2026 NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Do 49ers Or Chiefs Hold Claim As NFL’s Best Team?

There are three teams still unbeaten in the NFL, followed by eight one-loss clubs. But which one is really the best through four weeks of the season? I’ve heard your complaints. I’ve read your comments. And four weeks into the season, I’m ready to admit: You were right. Not about everything. Or even most things. But my loyal readers were right about enough that this week’s Power Rankings contain a bit of a course correction. Not only is there another new No. 1 (what else is new?), but I have rethought my previous positions on teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Carolina Panthers and even the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. I tragically underrated them all. That said, I still think I’m right about the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers are bad. And the Vikings still have a lot of work to do to convince me they’re for real. So here are my revised and renewed Power Rankings as we head into Week 5. *Super Bowl odds courtesy of DraftKings Super Bowl odds: +50000Next game: vs. Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) QB Cam Ward was a little cranky when he was forced to wait a few minutes to start his postgame press conference Sunday, and who could blame him? I mean, he hasn’t been good and the team around him is terrible, and who would want to talk about that?. The Titans have a potential star in rookie WR Carnell Tate, yet they still can’t do anything right on offense. Stat To Know: The Titans have started 0-4 in consecutive seasons for the second time in franchise history. The other was from 1983-84. Super Bowl odds: +100000Next game: vs. Bengals (1:00 p.m. ET) Yes, they’re movin’ on up! But don’t get comfy up this high. They still stink. And they’re probably still the worst team in football. But they deserve a reward for pushing an undefeated (though likely overrated) Vikings team to the limit. They only lost by five points (though it would’ve been 12 if Minnesota TE T.J. Hockenson hadn’t slid at the 1 to let the clock run down with two minutes remaining). RB Ollie Gordon did a nice job replacing the injured DeVon Achane (100 yards on 9 carries, albeit 53 on one). But QB Malik Willis is still as bad as many of us thought he’d be. Stat To Know: Miami has the NFL’s worst point differential (-55) while scoring a league-low 46 points (11.5 PPG). Super Bowl odds: +15000Next game: @ Cowboys (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET) I didn’t expect a lot out of QB Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, so in that sense he didn’t disappoint. Even when Baker Mayfield was healthy, this Bucs team has been a train wreck on offense. And don’t be fooled by their lofty spot in the defensive rankings either, because most of the teams they’ve faced (Cleveland, Minnesota, Green Bay) aren’t capable of lighting up the scoreboard. Tampa Bay is getting nothing from RB Bucky Irving, and even less from WRs Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Todd Bowles’ seat is on fire. Stat To Know: The Buccaneers are 0-4 for the first time since 2013. Super Bowl odds: +30000Next game: vs. Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) They slipped another spot because, my goodness, they were awful on Sunday. The Bears are a Super Bowl contender, but the Jets were outgained 492-157 by a team starting its backup QB. I know the Jets were missing RB Breece Hall, but QB Geno Smith was just 8 of 15 for 119 yards. This was a big step back for a team that has been surprisingly competitive this season. It looked like the “same old Jets.” Stat To Know: Sunday was the Jets first defensive interception in 637 days. The Jets last regular-season interception prior to today came on January 5, 2025 (Week 18 of the 2024 season vs. the Dolphins), as they went the entire 2025 regular season without recording an interception. Super Bowl odds: +10000Next game: vs. Broncos (4:05 p.m. ET) Justin Herbert started the game against the Seahawks 4 for 11 for 34 yards and an interception, which is why the Chargers found themselves in a 27-6 hole. He rebounded after that, a little, but it wasn’t nearly enough. There isn’t a lot to like about this Chargers team, but they can run the ball a little bit and their defense has been good the past three weeks. But at this point, even Jim Harbaugh has to know that any wins will come despite his quarterback, not because of him. Stat To Know: The Chargers have now lost seven straight games dating back to Week 16 of 2025. Super Bowl odds: +30000Next game: vs. Lions (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) There are so many things to like about this team, but none