National Football League

2024 NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Are Chiefs or Bills the best team in football?

Updated Sep. 24, 2024 10:57 a.m. ET

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David Helman

NFL Reporter

Sometimes you've got to make sure you see things through to the end.

It's an era of by-the-minute updates and instant gratification, so waiting until Monday night to finish NFL power rankings can often feel antiquated. After all, how much can one or two games really change the picture?

Quite a bit, as it turns out. Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels authored arguably the two best performances of Week 3 at the final buzzer, and the league is a more fun place because of it as we head into Week 4.

Here are the latest power rankings for 2024 (with Super Bowl odds from FanDuel Sportsbook).

NFL Power Rankings

1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0; ↔)
Super Bowl odds: +500

Just like last year, the Chiefs are slowly figuring things out on offense, though I would argue it looks much more encouraging in 2024 than it did in 2023. Regardless of how you feel about a pedestrian start for Patrick Mahomes & Co., it helps when you have a defense that can close things out for you every single week.

2. Buffalo Bills (3-0; ⬆️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +750

This is how the Bills envisioned the season in their wildest dreams. No, there isn't one dominant, alpha weapon in the Bills' offense, but there are about five solid ones — and that's more than good enough when your quarterback is an MVP candidate. And no, I did not stutter. Josh Allen looks every bit like the early favorite.

3. Detroit Lions (2-1; ↔️)
Super Bowl odds: +1300

Weird game in the desert, but a road win is a road win. The Lions have to be encouraged by how their revamped secondary has played these past couple of weeks. Though I am worried about what it might mean for their offense if All-Pro center Frank Ragnow misses a significant stretch of time with a pec injury.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1; ⬆️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +1100

Jalen Hurts has to stop turning the ball over, and Nick Sirianni could stand to get a better feel for his fourth down decision-making. Having gotten those criticisms out of the way, I'm choosing to be encouraged by the Eagles rediscovering how to pull one out of the fire. It didn't need to be as close as it was, but the Eagles had been finding ways to lose nail-biters instead of winning them. Feels like progress to be on the other end of one.

5. Baltimore Ravens (1-2; ⬆️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +1300

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry working in tandem to the tune of 238 rushing yards was just as fun as we were hoping it would be. Granted, steamrolling the Dallas defense might not be overly difficult, but it was still nice to see Henry rumbling for the first time this year, with Lamar making all the right plays beside him.

6. Houston Texans (2-1; ⬇️ 4)
Super Bowl odds: +1400

Maybe Minnesota is just going to do this to everyone. As hot as C.J. Stroud has started his career, it feels telling that this beating at the hands of the Vikings was just his second multi-interception game. Not the end of the world, but a day that got away from the Texans.

7. Green Bay Packers (2-1; ⬆️ 4)
Super Bowl odds: +2300

My apologies to Malik Willis — I was not familiar with your game. It's one thing to beat Indianapolis by pounding the rock, but Willis was dealing from the pocket in Nashville last weekend, in addition to making plays with his legs. I was worried about the Packers staying afloat without Jordan Love, and it turns out they're thriving. 

8. San Francisco 49ers (1-2; ⬇️ 4)
Super Bowl odds: +750

The only reason I'm not dropping the Niners further is because you've got to trust the body of work. But man, how many more personnel losses can a contender be expected to take? Javon Hargrave is now out for the season, and Christian McCaffrey is apparently consulting with specialists in Germany about his Achilles injury. That's in addition to a slew of other injury issues. I'm not writing San Francisco off, but I'm starting to get concerned. 

9. New York Jets (2-1; ⬆️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +1800

Thursday's win against New England felt like a ceiling-changing game for the Jets. Aaron Rodgers had been decent through two games, and this Jets roster can win plenty of games with decent. Now, we've officially seen him play at an elite level. How often can he repeat that? And how dangerous does it make the Jets if this is sustainable?

10. New Orleans Saints (2-1; ⬇️ 1)
Super Bowl odds: +3200

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Saints' offensive line fell apart after losing center Erik McCoy on the first possession of the loss to the Eagles. It's a tough break, but that's life in the NFL. The Eagles lost two offensive linemen on Sunday and still got the job done. Hopefully, for Derek Carr's sake, McCoy's injury isn't a serious one.

