelphia at home is never a good sign, but the 49ers still have a backup quarterback running things; this week we saw Nick Mullens and then C.J. Beathard. We don’t know how long Jimmy Garoppolo will remain out, but the rest of hte team needs to stand up.
#15 Chicago Bears (3-1)
The Bears had to mount massive comebacks to beat two dreadful teams in Detroit and Atlanta. They led the Giants by 17 and tried to give that away, but the Giants couldn’t take it. Indianapolis squelched their offense in a 19-11 win on Sunday, so we see that the Bears still need to find an offensive scheme.
#16 Arizona Cardinals (2-2)
After a 2-0 start, the Cards have lost to Detroit and Carolian. The Carolina loss we can understand, as the Panthers are a lot better than their 0-2 start would indicate, but Detroit? Kyler Murray has slipped a bit in terms of confidence, but I see him getting his mojo back in his next two games, against the Jets and Dallas.
#17 Las Vegas Raiders (2-2)
I saw the Raiders on the rise when they started 2-0, but then they dropped back to .500, and next week they head to Kansas City. They have the bye in Week 6, and things get a little bit easier. Hopefully during that break they can fix their problems on defense.
#18 Los Angeles Chargers
>Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, forced into a starting role after a Chargers doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lung giving him a pain injection, continues ot learn well on the job. Losing tailback Austin Ekeler (hamstring / knee) hurts, but the Chargers now get a chance to see what rookie Joshua Kelley can do. He’s fumbled in each of the last two games, so hopefully he can improve his ball security. Each Charger loss has been by less than a score, so the team needs to learn how to win.
#19 Philadelphia Eagles (1-2-1)
The Eagles are in first place in an NFC East that has a combined 3-12-1 record through four weeks. Philadelphia just picked up a tough win in San Francisco after playing for the tie against Cincinnati, so that represents a step forward.
#20 Minnesota Vikings (1-3)
Minnesota got into the win column for the first time in Week 4 by knocking off Houston, but they almost squandered a 31-16 fourth-quarter lead. The problems for the Vikings come on defense, which is uncharacteristic of a Mike Zimmer-coached team.
#21 Carolina Panthers (2-2)
New head coach Matt Rhule has had the Panthers improving in each of their four games, and they have turned an 0-2 start into a 2-2 record at the quarter-pole. They play Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans and Atlanta again in their next four game. If they can go 3-1, they have a chance to make noise in the NFC South.
#22 Miami Dolphins (1-3)
The Dolphins still have the Jets twice on the schedule, and they look much tougher than they looked in the first half of last year’s season. However, they appear to lack the talent to beat the league’s good teams. And when will we see Tua at quarterback?
#23 Dallas Cowboys (1-3)
The Cowboys just look confused on defense. They allowed 307 rushing yards against the Browns — a franchise worst. They have permitted 146 points through four games — also a franchise worst. Their offense can be transcendent, but Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott can’t stop fumbling. Prescott is putting up huge numbers in the passing game, but that’s what you have to do when you’re never in the lead.
#24 Houston Texans (0-4)
After a four-game skid to start the season, Houston has fired head coach/GM Bill O’Brien. They had a difficult start to the year with Kansas City, Baltimore and Pittsburgh on the schedule, but losing to Minnesota was the last straw after some questionable off-season decisions.
#25 Detroit Lions (1-3)
Detroit has a Week 5 bye, which is the perfect time for them to figure out how to stop the run and mount a pass rush — and figure out their offensive woes. In October and November, the Lions only face one team that currently has a winning record.
#26 Washington Football Team (1-3)
Washington is benching Dwayne Haskins in favor of…Kyle Allen, who had an aggregate QBR of just over 38 in the games he started for Carolina last year. Alex Smith is the new backup quarterback, so how long will it take for the fan base to clal for his return?
#27 Cincinnati Bengals (1-2-1)
Against the spread, the Bengals are 3-1. Quarterback Joe Burrow looks much more seasoned than his rookie status suggests, but the defense is giving up far too much.
#28 Denver Broncos (1-3)
The Broncos are running their third-string quarterback (Brett Rypien) out there now, and while he looked OK in leading Denver to a Thursday night win over the hapless Jets, Rypien turned the ball over way too much. Six starters are already on IR.
#29 Atlanta Falcons (0-4)
It feels like that 28-3 Super Bowl meltdown was about 28 years ago now. The Falcons are mentally soft, blowing those huge leads in the fourth quarter against Dallas and Chicago, leaving Falcons fans wondering why such transcendent talent keeps failing to produce.
#30 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3)
Remember when Jacksonville’s strength was its defense? Now they’re permitting 399.5 yards and 29.3 points per contest, and they have some strong quarterbacks to face coming up.
#31 New York Giants (0-4)
Saquon Barkley is out. The team has yet to crack 20 points in a game. They’re 10-point dogs at Dallas on Sunday. Can they become the latest team to contribute to the Cowboys’ misery?
#32 New York Jets (0-4)
On offense, the Jets have scored five touchdowns in four games. They take bad penalties. They don’t block for Sam Darnold. Their defense is absolutely porous.
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