There is no change at the top after the first month of the 2024 season, but the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs – one of just two undefeated teams still standing – do not exactly have a vice-like grip on the number one ranking. Elsewhere, the Baltimore Ravens are rightly into the top five and there is a big, thick, parity-riddled soup in the middle of these rankings. Without further ado, here they are…
- Kansas City Chiefs —
The injury to Rashee Rice takes another weapon away from Patrick Mahomes. That means Xavier Worthy is going to need to mature fast and the signs were promising in Week 4. And Travis Kelce will need to drink from the Foutain of Youth every day. Andy Reid and the defense will also help massively.
- Minnesota Vikings +1
I’m putting that second half in Green Bay down to a natural easing off the gas. It appears as if the Vikings are the real deal. A competent and capable quarterback in Sam Darnold surrounded by talent, backed up by one of the best defenses in the NFL. And the coaching is excellent across the board.
- Detroit Lions +1
Dan Campbell is a hard man to please! Jared Goff goes 18 for 18 in Detroit’s Monday Night Football win over Seattle and doesn’t get a game ball. What that victory reminded me is that the Lions are loaded with talent. They’re in regular scraps now, but they’re 3-1 on the year.
- Baltimore Ravens +4
The Ravens have rushed for 545 yards and three touchdowns in their last two games, quality wins over Dallas and Buffalo. Derrick Henry looks like a fresh-legged rookie, going over 150 on the ground in each win. So much of Lamar Jackson’s passing comes off this ground attack.
- Buffalo Bills -3
Just when we were starting to believe the Buffalo Bills had a Super Bowl look about them, they got their teeth kicked in by the Ravens. It was a physical pounding that raised many questions as quarterback Josh Allen said Baltimore were more intense from the very start.
- Houston Texans —
C.J. Stroud has ice in his veins. It was not a perfect outing from him and his offensive teammates at home to Jacksonville, but when a touchdown was required late in the game; Stroud delivered with a textbook 69-yard drive capped by a scoring strike with 18 seconds left.
- San Francisco 49ers —
The 49ers enjoyed the ultimate ‘get right’ game at the weekend, comfortably taking care of business against the New England Patriots. Encouragingly, Brock Purdy was afforded much better protection – albeit against a meagre rush – and George Kittle was back making plays.
- Washington Commanders +9
The Jayden Daniels Hype Train is gathering pace – you might want to jump on now or you could get left behind. It’s one month, I know, but it seems like the kid has it all. Accuracy, arm strength, poise and an ability to take off and find the end zone. He has Washington juiced up!
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +5
It doesn’t really matter what Tom Brady thinks of Baker Mayfield – the main thing is that the Buccaneers believe in their current quarterback maybe as much as the old one. Okay, that may be a stretch, but Baker is playing lights out and has established himself as a top NFL QB.
- Green Bay Packers +1
The Packers were as bad as could be for the first 29 minutes against the Vikings, falling behind 28-0. But they eventually showed their spirit and firepower, and each week Jordan Love feels better on his injured knee; the Packers will become more potent. This is still a playoff team.
- Pittsburgh Steelers -1
The defense that had been holding the Steelers up for three weeks crumbled by their high standards in Week 4, allowing 27 points to the Colts. But the high point in that loss was the form of Justin Fields, who threw for 312 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for two scores.
- Philadelphia Eagles -7
The Eagles could not overcome the losses through injury of offensive tackle Lane Johnson and starting wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. And they fell hard against Tampa Bay. But it made no sense to give Saquon Barkley just 10 carries. Nick Sirianni is feeling some heat.
- Seattle Seahawks -1
Mike Macdonald was pleased with the way his team kept fighting during Monday’s loss to Detroit, but he also knows his squad is not the finished product yet. But if you had offered him and his Seahawks a 3-1 record after the season’s first month, it would have been taken.
- New Orleans Saints -5
Injuries have hit hard and the Saints’ excellent 2-0 start in which they scored 91 points (second-most in NFL history) seems a distant memory. Getting rolling again won’t be easy. The Saints’ next two games are against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Dallas Cowboys +1
Dallas got back to winning ways in Week 4 as Dak Prescott re-formed his connection with CeeDee Lamb. But what cost for the victory? DeMarcus Lawrence is on injured reserve and fellow pass rusher Micah Parsons is likely gone for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury.
