We didn’t really expect all that much out of Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, but as usual, the NFL delivered in the drama department.
The Kansas City Chiefs reminded everybody why they’ve basically run the NFL for the majority of the last decade. The Baltimore Ravens and their fans should officially be concerned over the way things are going so far this season.
We have a lot to unpack from everything we saw in Week 4 of the 2025 season. The latest NFL Power Rankings take a look at the biggest risers and fallers around the league, including the Rams and Lions making jumps into the top four.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Chiefs on the rise, Ravens in an ugly free-fall
32. Tennessee Titans
If nothing else, Titans quarterback Cam Ward probably had the best quote of the week when asked about his performance in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. In case you missed it, he simply replied, “Ass.”
Our apologies for the unfiltered start to today’s power rankings, but that pretty much perfectly sums up where the Titans are at after the first four weeks of the season. The team that had the #1 pick in last year’s draft is off to a quick 0-4 start and Brian Callahan should be considered on the hottest of hot seats right now. He doesn’t look like he has what it takes to be an NFL head coach, at least not right now.
31. New York Jets
Jets play Monday night vs. Dolphins
The New York Jets are on the cusp of spiraling completely out of control. The team showed some serious fight in Week 3 against Tampa Bay, but they couldn’t overcome the Cardiac Bucs despite a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. It’s going to be fascinating to see how new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey approach this season if the Jets can’t get in the win column soon. Would they start trading away some bigger names and putting one eye firmly on the future?
It’s not impossible. The Jets clearly have a chance to get in the win column here in Week 4 as they face off against the Miami Dolphins, who also look like one of the worst teams in the league so far this season. It might not be the most highly rated game of the week, but the intrigue will ramp up if Justin Fields is able to get back out onto the field.
30. New Orleans Saints
As much as we’ve had the Saints at the bottom of power rankings or roster rankings or whatever rankings you can think up, we’ve also been trying to tell everyone that they’re probably not nearly as bad as a lot of folks are saying.
The Saints are what they are after a Week 4 loss to the Bills. They’re 0-4 to start this season, and they have more questions than answers right now for the long-term future. But there’s no question that the Saints have played above expectations, including in Week 4 against Buffalo.
The Saints had more first downs than the Bills (22-20) and were one or two plays away from possibly pulling off this upset. They just don’t have the margin for error.
29. Miami Dolphins
Dolphins play Monday night vs. Jets
I hate to sound like a broken record here, but the Miami Dolphins are on the cusp of completely falling apart. They are bringing out some serious reinforcements for Week 4 against the Jets by wearing their stellar NFL Rivalry uniforms, and how could they possibly lose when wearing those?
We saw some much better fight from the Dolphins in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, but Tua Tagovailoa couldn’t help himself late in that game with a terrible interception. The Dolphins are reeling a little bit right now. They desperately need a get-right game, and not only can they get right against the Jets, they could build some much-needed confidence for their stretch of games up ahead. Four of their next five games are against the Jets, Panthers, Browns, and Falcons. They could have a winning record by the end of October.\
28. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns had their one shining moment, and it turned out to be exactly what we all thought it would be – a flash in the pan.
There’s no doubt that the Browns have one of the best defenses in the league, but after their herculean effort against the Packers in Week 3, they couldn’t quite do it back-to-back weeks against NFC North opponents. The Detroit Lions had their way with the Browns, even if they may have run up the score a little bit later in the game.
The question now for the Browns is whether or not it’s time to move on from Joe Flacco. Flacco had another pair of interceptions against the Lions and you can’t help but wonder if they just need to pull the plug and give Dillon Gabriel an extended look.
27. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were back to stinking up the place in Week 4. After a dominating shutout win against the Falcons in Week 3, they completely laid an egg on the road against the New England Patriots.
As badly as the Panthers beat the Falcons last week, they were given a taste of their own medicine against New England with the Patriots winning 42-13, and Drake Maye having as many total touchdowns (3) as he did incomplete pass attempts on the day. This was the definition of getting your lunch money stolen, and the Panthers really got wrecked in this game on special teams. Marcus Jones had a punt return for a touchdown in this game and Carolina allowed over 200 return yards, including 167 to Jones on three punt returns.
26. Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals play Monday night vs. Broncos
The Cincinnati Bengals are a tough team to try and evaluate right now, because they obviously don’t have their franchise quarterback out there. Without Joe Burrow, we saw the wind completely let out of the Bengals’ sails in Week 3 as they were handed the biggest loss in franchise history at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The Bengals, at one point, were losing by 45 points to the Vikings, which is also the biggest in-game deficit in franchise history.
