Two weeks worth of games (and one Thursday night beat down) have gone by and there have been a few surprises and shake ups when it comes to judging the best teams in the NFL. With week three officially upon us heading into the weekend, let’s take a look at where all 32 teams stack up in the power rankings this week. Be sure to check back week to week to see the updated rankings, and with so many intriguing matchups set for Sunday there is sure to be some shake ups after Monday.
1. Seattle Seahawks
Sure, the Chargers put together a great game and Phillip Rivers played out of his mind, but the biggest factor in the Seahawks dropping their first game this year might have been the sun. The heat got to them and Richard Sherman even admitted it post game. Seattle will bounce back and get a huge win against Denver and cement their spot at number one.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton hasn’t been touched once this year, and the Cincinnati rushing attack may be the best in the league with Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill, but the most impressive part of this team is the other side of the ball. The Bengals defense might be second best in the league behind Seattle and has shown it in both games. They held the Falcons to 10 points and made Matt Ryan look like Tim Tebow.
3. Denver Broncos
Julius Thomas just scored another touchdown. Peyton Manning has too many weapons to play with and now he gets the molly poppin’ Wes Welker back as well. If Denver pulls off an upset against Seattle they could jump up a spot.
4. Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton continues to get healthier and that will only make this team that much more dangerous. Kelvin Benjamin looks like the stud receiver he did in college and with the Saints reeling the Panthers look like the favorites in this division. Oh and did I mention their defensive front line? It might be the best in the league at stopping the run.
5. New England Patriots
Tom Brady isn’t quite the washed up old man some would like to believe and with Gronk back and staying healthy the offense could open up. Revis looks like Revis and while their running game remains somewhat a mystery I think Shane Vereen could put up a good year. The Pats are contenders and might as well have the division locked up already.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
Shady McCoy and Darren Sproles will give defenses nightmares all year and Chip Kelly might really be an offensive genius after all. Just imagine how good the Eagles would be with an above average quarterback. The division is theirs to take and may be the worst in football, so I fully expect them to run through it.
7. Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers is still the best quarterback in the league and that gives them a chance to win every game that they play in. Eddie Lacy is off to a bit of a slow start but I don’t expect that to continue much longer and they are just loaded on offense with Jordy and Randall Cobb.
8. San Diego Chargers
The win over Seattle is impressive and Phillip Rivers has been impressive so far as may predicted. If Antonio Gates can become 2009 Gates like he did last week then they may be a top five team. However, I don’t expect that to happen and they still have no running game to speak of and limited options on offense.
9. San Francisco 49ers
Colin Kaepernick had the worst game of his career last time out and this team seems a bit shaky. The defense is missing lots of key pieces that won’t be returning soon and Carlos Hyde remains a mystery. Gore looks old and Kaep looks really young, and that could cause lots of problems for the Niners going forward.
10. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals round out our top 10 mostly based on their defensive prowess. They have the best corner in the league in Patrick Peterson and while losing Darnell Dockett hurts, they have shown they are still top notch. Carson Palmer is still a potential liability and the running game is very up in the air after recent arrests and cuts (Dwyer and Rainey) but if Andre Ellington can stay healthy they should be okay.
11. New Orleans Saints
Losing to the Browns hurts, but playing a game at home will surely help that. Drew Brees hasn’t looked quite like himself the first two weeks but I expect that to change and he still has the best tight end in football to throw to. Brandin Cooks also looks the part of a rookie of the year candidate and in that offense he could produce even more than expected moving forward.
12. Buffalo Bills
The Bills look early on like they could be the surprise team this year that none of us saw coming. E.J. Manuel has looked surprisingly competent so far and Fred Jackson continues to run like a mad man. If Sammy Watkins does what we expect him to and the defense holds up they could challenge for a wildcard spot.
13. Indianapolis Colts
Trent Richardson is a dumpster fire and outside of T.Y. Hilton the offense is lacking, but Andrew Luck can make up for a lot of short comings. Defensively, their line play has been sub par but in a weak division they have a great chance to win it easily and once the playoffs start it becomes the Andrew Luck show.
14. Chicago Bears
Do you believe in Jay Cutler? He seems to be the least of their problems so far and Brandon Marshall has been fantastic. Matt Forte needs to get it going some time or another however, and if he doesn’t it could get bad, fast. Their defense is running on reputation alone and is still the worst in the league against the run. Marshall and Jeffrey are keeping them afloat.
