2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Dolphins and Eagles take top spots

Our 2022 NFL Power Rankings have new teams at the top as the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins both had statement wins on Sunday

Upsets happen every week in the NFL and there were a couple of them in Week 3 — including the two teams that have been atop our 2022 NFL Power Rankings suffering losses.

The Kansas City Chiefs were shocked against the winless Indianapolis Colts while the Buffalo Bills found themselves on the losing end of an AFC East battle with the Miami Dolphins. While the previous top teams were struggling, the Dolphins were joined by the Philadelphia Eagles at 3-0 as they made it look east against Washington.

With all that taking place, let’s dive into the latest 2022 NFL Power Rankings with Week 4 ready to begin.

2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 4

32. Las Vegas Raiders

The Tennessee Titans finally got their first win of the season, knocking off the Las Vegas Raiders in the battle of 0-2 teams. It wasn’t easy though as the Raiders scored nine points in the final quarter to pull within two points. However, Derek Carr’s two-point conversion pass attempt was deflected and they were sent back to Vegas with the loss.

After securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC last year, the Titans have been a major disappointment. They lost to the Giants in Week 1 on a two-point conversion (so hey, it shows growth that they stopped one this time) and were blown out 41-7 by the Bills in Week 2.

They can turn things around though with a four-game stretch of winnable games as they play Indianapolis, Washington, Indy again, and then Houston.

31. Houston Texans

After three weeks, the Houston Texans are one of two teams in the AFC that doesn’t have a win. They did start out the season with a tie against the Indianapolis Colts (so they’re ahead of the Raiders) but since then, they’ve lost to the Denver Broncos and now the Chicago Bears.

They were closer in this one but then Davis Mills reminded them they need to secure the No. 1 pick and land a franchise quarterback when he threw a pick that led to the game-winning field goal for the Bears.

It won’t get any easier in Week 4 as the Texans will head home to play the Los Angeles Chargers.

30. New York Jets

The New York Jets start this season off with four-straight games against the AFC North. So far, they’re 1-2 and there were some wild swings between each game.

First, they were blown out 24-9 by the Baltimore Ravens as they had no answers for Lamar Jackson. Then in Week 2, they were getting run out of the building by Jacob Brissett and the Browns, but then Cleveland forgot to play for the whole 60 minutes and New York won 31-30.

Now in Week 3, they were brought back down to reality in a 27-12 loss to the Bengals. They finish things off with the Pittsburgh Steelers next week, which concludes their tour of the North.

29. Washington Commanders

There’s still plenty of time left to play but the Washington Commanders seem to be in line for another long season. They defeated the Jaguars in Week 1 by a score of 28-22 but they’ve trended in the wrong direction ever since.

Detroit dropped 36 on them in a nine-point win, then they were thoroughly beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend, 24-8. Carson Wentz was sacked nine times in the loss and they didn’t score at all until there were fewer than four minutes to play.

Right now, they appear to be the fourth team in their division, which is exactly where they don’t need to be.

28. Carolina Panthers

For the first time this season, the Carolina Panthers were able to secure a win. They haven’t really put it all together on offense, despite having some talented players. This is clearly an indictment on head coach Matt Rhule but also on Baker Mayfield who was just 12-of-25 for 170 yards in the win. His lone touchdown went for 67-yards but most of that was Laviska Shenault running after the catch.

The main reason Carolina won this game was the defense. They forced three turnovers and had a defensive touchdown as well. Now at 1-2, they’re still alive — and winning a divisional game helps — but this seemed to be more about the Saints being bad than the Panthers being good.

27. Detroit Lions

It was nearly a second win in a row for the Detroit Lions as they entered the fourth quarter with a 24-14 lead over the Minnesota Vikings. However, the defense gave up 14 points as the offense turned it over on downs, missed a field goal, then had an interception in their final three possessions.

Jamaal Williams had a great game with 87 yards and two touchdowns but Jared Goff was unable to keep the passing game going late in the game which kept them from holding off Minnesota. Now instead of an impressive 2-1 start, they’re sitting at 1-2 but could turn it back around with a couple more 1-2 teams on the schedule with Seattle and New England over the next two weeks.