Jake Browning has shown in the past that he’s capable of keeping the ship afloat for the Bengals, but the confidence level right now has got to be about as low as possible. Sitting at 2-1 here entering the end of September, the Bengals now have to go on the road to play against a Denver Broncos team that is going to be desperate for a win. That can work against Denver, so the Bengals have to find ways to minimize mistakes offensively.
25. Las Vegas Raiders
It was a tough Sunday for the Las Vegas Raiders, playing host to the Chicago Bears. The Raiders came out looking sloppy with a pair of interceptions by Geno Smith, a fumble by Ashton Jeanty, and all of this despite the fact taht Maxx Crosby might have been playing the best game of his life early on.
Crosby is a one-man wrecking crew for the Raiders, but I fear that will be the truth more and more as the season goes along. And instead of a one-man wrecking crew, he’s just going to be the last man standing. The Raiders had a chance at a go-ahead field goal late against the Bears, but the kick by Daniel Carlson was blocked.
Geno Smith had three interceptions overall in this game, and the rate at which he’s turning the ball over right now is simply not sustainable. He has seven interceptions through the first four weeks, including a game in which he had none in a blowout loss last week against the Commanders.
24. New York Giants
Nobody was more thrilled for Jaxson Dart to open up his NFL career with a win than Brian Daboll, who looked like a guy after the game whose job was just saved miraculously.
And that could perhaps be true if Dart continues to play well for the Giants. Sadly, he will have to press onward in his rookie year without star receiver Malik Nabers, who left the game with a torn ACL against the Chargers.
When is someone going to fix the field out there at MetLife Stadium? The Chargers also lost Joe Alt in this game, so two top picks from last year’s draft went down in this one.
Either way, the Dart era has officially gotten underway, and the Giants started it off with a quality win. This game can serve as some proof of concept for Daboll going forward as his young roster continues to find its way.
23. Atlanta Falcons
Just one week after losing to the Carolina Panthers in an embarrassing 30-0 blowout loss, the Atlanta Falcons returned home in Week 4 and got a much-needed (and impressive) win against the Washington Commanders.
Nobody in Atlanta cares if the Commanders were playing Marcus Mariota or anyone else at quarterback, the more important thing for this team was seeing the offense and QB Michael Penix Jr. get going. And he did exactly that.
Penix was dialed in, averaging over 11 yards per completed pass and getting the entire group of playmakers involved. We saw Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London all making huge plays in this game. You can’t help but buy stock in this Falcons team after games like this.
22. Houston Texans
Nothing quite like a get-right game against the Tennesse Titans, right?
All jokes aside, the Houston Texans have to make sure their 26-0 win against the Titans truly was a get-right game, because they’ve been anything but “right” all season long. The Texans were 0-3 heading into this game against the Titans, and losing at home to a rookie QB would have started raising some significant questions in H-Town.
CJ Stroud got back on track in this one, the Texans got a nice performance from Woody Marks, and the Texans’ defense held the Titans to just 2-of-11 on third down attempts. The 50-yard line was the end zone for them in this one, essentially, with the Titans only managing 3.3 yards per play, and just 10 first downs overall.
21. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have been one of the most anticipated breakout teams in the league this year, but we’ve yet to see them really put it together. That is, until their dominant performance against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.
Drake Maye had as many incomplete passes (3) as he did total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing), and the Patriots scored 42 points in a blowout win that resulted in the Panthers throwing Andy Dalton in the game late.
This was the type of decisive victory that can be a great launching-off point for a team like the Patriots. Stefon Diggs had over 100 yards receiving to lead the team, Christian Gonzalez was back out there making plays, and the tide shifted just as the Patriots get set for an October slate that includes the Bills (of course), but then the Saints, Titans, and Browns. They could go on a little run.
20. Arizona Cardinals
Nobody hates the NFL’s new landing zone rules on kickoffs more than the Arizona Cardinals right now. The Cardinals should not have been allowed to lose in Week 4 wearing those incredible NFL rivalries uniforms, but here we are. Arizona has now lost two straight tough divisional games in a row, and they’re facing a must-win situation against the Titans in Week 5.
Why is their game against the Titans a must-win? Well, after that, they face the Colts (on the road) and the Packers before their bye week, followed by the Cowboys, Seahawks, and 49ers. It’s a brutal middle of the season for the Cardinals, so getting that third win here in Week 5 will be critical. The one thing we really need to see the Cardinals do better going forward? They’ve got to get the connection between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. more consistent.
