NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Reaction and Standings After Thursday Night Football

The Green Bay Packers started Week 4 in style Thursday with a 35-14 victory at Lambeau Field over the hapless Chicago Bears and cemented their spot as a top-five team in the early power rankings.

While they benefit from playing their fourth game already, they are one of only three teams in the league with three wins to this point. The others are the undefeated Atlanta Falcons and undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, although these power rankings will not be based solely on the win-loss records in the early going given the small sample size.

With that in mind, here is a look at the NFL's power rankings before the majority of the Week 4 schedule.

NFL Power Rankings

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 3-0

2. Atlanta Falcons, 3-0

3. New England Patriots, 2-1

4. Green Bay Packers, 3-1

5. Denver Broncos, 2-1

6. Tennessee Titans, 2-1

7. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-1

8. Minnesota Vikings, 2-1

9. Detroit Lions, 2-1

10. Philadelphia Eagles, 2-1

11. Washington, 2-1

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1-1

13. Oakland Raiders, 2-1

14. Los Angeles Rams, 2-1

15. Dallas Cowboys, 2-1

16. Buffalo Bills, 2-1  

17. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-1  

18. Seattle Seahawks, 1-2

19. New Orleans Saints, 1-2

20. Houston Texans, 1-2

21. Carolina Panthers, 2-1

22. Arizona Cardinals, 1-2

23. Baltimore Ravens, 2-1

24. Los Angeles Chargers, 0-3

25. Cincinnati Bengals, 0-3

26. Miami Dolphins, 1-1

27. Chicago Bears, 1-3

28. New York Giants, 0-3

29. New York Jets, 1-2

30. San Francisco 49ers, 0-3

31. Indianapolis Colts, 1-2

32. Cleveland Browns, 0-3

Kansas City Chiefs

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are No. 1, and not just because they are 3-0 or they handled the defending champion New England Patriots in the season opener by 15 and scored a head-turning 42 in the process.

They are in the top spot because they have won twice on the road already, one of which came against the Patriots.

They are impossible to ignore at this point, especially with rookie running back Kareem Hunt leading the league with 401 rushing yards. He has already joined impressive company at this stage in his career, as ESPN Stats & Info highlighted:

Hunt also has 137 receiving yards and six total touchdowns and has been a revelation for a Chiefs team that would have been justified worrying about the downfield aerial attack after finishing a middling 19th in the league in passing yards per game last season.

Instead, Hunt's presence is forcing defenders into the box, and quarterback Alex Smith has responded with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions to go with 258 passing yards per game.

The improved offense, as well as a defense that was seventh in the league in points allowed per game at the conclusion of Week 3, makes Kansas City legitimate Super Bowl contenders out of the AFC.

Seattle Seahawks

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

The Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs in each of the last five years and reached two Super Bowls during that span, winning one.

With many of the same pieces of the core returning, including quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, and defensive backs Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, they were widely expected to be a Super Bowl contender again.

However, they haven't looked the part through three games.

Seattle's only victory is a 12-9 slugfest against the lowly San Francisco 49ers, and benefit of the doubt based on past success is the primary reason it is ranked as high as No. 18 on this list. The offense was nowhere to be found in the first two contests and scored a combined 21 points, and the defense then disappeared in a 33-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 3.

The offense's problems are largely up front as it was a mere 18th in the league in rushing yards per game and 17th in passing yards per game, as of Thursday. Football Outsiders ranked Seattle's offensive line 24th in run blocking and a middling 14th in pass blocking before Thursday's game between the Bears and Packers, and there have been few running holes to exploit in the first three games.

Despite the blip against the Titans, the defensive talent is still there to compete with some of the best teams in the league. Still, the Seahawks haven't given their fans much to point to in the early going this season, and things won't change if the offensive line continues to struggle.

Baltimore Ravens

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Baltimore Ravens receive extended coverage here because they are ranked No. 22 and below a number of teams with a better record than their 2-1 mark. The ranking needs some context given the record, which is good enough for a tie atop the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Those two wins came against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, who are a combined 0-6 this season. Those games are the closest NFL parallel to the contests against FCS teams some college squads play early in the season to earn a straightforward win.

Baltimore's first real test came in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and the result was a 44-7 embarrassment against a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2007 season.

The defense was lost and made Blake Bortles look like Tom Brady with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions, while the offense was abysmal with Joe Flacco throwing for 28 yards and two picks and Terrance West managing just 26 rushing yards.

It was one of the worst performances fans have seen from the Ravens in years and provided legitimate reason for hesitation moving forward despite the two early wins. Sunday's contest against the Steelers will determine early pole position in the division and help reveal whether the showing against the Jaguars was a sign of things to come or just a blip on the radar.