Kansas City arrived in Las Vegas tied with the Raiders at 3-0. By Sunday night, the Chiefs were alone at 4-0 — the best record in the AFC.

The difference was a 30-27 win over Las Vegas. It handed the Raiders their first loss and gave Kansas City an early edge in the AFC West. Elsewhere, Minnesota and San Francisco stayed perfect, Buffalo finally lost, Cleveland strengthened its position in the AFC North, and the Giants moved ahead in the NFC East. Four weeks in, a few division races are beginning to look different than they did even seven days ago.

There’s an important limit to all of this: four games are still a small sample. A 4-0 start is valuable, but it doesn’t settle a division in October.

And Week 4 isn’t technically finished. Atlanta visits New Orleans on Monday night, leaving the NFC South standings subject to change.

NFL Standings 2026 After Week 4: Quick Take

Three teams made it through Sunday without a loss: Kansas City, Minnesota and San Francisco. Each is 4-0. The Chiefs now hold the AFC’s best record after beating Las Vegas 30-27, while the Vikings lead the NFC North and the 49ers sit first in the NFC West. Cleveland, Jacksonville and the New York Giants are all 3-1 and currently lead their divisions. Buffalo is also 3-1 and remains on top of the AFC East despite its loss to New England.

The NFC South still has one Week 4 game left. Atlanta and New Orleans, both 1-2 entering Monday, meet on Monday Night Football.

Where Every NFL Division Stands After Week 4

The tables below reflect games completed through Sunday, October 4. Division records are included because they add useful context beyond the overall win-loss column.

AFC Standings After Week 4

AFC East

Buffalo still leads the division, but the Bills no longer have a perfect record. New England’s 29-26 win at Buffalo moved the Patriots to 2-2 and gave them an early head-to-head divisional result that could matter later. Miami, meanwhile, has reached 0-4 after losing 15-10 to Minnesota.

AFC North

Cleveland’s 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh was more valuable than an ordinary early-season win: it put the Browns at 3-1 with a 1-0 division record. Baltimore also sits at 3-1 after beating Tennessee 24-18, keeping the AFC North tightly compressed near the top.

AFC South

Jacksonville has quietly created an early advantage. The Jaguars beat Cincinnati 22-17 to reach 3-1, while Indianapolis improved to 2-2 with a 30-13 win over Washington. Houston and Tennessee are both 0-4, already leaving themselves little margin for another prolonged losing stretch.

AFC West

This was the division most directly altered by one Sunday result. Kansas City and Las Vegas entered their matchup 3-0; the Chiefs left 4-0 and the Raiders 3-1 after a 30-27 finish. Kansas City is also 2-0 inside the AFC West.

NFC Standings After Week 4

NFC East

New York owns the early lead after beating Arizona 36-24. Philadelphia’s 24-20 loss to the Rams dropped the Eagles to .500, while Dallas recovered to 2-2 by beating Houston 34-30. That combination gave the Giants some early separation without making the division remotely settled.

NFC North

Minnesota remains perfect after its 15-10 win over Miami. Chicago is keeping pressure on the Vikings at 3-1, and Week 5 gives the Bears an important divisional trip to Green Bay. Detroit’s loss at Carolina leaves the Lions two games behind Minnesota.

NFC South — Through Sunday

This division is not final for Week 4. Atlanta and New Orleans play Monday night. Carolina’s 32-26 victory over Detroit temporarily puts the Panthers on top at 2-2, while Tampa Bay is the division’s only 0-4 team.

NFC West

San Francisco moved to 4-0 with a 24-14 win over Denver. Seattle remains close at 3-1 after beating the Chargers 30-23, which gives next week’s 49ers-Seahawks matchup much more weight than an ordinary early-October game.

Why the Chiefs’ 4 and 0 Start Matters

Kansas City’s record matters partly because of who provided the fourth win.

The Raiders also entered Sunday 3-0. Had the Chiefs lost, Las Vegas would have been sitting alone at 4-0 with a valuable early win over a division rival. The opposite happened. Kansas City left Allegiant Stadium with a 30-27 victory, a 4-0 overall record and a 2-0 mark inside the AFC West. The Raiders slipped to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in division play.

That result gave Kansas City more than another entry in the win column. The Chiefs also banked an early head-to-head result against the team currently closest to them in the AFC West.

It still doesn’t prove what the AFC West will look like in December. The Raiders are one game back, Denver is 2-2 and most of the season remains.

Kansas City now gets another advantage — rest. The Chiefs are one of two teams on a Week 5 bye, along with Carolina. They return in Week 6 to host the Chargers on October 18.

Chiefs vs Raiders: What Changed in the AFC West

The setup was simple: two 3-0 teams, one early division lead.

Kansas City broke the 3-0 tie in the standings by winning 30-27. The Chiefs were ahead 10-7 after the opening quarter and carried a 13-10 lead into halftime. A scoreless third quarter kept the game tight before Kansas City produced 20 points in the fourth and did just enough to finish the job.

