NFL Power Rankings 2020: AFC, NFC Records, Division Standings and Week 4 Outlook

Kristopher KnoxSep 30, 2020

If you were among the fans ready to crown the Baltimore Ravens as the best team in football after two weeks, Monday night's blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs served as one big, nationally-broadcast pause button.

Kansas City showed that it is still the team to beat by comfortably cruising to a two-touchdown lead over the Ravens. Reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson struggled, while reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes shined.

The important takeaway, though, is that power rankings are fluid. Deciding how teams stack up after two or three weeks is akin to filling out a label with disappearing ink. It might look clear in the short term, but there's a darn good chance that it's going to change soon.

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All we can do is examine where teams stand now—which we're going to do here—and where they might go in Week 4.

2020 NFL Standings

AFC East

Buffalo Bills 3-0

New England Patriots 2-1

Miami Dolphins 1-2

New York Jets 0-3

AFC South

Tennessee Titans 3-0

Indianapolis Colts 2-1

Jacksonville Jaguars 1-2

Houston Texans 0-3

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers 3-0

Baltimore Ravens 2-1

Cleveland Browns 2-1

Cincinnati Bengals 0-2-1

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs 3-0

Las Vegas Raiders 2-1

Los Angeles Chargers 1-2

Denver Broncos 0-3

NFC East

Washington Football Team 1-2

Dallas Cowboys 1-2

Philadelphia Eagles 0-2-1

New York Giants 0-3

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-1

New Orleans Saints 1-2

Carolina Panthers 1-2

Atlanta Falcons 0-3

NFC North

Green Bay Packers 3-0

Chicago Bears 3-0

Detroit Lions 1-2

Minnesota Vikings 0-3

NFC West

Seattle Seahawks 3-0

Arizona Cardinals 2-1

Los Angeles Rams 2-1

San Francisco 49ers 2-1

The Patriots Need to Make A Statement

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Knocking off the Chiefs isn't going to be easy this season, as they might be even more talented than last year's Super Bowl squad. While the New England Patriots would love to pull off the upset in Week 4, it's perhaps more important that they make a couple of statements during the game.

New England has battled back from a 2-2 record before, but they did so with Tom Brady under center. They have Cam Newton now, and while Newton looked fantastic against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, he was shakier in Week 3.

Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Newton completed just 60.7 percent of his passes for 162 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He didn't look as comfortable with what he was seeing as he did the previous week, and he wasn't as decisive with the ball as a result.

Fortunately, New England picked up the slack with defense and a strong running game and landed a 16-point win.

Against the Chiefs, Newton needs to regain that confidence he showed a couple of weeks ago. He needs to show his teammates that he's comfortable dueling with the best quarterback in the game. He needs his teammates to believe in him and in themselves.

This is why the Patriots also need to keep this one close. Losing the way that Baltimore did won't end New England's season, but it could cause doubt to start creeping in. The Patriots are underdogs in the AFC East. They've beaten the rebuilding Miami Dolphins and a Raiders team that may or may not be a contender. They need to believe they can hand with the best that the AFC has to offer.

Ravens Have a Prime Opportunity to Rebound

Nick Wass/Associated Press

While the Patriots will look to upset Kansas City, Baltimore will be hoping to rebound from a home loss to the Chiefs. It was a big momentum-shifter for a team that had previously not lost a regular-season game since Week 4 of last year.

"They beat us. They out-executed us. They out-game-planned us. They just beat us," head coach John Harbaugh said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "They're a better football team at this point in time."

The Ravens might have a little doubt in themselves after falling to 0-3 against Kansas City with Jackson under center. However, they can shake off the funk by handling the rebuilding Washington Football Team on the road.

This isn't to suggest Washington will be a pushover. The Team has a fearsome defensive front and some intriguing pieces on offense. However, quarterback Dwayne Haskins is mistake-prone, as he showed in a four-turnover game against the Cleveland Browns last week.

The Ravens can likely fluster Haskins with the blitz in ways they couldn't against Mahomes. If they can force a couple of mistakes and stick with the running game, they should come out with a convincing victory.

If the Browns can beat Washington by two touchdowns, Baltimore can do the same. In doing so, it should quiet any concerns about the Ravens being overrated.

Seattle Needs to Step Up Its Defensive Game

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Right now, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the early front-runner for league MVP. However, the Green Bay Packers appear to be the better team in the NFC. This is because while Green Bay has been average defensively—ranked 14th in yards and 21st in points allowed—the Seahawks have been downright horrible.

No team has allowed more passing yards or total yards this season. Seattle has just five sacks on the season and ranks 22nd in points allowed.

Wilson has been conjuring up a special sort of magic, but he's had to do so to deliver wins.

The Seahawks need to start showing some growth on the defensive side of the ball, and it needs to start this week against the Miami Dolphins.

While Miami might not seem like the biggest challenge for Seattle, this is anything but a throwaway game. Seattle has to travel cross-country against a Dolphins team that just dropped 31 points last Thursday.

The Dolphins will be rested, confident and ready to put Seattle's defense to the test. If the Seahawks are forced to win this one via another shootout, it'll be time to question if they really are title contenders.

NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

1. Kansas City Chiefs

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. Green Bay Packers

4. Seattle Seahawks

5. Buffalo Bills

6. Tennessee Titans

7. Pittsburgh Steelers

8. New England Patriots

9. Los Angeles Rams

10. New Orleans Saints

11. San Francisco 49ers