On the eve of the 2024-25 NFL season, we used this space to file and rank the legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Now that each of those 12 teams have played four regular-season games — about one-quarter of the schedule — where do they stand today?

Here’s a look at the contenders who have been exposed as pretenders, favorites who have become front-runners, plus a couple of new names to emerge as winners worth taking seriously.

(In order of where they were ranked by Ummah Sport prior to the season.)

1. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)

Then: “The back-to-back champs have to be the favorites to do it again until they’re knocked off their pedestal — or until one of their main characters gets hurt.”

Now: Well, one of the Chiefs’ main characters got hurt — No. 1 wide receiver Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury in Week 3 against the Chargers — but the champs are still undefeated. As of Oct. 2, the severity of Rice’s injury and a timetable for his return have not been revealed, but rumors have intensified that K.C. is in the market to trade for another receiver (possibly a Pro Bowl-caliber pass catcher like Davante Adams or Amari Cooper). If it makes any of the other contenders or their fans feel better, all of the Chiefs’ four wins have been close; they haven’t yet looked truly dominant this season.

2. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

Then: “Most football people agree that the Niners have the most talented offense in the league.”

Now: The most talented player on that most talented offense hasn’t played one snap this season. All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was scratched from San Fran’s lineup with an Achilles injury shortly before their Monday Night Football opener, was eventually put on injured reserve, and there have been whispers/fears that he could miss the entire season. And yet even without McCaffrey, the 49ers rank second in the NFL in total yards and passing yards, and eighth in scoring. That is thanks in large part to McCaffrey’s backup, Jordan Mason, who is second in the league with 447 rushing yards. But a 2-2 record and a second-place spot in the NFC West is still below what most expectations were for where this team would be at this point.

3. Detroit Lions (3-1)

Then: “(Detroit’s) run game could be even stronger if 2023 first-round draft pick Jahmyr Gibbs builds on his rookie-year success to form a league-best tandem with veteran David Montgomery.”

Now: The Lions rank sixth in rushing with 151.3 yards per game; last season, the team ran for 135.9 yards per game. Montgomery racked up 91 yards in the season opener against the Rams, 105 yards in Week 3 against the Cardinals, and he’s scored a touchdown in every one of Detroit’s four games. Gibbs topped 80 yards in Week 2 against Tampa Bay and again in Week 3, and he has three TDs on the ground.

4. Baltimore Ravens (2-2)

Then: “The Ravens at least brought in someone to help take some of the ball-carrying load off (Lamar) Jackson, signing former Titans superstar Derrick Henry — who is still arguably the best running back in the NFL.”

Now: Guess who’s leading the NFL in rushing through four weeks? Individually it’s Derrick Henry, with 480 yards and five touchdowns, who’s coming off a 199-yard performance on Sunday Night Football against the Bills. As a team it’s the Ravens, whose 220.3 rushing yards per game is well ahead of second-place Green Bay’s 174.5 yards. Why did Tennessee let Henry go again?

5. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)

Then: “A healthy (Joe) Burrow, armed with potent offensive weapons like WR Ja’Marr Chase and RB Zack Moss, can take this team all the way.”

Now: Aspirations of “all the way” have been replaced by a hope of simply making the playoffs. The Bengals started 0-3 and didn’t get their first win until drawing the Panthers — arguably the worst team in the league — in Week 4. The offense has been fine, but the defense is struggling, allowing a sixth-worst 26.0 points per game.

6. Buffalo Bills (3-1)

Then: “Is the Bills’ championship window closing?”

Now: TBD. Buffalo looked as good as any team in the league through the first three weeks, which included blowout wins over the Dolphins and Jaguars in which the Bills outscored the Florida teams 78-20. But then, in a Week 4 primetime matchup with the Ravens, the Bills got folded in a 35-10 loss that got so bad, star quarterback Josh Allen was benched for the final few minutes. The jury’s still out on whether the Bills are a serious Super Bowl threat, or if they’re just beating up on bad competition.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)

Then: “Roster additions include Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley…”

Now: That’s all you need to know about these Eagles. Barkley has easily been his new team’s MVP, while making his old team (the Giants) look dumb for letting him go to an NFC East rival. He ran for an average of 128 yards and two touchdowns in each of Philly’s two wins, and was held under 100 yards rushing in Philly’s two losses. As Barkley has gone, so have the Eagles.