11. Minnesota Vikings (3-0; ⬆️ 6)
Super Bowl odds: +2300

On top of the NFC North with the NFL's passing touchdowns leader after three weeks, just like everyone predicted. And the fun thing is that I don't think this is a fluke. Brian Flores' defense has shut down San Francisco and Houston in back-to-back weeks. If the Vikings can do that, there won't be many opponents that can pull away from these guys. And if Sam Darnold can just continue avoiding reckless decisions, this is a tough formula to beat. A big trip to Lambeau Field awaits in Week 4.

12. Seattle Seahawks (3-0; ⬆️ 2)
Super Bowl odds: +2900

I'm impressed with the totality of the Seahawks' résumé, and Geno Smith is playing some strong football. But the Broncos, Patriots and the Tua-less Dolphins don't exactly qualify as statement wins. It's time to see a stronger test. And oh, what timing. Week 4 sends Seattle to Detroit, where the Hawks got a thrilling overtime win last season. Let's see what they're all about.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1; ⬇️ 7)
Super Bowl odds: +4700

Can't say I love to hear the Bucs talking about how they weren't mentally prepared for the Broncos. It's Week 3 of the NFL season, and this is a veteran team. Even if the win in Detroit was a big one, how can you lose focus that quickly? Maybe the loss was just a wake-up call, but again: Why do you need a wake-up call in mid-September?

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0; ⬆️ 2)
Super Bowl odds: +3900

The Steelers haven't exactly faced a daunting slate to open the season, but what they're doing on defense is still incredible. If you limit three straight opponents to 10 points or less, I'm confident you can hang with just about anyone in the league. Now, the million-dollar question: How much more can the resurgent Justin Fields continue to grow?

15. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3; ⬇️ 5)
Super Bowl odds: +3000

The Bengals scored 33 points, did not punt or turn the ball over, got All-Pro performances from their quarterback and star receiver — and somehow lost. I'll be digesting that Jayden Daniels performance for quite some time, but Cincinnati better turn the page quickly. Even as impressive as the offense looked on Monday night, 0-3 is usually a death knell for the season. It's going to take a hell of a strong locker room to right this ship.

16. Dallas Cowboys (1-2; ⬇️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +2100

Their defense gave up 28 points and it was somehow an objective improvement from Week 2. That's where we're at with this team. There are a million ways you could pick apart the Cowboys' play these past two weeks, but the quickest way to sum it up is this: They've allowed 464 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground in their two defeats. You don't win at any level of football playing this way.

17. Los Angeles Rams (1-2; ⬆️ 4)
Super Bowl odds: +6000

What a gut check. No healthy receivers, a decimated offensive line, trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter against San Francisco, and the Rams pulled out the win in regulation. It's not going to get easier, because so many of their injuries are long-term issues. But if they can dig down for a result like that, it might be something they can build on.

18. Washington Commanders (2-1; ⬆️ 10)
Super Bowl odds: +9500

I can't say for sure that this is sustainable, but how do you not give the Commanders a massive bump after what we saw Monday night? If Jayden Daniels is capable of even playing close to the level we saw in Cincinnati, this team has a completely different ceiling than most of us anticipated. They haven't punted since Week 1!

19. Atlanta Falcons (1-2; ⬇️ 1)
Super Bowl odds: +3000

Can we just get Kirk Cousins and the gang to play every snap like it's the fourth quarter? Credit to Atlanta for hanging around long enough to give themselves a chance in each of the past two games, but it's not the way you want to live every week.

20. Cleveland Browns (1-2; ⬇️ 5)
Super Bowl odds: +6500

The numbers are getting increasingly unkind to Deshaun Watson. Through three games, he's averaging -0.3 expected points added every time he drops back, and his success rate is sitting at 31.9%. Among quarterbacks with at least 50 dropbacks, that's putting him in company with Bryce Young at the bottom of the league.

