NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Lions and Colts keep rising, Broncos look broken

NFL Power Rankings with Risers and Fallers

1. NFL Power Rankings entering Week 4
2. Biggest risers in our NFL Power Rankings
3. Biggest fallers in our NFL Power Rankings

Now that Week 3 is officially behind us, we continue to have a clearer picture painted for us with how our NFL Power Rankings should be shaking out. The Detroit Lions continue to make their season opener look like the outlier for this team, while the Baltimore Ravens keep falling short. Meanwhile, teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers are absolutely cruising right now, perhaps even more dominantly so than we could've ever expected.

Of course, NFL Power Rankings aren't just a listing of the standings. You have to look at what you see on the field beyond just the record to figure out which teams you actually believe in and, just as importantly, the ones you don't. Sure, the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs might be 1-2, but is that really indicative of their quality. Similarly, teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals are both 2-1 on the year, but that feels like fool's gold for anyone that's laid eyes on those teams.

But it's our job to sort it all out — meaning it's time to get to work.

It should be noted, when we're talking about risers and fallers, it's not always about the number of spots that a team is moving in either direction for the power rankings. Instead, much of it is about how our perception has changed about these teams. So keep that in mind, and let's now dive fully into our NFL Power Rankings coming out of Week 3.

NFL Power Rankings entering Week 4

The undefeated Bills have claimed the top spot in the power rankings after the Packers were shockingly upset by the Browns. Green Bay doesn't drop too far, however, and perhaps that game was exactly what that uber-talented team needed to not be counting their chickens before they hatch this early in the season. There's still no reason to believe the Pack won't be a viable contender.

Undefeated teams such as the 49ers, Colts and Buccaneers all crack the Top 10, but are still behind other teams with worse records. Again, this is a power rankings, and when it comes down to it, I'd still take many of the teams ranked ahead of them in a matchup if it was played today — though Indianapolis is definitely making me think about that with each passing week.

And speaking of the Colts, let's break down our biggest risers and fallers, starting with Danny Dimes and Co.

Biggest risers in our NFL Power Rankings

Indianapolis Colts (def. Titans 41-20 in Week 3)

Dread it, run from it, but Indiana Jones and the Colts will keep coming all the same. Indianapolis remains the biggest surprise of the young season to this point. With that, the doubters, myself included, have been plentiful. However, we're starting to reach a certain point when you simply have to believe in what you're seeing from Daniel Jones in Shane Steichen's offense.

The Colts have only punted once in their first three games. They're the first team since 1940 to achieve that level of offensive greatness to start the season, which puts into perspective just how good they've been. Steichen has coached a masterclass with the change from Anthony Richardson at quarterback. More importantly, though, even if that slows down, they would still be among the top defenses in the league.

I'm not going to lie to you and say that I think the Colts can be a juggernaut across a 17-game season to this degree. At the same time, you'd be foolish not to believe in them after what they've shown you, especially with the opportunity to elevate themselves in an AFC South that looks truly abysmal.

Detroit Lions (def. Ravens 38-30 in Week 3)

I'll be the first to admit (mainly because anyone here can check the receipts) that I thought the Lions were royally screwed after their Week 1 loss. It was a jarring performance that seemingly confirmed some preconceived biases that the losses of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, among a ton of other staff members, would severely hinder Detroit this season. Turns out, that opener might've just been a blip on the radar.

The Lions have looked like the Lions of the past few years in their two most recent games. Monday night's win over Baltimore was nothing short of incredible on both sides of the ball. Yes, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and this offense were all the way in their bag, but the defense was what stood out most to me. Even though the Ravens still put up 30 points, it was an arduous battle for them with the level that Detroit's pass rush was playing at.

If Detroit continues to build off these last two weeks, it's safe to say that reports of their demise were extremely exaggerated — and that I feel like an idiot for jumping the gun in thinking the Lions were cooked.

Chicago Bears (def. Cowboys 31-14 in Week 3)

Make no mistake, the Bears actually just picked up their first win of the 2025 campaign on Sunday, but it was everything that you'd been waiting to see out of the Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson marriage. The Cowboys defense, which might be the worst in the NFL or among that group, certainly played a part in that. At the same time, though, this was the offensive line and wide receiver room's best performance by far this season, and the Bears defense played extremely well too.

For me, I didn't give up hope on the Bears after starting the year with two consecutive losses. Even if you put aside the scar tissue that fans are well familiar with from past failures, there were so many kinks that Johnson and his staff had to iron out. That was never going to be an immediate process.