15. Baltimore Ravens
Defensively they look surprisingly stout but the rout of the Steelers can be misleading. The Steelers are really bad. Flacco looks like his usual mediocre self and with the Ray Rice situation swirling the have a patchwork backfield to work with. Pierce looks shaky but Forsett has shown flashes in the first two weeks and could be the starter by mid season.
16. Houston Texans
Clowney is already hurt and Ryan Fitzpatrick is their quarterback. Those two sentences are never good to hear about your team but J.J. Watt is also a mutant so that helps. Arian Foster looked great last week and if there is any chance he gets back to the level he was on a few years ago they will lean on him to produce.
17. Detroit Lions
Megatron has gotten some early MVP buzz and while I think that’s unlikely he has been a monster and if that offense continues at this pace both he and Stafford will be Pro Bowlers without a doubt. Bush and Bell fit nicely into the passing game and let’s face it this team will pass a lot. Stafford is one the last gunslingers in the league and if the Lions perform to their potential they could make the biggest move up in the rankings as we get deeper into the season.
18. Atlanta Falcons
Yes, they dismantled the Bucs in a game that should have been called off at halftime, but they are a bit of fools’ gold. In week two, they looked atrocious in Cincinnati and their defensive line is still beyond bad. Trufant is the shining star on that defense and he alone might be the best player on the team. Roddy White remains injured and we have health doubts about Juilo too. Don’t trust the Falcons, don’t ever trust the Falcons.
19. New York Jets
For some reason I’m starting to believe Geno Smith is a legit NFL quarterback. Unfortunately, he has as many good weapons to throw to as I do on Sunday and the Jets best running back might be Chris Ivory. They could move up in the weeks to come, or they could move to the bottom of the rankings. The Jets ranking, much like their season, could go good or bad very quickly.
20. Miami Dolphins
Is Ryan Tannehill good? I have no clue and until we get an answer to that question the Dolphins will be a mediocre team. Mike Wallace is something I suppose, but having a receiver who’s best ability is out running a defense when your QB can’t throw a deep ball seems a bit weird. Cameron Wake is a monster from a different dimension but in a division with the Pats the Dolphins just do not have enough offensive firepower to stay afloat. Not to mention they just re-signed Daniel Thomas. YIKES.
21. Dallas Cowboys
We all enjoy laughing at Tony Romo but it’s getting a bit sad at this point. Romo may not be healthy and even if he was that defense is too bad for even a good quarterback to overcome.
22. Tennessee Titans
As “meh” of a team as I can think of over the last few years. Jake Locker is still a thing I guess and Bishop Sankey could be good eventually. This team is going nowhere this season and they should just keep rebuilding.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are living only on reputation at this point. They look old and slow so far this year and probably should have lost to the Browns. Antonio Brown looks like the only great athlete on the team and Ben is in decline. The Steelers will be way worse this year than most seem to expect.
24. Cleveland Browns
#FreeManziel
25. Washington Professional Football Team
RG3 looks like he could be sidelined for a good amount of time and no matter how much the media wants him to be, Kirk Cousins is not the answer in Washington. People keep comparing him to Andy Dalton, and while I have been very critical of Dalton in the past, comparing Cousins to him is offensive to the Red Rifle.
26. Minnesota Vikings
They just lost the best running back in football to a child abuse scandal and unless they decide to play Teddy Bridgewater sooner rather than later then it will be a long season in Minnesota. Play Teddy, and maybe something special happens and he and Patterson make some magic. Play Cassel and their season goes up in flames for sure.
27. Kansas City Chiefs
The only thing keeping the Chiefs from being further down on this list is Jamaal Charles. If he can’t stay healthy they should just pack it in. Alex Smith isn’t saving anyone’s season and he surely won’t be saving Andy Reid’s job. Still happy you gave him that contract?
28. St. Louis Rams
Losing Sam Bradford was the first nail in this team’s coffin and a few more have been added in the first weeks of the season. Their defensive line is a force to be reckoned with but that offense is a train wreck that Robert Quinn can’t even save.
29. Oakland Raiders
Derek Carr may actually be a solid starter in the league at some point, but this is not the year. James Jones continues to drop just about everything thrown his way and unless Maurice Jones-Drew can turn back the clock, they won’t have much success in the backfield either.
30. New York Giants
*Insert Eli Manning face here*
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
Why do the Jags insist on playing Chad Henne? It clearly isn’t working and Bortles looked like the best rookie quarterback in the preseason. Play the kid.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs got destroyed by the Falcons on national TV and they deserved every bit of it. When you go all in on Josh McCown as your starting quarterback you deserve to get beat by 40 points every single week.
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