of them are at the QB position. Jacoby Brissett literally threw a win away on Sunday when the Giants defense picked him off three times — including just outside the end zone on the last play of the game. The Cardinals have no other options, but they have too many good weapons — WR Michael Wilson, TE Trey McBride, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., RB Jeremiyah Love — to trust them to such a bad quarterback. Should they get a legitimate one from the 2027 draft, this will be a team on the rise. Stat To Know: The Cardinals have forced seven turnovers through their first four games of the season, the fifth most in the NFL. Super Bowl odds: +4500Next game: @ Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) The DeMeco Ryans-C.J. Stroud era in Houston has been wildly successful. So what’s gone wrong in 2026? The defense, mostly. It has just three takeaways this season — a stark drop from when the Texans had 29 last year (third in the NFL). Considering they get good pressure (14 sacks, including 4.5 from DE Will Anderson), that’s a ridiculously low number. Stat To Know: The last time the Texans started a season 0-4 was in 2020. Super Bowl odds: +6500Next game: vs. Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Is it time to start talking about head coach Matt LaFleur’s job security yet? The Packers barely hung on to beat a decimated Bucs team that is playing worse football than almost any team in the league, and that came two weeks after they needed overtime and an Aaron Glenn brain freeze to squeak by the Jets. Green Bay should be a lot better than this, even with Micah Parsons’ return still a few weeks away. Stat To Know: With their win today, the Packers have started 2-2 or better through four games for the 20th consecutive season, the longest streak in NFL history. Super Bowl odds: +9000Next game: vs. Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m ET) Jayden Daniels’ return can’t come soon enough after the Commanders were stuck relying on third-string QB Athan Kaliakmanis for most of Sunday morning in London. The Greek Rifle had a moment or two, but not enough to convince anyone he can help the Commanders win. If Daniels does return Sunday against the Giants, there might be time to salvage this season. If not, it’s time to start preparing for the draft, and maybe a coaching search, too. Stat To Know: The Commanders have allowed 122 points through four weeks, tied for the second most in the entire NFL. Super Bowl odds: +9000Next game: vs. Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) They had a real shot to win each of their first three games before getting blown out by the Falcons on Monday night, and there are two big reasons why they’re in a bit of trouble. One is the injury to RB Travis Etienne, because it’s pretty clear Alvin Kamara can’t lead their rushing attack anymore. The other is that their rushing defense is terrible. The Falcons ripped through them for more than 200 yards and they’ve given up almost 600 rushing yards in four games. It’s a pretty good bet the Vikings, Giants and Steelers are going to try to take advantage of both those things over the next three weeks before the Saints’ bye. Stat To Know: The Saints have five lost fumbles this season, the most in the NFL through four weeks. Super Bowl odds: +10000Next game: vs. Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Aaron Rodgers’ last ride is certainly turning into a wild one. His deep throws wobble more than their place in these rankings and his mobility is completely shot. But as he showed in the second half of Week 4 against the Browns, he can still be stellar. The problem is, the Steelers need him to be consistent, because neither the Jaylen Warren-led running game nor the T.J. Watt-led defense are very good. Stat To Know: Thursday night was the first time the Steelers allowed 2+ rush TD since Week 1 of 2025. Super Bowl odds: +8000Next game: vs. Ravens (Sunday, 8:20 p.m ET) In their two games with Michael Penix Jr. at QB, the Falcons look like an entirely different team. They suddenly have a potent, explosive offense, which they should have with a talent like Bijan Robinson at RB and an elite WR like Drake London. They’ve basically doubled their offensive output from the first two weeks when Cooper Rush was filling in at QB. Their schedule is about to get rough with the Ravens, Bears and 49ers up next, but at least all three games are in Atlanta. Most importantly, Penix has brought Kevin Stefanski’s team to life and given them a fighting chance. Stat To Know: The Falcons have scored 80 points over the last two weeks, which ranks first in the NFL in that span. Atlanta also rushed for five touchdowns on Monday night against New Orleans, tying their franchise record for