We do not have a new team at the top of the Pickswise NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 4, but it would be hard to argue if you think any of our new top 4 should be there. We do, however, have a new #32 and congratulations to the Arizona Cardinals for really shaking things up at both ends of the list by beating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Among the teams making moves up the board this week are the Colts, Browns, Steelers, Panthers and Seahawks, while the Jets, Broncos, Jaguars and Commanders are joining the Cowboys in heading down the list.
You can also check out our early pick for NFL Week 4 and look at the latest NFL odds any time you like. Now, let’s get to this week’s rankings.
Pickswise NFL Power Rankings for Week 4
1 (-) Philadelphia Eagles
We’re feeling pretty good about the decision last week to keep the Eagles at #1 and not hand top spot to the Cowboys now Dallas had its flaws exposed by the Cardinals, of all teams. The Eagles haven’t ripped it up yet this season, but they again didn’t need to move through too many gears to beat the Buccaneers on Monday night, so for now they hold off upstart challengers the 49ers and Dolphins. The Eagles are still only 3rd favorites for the Super Bowl with most major sportsbooks.
2 (up 2) San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers look as complete a team as there is in the league at the moment and they have momentum in the rankings and their eyes on top spot. They crushed the Giants on Thursday Night Football, and we’ll see if they can do a better job against the Cardinals than the previous #2 team on Sunday. The 49ers are outright Super Bowl favorites now with DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars, and joint-favorites at FanDuel, and it’s easy to see why the oddsmakers are thinking that way.
3 (-) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs can’t really be moved down the list after a 41-10 win, so Miami will have to wait. FanDuel also respects the achievements of the Reid-Mahomes partnership by keeping the Chiefs as Super Bowl joint-favorites. Their next 3 opponents (Jets, Vikings, Broncos) have 1 win between them this season.
4 (up 2) Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are on the march after obliterating the Broncos 70-20 with RBs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane scoring 8 of their 10 touchdowns (shout out to kicker Jason Sanders for going 10/10 on PATs!). They are 6th favorites for the Super Bowl now at FanDuel (+1000) and 4th in DraftKings’ list (+900), which is where we have them too. Head coach Mike McDaniel is a clear favorite at FanDuel to be Coach of the Year at +360 odds.
5 (-) Buffalo Bills
The Bills looked more like the team that we expected to see this season in their 37-3 mauling of the Commanders, which is great news for them as they have the Dolphins this week. FanDuel still has faith in the Bills, making them 4th favorites for the Super Bowl at +950, but they are only 6th favorites at Caesars.
6 (up 6) Cleveland Browns
We had the Browns at #8 after Week 1 and that seems closer the mark than last week’s #12 after their messy Week 2 loss to the Steelers. The Browns defense is showing the way, with just 6 points allowed in 2 home games and only 1 offensive touchdown allowed in 3 games. They responded superbly to the loss of their #24 Nick Chubb, winning by 24 points on the 24th. How about that?
7 (down 5) Dallas Cowboys
Well, we had to put the Cowboys somewhere, right? The Jaguars clearly vacated this spot with their loss to the Texans, so we’ll drop them here for now. The Patriots and 49ers are up next and they should both be interesting games. The Cowboys are still sportsbooks’ third-favorites in the NFC, even though they sure didn’t play like it on Sunday.
8 (up 2) Detroit Lions
The Lions have the feel of a team who could be bouncing up and down these rankings from week to week, but they deserve a small lift for ending the Falcons’ unbeaten start to the year. Up next for the Lions is the Packers, and they’re up next in the rankings, too.
9 (up 2) Green Bay Packers
The Packers are clearly still a work in progress and a top-10 slot didn’t appear to be heading their way when they trailed the Saints 17-0 heading into the 4th quarter on Sunday. But they clearly have a lot of spirit and that was a solid win given their lengthy injury list.
10 (down 1) Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens slip only 1 place despite losing to the Colts, but it was in overtime so we shouldn’t be too harsh. The Ravens are still +165 odds favorites in the AFC North, which has three 2-1 teams, but that betting could change after their collision with the Browns in Cleveland this week.
11 (down 3) Cincinnati Bengals
This could be called a contrarian position as we are dropping the Bengals after a win, having kept them in the top 10 throughout their 0-2 start. However, a 19-16 win over the Rams with 4 field goals and 1 TD doesn’t suggest all the Bengals’ issues are solved, even though Joe Burrow’s calf held up this time.
12 (down 5) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars may well have felt like leaving the country after a heavy 37-17 loss to the Texans, so they’re in luck, as they’re heading over the pond to play back-to-back games in London. They’re 3-point favorites against the Falcons in the Week 4 9:30 am ET game — that’s right, breakfast football is back!
13 (up 5) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers get a second straight solid leap up the list after a second straight primetime win, this time against the Raiders. Their Week 4 test against the Texans looks more tricky now than it did previously, though.
