NFL Top 10 for Week 4

There are five undefeated teams left in the NFL, but only four are good enough to be in the top 10. The fifth team almost made it but we’ll wait until this weekend (Chiefs vs Raiders) game.

Winning isn’t everything, especially this early in the season, and especially considering the number of upsets there were in Week 3. There’s so much to be learned as the season moves forward. 

1 – Kansas City Chiefs 3-0

Winning by 14 while losing the time of possession by nine minutes against the Dolphins. What? That rarely ever happens. The Chiefs took care of business by comfortably defeating the worst team in the NFL. Everyone was finally convinced they were back to their old, dynastic selves, and then they go and let a terrible Dolphins team hang around for an awfully long time. But they are 3-0 and not every game can be perfect,

2 – Buffalo Bills 3-0

The Bills, they had five turnovers. Five turnovers, and a win! That shows the talent the Bills team has. They're not going to be able to get away with that later in the season, though. Josh Allen turned the ball over three times after having zero giveaways in the Bills’ first two games. But he also had two touchdowns to give him a league-leading 11 total on the season as the Bills are off to a 3-0 start.

3 – San Francisco 49ers 3-0

Their defense had an alarmingly soft stretch in the second half on Sunday, but their Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey-led attack is clicking on all cylinders. And when that happens, this team looks like the best team in the NFC. They were pretty much unheralded all offseason because everyone was talking about Seattle and the Rams. Brock Purdy currently has the second-shortest NFL MVP odds. The Niners are rolling early on.

4 – Seattle Seahawks  2-1

Someone finally beat the best. The Seahawks drop from No. 1, but outgained the Commanders by almost 200 yards. The run game vanished, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba can only do so much. The Seahawks have got to find a way to get back on track. Strange to see this staunch Seahawks defense get carved up by Marcus Mariota. Seattle ran into a more desperate team in Week 3. They’ll probably bounce back and be fine.

5 – Baltimore Ravens  2-1

Tyler Loop, a walk-off 56-yarder in Rio? The trio in Rio? That's what Jim Nantz said — I loved that. Another incredible performance by Lamar Jackson. Week in and week out, he's unstoppable. I think they've got to sustain some of those drives in the second half to put these teams away. The Ravens took advantage of the Cowboys’ incompetence to steal a win in regulation. This offense, which ranks fourth in points scored, has looked pretty good in two of their three games thus far. Seems like hiring Ben Johnson assistant Declan Doyle was a good call.

6 – Minnesota Vikings  3-0

No one would've guessed this, certainly not with the injuries at quarterback. But the Vikings had six sacks, 12 QB hits, a punt return touchdown and winning in all phases of the game against the Buccaneers. I'm excited to see how Kyler Murray grows in this Kevin O'Connell offense. Brian Flores is a huge reason why the Vikings are undefeated through three games. Minny’s defense has allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL.

7 – Chicago Bears  2-1

Incredible, back-to-back games holding teams in single digits? How about Dennis Allen and that defense? And a veteran quarterback who hasn't started in like, a million days? Case Keenum said it in the locker room after the game: It's not his first f---ing rodeo. Despite being down to third-string quarterback Case Keenum, the Bears bullied the Eagles on Monday night. Chicago clearly outcoached Nick Sirianni and his staff in that game.

8 – Los Angeles Rams  1-2

I still love everything about this Rams team, but I’m starting to think their brutal schedule might be a little too much for them in the long run. They looked worn down against the Broncos, especially late in the game. They still are a top-10 team and might be even better once star defensive end Myles Garrett and WR Puka Nacua return. Now is not the time to declare the Rams dead. Week 1 was a weird situation and they were done dirty by a bad call late in Week 3. They haven’t hit the ground running but they’re still going to be good. They outgained Denver by 225 yards in a loss on Sunday.

9 – Detroit Lions  2-1

Jared Goff has eight touchdowns and no picks. They're squeaking by in some tough wins. They show a lot of toughness in Detroit; that's what that city is made of. The Lions’ offense is often going to give them a chance to win. Their defense continues to be a major concern, however.

10 – Cincinnati Bengals  2-1

What happened to the Bengals defense from the first two games? They made Aaron Rodgers suddenly look young again. The way Joe Burrow is clicking with both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, it should be hard for anyone to hang with the Cincinnati offense, let alone a 42-year-old QB. The Bengals’ defense was looking to be improved … and then they gave up nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns to 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers. Maybe it was just one bad week. Clearly, that’s what I’m counting on by keeping them ranked this high.

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There’s plenty of teams lurking into the top 10:

Dallas Cowboys 
Denver Broncos 
Jacksonville Jags
Las Vegas Raiders 
Philadelphia Eagles