26. Seattle Seahawks

We were all shocked to see the Seattle Seahawks take out the Denver Broncos in Week 1, handing Russell Wilson a loss in his debut with his new franchise. Since then, they’ve lost two games including a 27-7 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

They were much closer in their Week 3 game at home but still couldn’t hold off Marcus Mariota and the Atlanta Falcons. In a quick-scoring game for 45 minutes, neither team could put up any points in the fourth and Geno Smith was intercepted by Richie Grant on a fourth-down play to close things out.

Not many were expecting Seattle to make much noise this season and that’s been the case ever since their surprise opening weekend win.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s time for Mike Tomlin to seriously consider starting Kenny Pickett. The rookie might not be 100 percent ready to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL but Mitch Trubisky looked lost in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to Cleveland on Thursday Night Football.

What was most frustrating for Steelers fans was seeing players open throughout the night, but the ball wasn’t always delivered accurately — at least not in the second half. For the first two quarters, the ball was getting there and Pittsburgh was leading 14-13. Then the accuracy issues popped up and Cleveland ran away with this one 29-17.

Even with T.J. Watt out for another month or two, the Steelers have enough talent to compete but Trubisky might hold them back too much.

24. Atlanta Falcons

Cordarrelle Patterson again put up some huge numbers for the Atlanta Falcons, running for 141 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He was aided by tight end Kyle Pitts who had 87 yards and rookie receiver Drake London went for 54 yards and a touchdown in their 27-23 win over Seattle.

Atlanta was able to avoid an 0-3 start and finally closed out a close game. They suffered a one-point loss in Week 1 to New Orleans and a four-point loss to the Rams in Week 2. They’ve fought hard in each game and will now host the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. Their hope is that this victory will help them get some momentum heading into that one.

23. Arizona Cardinals

Things haven’t been great for the Arizona Cardinals this season. They’re off to a 1-2 start which is a far cry from 2021 when they were the last-standing undefeated team. This year, their only win is against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have yet to secure a victory on the season. When they have played good teams, they’ve lost by a combined 64-33 — at home.

The good news is that they do have a game against Carolina next week, which could help them even up their record. But the following week will see the Eagles come to Arizona, and they need to prove they can hang with contenders such as them or it will be a long season.

22. Indianapolis Colts

Every week there seems to be at least one shocking outcome and on Sunday, the biggest was by far the Indianapolis Colts securing their first win of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the Chiefs survived a Thursday night game against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, they had extra time to prepare but the Colts took it to them.

Matt Ryan had his best game with Indy and Johnathan Taylor was slowed down with 71 yards on 21 rushes but it was enough to keep the defense honest. They also had Alec Pierce show up with 61 yards on three catches.

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But it was Michael Pittman who made the plays to get them in range for the game-winning touchdown which was hauled in by Jelani Woods. Now at 1-1-1, the Colts can still make a run in the AFC North, which is suddenly led by the 2-1 Jaguars.

21. Chicago Bears

The only thing exciting about the game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans was the way Khalil Herbert performed after replacing an injured David Montgomery. Herbert went off with 157 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears put up 281 yards as a team.

That was much needed since the passing attack was awful. Justin Fields had just 106 yards with two picks while completing 8-of-17 passes. He appeared to have taken some strides forward in the preseason but so far, it’s been an ugly start. There are hardly any weapons but it still seems worse than expected.

Even so, Chicago is somehow 2-1, although they did beat San Francisco in a game that was practically played underwater and now have a win over the Texans — who don’t appear to be trying at all.

20. New Orleans Saints

Losing Sean Payton was always going to be hard on the New Orleans Saints but sticking with Dennis Allen might have been a mistake. The Saints already saw back in 2012 while Payton was suspended that simply keeping his assistants wasn’t the same as having him. They had multiple double-digit winning seasons, then went 7-9 without him, only to have another double-digit campaign when he returned.

So far this season, their offense has looked nothing like it did when he was there and they had a terrible outing against the Panthers that included two picks and a lost fumble. Jameis Winston also looks nothing like the player we saw in seven games last season before his ACL tear.

New Orleans probably should have turned the page this offseason and might need to ahead of 2023 to keep from staying in the basement.

