In Tom Brady’s eyes, we’ve got a top-five matchup in the NFL this weekend.
Brady ranked both the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in the top five of his latest power rankings ahead of Sunday’s major NFC West tilt on “America’s Game of the Week.” But where does each team rank in the GOAT’s power rankings?
That’s up for debate. However, Brady has the three undefeated teams holding the top three spots on his list, with the 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings fighting for the top spot. But as Brady looked back on Week 4, he’s highly anticipating Week 5’s top game.
“49ers-Seahawks Sunday on FOX — early Game of the Year contender? I think so,” Brady said.
Here’s Brady’s full top 10.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 5 ↓
Brady’s thoughts: They fell to 3-1, losing to the Chiefs only by three points at home. They outgained the Chiefs by nearly 40 yards, 437-399. The Chiefs scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.
I know, tough, but you know what? Kirk Cousins has 11 touchdowns in four games and they’ve scored a lot of points — at least 25 points in every game. They’ve looked pretty solid, albeit with a loss.
Anytime you play some of the best teams and organizations, you have to play pretty flawless football. As I was a part of all those Patriots teams all those years, we just didn’t really beat ourselves. You had to play a great game. When you’re in the upper echelon, that’s what it takes to beat those teams. There’s a reason why they’re there: so much continuity at coaching, ownership and elite quarterbacking. That’s always tough to beat.
Record: 2-2
Previous ranking: Unranked ↑
Brady’s thoughts: The Rams are now 2-2 after beating the Eagles by four in Philly. Philly, they only had 172 yards total for the day. That Rams defense was on point, even without Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald. They had three fourth-down stops. It’s the second time this year they’ve held their opponent to under 200 yards. That’s a ridiculous defense.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 7 ↓
Brady’s thoughts: Check this out: They didn’t punt once against the Jets. They ran eighty-nine plays. The Jets ran 32. They rushed the ball with ridiculous numbers again, and they have three straight games where they’ve allowed 12 or fewer points. No one was talking about this defense to start the year.
And they have two wins without Caleb Williams. That shows how important the backup quarterback is. They come in and deliver when the team needs it.
The Bears’ defense definitely feels like a little bit of a stepchild to that offense after Ben Johnson’s offseason remarks, that’s for sure. You have an offensive-minded head coach who is trying to go out there and score a ton of points. The good part for any defense, I think, is when you have a very good offense going against them in practice, OTAs (organized team activities) and training camp, it makes you better, too.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 3 ↓
Brady’s thoughts: This last weekend, they lost to the Patriots in a very close game at home — a tough divisional loss. But let me tell you how the Bills’ season has gone: first two games, no turnovers. They have seven turnovers in the last two games. Lucky that they only lost one of them. Hopefully, they can learn from that and get back on track.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 10 ↑
Brady’s thoughts: Twenty-four points at the half against the Titans before Lamar Jackson exited. Lamar seems doubtful for Sunday against the Falcons. A lot riding on his ankle all season long. His health is paramount to the success of this team.
But when Jackson’s not in there, give it to Derrick Henry, the future Hall of Fame running back. He has seven rushing touchdowns in four games. Keep up that pace, big fella!
Derrick Henry has rushed for 374 yards and a league-leading seven touchdowns this season. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: Unranked ↑
Brady’s thoughts: Not a surprise. They did it last year and they’re doing it this year. The 3-1 Jags, they beat the Bengals in Cincinnati and outgained them by 100 yards.
Nobody’s scored more than 20 against the Jags. That defense has six takeaways in the three games. Unbelievable.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 6 ↑
Brady’s thoughts: Last year’s Super Bowl champion beat the Chargers by seven. There were 30 penalties in that game, 30! There was more swearing in those locker rooms at halftime than a Tom Brady broadcast.
The Seahawks also had four takeaways and four sacks. That Mike MacDonald defense was on point.
49ers-Seahawks Sunday on FOX — early Game of the Year contender? I think so.
Seattle gets absolutely rocking. We were there for the NFC Championship Game last year, and I don’t remember a stadium in the NFL louder than that.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 4 ↑
Brady’s thoughts: The Vikings won 15-10 against the Dolphins at home. They have one offensive touchdown in the last three games. But they were all wins, so it doesn’t matter. They didn’t score a touchdown on Sunday, but that’s fine when your kicker goes 5-for-5 and you hold the ball for 40 minutes. They’ve only allowed 51 points this year. That’s the fewest in the NFL.
It’s absolutely easier for Kyler Murray to work through some of these early-season struggles knowing that he has a great defense behind him. I’ll tell ya, there’s nobody that was a fan of great defense more than yours truly. I always had great defenses that I could rely on, especially in the game. To not feel the urgency to thread the needle on every third down, it’s a great feeling when you’re out there as a quarterback.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 2
Brady’s thoughts: Kenneth Walker had another ridiculous day, averaging eight yards per carry with two scores. It was a great back-and-forth game. Hopefully it’s the renewal of a great NFL rivalry. Now, they head into their bye week. Heal up, get healthy and get ready for a long stretch of games ahead.
What did I prefer between an early or late bye week? It could go two ways. I like the early bye week with the late Thursday night game, and I like the early Thursday night game with the late bye week. That Thursday night game can be a mini-bye. So, you can double up if it’s scheduled the right way.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 1
Brady’s thoughts: The 49ers beat the Broncos at home, and the Broncos are a damn good football team. The 49ers only had one penalty for five yards and zero turnovers. My coach said you can’t win until you can keep from losing, and the 49ers are not losing games.
Brock Purdy’s on fire, too. He has 11 touchdown passes with only one interception. Offense, defense and special teams — Niners are doing it all right now.
I was up there for the divisional game last year, when the Seahawks put it on the 49ers from the opening kickoff. I doubt the Niners are going to let that happen again. The Niners had so many injuries in that game. I don’t really think we saw a great showing from them.
Believe me, that loss has been on Kyle Shanahan’s and the entire 49ers locker room’s minds. I’m looking forward to seeing what the 49ers’ offense can do against one of the top defenses in the league. I’m sure Shanahan’s been working on it all offseason.
