32. Miami Dolphins
There’s not been much for Miami to be excited about this season as they haven’t scored more than 10 points in a game this season. Also, Miami has allowed at least 30 points in every game this season. It hasn’t helped that the Dolphins had a tough schedule to start the 2019 season, but they are clearly the worst team in the NFL at this point.
31. Washington Redskins
The Redskins are a really incompetent organization that has no real direction at this point. The problems for Washington starts with the uncertainty at the quarterback position. Case Keenum has struggled recently and he was benched during the game against the Giants. Rookie Dwayne Haskins got his first chance at playing time, but he clearly showed that he isn’t ready to be a starting quarterback in the NFL yet. Washington has issues on both sides of the ball, but head coach Jay Gruden might be fired very soon if the Redskins continue to play poorly.
30. New York Jets
The Jets have been absolutely lost without starting quarterback Sam Darnold. Hopefully they can get him back soon because the offense has looked completely incompetent without him. The Jets still aren’t going to be a good team even when Darnold returns, but they badly need him back if they want to be a respectable team. The Jets have a few really tough games coming up and it’s difficult to envision a scenario in which they’re not 0-6 by late October.
29. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals showed some potential when they nearly beat the Seahawks and Bills. However, the team has also looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL in their other two games especially on Monday when they got blown out by Pittsburgh. The Bengals offense clearly isn’t the same without A.J. Green and running back Joe Mixon has really struggled this season. I thought the Bengals would be at least decent this season, but the Bengals have proven that their offense isn’t very good despite having new offensive-minded head coach Zac Taylor.
28. Denver Broncos
It’s been a terrible start to the 2019 season for Denver and the loss of star pass rusher Bradley Chubb for the season certainly won’t help. The Broncos have suffered a couple of really difficult losses on game-winning field goals, but Joe Flacco is proving that he isn’t the answer at quarterback. Also, the Broncos defense that was supposed to carry the team hasn’t been very good to start the season.
27. Arizona Cardinals
The new offense for the Cardinals hasn’t looked very inspiring and Kyler Murray hasn’t performed well so far. It’s still early and it’s hard to expect Murray to make much of an impact as a rookie, but the Cardinals won’t win many games this season unless he improves. Arizona’s defense is also a cause for concern and the Cardinals play in a really tough division, so the Cardinals likely won’t win many games this season.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers
It was a really inspiring win for the Steelers on Monday, but let’s not forget that the win came against a terrible Bengals team. Pittsburgh’s not a terrible team without Ben Roethlisberger and they’re trying to remain competitive this season as evidenced by their acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick. However, the Steelers still have a lot more to prove and I’m just not sure that Mason Rudolph gives them much of a chance to win many games.
25. Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta has been arguably the most disappointing team this season and it’s been really surprising that their offense hasn’t been very good despite the abundance of talent that they have. Matt Ryan hasn’t played very well for the most part this season and the rest of the team around him just hasn’t stepped up. The Falcons still have a chance of turning around their season in an unpredictable NFC South division. However, the Falcons offense needs to play much better if the team wants to improve.
24. New York Giants
The Giants are a team on the rise with Daniel Jones at quarterback as he’s won the past 2 games for the Giants. However, the Giants are a one-dimensional team without Saquon Barkley and Jones struggled somewhat against the Redskins in week 4. We’ll learn a lot more about the Giants in the next 2 weeks when they play the Vikings and Patriots. There’s no doubt that the Giants are a better team with Daniel Jones as the quarterback, but the lack of overall talent around him is still concerning.
23. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee is a tough team to figure out because they looked terrific in week 1 and last week as well. However, they were terrible on offense during weeks 2 and 3. The Titans defense is very underrated and that leads to some reason for optimism for the Titans in the wide-open AFC South. That being said, quarterback Marcus Mariota and the offense need to be much more consistent which is something that I’m not sure will happen often this season.
22. Oakland Raiders
Oakland looked good in week 4 against the Colts, but I’m still not sold on the Raiders as a team moving forward. The defense is still a cause for concern and it’s also concerning that quarterback Derek Carr doesn’t really have many reliable targets to throw to. Oakland is a decent team, but they proved in weeks 2 and 3 that they aren’t ready to compete with some of the top teams in the NFL.
21. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have a very talented roster and it’s showing because they’re able to remain competitive despite star quarterback Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement just prior to the season. Jacoby Brissett has done a very good job as the starting quarterback and that’s allowed the Colts to remain competitive in every game that they’ve played this season. The Colts will likely compete for the division title this season, but they are too inconsistent right now for me to put them higher in the rankings.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
Gardner Minshew has been arguably the best story in the NFL so far this season as he’s been a terrific replacement for Nick Foles at quarterback. Star running back Leonard Fournette had a terrific game in week 4 and the Jaguars offense could get better if he consistently performs at a high level. The Jaguars defense is also really talented, so if Minshew can continue to play well then the Jaguars could remain serious contenders for the AFC South title.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay suffered a heartbreaking loss in week 3, but they had a terrific bounce back game in week 4 as they put up 55 points and shocked the undefeated Rams. Shaq Barrett is the frontrunner for defensive player of the year and the offense is starting to really click with Jameis Winston getting better every week since the start of the season. Tampa Bay still needs to show more consistency, but they are an underrated team that could surprise some people this season.
18. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers looked like a team destined for a really disappointing season after an 0-2 start. However, Kyle Allen has started the past 2 games at quarterback and he’s played really well while leading the Panthers to 2 straight wins. Carolina’s defense is very good and if Allen continues to play well then the Panthers could really become a tough team to beat. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Cam Newton returns, but the Panthers might just stick with Allen if he keeps winning games consistently.
17. Detroit Lions
Detroit’s been an impressive team so far this season and they came really close to pulling off a stunning upset of the Chiefs in week 4. I keep waiting for the Lions to fall apart like they usually do and it just feels like that the process is beginning. The Lions offense is still good, but it’s the defense that’s really making the difference this season. Maybe Detroit keeps playing well, but it’ll be tough for them to remain competitive in the really talented NFC North division.
16. Houston Texans
Houston’s a talented team that has really underachieved this season and the offense appears to be a cause for concern as evidenced by their week 4 loss to the Panthers. Star receiver DeAndre Hopkins has struggled this season and that’s really held back the Texans offense because they rely on him. I keep waiting for the Texans to improve especially since they’re probably the best team in their division, but they’ll continue to fall in the rankings if they keep playing like they did in week 4.
15. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore looked like a dominant team in the AFC after the first 2 weeks of the season. However, they’ve faced stiffer competition in the past 2 weeks and it’s shown that the Ravens likely aren’t ready to be one of the NFL’s top teams. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense has been very good for the most part this season, so there aren’t many concerns in that aspect. However, the defense hasn’t performed well recently and it’ll need to improve if they are going to be a playoff team this season. Baltimore has some issues that they need to fix, but they still have plenty of reason for optimism especially in a rather weak AFC North division.
14. Minnesota Vikings
Just when the Vikings looked really impressive after a dominant week 3 win and then they come back in week 4 and look like a completely different team. The Vikings have a really talented team, but their two losses against two good teams shows that they really aren’t ready to stack up with the top teams in the NFL. The Vikings are still a playoff contender, but the play of Kirk Cousins and the Vikings passing offense is really concerning.
13. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers haven’t been all that impressive this season, but they’re still a good overall team. They have a terrific running game especially with the return of Melvin Gordon and the passing game is still very good with Philip Rivers leading the way. The Chargers have a rather easy schedule over the next few weeks, so they have a chance to really put themselves in prime playoff positioning. Also, if some of their key players like Derwin James and Hunter Henry return from injury soon then the Chargers could get even better as the season progresses.
12. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland looked like an overhyped team to begin the season, but week 4 really was a breakout game that showed what the team is capable of. The offense looked as explosive as we thought it would be entering the season as Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Jarvis Landry finally had big games. The Browns defense still looks good, so the team should win the division if they can put it all together like they did against Baltimore in week 4.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia’s remained competitive in all 4 of their games this season and they could easily be 4-0 right now if things had gone their way in weeks 2 and 3. However, the Eagles had a really impressive win against the undefeated Packers in week 4. The Eagles made the good Packers defense look bad as Philadelphia torched Green Bay with the running game. The Eagles still have big concerns on defense, but the offense is playing well right now and that’s what will keep them a playoff contender.
10. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo’s defense was really impressive against the Patriots in week 4 as Tom Brady had one of the worst games that he’s played in awhile. However, the Bills offense still just can’t seem to get anything going this season. Josh Allen had a terrible performance with 3 interceptions in week 3 and he hasn’t been all that impressive at any point this season. The Bills defense will continue to carry the team, but the offense is really holding the team back from being true contenders in the AFC.
9. San Francisco 49ers
I’m not sold yet on the 49ers, but their defense has certainly been impressive and it’s what has led to the team’s undefeated record entering week 5. The offense really needs to improve and if they do then it’s possible that they could beat out the Rams and Seahawks for the top spot in the NFC West. San Francisco hasn’t really faced a difficult challenge this season, but they’re undefeated and that’s all that matters.
8. Chicago Bears
The Bears offense really struggled in week one and it hasn’t improved much since that point. However, the Bears defense has been so dominant this season that the lack of production from the offense hasn’t been much of a factor. Mitchell Trubisky hasn’t played well and it appears that he won’t play in week 5, but the Bears offense might actually be better without him. The Bears defense will keep them playoff contenders, but the offense needs to get much better because they can’t expect the defense to carry them in every game.
7. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks offense might be better than expected and their defense played by far the best game this season in week 4 as they held Arizona to 10 points. If Seattle can put it all together then they have a real shot at being in 1st place in the highly competitive NFC West division. Seattle has a massive game against the Rams this week, so we’ll get a really good indication of how this team stacks up against the best teams in the NFL.
6. Green Bay Packers
It’s been the defense that has carried the Packers for most of this season. However, it was the defense that looked vulnerable in week 4 against the Eagles as Green Bay gave up a ton of rushing yards. Green Bay still has a good defense and if they can get the offense to perform well consistently then there’s no doubt that they’re one of the top teams in the NFL.
5. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas looked terrific in the first few weeks of the season, but let’s not forget that they only beat the Giants, Redskins, and Dolphins which is a very soft schedule. The Cowboys offense looked really vulnerable in week 4 against the Saints and it is a cause for concern going forward especially if they play top teams in the NFL. The Cowboys defense looks like the real deal as they’ve really played well this season, but the offense needs to play better than they did in week 4 if they want to be a super bowl contender.
4. New Orleans Saints
It is remarkable what the Saints have done in the past couple of weeks after the injury to Drew Brees. The offense hasn’t necessarily been very impressive with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. However, the defense is really carrying the team right now as evidenced by giving up only 10 points against a good Cowboys offense. If the Saints can continue to play well until Brees comes back then they could be on pace to be the best team in the NFL.
3. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams had a tough loss in week 4 as their defense got exposed and the team allowed a whopping 55 points overall to Tampa Bay. The Los Angeles offense made some big plays and Jared Goff had over 500 yards passing, but the difference is that Goff turned the ball over too many times. The Rams are still the best team in the NFC in my opinion, but Goff needs to do a better job of taking care of the ball and the Rams need to establish a running game with Todd Gurley as well. Los Angeles has a really tough game against Seattle this week and we’ll get a better idea about how good the Rams will actually be this season.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs came close to losing on Sunday to the Lions, but the offense continues to be very impressive. Patrick Mahomes is undoubtedly the best quarterback in the NFL and the Chiefs passing game is almost impossible to stop. Kansas City’s defense is still a big concern, but the Chiefs make up for it by having a dominant offense. Kansas City is a super bowl caliber team and they are arguably the top team in the NFL right now.
- New England Patriots
The Patriots offense really struggled in week 4 against the Bills and Tom Brady had the worst game that he’s had in a long time. However, the Patriots was so good that Brady’s poor performance didn’t even matter. New England hasn’t allowed more than 14 points in a game this season and they only allowed 10 points to the Bills in week 4. The Patriots haven’t had a tough schedule to begin the season, but the Pats offense also hasn’t quite lived up to their potential yet. If the Patriots offense can start playing better then the Patriots could be unstoppable because their defense is currently playing at an elite level.