National Football League

Chiefs, Eagles headline Nick Wright's NFL tiers entering Week 5

Published Oct. 6, 2022 11:44 a.m. ET

It is no secret that "First Things First" host Nick Wright loves Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. So following K.C.'s 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past weekend, it was the perfect time to move them up his weekly NFL tiers list.

Much has changed since Wright last revealed his tiers, and while some squads landed in familiar territory, others saw significant shake-ups.

Let's dive into the tiers, beginning at the bottom.

Eagles challenge Chiefs atop Nick's NFL Tiers entering Week 5

Nick Wright places Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles atop his list of the best teams in the NFL.

Those Who Must Not Be Named: New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wright's thoughts: "The Patriots are on there, and we know that. The Saints, some people thought they could be a playoff team, by some people I mean my man from New Orleans himself, Chris Broussard. The Lions, they're fun to watch, but they don't belong on a tier."

AFC Hanging By A Thread: Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, New York Jets

Wright's thoughts: "These five teams are all still alive. The Titans and Colts by virtue of being in the AFC South. The Raiders and Broncos by virtue of the overall talent, and the Jets because hey, Zach Wilson's first game back looked good. But they need to get hot Weeks 5 through 8, because they are barely hanging on."

NFC Hanging By A Thread: Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks

Wright's thoughts: "Two of these teams were projected to be two of the four worst teams in football: The Falcons and the Seahawks. That is not how it's gone. The Falcons are two plays away from being 4-0. The Seahawks, you know, some people are saying it's the best a Seahawks quarterback has played in years, and by some people, I mean me. And the Cardinals are getting DeAndre Hopkins, which sounds great except for the fact that the coach and the quarterback really don't seem to get along."

NOT The Standings: Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings

Wright's thoughts: "All of these teams are 3-1, but they all have reason to be concerned. Miami obviously … now Tua [Tagovailoa] is injured, they have controversy. The Giants and the Cowboys are right now both a quarterback away from making you really think about it. The Cowboys might be getting that quarterback. The Vikings, man I watched Kevin O'Connell, and he's now hanging out in the same room as Nathaniel Hackett. You really can't figure out how to handle a clock, and your quarterback's Kirk Cousins, so I'm going to have questions about you all year."

Missing a Piece: Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers

Wright's thoughts: "For the Packers, we've talked about it's a receiver. For the Rams, we've talked about it's offensive line and maybe receiver. For the Chargers, it's a new team doctor, and for the Browns, it's the quarterback for the time being, and they gave that game away this weekend. But they all – if they fill out the roster correctly – could be quite dangerous."

Dangerous in December: Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals

Wright's thoughts: "These three teams, each of their two wins have been resounding, dominant wins. And these three teams, each of at least one of their losses, they have just gave the game away and are going to regret that. However, they have shown you through the first month of the season that they could be very dangerous late in the season."

Scary Everywhere: Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers

Wright's thoughts: "Three teams all with dominant defenses. There's no question about their defenses. The Bills have a superhero at quarterback even if he's a tad overrated by the general quarterback. The Bucs have the GOAT at quarterback, and the Niners have Deebo Samuel, who Chris Broussard said might be the best player in the NFL, and George Kittle. Awesome defenses, very good weapons, or very good quarterbacks."

Favorites! (For No. 1 seed): Philadelphia Eagles

Wright's thoughts: "I think Philadelphia is going to go 14-3. I don't think, however, they're quite as dominant as that record, or their current record will suggest. They have forced 10 turnovers, they have only given up two giveaways. I have not fully bought in on Jalen Hurts for the league MVP, but in the NFC, they should run away with the No. 1 seed."

Juggernauts: Kansas City Chiefs

Wright's thoughts: "They're not the favorites. They've passed that. I don't know what more needs to be said. We had games happening on multiple continents, and every single one of them was a one-score game in the fourth quarter, except for one that is, of course. That involved the Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That one was over five minutes into it. … Do you know who, according to pass-rush win-rate, has been the most dominant interior defender in all of the league? It's not Aaron Donald, it is Chris Jones my friends. You have maybe the best defender in football, the best quarterback in football, the best tight end in football, the best coach in football. Sounds like a juggernaut to me."