8. Green Bay Packers (2-2)

Then: “In his first year as a starting QB in 2023, Jordan Love delivered on the potential the Packers saw in him when they drafted him in 2020 to eventually replace Aaron Rodgers.”

Now: Love’s second year got off to a rough start; a loss to the Eagles in which he suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for two weeks. Green Bay surprisingly won the two games Love missed, playing with at-risk draft bust Malik Willis under center, then lost to Minnesota when Love returned in Week 4. The Pack’s starting QB has shown flashes of stardom, but he’s still looking for his first win of the season.

9. New York Jets (2-2)

Then: “(Aaron) Rodgers is back now, and that defense and those offensive weapons are back — along with some improvements on the offensive line that will hopefully protect Rodgers from another major injury.”

Now: Rodgers has held up through four weeks, so that’s a positive. The defense has been as good as advertised, giving up 13 total points over the last two weeks. But the offense is still catching up, even with Rodgers at the helm; New York scored just nine points in last week’s loss to the even more offensively challenged Broncos.

10. Houston Texans (3-1)

Then: “Last season’s surprise playoff team is this season’s trendy contender.”

Now: Still trendy, although the schedule has made it difficult to tell how good Houston really is (or isn’t). The Texans beat three teams that probably won’t make the playoffs (Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Chicago) and lost — by a lot — to the one good team they’ve faced (Minnesota). The defense has at least met expectations, ranking in the league’s top five in fewest passing yards and rushing yards allowed.

11. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Then: “This is a do-or-die season for Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, and the ‘do’ is to at least get to the Super Bowl.”

Now: As usual, every Cowboys game is played to the tune of overreaction, so getting a realistic gauge this early is hard. Rule of thumb: Dallas isn’t as bad as the loud haters say, and not as good as the loud fanatics say. The lauded defense has looked great in the two wins and overwhelmed in the two losses. The ever-scrutinized QB Dak Prescott has been OK, sitting square in the middle of the pack in QBR and Passer Rating — which of course isn’t good enough for most critics when you’re the highest-paid quarterback in the league. Is this team still a contender? Sure, for now. But that can change tomorrow.

12. Miami Dolphins (1-3)

Then: “(If) the offense plays up to its potential, the Dolphins can be a real threat.”

Now: It’s real bad down on South Beach. The Dolphins’ high-powered offense has been sputtering since QB Tua Tagovailoa went on IR after sustained another concussion in Week 2. Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley have filled in while Miami has averaged 8.3 points per game in its three losses. And it’s not like Tua was playing great before he got hurt. In that loss to Buffalo prior to the injury, he threw three interceptions. The Dolphins have explosive playmakers in receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and running backs DeVon Achane and Raheem Mostert, but they can’t seem to get them the ball with opportunities to make plays.

Honorable Mentions (Who Weren’t Mentioned Last Time)

Shout-out to the Minnesota Vikings (4-0) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1).

Although the Bucs did win the NFC South last season and upset the reigning conference champion Eagles in the wild-card round, a lot of people still slept on them going into this season. Popular opinion was that the NFC South was simply a weak division and someone had to win it, and that the wild-card game was more about Philly’s collapse than Tampa’s come-up. This season, though, QB Baker Mayfield and the Bucs look legit. Their only loss was an inexplicable clunker against Denver; otherwise, they soundly beat the Eagles (again) and Commanders, and defeated another NFC favorite in Detroit.

The Vikings were supposed to be rebuilding following the Kirk Cousins era, and took another blow when their QB of the future, first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy, suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. But backup QB Sam Darnold has played like a superstar through four weeks, leading the NFL in Passer Rating, and is clicking with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and standout WR2 Jordan Addison. This isn’t a weak-schedule, smoke-and-mirrors deal, either; the Vikings have beaten three of last season’s playoff teams (49ers, Texans, Packers) for their four wins.