The Kansas City Chiefs look like the Chiefs again. They just find ways to win games, whatever it takes. And it is all three phases as much as everyone wants to make this mini dynasty just about head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it runs so much deeper than that.
They would not still be unbeaten if defensive coordinator Steve Spaguolo wasn’t still making great halftime adjustments and finding ways to heat up quarterbacks and helping scheme up the critical takeaway at the end of the game.
It’s about Reid doing whatever he things he has to do — including ride the run game as he continues to lose receivers to injury, and some that look gruesome. And it’s about the genius of special teams coach Dave Toub, who someone should have hired as a head coach a long time ago. His call on an early fake punt and his team downing a punt at around the 1 after forcing a turnover on a previous kickoff is about as good as it gets.
No one is better at simply winning games. The genius is back.
1. Chiefs
·      Last Rank: 2
They aren’t necessarily playing A games yet but they are getting vital contributions from all over, they are overcoming early adversity and they are already rolling up critical AFC West wins — and road wins at that. It will only get better as we go along and this offensive line is more functional than recent iterations.
2.   Seahawks
·      Last Rank: 1
They bounced right back like we thought they would and Sam Darnold was sharper this week than in his first game back at Washington. They are another team that has endured a lot of injury issues but you don’t hear as much about it because they keep plugging along. Just wait until they get healthy.
3.   49ers
·      Last Rank: 9
We have serious concerns about the 49ers staying healthy over the long haul. But they seem to be feeding off their offseason adversity, Brock Purdy has already tossed 10 TD passes, the defense looks way better without Nick Bosa briefly this season than it ever did last season. It's been a stellar start.
4.   Jaguars
·      Last Rank: 8
The Jaguars defensive coordinator is a soon-to-be-head coach and their offensive coordinator is probably in the same bucket … So they better cash in on this staff this year because it might be as brilliant as it’s going to get. They don’t beat themselves anymore and they make the play when it needs to be made. You have to love the balance and ability to win in different ways.
5.   Rams
·      Last Rank: 6
Getting Puka Nacua back was huge, he got his legs under him in the second half, and they fought back when they needed it most. It was a brutal loss last week and another short week with more ridiculous travel and more key players unable to play. Falling down big to the Eagles, a team they just haven’t been able to beat, would have sent lesser coaches sideways.
6.   Bills
·      Last Rank: 4
The Bills have a chance to seize the AFC East, really torpedo the Patriots season and open up a three-game cushion in early October. Alas, football isn’t that easy and things rarely work out that way. Just when it looked like the defense might have more bite and finish than we’d seen in Buffalo for a while, they give up 400 yards.
7.   Vikings
·      Last Rank: 7
I had two more people tell me this week they think the gap between Brian Flores and every other defensive coordinator in the NFL continues to grow. This offense hasn’t put up consistent scoring output since Kirk Cousins got hurt there but the defense just brings it every week and seems totally content to win with that formula.
8. Bears
·      Last Rank: 13
So all Ben Johnson has done so far this season is chew up three defenses and spit them out with three different quarterbacks. Like, ceremonial first pitch QBs. When you scheme it like this, you can do whatever you want. Still. Vikings DC Brian Flores bottled him up in the rain when Caleb Williams got hurt — another testament to Flores.
9.   Broncos
·      Last Rank: 3
Something is off here. They cannot get an early game script going worth a damn and they keep having to chase games late. You just keep hearing whispers about Sean Payton getting more involved in play calling because he probably has to get more involved in it. The pass rush isn’t as intense as last season and they're unable to sustain.
10. Ravens
·      Last Rank: 12
Even losing Lamar Jackson for a few weeks could be devastating. The patched up OL cannot sustain the run, Derrick Henry is getting swarmed at the line of scrimmage and Zay Flowers is carrying the passing game — but Snoop Huntley won’t find him downfield like Jackson does. The defense looks far too similar to the 2025 edition this far under Jesse Minter.
11. Raiders
·      Last Rank: 11
Special teams cost them this game. They bested the team that is No 1 in these rankings in the other two categories or at least played them even. Maxx Crosby takes one play off and they get gutted. But they fought til the end and people around the league are taking them quite seriously.
12. Browns
·      Last Rank: 22
People I really respect in this league are telling me the Browns have a shot at the playoffs, and I agree. Is Todd Monken working football miracles with Deshaun Watson? The offensive talent is real the vibes are high and they should have enough coverage and pass rush to stack some wins with a last place schedule. Â Â
13. Cowboys
·      Last Rank: 15
Scoring 28 points on a DeMeco Ryans defense is no joke, I don’t care that the Texans are winless — all the more reason that I’m impressed by what Dallas did. Jerry Jones is itching to make more trades, as I hear it, for his defense, so the Joey Porter Jr. deal is probably not their last big move.
14. Saints
·      Last Rank: 14
They have a very significant game Monday night with the Falcons. At some point New Orleans is going to have to move the ball a little bit on the ground. Just to diversify things and protect Tyler Shough a little more and to be able to work the clock.
