NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Updated Standings, Predictions Before MNF

The Cleveland Browns, coming off their first win since 2016, have a better record than the New England Patriots. 

That just about sums up the craziness of the first three weeks of the NFL season. 

After Sunday's action, only four teams remain undefeated, and they're quarterbacked by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Tannehill, Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff. Perhaps aside from Goff, it's safe to say few expected that to be the remaining crew with unblemished records. 

Much has changed in the power rankings through three weeks, but here's an attempt to sort through all the early-season upsets and rank the teams entering tonight's Monday Night Football action between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)

5. Minnesota Vikings (1-1-1)

6. Carolina Panthers (2-1)

7. Green Bay Packers (1-1-1)

8. New England Patriots (1-2)

9. New Orleans Saints (2-1)

10. Atlanta Falcons (1-2)

11. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) 

12. Washington Redskins (2-1)

13. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1-1)

15. Miami Dolphins (3-0)

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)

17. Denver Broncos (2-1)

18. Chicago Bears (2-1)

19. Tennessee Titans (2-1)

20. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)

21. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)

22. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

23. Cleveland Browns (1-1-1)

24. Indianapolis Colts (1-2)

25. San Francisco 49ers (1-2)

26. New York Jets (1-2)

27. Detroit Lions (1-2)

28. New York Giants (1-2)

29. Oakland Raiders (0-3)

30. Houston Texans (0-3)

31. Buffalo Bills (1-2)

32. Arizona Cardinals (0-3)

1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0)

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The Rams aren't the only undefeated team, but given their dominance, it would be foolish to place any other team atop the power rankings right now. 

Through the first three weeks, the Rams' scoring differential (plus-66) is 20 points higher than the next team on the list (Ravens, plus-46) and 40 points ahead of third place (Chiefs, plus-26). 

Perhaps there was reason to remain skeptical of the Rams through the first two weeks after wins over the lowly Raiders and Cardinals. Sunday's convincing victory over the Chargers, however, should remove all doubt that this team is ready to contend for a deep playoff run. 

Not only did the Rams cruise to a 35-23 victory, but they also outgained the Chargers 521 yards to 356 and more than doubled their first down total (33 to 16). 

Having scored the third most points in the league, while allowing the fewest points, there's little doubt that this Rams team deserves the top spot. 

12. Washington Redskins

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It was hard to get excited about the Redskins' prospects this season after they parted ways with Kirk Cousins in the offseason. After three weeks, however, it looks like this roster might be more competitive than many initially expected. 

Despite facing Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers the past two weeks, the Redskins have allowed the second fewest points this season (44).

If the Redskins defense can continue to play at this level, Alex Smith could prove to be the perfect quarterback for this team. While he doesn't usually light up the scoreboard the way Cousins is occasionally capable, Smith's ability to protect the football is ideal for a team built around the defense. 

Another encouraging development on Sunday was the breakout performance of Adrian Peterson. With a season-high 120 yards on 19 carries, Peterson looked like he still has plenty of juice left in the tank. 

31. Buffalo Bills (1-2)

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The Bills were the undisputed worst team in the league through the first two weeks, which made their Week 3 upset of the Vikings one of the most shocking results in recent NFL history.

According to OddsShark, it was also the league's biggest upset since before Bills quarterback Josh Allen was born:

So how do we reconcile Sunday's result with the inept Bills team that took the field during the first two weeks?

Taking a deeper look at the stats, it appears as though this was probably a lucky performance by the Bills, and a regression back to their early-season woes is likely. 

Buffalo put 27 points on the scoreboard but managed just 292 total yards—the exact same total as the Vikings, who scored just six points. That's a rare scoring outburst for a team that was otherwise struggling to move the ball. 

To put it into perspective, in 2017, there were 179 instances of a team being held under 300 yards of total offense and only 10 times did that team score 27 or more points. The average scoring output for those teams was just 14.3 points.

Bills fans should revel in their victory this week but also be prepared to snap back to reality next Sunday in Lambeau Field against the Packers.