1. Bills (3-1, last week No. 3): In a season of heightened parity, the Bills are currently the only dominant team.
2. Cardinals (4-0, No. 6): A convincing win over the Rams trumps those close calls against the Vikings and Jaguars.
3. Buccaneers (3-1, No. 2): Too many injuries on the defensive side of the ball could make it a lot harder to repeat.
4. Ravens (3-1, No. 4): To those who think they don’t belong in the top five, remember this: that 43-game streak of 100-yard rushing games means as much as these rankings do.
5. Rams (3-1, No. 1): When some streaks, like an eight-game run over the Cardinals, come to an end, it ends with a very loud thud.
6. Packers (3-1, No. 7): They may not win another Super Bowl, but Aaron Rodgers could win another MVP.
7. Browns (3-1, No. 10): The offense has some real questions, but the defense suddenly has plenty of answers.
8. Chargers (3-1, No. 11): An all-L.A. Super Bowl is hardly a pipe dream.
9. Raiders (3-1, No. 5): They didn’t quit once they fell behind 21-0, which is the only silver lining from Monday night’s black could.
10. Chiefs (2-2, No. 12): A commitment to the running game and the arrival of Josh Gordon could make the offense as dangerous as it’s ever been.
11. Cowboys (3-1, No. 14): I had thought their ceiling is the divisional round. They could be heading back to the NFC title game, for the first time since 1995.
12. Panthers (3-1, No. 8): The arrow is still pointing up. Just not as far.
13. Bengals (3-1, No. 17): Joe Burrow will keep pushing this team higher and higher, this year and beyond.
14. Seahawks (2-2, No. 20): From one critical NFC West game to another, with only three days in between.
15. 49ers (2-2, No. 9): At some point, all these injuries aren’t just the result of bad luck.
16. Saints (2-2, No. 13): This year’s early-season Jekyll-and-Hyde team needs to find some consistency.
17. Broncos (3-1, No. 16): They’re getting the Steelers at their most desperate, and thus at their most dangerous.
18. Vikings (1-3, No. 18): You can’t win if you can’t score more than seven points. #analytics.
19. Patriots (1-3, No. 19): Tom Brady has more wins at Gillette Stadium this year than Bill Belichick. Then again, so does Tua Tagovailoa.
20. Titans (2-2, No. 15): They still may clinch the division by Halloween.
21. Washington (2-2, No. 23): The defense still has a long way to go.
22. Bears (2-2, No. 26): The offense still has a long way to go.
23. Giants (1-3, No. 28): The offensive line still has a long way to go.
24. Steelers (1-3, No. 22): As Steelers fans begin to pine for Aaron Rodgers, there’s only so much even he could do behind that offensive line.
25. Eagles (1-3, No. 25): Nick Sirianni apparently is adding one highlighter to his hat for each game they lose.
26. Falcons (1-3, No. 24): Cordarelle Patterson is the brightest spot in a dark start to the season.
27. Colts (1-3, No. 30): They still have a chance to win the division and lose at home to a much better No. 5 seed in the wild-card round.
28. Dolphins (1-3, No. 21): If the Dolphins don’t turn it around soon, some seats could be getting hot.
29. Jets (1-3, No. 32): Sunday’s game was a glimpse of what the Jets can become.
30. Texans (1-3, No. 29): It rained so much in Buffalo on Sunday that Jack Easterby actually believed he was walking on water.
31. Lions (0-4, No. 27): Jared Goff is now 0-11 with a head coach other than Sean McVay.
32. Jaguars (0-4, No. 31): “Visiting the grandkids” apparently doesn’t mean what it used to.