12. Arizona Cardinals
If there's one team on this list I wanted to bury a little bit more than others, it's got to be the Arizona Cardinals. Even though they are listed as the 12th-best team this week, I think you'd have to say their arrow is pointing straight down.
The Cardinals just lost James Conner to a season-ending injury, and now Trey Benson is on short-term IR with an injury. This team has flirted with disaster in a couple of close wins, and now, Kyler Murray has a lot more pressure on him. The Cardinals can use their upcoming matchup against the Titans as a "get-right" game, but after that, things get a lot tougher.
11. Chicago Bears
After a convincing and impressive win against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, the Chicago Bears struggled a little bit on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4. But no matter how pretty it was (or wasn't), all that matters is that this Bears team gutted out a tough win.
Nothing else matters late in the year.
The Bears' defense may lack a top-flight presence off the edge, but the longer-term concerns for this team are whether or not they'll be getting consistency from their run defense. Through the first month of the season, the Bears rank dead last in yards allowed and yards per carry allowed on the ground.
10. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders got an impressive win in the first start of the year for Marcus Mariota a couple of weeks ago, but they were humbled in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons. And the Falcons exposed some serious weaknesses for the Commanders defensively.
Jayden Daniels' return can't come soon enough, and it appears as though he's been cleared to return for Week 5. Playing on the road against the Chargers, the Commanders are going to need the best of what Daniels can bring to the table because that Chargers defense is going to be hungry to prove itself after getting punked by rookie QB Jaxson Dart.
9. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are yet another team whose projection right now is extremely confusing. We've seen some downright terrible performances by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and we've seen the Falcons put forth a couple of dynamic offensive performances that inspire confidence.
Are we buying more into the team that got shut out against the Carolina Panthers, or are we buying the team that had the Bucs on the ropes and took it to the Washington Commanders last week?