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I caught the first few plays of Saints-Falcons on Monday night on the radio. Kevin Harlan, the 66-year-old legend, was on the call. I thought about Harlan giving the listener directional cues and describing the atmosphere before diving into the play. It was extraordinarily vivid, as only Harlan could do. The art of painting a picture without a picture—both in the ways we try and do here and the ways Harlan does so well on the radio—is seen as a dying art by some, but I fundamentally disagree.
I recently finished the book Train Dreams by Denis Johnson, and one of my main takeaways was that the advent of television and other aspects of modern lifestyle took away the romantic, hilarious and haunting mysticism of life. Sports, be it on the radio or written on the page, is one of the few spaces where I find that magic is still very much alive. Credit to Harlan for that.
Anyway, let’s make a hard right turn into Week 4 Power Rankings!
1. Seattle Seahawks (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Last week’s result: beat Chargers, 30–23
This week: vs. 49ers
After surviving the last gasp of the Chargers’ season, the Seahawks are reviving the career of one-time running game bully Joe Mixon to fill the gap prior to Zach Charbonnet’s return. The signings of random name-recognition veterans by playoff-bound teams are one of my favorite time-honored traditions in all of sports.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Last week’s result: beat Bengals, 22–17
This week: vs. Eagles (London)
I had a good time at the expense of the Jaguars in the immediate aftermath of the Travis Hunter trade-up. I have since retained a crisis management firm to help aid the fallout when all of my old posts get sent to Old Takes Exposed. Just look at this dude.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (4–0)
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Last week’s result: beat Raiders, 30–27
This week: at Raiders
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Chiefs’ early-season run is that, for a decade, we wondered when this team was going to find quality edge rushing talent in the late rounds and a downhill running back that could transform the scheme. And just when we became positive the franchise was rebuilding, they came up with R Mason Thomas and Kenneth Walker III in one offseason.
4. Buffalo Bills (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Last week’s result: lost to Patriots, 29–26
This week: at Rams
Jim Leonhard with the coordinator quote of the week. It’s hard to communicate at home because of the crowd noise. But, “if we complain about that, we are assholes.”
5. San Francisco 49ers (4–0)
Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Last week’s result: beat Broncos, 24–14
This week: at Seahawks
We think we might be able to project a game based on coverage tendencies and scheme and who is on and off the injury report. And then Dre Greenlaw plays like an absolute maniac against the Broncos because he hates Sean Payton because Payton wouldn’t call him personally to tell him he was cut. The NFL rocks, man.
6. Los Angeles Rams (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 7
Last week’s result: beat Eagles, 24–20
This week: vs. Bills
You forget when Puka Nacua is out for a week or two just how physical a presence he is on the field and how draining it must be to a secondary to deal with him on a down to down basis. Just watch him absolutely clobber a defensive back on a route for no reason.
7. Chicago Bears (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 8
Last week’s result: beat Jets, 23-12
This week: at Packers
Ben Johnson starting Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum at the same time so that Keenum would officially be logged the starter just to middle-finger whoever leaked that Bagent was going to be the starter is still one of the funniest things that has taken place in my football-watching lifetime.
8. Baltimore Ravens (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 10
Last week’s result: beat Titans, 24–18
This week: at Falcons
This is going to be a fascinating bit of early Jesse Minter decoding. What does he mean when he says he doesn’t think Lamar Jackson’s injury is going to be “crazy long-term?” We’re about to find out.
9. Denver Broncos (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Last week’s result: lost to 49ers, 24–14
This week: at Chargers
You can make an argument that, over the first four weeks of the season, the Broncos have played the four best teams in the NFL: Kansas City, the Rams, Jacksonville and San Francisco and split the home and road games. A date against the broken and directionless Chargers likely feels like a relief at this point (even if the Chargers’ defense is really coming along of late).
10. Las Vegas Raiders (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Last week’s result: lost to Chiefs, 30–27
This week: at Patriots
Column on the arrival of Mark Davis finally making a coaching hire who lets his actions do the talking.