The result matters twice in the standings. Kansas City gained a full game on Las Vegas and picked up a divisional victory that could become part of a future tiebreaking calculation.

The game also offered a useful warning against treating 4-0 as dominance by definition. Kansas City won by three. The Raiders demonstrated that the gap between the AFC West’s top two teams can still be small on a given Sunday.

Undefeated Teams After Week 4

Only three teams are unbeaten through Sunday’s action:

Kansas City Chiefs — 4-0, AFC West: Kansas City is the AFC’s lone 4-0 team through Sunday. The Chiefs are also 2-0 against AFC West opponents after their road win over Las Vegas.

Minnesota Vikings — 4-0, NFC North: Minnesota survived a close one against Miami, winning by five and keeping its perfect start intact. The Vikings are one game clear of Chicago in the division.

San Francisco 49ers — 4-0, NFC West: The 49ers handled Denver 24-14 and stayed unbeaten. Their next test comes quickly: a Week 5 road game against 3-1 Seattle with first place in the NFC West very much in the conversation.

Buffalo and Las Vegas both started Sunday at 3-0. Neither finished it undefeated.

Biggest Winners of Week 4

Kansas City Chiefs: This was the kind of win that changes a division table immediately. Kansas City beat another unbeaten team on the road and, in the process, moved one game clear of Las Vegas in the AFC West.

New York Giants: The Giants improved to 3-1 on the same weekend Philadelphia dropped to 2-2 and Washington fell to 1-3. One Sunday created genuine early breathing room in the NFC East.

Cleveland Browns: A division win over Pittsburgh pushed Cleveland to 3-1 and left the Browns right at the top of an AFC North race that still has very little separation.

San Francisco 49ers: Getting to 4-0 was important on its own. Doing it immediately before a road game against 3-1 Seattle makes the result even more valuable.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville is 3-1, but the wider AFC South picture makes that record look even better. Houston and Tennessee are both 0-4, so the Jaguars have already created some early distance between themselves and half the division.

Biggest Losers of Week 4

Las Vegas Raiders: There’s nothing alarming about being 3-1. What hurts is the opportunity Las Vegas missed. A win would have put the Raiders ahead of Kansas City; instead, they now trail the Chiefs by a game and have already lost the first head-to-head meeting.

Buffalo Bills: Buffalo still owns first place in the AFC East, so the situation is hardly bleak. But losing 29-26 at home to New England ended the unbeaten start and gave the Patriots a little more life in the division.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles slipped back to .500 at 2-2 on the same weekend the Giants reached 3-1. That’s enough to make the NFC East table look noticeably less comfortable for Philadelphia.

Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans: Four games in, both teams are still looking for their first win. Jacksonville is already three games ahead of each in the win column.

Los Angeles Chargers: Sunday’s loss in Seattle dropped the Chargers to 0-4. That’s a difficult enough start on its own; being four games behind undefeated Kansas City makes the early AFC West gap look even harsher.

Most Surprising NFL Standings After Four Weeks

Cleveland at 3-1 and atop the AFC North qualifies as one of the early standings stories. So does New York leading the NFC East at 3-1.

At the other end, several teams are winless through Sunday. Miami, Houston, Tennessee, the Chargers and Tampa Bay are all 0-4, leaving each of them with very little room for another prolonged losing stretch.

But this is where four-game analysis needs restraint.

Records tell us what teams have earned. They don’t tell us, by themselves, how sustainable those results are. Opponent quality, turnover margin, injuries, home-road splits and performance in close games can quickly change the interpretation of an early record.

AFC Playoff Picture After Week 4

This is an early playoff picture, not a postseason projection.

Through Sunday, Kansas City leads the AFC West at 4-0. Buffalo leads the AFC East at 3-1, Cleveland sits first in the AFC North at 3-1 and Jacksonville leads the AFC South at 3-1.

Las Vegas and Baltimore are also 3-1, putting them prominently in the early wild-card conversation. Several 2-2 teams remain close enough that one Week 5 result could substantially change the ordering.

Four weeks is far too early to treat that arrangement as likely January seeding.

NFC Playoff Picture After Week 4

Minnesota and San Francisco share the NFC’s best record at 4-0. New York leads the NFC East at 3-1, while the NFC South cannot have a completed Week 4 picture until Atlanta-New Orleans is played Monday.

Seattle and Chicago, both 3-1, have the strongest records among the current non-division leaders.

Week 5 is particularly useful here because San Francisco visits Seattle and Chicago visits Green Bay. Those are games that can alter both divisional positioning and the early wild-card order.

What to Watch in NFL Week 5

The official Week 5 schedule has several games with more standings value than their calendar position might suggest.

49ers at Seahawks: This is the headline standings game. San Francisco is 4-0, Seattle 3-1, and first place in the NFC West is directly involved.