19. Minnesota Vikings
I don’t know how much more you could have expected out of the Minnesota Vikings in their game against the Steelers in Dublin. The Vikings have Carson Wentz in the lineup, and they obviously were coming off of an absolutely dominant performance last week against the Bengals.
They didn’t have the same good fortune against the Steelers, and with the ball late in the game after a boneheaded mistake by the Steelers, the Vikings had a chance to at least tie, if not go and win the game. And with the offensive line playing the way it is right now, who really expected Carson Wentz to get the job done?
Wentz threw for over 300 yards and Kevin O’Connell continued to show his coaching brilliance. The Vikings are 2-2 in the first month of the season but injuries and the offensive line loom large over the team’s future.
18. Dallas Cowboys:
Do we have any idea what the Dallas Cowboys actually are at this point? In Week 1, they played the Eagles so tough, and followed that up with a win in a shootout against the Giants in Week 2. Only to let us all down with an ugly loss to Caleb Williams and the struggling Bears in Week 3.
Now the game we just saw them play against the Packers?
I have no idea what the Cowboys are right now, but I do know that if Dak Prescott is selling, I’m buying. The Cowboys’ defense is not sustainable over the long haul of a season, but Prescott playing like this and putting the team on his back is not out of the question. This is a Cowboys team that can be a factor as the season goes along, but #4 staying healthy is the one thing really keeping this ship afloat.
17. Chicago Bears:
The Chicago Bears are an epic collapse against the Vikings back in Week 1 away from being 3-1 at this point. And they’ll undoubtedly be kicking themselves for that one considering how bad JJ McCarthy was after that fourth quarter.
Regardless, the Bears have won two straight games after giving up 52 against the Lions in Week 2, and you see the coaching of Ben Johnson paying off in more ways than just wacky offensive play calls or even just explosive offense in general.
Johnson rallied his guys, and they’ve now won back-to-back games to close out September and get back to .500. In this one, the Chicago defense and special teams came through clutch, forcing four turnovers (including three interceptions off Geno Smith) as well as blocking a 54-yard field goal attempt to win it.
Once again, we’re slowly buying what the Bears are selling, but that offense has to find more consistency.
16. Denver Broncos
Broncos play Monday night vs. Bengals
The Denver Broncos have had two straight weeks of absolutely heartbreaking defeat. Sean Payton’s crew lost on a walk-off field goal against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 after actually winning the game when the Colts missed a 60-yard kick. A leverage penalty gave the Colts a second chance, and they took advantage. Holding a 7-point fourth-quarter lead against the Chargers on the road in Week 3, the Broncos’ defense collapsed and allowed Justin Herbert to storm down the field twice for a win.
This Broncos team is close. They have to find a way to close out some of these tight, one-score games, but losing to two teams that have been among the best in the league so far this season is no reason to pack it in for the year. Denver needs its offense to figure things out quickly and get back on track Monday night against the Bengals.
15. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were bound to get burned playing with too much fire, and that ended up happening in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Brock Purdy’s return to the lineup, it was clear that there was a bit of rust to be shaken off as Purdy threw a pair of interceptions, but the Niners also don’t have enough guys making plays in the passing game.
And I can’t be the only one who was thinking about “Tanjus” from the HBO Max original The Righteous Gemstones every time the announcers talked about Jake Tonges.
All that aside, the weekly special teams craziness impacted the 49ers in a big way in this game as the Jaguars returned a Thomas Morstead punt for an 87-yard touchdown. How many times have we seen special teams play make such an impact around the league already this season?
That play was the difference in this game, and ultimately might have been the difference between 3-1 and 4-0 for the 49ers.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
At this point, I would say I’m extremely intrigued by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but I’m still not quite sold. The win against the 49ers on Sunday is impressive, but they haven’t exactly faced the same schedule as teams like the Chiefs or Ravens so far.
The Jaguars got wins against the Panthers, Texans, and now the 49ers to get to 3-1, and you can’t knock teams for beating who’s been in front of them. The Jaguars’ loss to the Jake Browning-led Bengals remains a major head-scratcher, but they have the pieces in place to make some noise in the AFC South.