15. Patriots
·      Last Rank: 23
The Patriots just saved their season. You get a big bump in a situation like that — answering a gut check and beating a Bills team that has had their number since the Bill Belichick thing fell apart. Still. a lack of blue chip talent is going to be a problem for them getting anywhere close to last year's level.
16. Bengals
·      Last Rank: 10
They just can’t get off to a fast start, it seems impossible for them. They quickly wasted their rare 2-0 open to the season, aren’t able to translate yards to points, are dealing with injuries to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and have not been able to pound the ball on the ground with nearly enough potency. Â
17. Eagles
·      Last Rank: 6
This is starting to look like a team that can’t get out of its own way anymore. It feels too much like a continuation of last season, save for the AJ Brown drama since they shipped him out. The pieces don’t seem to fit. It might be Vic Fangio’s last stand and he’s not a lot of fun to be around when he’s not winning. They look nothing like their Super Bowl teams at the line of scrimmage anymore.
18. Colts
·      Last Rank: 16
I have a hard time buying their upside. Daniel Jones’s legs had everything to do with their incredible start last year but are running out of skill guys in the pass game. They will ride Jonathan Taylor hard and they’ve fought for their season, but the margins seem slim.
19. Giants
·      Last Rank: 20
John Harbaugh wins a lot of regular season games. His impact on what had become a sad-sack franchise can’t be sloughed off. But Giants teams totally collapse with the way injuries have mounted there. Having to come from behind with Jameis Winston is less than ideal, and it looked like Arizona might run them out of the gym early.
20. Panthers
·      Last Rank: 25
They just play with a different energy at home and things seem to come easier for them. Bryce Young looks so much more comfortable — giving him weapons has done wonders for their ability to pick up chunk yards. They're still an offseason away from really breaking through, though.
21. Lions
·      Last Rank: 18
I guess their super power is running behind an extra lineman as much as anyone and trying to run the ball down your throat under center as much as possible. I feel like there is limited high upside in that. The defense, even when they get healthy, is probably not going to be nearly as good as they would like. They just give up big plays like crazy..
22. Falcons
·      Last Rank: 21
How many times can they put the ball in Bijan Robinson’s hands? How far can he take them? Can Michael Penix stay heathy long enough for them to sustain the kind of passing attack that should come from all the money being spent on skill guys? They get the rest advantage Monday night. We’ll see how big of a factor that is.
23. Steelers
·      Last Rank: 17
I thought the whole point of keeping Aaron Rodgers for another year was because he and the head coach had worked together so long in the past and so this would be a smooth operation. Rodgers and Mike McCarthy cussing each other out and blowing timeouts and looking clueless pre-snap far too often is a bad look. TJ Watt apparently reaming out the defensive coordinator on the headset four weeks into the season might not be a great sign either.
24. Texans
·      Last Rank: 19
This is just kind of a mess now — a total collapse in the second half to Dallas to fall to 0-4 as the Jaguars and Colts continue to prove the AFC South isn’t full of pushovers anymore. The run game is beyond pathetic, the offensive line always begs questions and this hole is getting too deep. If they can’t beat the Titans next week then it really is light’s out, folks.
25. Packers
·      Last Rank: 29
We still don’t like much about this operation and don’t think they’re going anywhere. They managed to beat an undrafted QB on Sunday, barely. Like, barely. They don’t look like they can put any sort of winning team away, and we really wonder if they and the Lions have hit their high-water mark under current coaching management.
26. Chargers
·      Last Rank: 30
We are really grading on a curve here. And this team is buried, don’t get me wrong. But as their entire offensive line fell apart due to injuries against the mighty Seahawks, they at least showed a level of fight and focus that’s been sorely lacking. Now, none of that resulted in a win, their schedule is brutal and they are catching Denver next week at a time when we believe Payton will have the Broncos ready to play.
27. Commanders
·      Last Rank: 24
The good news is that Jayden Daniels should be back soon. The bad news is that Marcus Mariota is out now, Daniels’s ability to stay healthy is in question and this team doesn’t seem capable of stringing much together, does it? Â
28. Cardinals
·      Last Rank: 26
Hey, their season had a highlight, which is more than we can say for a lot of teams in this terrain. They beat the Chargers. You can’t take that away from them. But depending on how the draft order works itself out, it might be a win they want to give back.
29. Jets
·      Last Rank: 26
Aaron Glenn just is not going to win many games before he makes way for the next guy. I don’t think we’re going to see anything out of Geno Smith again like we got in Week 3, and no Breece Hall is a big problem.
30. Buccaneers
·      Last Rank: 25
How much salary are they going to look to dump at the trade deadline, especially with all they just sunk into Baker Mayfield? Yuck. Â The offense has no jam, no juice, no energy. Playing at Dallas on Thursday night feels like we're headed toward 0-5.
31. Titans
·      Last Rank: 31
Carnell Tate had his way with the Ravens secondary and came a few drops from going way over 150 yards against them. They actually pushed the ball downfield some on a day when they couldn’t run it at all. They came a few odd play calls from giving the Ravens a real scare.
32. Dolphins
·      Last Rank: 32
Hey, they’re keeping it close lately — give them that much. They got the run game going some with out De’Von Achane, which was a nice touch.
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