2024 NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 4
It's time for a new installation of our NFL Power Rankings -- which are powered by numberFire's nERD-based rankings -- as we look ahead to Week 4.
There are currently three teams that suffer a goose egg in the win column. Perhaps you would have had the Tennessee Titans (0-3) down as one of those squads. The Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) were a less obvious candidate, but then again, Trevor Lawrence has been all too unconvincing since his shining 2022 season. But the Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)? We certainly didn't expect the likes of the New York Giants (1-2) and Carolina Panthers (1-2) to grab a dub before Joe Burrow and company.
We've got a small crop of undefeated teams heading into Week 4: the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks. Much expected from Chiefs Kingdom and Bills Mafia, but Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Seattle are now firmly on our playoff radar.
Similar to its predecessor, Week 3 showed no mercy on survivor pool participants. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers each dropped their second-straight game. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Giants and Panthers -- our favorite teams to bully -- pulled off upset road victories on Sunday.
How does everything shake out in the league leading into Week 4? Let's dive in.
All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.
NFL Power Rankings (Week 4)
Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd
A once-lifeless Panthers team was resuscitated by Andy Dalton over the weekend. He threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in the team's 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. But Carolina still checks in as the league's sixth-worst defense, so the soon-to-be 37-year-old will have to summon more "vintage" performances if the Panthers want to ever shed their dead-last rank.
Jacksonville has been dumpster-fire bad and have an intimidating road matchup inbound opposite the Houston Texans., and 7 of their remaining 14 games are against teams that currently have favored odds to make the playoffs. numberFire projects them to win just 4.8 games this season, but their win total is currently set at 6.5 with -104 odds on the under.
It's hard to have much hope if you're a Miami Dolphins (1-2) fan after seeing Skylar Thompson throw for just 107 yards in the team's 24-3 loss against Seattle. Tua Tagovailoa's timetable for return couldn't be more up in the air. Miami's next three games are against three very beatable teams: the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts. After that, the schedule gets pretty brutal for the Fins. If they can't capitalize off of their upcoming soft schedule, 2024 could be a wash.
Let's cap off our summary of the bottom tier by focusing on the positives: Jayden Daniels is awesome. The Washington Commanders (2-1) aren't getting much respect from our power rankings, in large part due to their bottom-ranked defense, but Daniels brought some much-needed excitement to MNF, and the other NFC East groups have gotten off to slow starts.
Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th
You hate to see the Cowboys drop back-to-back home games, and pot-stirrers are already clocking some drama on the sidelines. They've got a great opportunity to bounce back against the Giants this weekend. After that, their upcoming schedule is as follows: at Pittsburgh, vs. Detroit Lions, at 49ers, at Atlanta Falcons, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, and vs. Texans. In turn, numberFire shades them with just a 45.7% playoff chance.
Cincinnati's 14th rank despite their winless record hammers home that we might not have to press the panic button just yet. Two of their next three games are against the Giants and Panthers and their last two games were decided in the final minutes. It'll be an uphill battle moving forward, but they deserve a bit of leeway.
Teams Ranked 12th to 1st
Here's where things get very interesting. The Steelers have gone 3-0 while their AFC North counterparts -- the Baltimore Ravens (1-2) and Bengals -- have gotten off to rough starts. At what point do we consider backing Pittsburgh to win the AFC North? Currently, their -144 division odds imply a 59% probability, but numberFire gives them a 65.2% chance to take it home. The Steelers are -134 moneyline favorites in their matchup against the Colts this weekend while the Ravens will take on a red-hot Bills team.
The Saints fell to the Eagles at the last second on Sunday, but our projections hand them a 65.2% playoff chance while the market is affording them only a 59.0% probability to reach the postseason.
The Seahawks and Vikings are two of our unforeseen undefeated teams, though both come in as underdogs in their meetings with the Lions and Packers, respectively, in Week 4. It's hard not to be high on the Vikings right now. Sam Darnold has posted the sixth-best EPA per drop back, and the defense has allowed the second-fewest points (30) despite dates with the Texans and Niners.
For the second straight week, the Bills earned the top spot in our power rankings. Josh Allen threw four touchdowns in the first half of last night's rowdy 47-10 win over the Jags. Their Super Bowl odds stood at +1700 coming into the season. They've since shortened to +750 (11.7% implied probability), but numberFire still sees value, gifting Buffalo a 12.2% championship shake.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.