21. Arizona Cardinals (1-2; ⬇️ 2)
Super Bowl odds: +5500

The Cardinals have often been able to hang their hat on their run game, and it just didn't show up in Week 3. Detroit limited non-quarterback rushers to just 2.5 yards per carry, which was a big factor in Arizona's offense stalling out in the second half. Offense is the key to this team's success, and it was surprising how one-dimensional the Cards looked against the Lions.

22. Los Angeles Chargers (2-1; ⬆️ 2)
Super Bowl odds: +6500

I'm not going to ding the Chargers for dropping a game to a loaded Pittsburgh defense when their quarterback wasn't at 100%, but I'm also not impressed by the body of work so far. We've already played three games, but I just don't feel like I have a good sense of what they are. 

23. Chicago Bears (1-2; ⬇️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +6000

I'm not panicking about Caleb Williams, but it couldn't have been fun for anyone in Chicago to watch Jayden Daniels — the guy drafted one spot after Williams — put on a show against the Bengals. I do think we're seeing small signs of improvement, and the defense is nasty. Unfortunately, that falls well short of where I thought this team would be.

24. Denver Broncos (1-2; ⬆️ 6)
Super Bowl odds: +17000

So impressed with how calm and collected Bo Nix looked in Tampa. Made good decisions, took the plays in front of him, used his legs when needed. Not a flashy day, but simply good quarterback play. And obviously, it doesn't hurt that his defense completely smothered an overwhelmed Buccaneers offensive line.

25. Indianapolis Colts (1-2; ⬆️ 1)
Super Bowl odds: +6500

The process of breaking in a young, inexperienced quarterback is a lot less exciting in reality. After that incredibly fun season opener, this has been a frustrating offense to watch the past two weeks. Better to be frustrating in a win, though. And rookie pass rusher Laiatu Latu looks like a player. So that's nice.

26. New York Giants (1-2; ⬆️ 5)
Super Bowl odds: +18000

Yes, it's early — but it isn't too early to be wowed by Malik Nabers. Even in an era where all-star receivers crop up every year, the rookie wideout is doing something special at the age of 21. On an offense that's devoid of other options, the dude is on pace for 200-plus targets and 1,500 yards. That alone makes the Giants worth keeping an eye on, even if the rest of the team struggles.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3; ⬇️ 4)
Super Bowl odds: +8000

We are officially in the danger zone in Jacksonville. The team is bad, the aura feels bad, and things tend to get uncomfortable when you lose a game by 37 points — ask the Carolina Panthers. It's a bit early in the season to be speculating about coaching changes, but it makes sense to have an eye on the Jags if something doesn't improve. 

28. Miami Dolphins (1-2; ⬇️ 6)
Super Bowl odds: +7500

That game in Seattle is exactly why I dropped the Dolphins way down the power rankings when Tua Tagovailoa got hurt. This offense just isn't viable without good quarterback play, and Miami doesn't look like it has a real alternative on the roster right now.

29. Carolina Panthers (1-2; ⬆️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +40000

The Red Rifle's still got it, baby. Couldn't have been fun for Bryce Young to watch Andy Dalton immediately turn Carolina's offense into a watchable unit, but that's why a change needed to be made. Can Dalton keep the good vibes going against his old team, with Cincinnati coming to town this weekend?

30. Las Vegas Raiders (1-2; ⬇️ 5)
Super Bowl odds: +14000

Losing to the Panthers is a tough look, regardless. Getting blown out by the Panthers, to the point that the head coach is calling out his players' effort? In Week 3? That's a tough place to be. Can Antonio Pierce keep this thing out of the ditch?

31. New England Patriots (1-2; ⬇️ 4)
Super Bowl odds: +24000

Thursday night looked like the Patriots team I was expecting to see heading into the season. New England's offensive line didn't give Jacoby Brissett a chance against the Jets, and the Patriots just don't have much in the way of weapons. It's tough to see this group winning any games where the opponent scores north of 20.

32. Tennessee Titans (0-3; ⬇️ 3)
Super Bowl odds: +22000

The Titans' lone calling card to this point had been a solid defense, and that went by the wayside Sunday. It's already hard to win with Will Levis turning the ball over eight times in three weeks. That plus a leaky defense is a tough combination. 

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team's official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback's time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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