The first three weeks of the season have delivered plenty of surprises. Who had the Raiders starting 3-0—or Bryce Young and Tyler Shough leading the league in passing yards? Here are the JetNation NFL Power Rankings for week 4.
NFL Power Rankings
- San Francisco 49ers 3-0 (Week Three: 2)
The Niners have dominated their first three games, outscoring their opponents by an average score of 32-17.
- Buffalo Bills 3-0 (Week Three: 4)
The Bills overcame five turnovers to remain unbeaten, but that formula is unlikely to work over the next two weeks against the Patriots and Rams.
- Seattle Seahawks 2-1 (Week Three: 1)
The Seahawks showed they are mortal by losing for the first time in thirteen games. The Chargers may bear the brunt of Seattle’s desire to start a new streak this Sunday.
- Kansas City Chiefs 3-0 (Week Three: 5)
The Chiefs have a chance to take sole possession of first place in the AFC West with a win in Las Vegas this week. It has been a while since they held that position.
- Jacksonville Jaguars 2-1 (Week Three: 6)
The Jaguars made a statement on Sunday blasting the Patriots. Jacksonville is allowing just 12 points per game so far.
- Minnesota Vikings 3-0 (Week Three: 10)
The unbeaten Vikings are one of the season’s biggest surprises. With the Dolphins, Saints, and Colts coming up, Minnesota has a realistic path to a 6-0 start.
- Los Angeles Rams 1-2 (Week Three: 3)
This is the first time that a 1-2 team showed up in the top ten. The Rams are a special case. The start of the season has painfully demonstrated how important Puka Nacua is to this team.
- Baltimore Ravens 2-1 (Week Three: Unranked)
The Ravens miraculous finish pushed them to 2-1. They have yet to hit their stride, but upcoming games against the Titans, Falcons, and Browns could help them find it.
- Denver Broncos 2-1 (Week Three: Unranked)
Denver faces a road trip to San Francisco after a nice win at home against the Rams. Falling behind and coming back late has worked for this team, but there are limits to how far that formula can take you.
- Philadelphia Eagles 2-1 (Week Three: 8)
The Eagles may have overlooked the Bears without Caleb Williams. They learned a hard lesson in front of a national audience on Monday night.
- New York Jets 1-2 (Week Three: 20)
The Jets got into a shootout with the Lions on Sunday, a style that suited Detroit, not New York. Gang Green needed to shorten the game and control the clock, but the Lions instead out-rushed the Jets 131-58. My early season concern is that the offensive line, an area thought to be a strength coming into the season, is not as strong as expected. The uneven play along the line was a major factor in allowing the comeback against Green Bay and the high-scoring affair in Detroit. The Jets formula for success this season is a strong running attack and the play-action pass. Although Geno Smith was superb in Detroit, the Jets are not going to win any games when he has to throw it thirty-seven times.
This week, the Jets travel to Chicago to face a Bears team riding high after rolling past the Eagles on Monday night behind third-string quarterback Case Keenum. Like Detroit, Chicago pairs a potent offense with an elite rushing attack: the Bears rank third in total offense, lead the league with more than 184 rushing yards per game, and rank fifth in scoring at 29.7 points per contest.
So, how do the Jets win? The Jets can win the same way they could have won the Detroit game. Chicago is among the league leaders on offense, but they are average on defense. The Jets need the offensive line to control the line of scrimmage, the way we expected them to coming into this season. If this game gets into the thirties and Geno needs to throw it nearly forty times, this game will look a lot like the Detroit game.