Bears at Packers: Chicago enters 3-1 while Green Bay is 2-2. It’s an early NFC North game with Minnesota already setting the pace at 4-0.

Raiders at Patriots: Las Vegas needs to respond immediately after losing its perfect record. New England, meanwhile, just handed Buffalo its first defeat.

Giants at Commanders: New York takes a 3-1 record into Washington with a chance to add another division win and protect its early lead in the NFC East. The Commanders enter at 1-3.

Texans at Titans: Two 0-4 division rivals meet with one of them guaranteed to finally get into the win column — unless they tie. The loser will leave Week 5 with an even steeper climb.

There’s also an important absence: Kansas City won’t play. The 4-0 Chiefs have their bye, as do the Carolina Panthers.

Chiefs Schedule: What Comes Next

Kansas City gets next weekend off.

The Chiefs are on their Week 5 bye and return Sunday, October 18, for a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. After that comes a trip to Seattle in Week 7, followed by a Week 8 visit to Denver.

The timing of the bye isn’t bad for Kansas City. The Chiefs can rest at 4-0 while the rest of the AFC plays another game, then come back in Week 6 with their unbeaten record still intact.

NFL Standings and Power Rankings Aren’t the Same Thing

Standings and power rankings answer different questions.

Standings don’t involve anyone’s opinion. They’re built from what happened on the field: wins, losses, ties and, when needed, the league’s tiebreaking rules. Those numbers determine where teams actually sit in their divisions and, eventually, how playoff positions are decided.

Power rankings are editorial. An outlet can decide that a 3-1 team has performed better than a 4-0 team, or rank a 2-2 team above another club with a stronger record based on opponent quality, injuries, underlying performance or simply the analyst’s judgment.

That’s why an ESPN, NFL.com or other media power ranking should never be described as an official NFL ranking.

When the postseason is determined, the standings and league tiebreaking procedures matter. A columnist’s ranking does not.

What Four Games Can and Cannot Tell Us

A 4-0 start matters. Every win banked in September or October is one a team doesn’t need to recover later.

An 0-4 start matters for the opposite reason. The mathematical season is far from over, but the room for extended losing stretches becomes much smaller.

What four games cannot reliably tell us is which teams will look strongest two months from now.

A narrow win and a dominant win count the same in the W column. Turnovers can swing a handful of games. Injuries can alter an offense or defense overnight. Strength of schedule changes, and divisional games introduce head-to-head consequences that nonconference games don’t.

That’s the right way to read the NFL standings after Week 4: as a record of what teams have earned so far, plus an increasingly useful picture of which clubs have created margin for error.

Kansas City, Minnesota and San Francisco have created the most.

The teams at 0-4 have almost none.

And with Atlanta-New Orleans still to come Monday night, even Week 4 has one more standings change left to make.

4. FAQ

Who is undefeated in the NFL after Week 4 in 2026?

Through Sunday’s Week 4 games, the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers are all 4-0. Buffalo and Las Vegas entered Sunday undefeated but lost to New England and Kansas City respectively.

What is the Chiefs’ record in 2026?

The Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0 after four games. They defeated Denver, Indianapolis, Miami and Las Vegas to open the season. Their Week 4 victory over the Raiders moved Kansas City alone into first place in the AFC West.

Who leads the AFC West after Week 4?

Kansas City leads the AFC West at 4-0. Las Vegas is second at 3-1, Denver is 2-2 and the Los Angeles Chargers are 0-4. Kansas City also owns a 2-0 division record through four games.

What was the Chiefs vs Raiders score?

The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 30-27 at Allegiant Stadium on October 4. Both teams entered the matchup 3-0, making the result particularly important for the early AFC West race.

Are the Chiefs on a bye in Week 5?

Yes. Kansas City has its bye in Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. Carolina is the other team off that week. The official NFL Week 5 schedule lists the Chiefs at 4-0 entering their break.

When do the Chiefs play next?

Kansas City returns in Week 6 on Sunday, October 18, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs then travel to Seattle in Week 7 and Denver in Week 8.

What is the difference between NFL standings and power rankings?

NFL standings are based on actual game records and official tiebreaking procedures. Power rankings are subjective editorial evaluations produced by media outlets or analysts. A team can therefore have a better record than another team while still appearing below it in a particular power ranking.

Who leads the AFC after Week 4?

Kansas City has the AFC’s best record through Sunday at 4-0. Buffalo, Cleveland, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Las Vegas are each 3-1. Division and playoff seeding should still be treated as an early snapshot because most of the regular season remains.

Who leads the NFC after Week 4?

Minnesota and San Francisco both have NFC-best 4-0 records through Sunday. The Vikings lead the NFC North and the 49ers lead the NFC West. The NFC South’s Week 4 picture remains incomplete until Atlanta plays New Orleans on Monday night.