The major question for the Jaguars right now is whether or not the play of this defense is for real. The Jags are getting other-worldly efforts these days from players like Devin Lloyd, who was almost considered a bust or trade candidate this past offseason. Lloyd already has three interceptions this season, including a pair against the 49ers. Jacksonville will get a great test next week when they host the Chiefs on Monday night.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers didn’t go over to Dublin on Aaron Rodgers’ preferred timeline, but they did get a timely big performance from Rodgers and the offense as they came away with a tight win against Carson Wentz and the Vikings.
And frankly, the Steelers aren’t going to scoff at getting a little bit of help from Wentz. They’re now 3-1 and well on their way to Mike Tomlin’s inevitable 9 or 10 wins this season, but they obviously have some issues. When you’re on the brink against a team being led by its backup quarterback, and a guy who hasn’t started much in the last couple of seasons, you’ve got to plan on playing in tight games pretty much every week.
12. Washington Commanders
As good as the Commanders were last week in Marcus Mariota’s first start in place of the injured Jayden Daniels, they struggled pretty badly with the Atlanta Falcons in Dan Quinn’s return to face his former team.
Quinn’s defense allowed the Falcons to dominate situational football, converting 6-of-12 third down opportunities as well as their lone fourth-down try of the game. The Falcons were also 4-for-6 in the red zone. The scoreboard reflects a seven-point loss for the Commanders, but the game itself told the story of the Falcons kind of having their way offensively. Michael Penix Jr. had 11.4 passing yards per attempt in this one, and the Commanders couldn’t get pressure on.
Rodgers finished with a completion rate near 82 percent and earned himself that on-tap Guiness he so badly wanted.
11. Indianapolis Colts
At some point, the clock was bound to strike midnight, but I don’t think Colts fans expected it to be everything all at once.
Going into Week 4, the Colts had yet to turn the ball over offensively. That ended abruptly against the Los Angeles Rams with about the worst possible scenarios you could ask for in the turnover department. Not only did Daniel Jones throw his first interception of the season, but he also threw his second, which ended up being a game-ender for the Colts.
And Colts fans had ugly flashbacks to late last season against Denver as AD Mitchell made one of the craziest plays you’ll see all season, and then as he tried to extend the ball over the goal line, he dropped it and it went flying through the back of the end zone.
This was a tough week for the Colts, but they lost to a really good team and we’ll see how they bounce back in Week 5 at home against the Raiders.
10. Seattle Seahawks
After a tough start to the season with the 49ers driving down the field for a late victory, the Seahawks have absolutely turned things around. They’ve now won three straight games and have reestablished themselves as top contenders in the NFC West. I think it was fair going into this season to be skeptical about the Seahawks with Sam Darnold at quarterback, a new offensive system, and no DK Metcalf.
They’ve answered the skeptics and have honestly been extremely impressive on that side of the ball. It’s a small sample so far, but through four games, the Seahawks have the 5th-ranked scoring offense and the 4th-ranked scoring defense. Even though Darnold doesn’t have Metcalf in his offensive arsenal, he’s got Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who gets open with ease and has some of the strongest hands in the league.
9. Baltimore Ravens
Sorry, Ravens fans. This is about as high as we can go right now. We all understand the Ravens have faced a brutal, brutal schedule to start the 2025 season, but that’s no excuse for a team with championship aspirations. The Ravens simply have needed to be better than we’ve seen so far, and they’re now 1-3 after September action.
I personally have to eat crow already, because I didn’t think the Ravens would lose more than one or two games all year, and I made it pretty clear a few times throughout the course of the offseason. This is a way worse start to the season than we saw from the Ravens last year. The blown lead against the Bills followed by getting dog-walked by the Lions and now the Chiefs?
The Ravens are the early contender for biggest “pretender” in the NFL. Luckily for them, it’s still extremely early and they can turn it around quickly.
8. Green Bay Packers
What we all just witnessed on Sunday Night Football between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys had a lot more to do with the play of Dak Prescott than it did the Green Bay Packers having real concerns defensively. At least, everyone in Green Bay is hoping that’s the case, right? Through the first three weeks of the season, there were absolutely none of those, and then you’ve got George Pickens beating you every possible way.
The Packers are simply one of the best teams in the NFL this year, and they’ve got flaws just like everyone else. After pounding both the Lions and Commanders to start the year, it looked like they might steamroll to the top of the NFC North, but there were some unexpected speed bumps in September.
The Packers have to get the taste of these last two games out of their mouths quickly, especially defensively with what we saw against the Cowboys. And at the risk of losing teeth from a knee-jerk reaction, how serious is that cornerback need in Green Bay now?