14 (up 1) Los Angeles Chargers
Well, the Chargers finally got one over the line in their battle of underachieving 0-2 starters against the Vikings. They really could have thrown another game away, but the Vikings just refused to take the W.
15 (up 5) Los Angeles Rams
Staying in the City of Angels, we have the Rams, who are moving up despite a second straight loss. They have played the 49ers and Bengals close after beating the Seahawks, so a top-half spot is deserved.
16 (down 3) Atlanta Falcons
The unbeaten start is over and Kyle Brandt’s Arthur Smith tribute mustache is gone. Desmond Ridder has some solid defenses to take on over the next month and I’m not convinced it’s going to end well.
17 (down 1) New Orleans Saints
Whatever the Falcons do, the Saints seem to follow suit, so after they both lost their unbeaten starts, they’re both moving down. It seems like it will be Jameis Winston under center when the Saints take on his former team, Tampa Bay, this week.
18 (down 1) Minnesota Vikings
Yes, we have a 0-3 team in 18th. They really shouldn’t be 0-3, given that Justin Jefferson has posted 150, 159 and 149 receiving yards in the first 3 games and Kirk Cousins is already over 1,000 passing yards for the year. The good news for Vikings fans is that they face another 0-3 team in the Panthers this week – maybe the big day is finally coming.
19 (up 5) Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are 2-1 and even their opening loss to the Rams doesn’t look so bad now. Back-to-back road games against the Giants and Bengals provide an interesting test, but the Seattle offense is starting to impress.
20 (down 1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs’ unbeaten start is over and it looks like we were right not to have our heads turned by their wins over the Vikings and Bears.
21 (up 7) Indianapolis Colts
This week’s biggest climbers are the Indianapolis Colts, or rather the 2-1 Indianapolis Colts, who fought hard against the Ravens and have a pretty good kicker. Jonathan Taylor will be keen to get back with the team if they keep this up.
22 (up 3) New England Patriots
It was ugly against the Jets, but it was a win. It will probably be ugly again when the Patriots play the Cowboys this week, too, and they head there as 7-point underdogs.
23 (down 9) New York Jets
The Jets are really hard to rank as they still have a lot of good players. All that is missing is… well, Aaron Rodgers or any other competent quarterback. Zach Wilson will surely find some defenses easier to compete against than the Patriots’ but this week the challenge is to score more points than Patrick Mahomes. Not ideal.
24 (down 3) Tennessee Titans
The Titans ran into a brick wall in Cleveland, managing just 94 total yards of offense. They stay in the AFC North this week, with what could be an interesting game against the Bengals.
25 (up 2) Las Vegas Raiders
I always thought Vegas was all about gambling, but head coach Josh McDaniels had a fourth down when trailing by 8 points late against the Steelers, kicked a field goal and never saw the ball again. Sometimes you can make it too easy for the house, or in this case, Pittsburgh, to win. Even so, the Raiders have actually moved up on this list due to the even worse efforts of other teams.
26 (down 4) Washington Commanders
We said we were comfortable having the Commanders at #22 last week even though they were unbeaten and we’re feeling pretty smug about that after their shellacking by the Bills. That 2-point win over the Broncos in Week 2 isn’t looking so hot now, either!
27 (down 1) New York Giants
The Giants have been dominated in 5 of the 6 halves they have played so far, and while their TNF loss to the 49ers was a while ago now, the rankings don’t forget. This week’s game against the Seahawks is pretty big for this team with the Dolphins and Bills coming up after that.
28 (up 4) Arizona Cardinals
Congratulations to the Cardinals, who got tanking all wrong a whole 15 weeks earlier than the Texans did last year. If they wanted to be bottom of the Pickswise Power Rankings too, then beating the Cowboys was no way to achieve that. Up the list they go…
29 (up 2) Houston Texans
The Texans showed no interest in the #32 spot vacated by the Cardinals, as they bagged their first win of the season in convincing fashion by humbling the Jaguars. The young talent on the team is starting to have an impact on results earlier than expected and DeMeco Ryans is an interesting candidate to watch at 20/1 to be Coach of the Year.
30 (down 7) Denver Broncos
How much to penalise a team for losing by 50 points and allowing 10 touchdowns is not a question rankings compilers often have to consider. We’ll settle for a 7-place drop for the Broncos after their mauling by Miami. Here’s one to remember for future quiz questions. The answer to “Which NFL team was made a 3.5-point favorite the week after losing by 50?” is the Broncos. The reason for that is… they’re playing the Bears this week. That should be must-see TV.
31 (down 2) Carolina Panthers
The Panthers looked better with Andy Dalton at QB this week, but that can’t be good news for their long-term future. The irresistible force meets the immovable object when they face the Vikings this week. Surely someone has to win or… tie anyone?
32 (down 2) Chicago Bears
The wins by the Cardinals and Texans left this slot open for a newcomer and the Bears jumped into it with both feet. Anyone can lose to the Chiefs, sure, but the Bears did it in style. Bring on the Broncos!