11. Dallas Cowboys (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 19
Last week’s result: beat Texans, 34–30
This week: vs. Buccaneers
Through the first four weeks of the season, theDallas Cowboys are scoring about as many points per drive as the 2007 Patriots—arguably the best team of the last 25 years. If Joey Porter Jr. changes the dynamic of this defense in any way, the Cowboys’ Super Bowl hype is back on.
12. New England Patriots (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 20
Last week’s result: beat Bills, 29–26
This week: vs. Raiders
I wrote a little bit about the NFL’s strange officiating crisis on Monday and reflected a bit on how incredible Mike Vrabel getting flagged for telling an official he made a “terrible f— call” is. And then coming out the next day and calling the official “a little sensitive,” the next day. Chef’s kiss. No notes.
13. Minnesota Vikings (4–0)
Last week’s ranking: No. 11
Last week’s result: beat Dolphins, 15–10
This week: at Saints
Despite the fact that this Brandon Staley-led Saints defense was put into a blender by Michael Penix Jr. and Tommy Rees on Monday Night Football, I think this week will be a bellwether game for Kyler Murray, who will now have a decent sample size against Carson Wentz with three starts under his belt. Will that quiet the noise?
14. Carolina Panthers (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 23
Last week’s result: beat Lions, 32–26
This week: vs. Lions
I think nationally, the Panthers conversation got a bit buried in just what, exactly, can be done to fix this Lions defense. In reality, Detroit had been playing better with fewer coverage busts—until Tetairoa McMillan came to town and had his megatron moment in prime time.
15. Cleveland Browns (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 17
Last week’s result: beat Steelers, 27–24
This week: at Jets
I thought the test running of a Deshaun Watson comeback narrative on Thursday Night Football exposed a few of my media cohorts if I’m being honest. And it’s not that we can never acknowledge the moments that he plays well, it’s just that we can’t simply refer to all of the suspension time as something that was lesser than two dozen complaints of sexual assault and harrassment. It’s not that hard to just say it!
16. Cincinnati Bengals (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 13
Last week’s result: lost to Jaguars, 22–17
This week: at Dolphins
I mentioned this a little bit in our initial hot seat rankings, but it’s wild to me that the Bengals spent the better part of an offseason building an under-center offense and, at least through the first month of the season, it’s almost completely unusable now. What else ya got in your back pocket, Zac Taylor?
17. Indianapolis Colts (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 15
Last week’s result: beat Commanders, 30–13
This week: at Steelers
I don’t really care what happens to this iteration of the Colts, but following the Sauce Gardner trade last year, literally the only sensible follow-up is to continue pouring resources into this team and trading for Colts legacy son Marvin Harrison Jr.
18. Detroit Lions (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 14
Last week’s result: lost to Panthers, 32–26
This week: at Cardinals
A tip for Amon-Ra St. Brown: if you would like the quarterback of the Detroit Lions to come back on your podcast, you can’t blow him up for being a distant teammate on the first visit!
19. Philadelphia Eagles (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 12
Last week’s result: lost to Rams, 24–20
This week: vs. Jaguars (London)
On one hand, the Eagles finishing a game this close to the Rams without literally eight of their nine best players is something to take to heart. On the other, having the league-worst points per second half, yards per second half, yards per play in the second half and yards per attempt in the second half is straight up unfathomable. This team is impossible to figure out.
20. Houston Texans (0–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 16
Last week’s result: lost to Cowboys, 34–30
This week: at Titans
Of the teams whose seasons are theoretically dead in the water, Houston provides the faintest glimmer of hope. Braden Smith, Tank Dell and Kayden McDonald are on the way, the Titans are up next on the schedule and 1–4 looks far better (with three examples of playoff teams in the last 25 years, by the way).
21. New York Giants (3–1)
Last week’s ranking: No. 24
Last week’s result: beat Cardinals, 36–24
This week: at Commanders
Arvell Reese vs. David Bailey was going to be a made-for-talk-radio feud for the decade in New York. Through the first month of their respective professional careers—-which, for the record, means very little—it’s not looking like much of a fight. Reese has major “that dude” energy. His stat line against the Cardinals was beastly.