most rushing TDs in a game. Super Bowl odds: +15000Next game: @ Commanders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) I know. No respect! They’re 3-1, and this will make Giants fans angrier at me than all of Las Vegas was last week. But I’m just not going to overreact to them winning back-to-back games against the Titans and the Cardinals, two of the worst teams in the NFL. And they barely hung on to beat both of them. I am somewhat impressed with the resiliency of their Brian Burns-less defense, but I am already nauseous from a couple of trips on Jameis Winston’s wild ride. Stat To Know: The Giants are alone atop the NFC East for the first time since 2015. Super Bowl odds: +18000Next game: @ Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) They’ve got a brash rookie coach in Todd Monken intent on showing the NFL it made a mistake by waiting until he was 60 to give him a shot. They are loaded with talented young players, especially on offense where TE Harold Fannin, WR Denzel Boston and RB Quinshon Judkins will soon be stars. Unfortunately, they play like rookies at times (14 penalties against the Steelers). That’s why they’re still low in these rankings. But consider the Browns upwardly mobile. And no one can argue with 3-1. Stat To Know: The Browns are now 8-0 on Thursdays since 2018. That is the longest active Thursday winning streak in the NFL (no other team longer than three). It is also now tied for the third-longest Thursday winning streak in NFL history. Super Bowl odds: +6500Next game: @ Steelers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) QB Daniel Jones has turned into a turnover machine (seven so far this season) and the Colts are thin at WR with Alec Pierce out, which makes you wonder why Shane Steichen won’t lean more on RB Jonathan Taylor. When he does, the Colts’ offense looks good. And they are an overtime FG away from being 3-1 this season. So they’re a playoff contender, but how much longer can they thrive if Jones keeps making big mistakes? Stat To Know: The Colts have allowed 1,105 passing yards to opposing QBs, which is the third-most in the NFL to begin the season. Super Bowl odds: +2700Next game: vs. Buccaneers (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET) Dak Prescott (335 yards, 1 TD) and WR CeeDee Lamb (17-189-1) put on a heck of a show Sunday against a once-proud Houston defense. It was a reminder that that dynamic duo is really capable of carrying the Cowboys to great heights. However, the defense, even with new CB Joey Porter Jr. in the starting lineup, gave up nearly 400 yards to the offensively challenged Texans. What does it all mean? That the 2026 Cowboys might end up looking a lot like the 2025 Cowboys. Stat To Know: With the win over the Texans today, Dak Prescott earned his 85th regular-season win as a starting quarterback, tying Hall of Famer Roger Staubach (85) for the second-most regular-season QB wins in Cowboys franchise history, trailing only Troy Aikman (94). Super Bowl odds: +2400Next game: @ Cardinals (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) The Lions never had a great defensive outfit in the Dan Campbell era, but they were at least decent for a while. Now? Despite 15 sacks — second in the NFL — they’re giving up an NFL-worst 31.8 points per game. You know who they are? They are the Dallas Cowboys. They play like they have to win games 38-35. Even mediocre defensive play would make this team a Super Bowl contender. Stat To Know: The Lions defense is allowing 31.8 points per game through the first four games of the season. If that number holds, that would be the third-worst defense in NFL history trailing only the 2020 Lions and 2008 Lions. Super Bowl odds: +2500Next game: vs. Raiders (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) I was impressed with what they did in Buffalo on Sunday, especially with how QB Drake Maye rebounded from a putrid start to the season. He wasn’t perfect, and he’s still a bit of a turnover machine (nine on the season after two more on Sunday), but he played pretty well overall. It remains clear that the Pats need Maye to carry them if they’re going to contend again. On Sunday, for the first time this season, he showed that maybe he can. Stat To Know: The Patriots are tied for the most turnovers in the NFL this season with 10. Super Bowl odds: +7400Next game: vs. Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Hello, Raiders fans! You happy yet? Probably not. But you’ve got to give me this much: This is an enormous, unprecedented jump in the rankings for a team coming off a loss. Despite a 30-27 defeat to the Chiefs, they showed (me) that their 3-0 start was real. They KC in the fourth quarter, their defense did a number on Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins was mostly fantastic. Really, if it weren’t for a fourth-quarter fumbled kickoff return, they probably win. Klint Kubiak gets my early vote for NFL Coach of the Year. Stat To Know: The Raiders lead the entire NFL with nine takeaways through Week 4. Super Bowl odds: +2400Next game: vs. Jaguars (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET) Those alarms you hear in South Philly today are for the Eagles, because they should be very worried by the way they are playing right now. Once again, Jalen Hurts and the offense look out of sync. And while the defense — the secondary in particular — did a great job against the Rams for most of their Week 4 showdown, they absolutely collapsed in the final seven minutes. And now they are banged up, with injuries to WR DeVonta Smith, RB Saquon Barkley, LB Zach Baun, OL Landon Dickerson and quite a few more. Stat To Know: The Eagles went 0-12 on third down against the Rams. It is the most third-down attempts without a conversion by any team since the 2020 season. Super Bowl odds: +8000Next game: BYE Bryce Young has just been outstanding this season, throwing nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions while averaging a league-best 317 passing yards per game. I’m not quite sure what to make of the Panthers’ defense, though. They were great against the Falcons and Browns, but gave up 1,004 yards combined to the Bears and the Lions. But in the worst division in football, they should start to pull away from the pack very soon. Stat To Know: Tetairoa McMillan is the only player in Panthers franchise history to ever record 14+ receptions, 190+ receiving yards, and 2+ touchdowns in a single game. Super Bowl odds: +1900Next game: @. Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) I still think their defense is a lot better than expected. They did a nice job against an explosive Jaguars team on Sunday. But what exactly happened to the offense? Where is the explosiveness? Even before WR Ja’Marr Chase’s concussion kept him out of the second half this past Sunday, they weren’t what they used to be. They are averaging just 24.3 points per game, and with QB Joe Burrow, Chase and RB Chase Brown, I was sure they were capable of almost a touchdown more than that. Stat To Know: The Bengals rushed for 23 yards against the Jaguars on Sunday. Cinci had not rushed for that few yards in a regular season game since 2012. Super Bowl odds: +2200Next game: @ Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) Congratulations, Vikings fans. You wore me down. Your team is in the top 10. But I am putting Minnesota here grudgingly and with a nod to defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who might be the only reason the club is ranked this high. I am completely unimpressed with how the Vikings squeaked by the Dolphins at home, just like I am unimpressed with the play of QB Kyler Murray and the rest of this sputtering offense. It’s averaging 15.7 points over the past three games and was held to five field goals against what might be the worst team in the NFL. Stat To Know: The Vikings have recorded at least four sacks in seven straight games, tied for the second-longest streak since team sacks became official in 1963. Super Bowl odds: +850Next game: vs. Falcons (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET) They won and still dropped a spot because they barely held on against a pretty terrible Titans team. Also, they’re in a bit of danger with QB Lamar Jackson’s ankle injury looming over their entire season. He may not be the same even after he heals, given how his legs are such a big part of his game. Their Derrick Henry-led running game and defense are good, but not good enough to sustain things if Jackson isn’t available or isn’t at least close to his MVP-caliber self. Stat To Know: Jesse Minter’s 3-1 start is the best record through four regular-season games by any head coach in Baltimore Ravens franchise history. Super Bowl odds: +2000Next game: @ Chargers (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET) It’s almost unfair to judge them because they’re being held to a higher standard than everyone else. Their first four games have been against the Chiefs, the Jaguars, the Rams and the 49ers — four league powers with a combined record of 13-3. And with the exception of Week 1 in Kansas City, the Broncos have held their own. But their offense is still erratic and they still don’t get much of a running game out of J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. At some point, to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. Maybe they just can’t. Stat To Know: The Broncos have a -20 point differential through the first four games of the season. Super Bowl odds: +650Next game: vs. Bills (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET) If you ignore the first 52 and a half minutes this past Sunday in Philly, the Rams looked great. Actually, even without Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, their defense was terrific all game long. It just took more than two hours for Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay’s offense to get moving in the right direction. Once it did, L.A. reminded everyone why it’s still a serious Super Bowl contender. Stat To Know: According to Next Gen Stats, the Rams win probability was as low as 3.2% with just over eight minutes left in regulation in their 24-20 comeback win over the Eagles. Super Bowl odds: +1500Next game: vs. Eagles (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET) You asked for this too, and so you got it. The Jaguars are in the top 10. Maybe they should have been all along. And maybe they are here to stay given what defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is doing. They have a little “bend but don’t break” to them, but it’s working. No one has scored more than 20 points against the Jags this season. They’ve got a league-best six picks, plus two fumble recoveries. Their plus-6 turnover ratio is also the best in the league. Stat To Know: With their win over the Bengals, the Jaguars are now 11-1 over their last 12 regular season games, the best record in the NFL in that span. Super Bowl odds: +750Next game: @ Rams (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET) What a tremendous disappointment Sunday was. They were at home, with a chance to turn the AFC East race into a rout against the Patriots. Instead, the loss just exposed their Achilles’ heel. With QB Josh Allen and RB James Cook, Joe Brady’s team can move the ball and score almost anytime, against anyone. But they’ll probably have to, because their defense isn’t proving to be very good. Stat To Know: Josh Allen is now the all-time leader in scrimmage touchdowns in Bills franchise history with 88, passing Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas who both had 87 in their careers. Super Bowl odds: +1800Next game: @ Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) They outgained the Jets 492 yards to 157 (232-59 on the ground), but replacement QB Tyson Bagent had trouble getting the Bears in the end zone. Clearly, they’re not the same team without QB Caleb Williams, so this lofty place in the rankings presumes he’ll be back relatively soon. If not, they’re still going to be pretty good. But Williams is what will give them the extra dimension to really make a Super Bowl run. Stat To Know: The Bears have four games with 230+ rush yards since 2025, the most in the NFL in that span. No other team has more than two such games. Super Bowl odds: +950Next game: vs. 49ers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) Yes, I know, I resisted making the defending champs the No. 1 team heading into 2026, and I probably still have them too low to keep everyone in the Pacific Northwest happy. I’ve been slow to recognize their greatness in part because they’ve played basically no one (their four opponents have a combined record of 4-12). But Mike Macdonald’s club still has an amazing defense and the offense has scored at least 30 points in each of the past three weeks. Stat To Know: Sunday was the Seahawks’ ninth straight home win (including playoffs), extending the NFL’s longest active home win streak. Super Bowl odds: +900Next game: BYE Their dismantling of the Broncos in Week 1 was a signal to the world that they were back, and they haven’t really stopped rolling since. Patrick Mahomes is looking like his old MVP self, at least as a passer, and it’s impossible to overstate what the addition of RB Kenneth Walker III, the NFL’s leading rusher, has done to their offense. They could use a little more of a pass rush to balance things out, but I trust Steve Spagnuolo to find that during this bye week. Stat To Know: Through their first 151 career starts (regular season and playoffs combined), Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady now have identical 116-35 overall records. Super Bowl odds: +850Next game: @ Seahawks (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET) They have now beaten the Rams and the Broncos — two teams some thought might meet in the Super Bowl — on their way to a dominant 4-0 start. They have proven they can beat teams with Brock Purdy’s arm, Christian McCaffrey’s legs and Raheem Morris’ defense. There shouldn’t even really be a debate at this point: They are the best team in the NFL. Stat To Know: The 49ers are off to a 4-0 start. They have reached the NFC Conference Championship Game in all four previous seasons with a 4-0 start.