19. New England Patriots

It’s not like a Bill Belichick team to struggle to protect the football but that was the case in Week 3. Mac Jones threw three picks and Nelson Agholor lost a fumble as well as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

New England was in it at the half but a 17-point fourth quarter where Lamar Jackson threw two of his four touchdowns helped put this one out of reach. Making matters worse for Belichick, is how impressive the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills have looked.

Buffalo was clearly the favorite in the division but they fell to 2-1 as Miami improved to 3-0 with a two-point win over the Bills. Gone are the days of New England dominating the East, and they might be struggling to compete for a playoff spot this season.

18. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans finally got their first win of the season, knocking off the Las Vegas Raiders in the battle of 0-2 teams. It wasn’t easy though as the Raiders scored nine points in the final quarter to pull within two points. However, Derek Carr’s two-point conversion pass attempt was deflected and they were sent back to Vegas with the loss.

After securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC last year, the Titans have been a major disappointment. They lost to the Giants in Week 1 on a two-point conversion (so hey, it shows growth that they stopped one this time) and were blown out 41-7 by the Bills in Week 2.

They can turn things around though with a four-game stretch of winnable games as they play Indianapolis, Washington, Indy again, and then Houston.

17. Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert injured his ribs in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 and it remained an issue in Week 3. He was listed as questionable all week but the Los Angeles Chargers still started him against the Jacksonville Jaguars and he had a couple of turnovers that helped the road team secure a huge upset win.

In addition to Herbert’s turnovers, the ground game was non-existent for the Bolts. As a team, they had 26 yards on 12 rushing attempts — with Austin Ekeler gaining just five yards on four attempts.

Their defense was also unable to get a single sack on Trevor Lawrence who had three touchdown passes and no interceptions while the ground game put up 151 yards against them. For the past few seasons, L.A. has been a team expected to make a run but they continue to be a disappointment. If they don’t turn it around soon, that will again be the case in 2022.

16. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers lost Trey Lance and felt fortunate to be able to turn to Jimmy Garoppolo — who decided to stay on a reworked contract. While it’s true he gives them a better shot than most backups would have, he’s never been known for putting up a ton of points.

That was the case on Sunday Night Football as he and the Niners managed a lackluster 10 points in an 11-10 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Outside of Garoppolo, Kyle Shanahan needs to be questioned. He’s been good at times, including when he led them to the Super Bowl in 2019, but has also been bad — like now with the 1-2 start. He’s now 40-44 in his career and needs to figure out why his team can be so bad on offense for stretches.

15. Cincinnati Bengals

An 0-2 start was the last thing expected of the Cincinnati Bengals, especially since they played the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys — without Dak Prescott — to start the year. Despite the two winnable games, they were struggling to protect Joe Burrow who was sacked 13 times in those two games combined.

In Week 3, the line protected him much better as he was sacked just twice. The result was their first win of the season, and it was a convincing win at 27-12 over the Jets. With more time to throw, Burrow looked like himself with three touchdowns and no turnovers in a convincing win.

Cincinnati next faces the Miami Dolphins which will be their biggest test of the season.

14. Cleveland Browns

Thursday Night Football went from Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes to Jacoby Brissett and Mitch Trubisky. While the fireworks weren’t the same as when the two elite quarterbacks faced one another, Brissett was very impressive as the Cleveland Browns improved to 2-1 with a win over the Steelers.

Offensively, the Browns have been solid with Nick Chubb running all over opponents and Amari Cooper putting up back-to-back 101-yard performances. Even Brissett has been much better than anticipated.

However, the defense has been an issue. They let New York steal a win despite having a 13-point lead with 1:55 and the Jets owning no time-outs. Against the Steelers, they were better since they didn’t give up the huge pass play but they were aided by Trubisky’s inaccurate passing.

The truth is, Denzel Ward was lost against Diontae Johnson and a better quarterback could have exposed him even more. Cleveland still has some clean-up on defense but they made huge strides this past week.

13. Denver Broncos

They’re 2-1 and tied with the Chiefs for first in the AFC West but that doesn’t mean there are no concerns for the Denver Broncos. On Sunday Night Football, they struggled with the 49ers’ potent defense but still won 11-10.