22. Green Bay Packers (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 22
Last week’s result: beat Buccaneers, 17–14
This week: vs. Bears
Matt LaFleur trying to simply get his house in order while Ben Johnson constructs three-dimensional mindgames through the media is such an incredible subplot to this game on Sunday. I’ve written it before, but this is the kind of antagonist this league desperately needs.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
One thing Mike McCarthy and I have in common: We need to clean our houses. Our houses are not clean.
24. Atlanta Falcons (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 28
Last week’s result: beat Saints, 45–24
This week: vs. Ravens
An absolute ruination of the Saints, which followed a road victory over the Packers on Thursday night the week prior, is forcing us to gather as many prayer candles for the continued health of Michael Penix Jr. as humanly possible. The Falcons can go places with Tommy Rees and Kevin Stefanski pulling the strings.
25. New Orleans Saints (1–3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 21
Last week’s result: lost to Falcons, 45–24
This week: vs. Vikings
In back-to-back weeks, the Saints have managed to dismantle the goodwill built up over the first two weeks of the season. While injuries have taken their toll, this was the kind of home win that would have created ripple effects for the rest of New Orleans’s season.
26. Washington Commanders (1–3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 26
Last week’s result: lost to Colts, 30–13
This week: vs. Giants
I enjoy reading updates about Commanders third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis from the perspective of a Greek news outlet. While the return of Jayden Daniels will ultimately deprive us of a Greek Tommy DeVito-like run, we can always hope in silence.
27. New York Jets (1–3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 25
Last week’s result: lost to Bears, 23–12
This week: vs. Browns
Aaron Glenn sits right behind Todd Bowles in my initial hot seat rankings of 2026. It was always a long shot to imagine Glenn taking such command of the job that the team would entrust him to make up to three first-round picks next year. Now, it seems like a near impossibility.
28. Los Angeles Chargers (0–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 27
Last week’s result: lost to Chargers, 30–23
This week: vs. Broncos
Bad seasons happen in the NFL and the Chargers are in the thick of one. Down to their last healthy offensive linemen on Sunday, though, this team was a boneheaded penalty away from possibly mounting a stunning comeback against the defending Super Bowl champions. My bold prediction is that something will eventually click with this Chargers team, and it may not matter until 2027, but it will eventually click.
29. Arizona Cardinals (2–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 29
Last week’s result: lost to Giants, 36–24
This week: vs. Lions
Mike LaFleur was immediate in his response to a question about a quarterback change, which is totally fair. But with a developmental passer on the roster, I do wonder what the “gotta see him” threshold is for a team that, according to ESPN’s draft slot projector, has a 55% chance of a top-five pick.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 30
Last week’s result: lost to Packers, 17–14
This week: at Cowboys
The Buccaneers are 0–4. I think that, if the team changes head coaches, this would be a fantastic job. I wrote a little (a lot?) more about that here.
31. Tennessee Titans (0–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 31
Last week’s result: lost to Ravens, 24–18
This week: vs. Texans
I cannot say what will happen with Cam Ward, but I can say that Robert Saleh is doing his best to support his quarterback publicly. This was similar to his early stance on Zach Wilson, who Saleh had an almost paternal instinct for. Ward is taking a ridiculous beating in the court of public opinion, but there are plenty of head coaches who would have made it worse for the former No. 1 overall pick.
32. Miami Dolphins (0–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 32
Last week’s result: lost to Vikings, 15–10
This week: vs. Bengals
Until Miami gets a win, this will become a Jacob Rodriguez bot account. I have Rodriguez right there in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Just look at the way this guy takes over a game.
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CONOR ORR
Conor Orr is a Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated with more than 15 years of experience covering the NFL. His work has been cited in Best American Sportswriting and has won a PFWAA award. Prior to Sports Illustrated, he covered both the Giants and Jets for The Star-Ledger. Conor lives in New Jersey with his amazing wife and three children.
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