There may still be several stumbling blocks along the way for the Bears, too. However, with the upside that we saw and how Williams seems to be coming into his own in this new offense, there should be far more hope and optimism around this organization now than there has been in several years.

Cleveland Browns (def. Packers 13-10 in Week 3)

Let's be abundantly clear: I don't think the Browns are anything close to a great football team, even after they upset the Packers on Sunday. What I do believe, though, is that Cleveland has an elite defense that can cause anyone in the league problems on a given week. Myles Garrett is playing out of his mind, but this entire unit is filled with playmakers.

If only the Browns had an offense to match that. When watching the rockfight between them and Green Bay, it was painful to think that Cleveland probably would've won by a couple of possessions if they had someone other than Joe Flacco at quarterback. Now, does that mean that Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders is the answer? There's no way to know that, but if the Browns want to give fans even more reason for optimism (and, less importantly, keep rising in the power rankings), a quarterback switch should be under heavy consideration right now.

At least then they could get a peek into the future, and if they have their future QB on the roster currently.

Biggest fallers in our NFL Power Rankings

Denver Broncos (lost to Chargers 23-20 in Week 3)

Dropping to 1-2 on the season with the only win being a white-knuckler against the lowly Titans in Week 1 was certainly not how almost anyone saw this season going for the Denver Broncos. After all of the promise that Bo Nix showed last year under Sean Payton, the belief was that this team was being built to have a rocket tied to it this season. Instead, they look like a noticeably worse version of the group that we saw a year ago.

Unfortunately, much of that falls on Nix's shoulders. When Payton and the Denver front office constructed this new roster for the 2025 season, it was predicated upon the notion that Nix could take more being put on his plate as a playmaker and downfield thrower. You can see that in the play design as well, but the problem has been that Nix hasn't made any sort of leap forward, so the offense has stagnated quite a bit.

This isn't to say that the Broncos can't turn things around into a more positive direction, but they're undeniably among the league's disappointments right now.

Cincinnati Bengals (lost to Vikings 48-10 in Week 3)

It would be one thing if the Bengals had their first game with Jake Browning as the starter and lost badly to any team with a more stable quarterback situation. However, getting blown out by a Vikings team that was also starting its backup — Carson Wentz, no less — is a wake-up call for Cincinnati that the wheels might be ready to fall off after a 2-0 start to the year.

All of the concerns about this defense appear warranted, especially with Shemar Stewart's absence largely rendering the pass rush ineffective. But when you now have an offense that simply can't be the neutralizer in that regard because of the downgrade from Joe Burrow to Browning, that becomes a massive issue, one that the Bengals don't quite look capable of overcoming.

Frankly, I'd be appalled if the Bengals don't trade for a quarterback sooner rather than later. Browning is fine as a fill-in option here and there, but having three months of him as the starter is clearly going to be an unviable strategy in Cincy.

Las Vegas Raiders (lost to Commanders 41-24 in Week 3)

Frankly, the only thing that I think I need to say about the Raiders after three weeks is that running back Ashton Jeanty, a Top 10 pick in this latest draft, has only 144 rushing yards through the first three games with Vegas. That's not great in itself, but it's even more bewildering when you learn that he's done that while rushing for 146 yards after contact.

My big concern for the Raiders in the first year under Pete Carroll was that this franchise simply tried to expedite a rebuild in all of the wrong ways. Trading and extending Geno Smith, drafting Jeanty, and all of their offseason moves were what a team that has a strong infrastructure should do to elevate into playoff contention. The Raiders weren't that, however, and we're seeing that play out with a hole-filled defense and an offensive line that's simply not up to par.

There are still some great pieces in Las Vegas right now, but I think anyone who believes this team is ready to compete at the highest level as currently constructed is simply lying to themselves at this point.

New York Giants (lost to Chiefs 22-9 in Week 3)

Giants fans are getting their wish, and rightfully so, as the quarterback change is happening after Week 3 with Russell Wilson being benched for rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart. That at least gives this team some hope that they can get a bit more from the most important position on the field, which is something that has been holding this team back quite a bit to this point.

While that might be true, though, this really all comes down to the fact that I'm going to have a hard time believing in the G-Men as long as Brian Daboll is the head coach. Look at Daniel Jones in Indianapolis. Look at the decision-making that keeps hindering this team week after week. Look at how the players are reacting after games, defending one another and only being able to allude to the problems being something more. There is coaching malpractice happening in New York — which has been the case for years now.

Dart gives the Giants a better chance of winning, to be sure, and is more hopeful for the team's long-term outlook. But that doesn't mean it's not still going to be a long, long season for as long as Daboll is at the helm.