The one positive to take away from this is that Russell Wilson had a few passes that could have made a difference hit his receivers in the hands but they were unable to bring them in. Even with their struggles, and their lack of offensive output so far, they’re winning and they do have a strong defense. But they also have yet to play a winning team and still have been involved in three one-score games.

12. New York Giants

Plays on Monday Night Football vs. Dallas Cowboys

A 2-0 start is impressive, even if it’s against teams that have struggled out of the gate. The New York Giants have usually been the team starting out 0-2 with frustrating losses but this year, they were part of the reason the Titans and Panthers each started with that dreaded mark as they secured one-score wins over each.

Now, they head into Monday Night Football for their first real test of the season as they host the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott is out and Cooper Rush will get the start but he’s been solid under center and the Cowboys defense can give Daniel Jones fits. A win would be huge for them and would put a divisional rival in a tough hole.

11. Dallas Cowboys

Plays on Monday Night Football vs. New York Giants

Jerry Jones can’t help himself. After spending all offseason butchering one move after another, he now wants to stir up a quarterback controversy that isn’t there — nor should it be. Cooper Rush has done a fine job as the Dallas Cowboys starter when called upon but he’s no Dak Prescott.

Of course, Jones just likes to talk and likes when the camera is on him. It’s the main reason it’s hard to believe in this team. No matter how much talent they have, he will always get in the way. And when his son, Stephen Jones, is fully running the team, it will be tougher to believe in them because his favorite player is Cap Space.

Even with all that being said, they could find a way to be 2-1 if they can knock off the Giants. This would keep them within range of the Eagles but that team appears head and shoulders above Dallas right now. In every facet — from players to ownership.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence looks like the player we all thought he would be when he left Clemson.

Last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars were a complete mess and it hurt Lawrence’s rookie campaign. Now with Doug Pederson as his coach, he has Jacksonville off to a 2-1 start — leaving us all to wonder how they managed to lose in Week 1 to Washington.

Their latest win was a statement against the Los Angeles Chargers, who were expected to be contenders this season. While they weren’t at their best, Jacksonville went into SoFi Stadium and dropped 38 points on them, and won by four touchdowns. They’re alone atop the AFC South, although they have a huge test next week against Pederson’s old team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

9. Baltimore Ravens

At 2-1, the Baltimore Ravens are tied with the Cleveland Browns for first place in the AFC North but the truth is, they’ve looked much better than their divisional rivals. Baltimore made it look easy against the Jets, winning 24-9, while Cleveland melted down and lost in epic fashion to that same team.

They did lose in Week 2 but it was a 42-38 game where they lost to the final undefeated team in the AFC, the Miami Dolphins. This week, they got back on track, dropping 37-points on the New England Patriots while forcing four turnovers — three of which were picks. On top of that, Lamar Jackson threw four touchdown passes, continuing his strong start to the season.

8. Minnesota Vikings

As long as they don’t play in prime time, the Minnesota Vikings are a pretty good team. They won in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers but then were blown out on Monday Night Football by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Looking to rebound against the Detroit Lions, Minnesota found themselves trailing 28-14 in the final quarter but then they turned it up a notch. Alexander Mattison ran in a six-yard touchdown to cap off a 57-yard drive and then Kirk Cousins made it look easy, going 56-yards in just three plays following a missed field goal from Austin Seibert.

The winning pass was from 28-yards out as he hit K.J. Osborn from 28-yards out, which came right after another 28-yard catch put them in position for that throw.

They’re now tied with the Bears and Packers but already have the head-to-head over Green Bay and Chicago isn’t exactly scaring anyone despite the record.

7. Tampa Bay Bucs

Tom Brady suffered his first loss of the 2022 season as he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed just 12 points against the Green Bay Packers. After scoring on a pair of 45-yard field goals, they entered the fourth quarter down 14-6 but finally got into the end zone with 14 seconds left.

Brady hit Russell Gage on a play that nearly didn’t count as they got the snap off as the play clock was turning to zero. Then after the touchdown, they were hit with a delay of game, forcing them to go for two from the seven-yard line.

An onside kick ensued but the Pack grabbed it and left Tampa Bay with a win. The Bucs are still one of the top teams in the NFC but this loss could hurt them when going for the No. 1 seed as the year goes on.