7. Kansas City Chiefs
Just when we were all ready to write the Chiefs’ eulogy, they come out and play their best game of the year against arguably their most formidable opponent so far. Okay, we can’t really say that, because the Chiefs have faced a bit of a gauntlet thus far (aside from the Giants last week). But beating the Ravens, even though the Ravens are a shocking 1-3, is a huge deal for the Chiefs.
And it’s not just the fact that the Chiefs beat the Ravens, but they dominated the Ravens in front of a Kansas City crowd that’s likely been wondering whether or not the dynasty days were a thing of the past. This was a clear reminder that the Chiefs are still for real. Patrick Mahomes had four touchdown passes to four different receivers, and the Chiefs are right back in the mix in the AFC West after the Los Angeles Chargers got beat.
6. Los Angeles Chargers
After three straight wins to open the year against divisional opponents, who would have thought it would be the Jaxson Dart-led New York Giants who would be the streak stopper for the Los Angeles Chargers?
The Chargers have bigger issues right now than just losing this individual game. They’ve already lost a number of key players in the trenches on both sides of the ball this season to devastating injuries, including Rashawn Slater and Khalil Mack. In this game against the Giants, they ended up losing star tackle Joe Alt.
Initial x-rays were negative for Alt, but the long-term prognosis if the Chargers are missing three starters on their offensive line is not good.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There’s no shame in losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, even for the Cardiac Bucs.
The Buccaneers made a valiant comeback attempt against the Eagles in Week 4, but they couldn’t seal the deal. We’ve gotten so accustomed to Baker Mayfield making every possible play when it’s time to turn on the clutch factor, I think we just assumed it was going to happen in this one.
The Eagles let the Bucs linger around for the majority of the second half, but the Bucs couldn’t take advantage. Baker Mayfield threw his only interception of the game at the worst possible time, and the Eagles escaped.
Once again, this Bucs team is legit. They shouldn’t be dinged too much for their loss at home to the Eagles, which was their first loss of the season.
4. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams took care of business against Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, handed them their first loss of the season. Considering the fact that they had to play a team that hadn’t turned the ball over all year after losing in heartbreaking fashion against the Eagles, this was an impressive show of mental fortitude for the Rams.
This Rams team continues to look like a legitimate championship contender there in the NFC. The way the Rams’ passing attack popped off in this game is pretty much exactly what this fan base would have conjured up in their wildest dreams before the season.
Puca Nacua finished with a team-high 13 receptions for 170 yards. Tutu Atwell had an 88-yard touchdown. Davante Adams had four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Kam Curl sealed the win with his second interception of the game, and this Rams team is back on track at 3-1.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles weathered a bit of a late storm and scoring barrage by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and are sitting pretty at 4-0 after the first month of the season. The Eagles got off to such a dominating early lead against the Bucs that they were sort of just able to play keepaway for the rest of the game.
It almost cost them, however, as the Bucs gave them a good run in the fourth quarter. An interception by stud rookie Jihaad Campbell helped seal the victory for the Eagles and this team just continues to find ways.
That’s been the theme so far this season for the Eagles – finding a way. You can call it playing up or down to the competition if you want, but this is a championship team that knows how to close.
2. Detroit Lions
The term well-oiled machine doesn’t begin to do justice to the Detroit Lions offensively. The Lions are obviously a juggernaut on that side of the ball, and you can pretty much forget that six-point outing against the Packers back in Week 1 ever happened.
The Cleveland Browns may not be the best team in the NFL, but defensively, they are one of the best in the NFL so far this season. Even with the Lions struggling slightly to get past the Browns’ defense early on, they managed to win this game by 24 points and run up the score late.
Detroit has so many ways to beat you offensively, and while we’ve seen they are not exempt from the occasional clunker on that side of the ball, it’s hard to see them losing too many games this year with the level at which that offense currently operates.
1. Buffalo Bills
Defensively, the Buffalo Bills are still a work in progress. The Bills have a much higher standard set for them than the defensive performance we’ve seen through the first month of the season, but in the NFL, style points don’t matter. You are what your record says you are.
Right now, the Bills are 4-0 and on top of the AFC. They’ve obviously got the reigning MVP of the league in Josh Allen, and one of the best offensive weapons in the league in James Cook. Both of those guys are playing lights out, but Buffalo needs their defense to figure things out quickly.
You don’t see many Super Bowl-winning teams benching starting corners in the middle of the year. Again, the Bills are the best team in the league right now, but they’ve got to turn things up defensively rather quickly.