NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Biggest risers and fallers after Week 4

8. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business in Week 4 and blew out the New England Patriots, who are rebuilding.  The Niners are pretty banged up and may not get RB Christian McCaffrey back for quite some time.

It’ll be interesting to see if Brock Purdy can continue producing at a high level without some of his best play-makers on offense.  The Niners defense doesn’t seem quite as good in 2024 as they were in previous seasons, so overall, the Niners just do not feel nearly as scary as they once were.

Now yes, they’re still a great team and well-coached, but I would probably choose a couple of teams in the NFC before the 49ers.   The Niners have lost two Super Bowls to the Kansas City Chiefs since the 2019 NFL Season.  Could we see the two teams meet up in the Super Bowl again in 2024?

7. Detroit Lions (2-1)

The Detroit Lions play on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks, who are coming into this game banged up.  Frankly, I do not believe the Seahawks are nearly as good as their 3-0 record indicates and think that the Lions are going to take it to this team.  Detroit looks to advance to 3-1 on the season and try to remain in sight of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

This division may genuinely come down to the Lions and the Vikings, and if the Green Bay Packers can see Jordan Love stabilize a bit more, this could be a three-horse race.  And don’t look now, but the Chicago Bears are also 2-2, so that team could hang around.

The Lions are truly built to win now and win a Super Bowl.  They made a surprise run to the NFC Championship Game in the 2023 NFL Season and surely hope to take the next step in 2024.