6. Kansas City Chiefs

With the Bills losing to the Miami Dolphins, the door was open for the Kansas City Chiefs to take the No. 1 spot in our 2022 NFL Power Rankings. That didn’t happen as they suffered their first loss of the season in the biggest upset of the weekend.

Kansas City went into Indianapolis to face the Colts and they struggled with Indy’s defense, scoring just 17 points. It was still nearly enough but Matt Ryan hit a game-winner with just under 30 seconds to go.

Patrick Mahomes was picked off by Rodney McLeod to end the game. It shouldn’t be detrimental to their season but the loss kept them from taking a big lead in the AFC West.

5. Los Angeles Rams

After being bullied by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Los Angeles Rams have now reeled off two wins in a row. They handled the Atlanta Falcons, who have been better than expected, in Week 2 and then knocked off the Arizona Cardinals on the road, 20-12.

It wasn’t a huge win and they scored just 20 points but it was a divisional victory which is always needed. But what mattered more is the fact that Matthew Stafford threw no interceptions for the first time this season — after having five in the first two weeks.

Cam Akers had his best game with 61 yards and a touchdown but did turn it over. And of course, Aaron Donald continued to play well, recording sack No. 100 in his career.

Buffalo Bills drop a few spots in Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

4. Buffalo Bills

Despite another fantastic outing from Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills lost their first game of the season, ending their reign as the No. 1 team in our 2022 NFL Power Rankings. Allen threw for 400 yards and had 47 on the ground, but it was the pass he missed that stood out in this one.

Down 21-17, the Bills went for it on fourth-and-goal from the two and Isaiah McKenzie was open for the touchdown. Allen was under pressure but still should have made the play. His pass ended up falling short of McKenzie, turning it over on downs.

A safety thanks to a botched field goal gave them a final chance but time ran out on the offense as they were unable to snap the ball in time for a field goal try.

3. Green Bay Packers

The battle of the Bays came down to the final seconds and the Green Bay Packers emerged victorious. Aaron Rodgers again did just enough on offense while the defense held off the opponent for the Pack — which isn’t an easy task with Tom Brady on the other side of the field.

Green Bay sacked Brady three times and held them to just 34 yards on the ground. They also were able to hold them to field goal attempts until the final seconds when Brady hit Russell Gage with 14 seconds to play.

The Bucs then seemed unprepared for the two-point conversion that followed and that helped end things at 14-12. It wasn’t a shootout, but it was an important game that could have an impact on postseason seeding down the stretch.

Dolphins and Eagles shockingly top NFL Power Rankings for Week 4

2. Philadelphia Eagles

It’s starting to look like the Philadelphia Eagles are for real. Jalen Hurts has looked great in every game this season and just threw it all over the Washington Commanders at home. He finished with 340 yards and three touchdowns. DeVonta Smith continues to grow as a player as he had 169 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. He even started to hear MVP chants after his latest showing.

Defensively, they had an unreal nine sacks on Carson Wentz who struggled against his old team. Brandon Graham led the way with 2.5 but five others got in on the fun including fellow veteran Fletcher Cox and young edge rusher Josh Sweat.

Right now, the Eagles are the favorites in the NFC East and had won their past two games by a combined 48-15.

1. Miami Dolphins

Looking at the stats, it’s hard to see how the Miami Dolphins pulled off a win in Week 3. At home against the Buffalo Bills, Miami had just 15 first downs compared to 31 for Buffalo. They also had just 39 total plays against 90 and were more than doubled in yardage as the Bills had 497 compared to just 212 for the Dolphins.

Despite all of this, they fought every second of the way and somehow took a 21-17 lead when Chase Edmonds ran in a touchdown from three yards out. There was a scare as the defense held Buffalo near the goal line but then had their punt blocked by the punt protector’s backside, resulting in a safety. Again, the defense did just enough, keeping Isaiah McKenzie from getting out of bounds and the clock ran out on the Bills.

They’re now the top team in the AFC and while Tua Tagovailoa (who was just 13-of-18 for 186 yards) continues to be inconsistent, they keep finding ways to win — and all three wins have been over good teams.