The NFL’s unbeaten list has already been whittled down to three, and each of the remaining teams is taking a very different path to 4-0.
Two of them get their shot at 5-0 in Week 5. One has to sit tight and wait another week.
San Francisco has looked like the class of the league from the jump. The 49ers opened with a blowout of the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, then kept rolling at home against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos.
Brock Purdy has been playing at an MVP level, Kyle Shanahan has kept the offense humming, and the defense has held up despite a wave of injuries and a new defensive coordinator. Raheem Morris has still delivered strong results early on.
The next test is a big one: the 3-1 Seattle Seahawks, one of San Francisco’s biggest challengers in the NFC West and in the Super Bowl race. A win would push the 49ers to 5-0 and strengthen their grip on the top of the power rankings.
Minnesota’s 4-0 start has looked a lot stranger. Brian Flores has been the difference on defense, with the Vikings allowing an average of 15.8 points per game. Since Week 2, that unit has been even stingier, giving up just 29 points across the last three games.
The offense, though, has not found a rhythm. Starting Kyler Murray missed much of the first two weeks with a concussion, and even after his return the Vikings have had stretches where the attack has stalled out.
Minnesota put up 39 points in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, but since then the team has won three straight while scoring only two touchdowns and 47 points total. Two of those victories came without scoring a touchdown at all.
Now Minnesota heads to New Orleans to face a 1-3 Saints team led by second-year starting quarterback Tyler Shough.
Kansas City is undefeated too, but the Chiefs won’t get their chance to reach 5-0 until Week 6 because of an early bye. After a disappointing 2025 season, they’ve bounced back into Super Bowl-contender form in 2026. Patrick Mahomes has been sharp after returning from his torn ACL rehab, and the defense has settled in as a strong unit behind several young additions.
The biggest story in Kansas City has been Kenneth Walker. The new Chiefs running back is producing at an MVP level, leading the league in rushing yards through four games and tracking toward more than 2,000 yards on the season. Walker starred in the Super Bowl for the Seattle Seahawks last year, but he never had the kind of workload he’s getting now.
Kansas City has already banked important AFC West wins over the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, along with victories against the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs will be back in action in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
In Other News...
49ers Defense Suddenly Has A Week 5 Problem And Possible Boost
The 49ers defense has been leaning into versatility again, with Kyle Shanahan pointing out how Emmanwori can move around and line up in multiple spots depending on what the staff needs. That kind of flexibility matters in a season where San Francisco has had to keep adjusting on the fly, and it also helps explain why the unit can still look so adaptable even when the depth chart is shifting.
Dre Greenlaws physical edge has also stayed part of the conversation after his latest run-in with the league office, a reminder that the 49ers are playing with a linebacker who brings real heat every week. And while the defense is dealing with that kind of short-term noise, there is at least some hope on the horizon, with the next stretch of practice sessions offering a chance for a significant pair of linemen to move closer to the field ahead of the Commanders game. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Niners Clash Took An Ugly Turn Fans Need To See
The 49ers' latest meeting with Seattle took a heated turn when Dre Greenlaw found himself at the center of a sideline fracas late in the game. The San Francisco linebacker had already drawn a personal foul for a late hit on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, and the situation only escalated from there as tempers boiled over between the division rivals.
Greenlaws name was already familiar around the league for his postgame confrontation with Broncos coach Sean Payton, and now he is back in the spotlight for another regrettable sideline scene. For a 49ers defense that prides itself on edge and intensity, the bigger concern is how quickly emotion crossed the line in a game that had already become ugly. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Pass Rush Has Created A Luxury Nobody Expected
The 49ers pass rush has spent the early part of the season looking deeper and more flexible than expected, with a handful of lesser-known defensive linemen helping keep the pressure on quarterbacks even before the stars are fully back in the mix. Romello Height and Osa Odighizuwa have both played meaningful roles in recent games, giving San Francisco a supporting cast that has held up better than anyone might have projected when the season began.
Now the group is about to get even more interesting. Mykel Williams is on track to rejoin the defense in Week 5 after working back from an ACL injury, while Nick Bosa has been practicing on the side field as he works toward his own return soon after, and the timing could turn an already useful rotation into something much more difficult for opposing offenses to handle. [Read more 🡒]