Power rankings

Who sits atop — and at the bottom — of the league entering this week’s matchups?

1. New England Patriots (4-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 1

The offense, and QB Tom Brady in particular, struggled at Buffalo. But the Patriots were bailed out by their defense and special teams. It’s all but official that yet again there won’t be a competitive race in the AFC East this season.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 2

Patrick Mahomes was not at his breathtaking best against the Lions. But it says plenty that he still was quite good and that he and the Chiefs found a way to win.

3. Chicago Bears (3-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 7

The defense is playing at a very high level again this season, and the loss of QB Mitchell Trubisky to a shoulder injury shouldn’t be all that debilitating.

4. New Orleans Saints (3-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 13

The Saints have beaten the Seahawks and Cowboys with Teddy Bridgewater at QB.

5. Seattle Seahawks (4-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 15

The Seahawks rebounded from the loss to the Saints by taking care of business with the victory Sunday at Arizona. Now comes a quick turnaround for the big Thursday night meeting with the Rams.

6. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 10

The 49ers return from their bye week as the NFC’s lone unbeaten team. They won’t be under the radar any longer.

7. Los Angeles Rams (3-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 3

That was an alarmingly poor performance in the loss to the Buccaneers.

8. Dallas Cowboys (3-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 4

Yes, the Superdome is loud and it’s a tough place to play. But if the Cowboys are going to be a Super Bowl team, they simply have to be able to win a game like that, especially when the Saints are without Brees.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 18

The triumph Thursday night at Lambeau Field kept the Eagles’ season from unraveling any further, and Sunday’s Cowboys loss was an added bonus for Philadelphia. That quickly, the Eagles are right back in the NFC East race.

10. Green Bay Packers (3-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 5

Does anyone want to be the NFC’s top team? The Packers’ chance to stake their early-season claim came undone amid their offensive failures near the goal line in the loss Thursday night to the Eagles.

11. Cleveland Browns (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 17

The win in Baltimore kept the Browns from being labeled an early-season bust.

12. Buffalo Bills (3-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 9

The Bills hung tough against the Patriots. They won’t overtake New England in the division race but they showed that they could be a viable playoff contender.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 24

The Bucs don’t get to pass the Rams in the rankings even with Sunday’s big win.

14. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 19

Melvin Gordon wasn’t needed Sunday in the victory at Miami. But with the RB back in the fold after ending his holdout, the Chargers perhaps can find a way to recapture last season’s form.

15. Baltimore Ravens (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 6

That was an extremely disappointing performance Sunday in the loss at home to the Browns.

16. Carolina Panthers (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 20

No one is in a rush, it seems, for Cam Newton to return to the Panthers’ lineup, given how Kyle Allen is playing as the fill-in starter at QB.

17. New York Giants (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 21

Daniel Jones made mistakes in his second NFL start in the win over the Redskins. But he still has two victories in two games since taking over at QB for Eli Manning, and hope has been restored.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 22

Rookie QB Gardner Minshew II and the Jaguars continue to reassemble their once-broken season even as the Jalen Ramsey saga plays out.

19. Detroit Lions (2-1-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 12

The near miss against the Chiefs seems to signal that coach Matt Patricia has things headed in the right direction.

20. Houston Texans (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 8

The Texans really should be better than this. Losing at home to the Newton-less Panthers simply is not acceptable.

21. Tennessee Titans (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 23

The road triumph in Atlanta was surprising. Just when it seemed like time to consider giving up on Marcus Mariota as the long-term answer at QB, he came out and played extremely well.

22. Oakland Raiders (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 25

The win in Indianapolis reinforces the notion that the Raiders are much improved this season, even after the Antonio Brown fiasco.

23. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 11

The loss at home to the Raiders puts the Colts in the thick of the middling teams in the AFC South and in the league.

24. Minnesota Vikings (2-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 14

New season, same old story for Kirk Cousins. It appears ever more certain that he’s simply not the QB to get the Vikings or anyone else to the NFL’s upper tier.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) | Last Week’s Rank: 26

If only the Steelers could play the Bengals every week, they’d be fine.

26. Atlanta Falcons (1-3) | Last Week’s Rank: 16

This is shaping up as an extremely disappointing season for the Falcons , especially given the opportunity they seemed to have in the NFC South with the QB injuries elsewhere to the Saints’ Drew Brees and the Panthers’ Cam Newton..

27. Denver Broncos (0-4) | Last Week’s Rank: 27

The leads, early and late, slipped away against the Jaguars, and the Broncos’ season is headed nowhere.

28. Arizona Cardinals (0-3-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 28

29. New York Jets (0-3) | Last Week’s Rank: 31

30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-4) | Last Week’s Rank: 30

31. Washington Redskins (0-4) | Last Week’s Rank: 29

32. Miami Dolphins (0-4) | Last Week’s Rank: 32