- New York Jets -3
Just when we thought the Jets were heating up offensively and Aaron Rodgers was getting up to full speed, they were pretty dire on that side of the ball in Week 4; albeit in horrible weather conditions. Rodgers is nursing a sore knee as he heads to London looking for a first UK win.
- Cincinnati Bengals +4
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are waking up on offense, but the quarterback is still taking too many hits and that win over Carolina – Cincinnati’s first of the year – seemed like hard work. The defense – which played well against KC in Week 2 – remains an inconsistent enigma.
- Indianapolis Colts —
The Colts made a really shrewd move in the offseason, signing 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco to sit behind Anthony Richardson at quarterback. Flacco was rock solid off the bench in Week 4, leading Indy to victory. That is one reliable emergency option to have.
- Atlanta Falcons +1
What is wrong with the Falcons’ offense? We’ve got a decent four-game body of work now and it’s just not clicking. The Falcons have scored five offensive touchdowns this season and Kirk Cousins has just four scoring strikes. And where is tight end Kyle Pitts? It’s worrying.
- Los Angeles Chargers -5
The Chargers played hard on defense against the Chiefs but failed to score in that game’s final 41 minutes. The 2-2 team is among the first to have a bye this season and they need it – Justin Herbert could not move back there against KC and his high ankle sprain needs time to heal.
- Chicago Bears +4
It was not pretty against the Rams last week, but Chicago got the win to move to 2-2 and there were two encouraging signs for me. The TD pass from Caleb Williams to D.J. Moore was a thing of beauty and the running game showed signs of life behind D’Andre Swift.
- Las Vegas Raiders +4
Davante Adams wants out and it seems the Raiders will grant his wish if the price is right. Antonio Pierce would rather have a malcontent out of the building, no matter how talented. Last week’s win over Cleveland showed just how Jekyll and Hyde this team can be.
- Los Angeles Rams -4
The Rams have serious talent on their roster, but some of the biggest contributors are on the sidelines in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. On the field, this team fails to stop the run. Chicago had really struggled on the ground but rushed for 131 yards and two scores last week.
- Arizona Cardinals -2
Arizona are 1-3 and face a daunting trip to face the San Francisco 49ers. Kyler Murray and this entire offense lack consistency. They disappear for long spells and whenever Murray’s name comes up with regard to career status and success, it is accompanied by a huge question mark.
- Cleveland Browns -2
Deshaun Watson continues to play very inconsistently at quarterback, but he is not the only problem in Cleveland. The Browns’ once-vaunted defense is not showing much fight against the run, allowing the Raiders to gain 150+ last week. Pressure is building on Kevin Stefanski.
- Denver Broncos +1
The Broncos have moved up one spot in these rankings based purely off their defensive effort in New York last week, recording a 10-9 win over the Jets in the rain. But we cannot overlook Bo Nix throwing for just 60 yards in an NFL game. Hey, at least Denver found a way to win!
- Tennessee Titans +5
Will Levis left Monday’s game against the Miami Dolphins with a shoulder injury but head coach Brian Callahan has stressed he remains QB1 and that there is no controversy. There should be one – can anyone tell me why this should not be Mason Rudolph’s team now?
- Jacksonville Jaguars —
What is so annoying about the Jaguars being 0-4 is that they are not a million miles away from being 3-1. A play or two here and there and Jacksonville beat Miami, Cleveland and Houston and things feel very different. As it stands, the pressure on Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence is intense.
- Miami Dolphins -5
I knew Tua Tagovailoa was good, but I didn’t realise he was ‘that’ good. Miami have absolutely fallen apart without him and Monday’s loss to Tennessee dropped them to 1-3. Mike McDaniel is rightly fuming at his team. They look like they’re feeling sorry for themselves.
- New York Giants —
Malik Nabers has 35 catches in the first four games of the season – second-most for a player entering the league in NFL history. It’s clear the Giants don’t have much of a plan outside of Nabers. They kicked way too many field goals in Week 4 and it cost them dearly against Dallas.
- Carolina Panthers —
The Panthers still have their issues on the talent front, but they actually look like a football team now that Andy Dalton has taken control of the attack. Whether it will be enough to save jobs remains to be seen. And what will the future look like for second-year QB Bryce Young?
- New England Patriots -3
The Patriots cannot protect their quarterback, they have very limited passing game weapons, they cannot rush the passer and they have just one win to their name. It’s going to be tough sledding for rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, who keeps resisting the temptation to throw rookie QB Drake Maye into the fire.
