Official r/NFL Week 3 Power Rankings

The more you know, the less you realize you know. The saying holds especially true for NFL power rankings. Really makes someone wonder if a 66-yard doink is truly the difference between a 27th ranked team and a 9th rank team. 31/32 reporting, whose rankings are forgettable? And whose head will we call for next?

#		Team	Δ	Record	Comment
1.		Rams	+2	3-0	Wow the Bucs suck. They have no defense, no run game, and Timmy B doesn’t know how to play football in LA. It’s nice to know they won’t be a problem in the playoffs. As predicted, Bucs fans are blaming the loss on the refs over… checks notes … a missed taunting call (?), then calling Rams fans bandwagoners… that’s rich. Whatever, the Rams look unstoppable, especially at home. Seachickens lose, 40whiners lose, what a great day. We going all the way, count the chickens.
2.		Buccaneers	-1	2-1	The Rams are for real, and GM Samuel Lester Snead's strategy of "1st round picks are for cowardly weasels" seems to be paying off. Despite throwing for over 400 yards and somehow leading the team in rushing, Tom Brady couldn't play defense. Desean Jackson shredded the secondary for 120 yards and seems to be doing well with McVay's offense, though he may have been a better fit for a Reich or Arians, if you catch mein drift. For the Bucs, there's little reason to panic, though. Their next four opponents are a combined 4-8, each with a losing record.
3.		Bills	+2	2-1	The reports of Josh Allen’s death have been greatly exaggerated. There’s nothing more of substance to add, so enjoy 6 minutes of our king hanging dong on the team with no name.
4.		Browns	+2	2-1	Turns out having Myles Garrett yelling at teammates worked out great. With nine sacks, 4.5 from Garrett alone, the Browns made Justin Fields' life hell. The dual-back threat of Hunt and Chubb made easy work of the Bears defense. The Browns were also aided by offensive play calling from Matt Nagy. The Browns will take on the Vikings in Minnesota for Week 4.
5.		Raiders	+3	3-0	With two out of three games going to overtime for the Raiders, they have had to play 14 quarters of football in 13 days. Luckily, though, they are 3-0. 38 teams in NFL history have had to play their first three games against opponents that won 10 or more games the previous season. This Raiders team is the only one to start 3-0. Not only that, but the Raiders also have four different players with 200+ receiving yards (no other team has more than two) and are the only team in history to have had four receivers reach that milestone within the first three games. To top it all off, Derek Carr continues to play elite football, becoming only the fourth QB to ever throw for 1,200 yards in his team's first three games of the season.
6.		Cardinals	+1	3-0	Cat team? Check. East coast game? Check. Rookie QB who hasn’t been performing to expectations? Check. All the makings of a disaster for the Cardinals, and in the first half it was! Until it wasn’t anymore, and Kingsbury promptly remembered that this team should be good. The next three games (@LAR, vs. SF, @CLE) will be a great test for this inconsistent team. Sidenote, Byron Murphy Jr. continues to wreck the league with two interceptions on Sunday, one returned for a touchdown. Reminders will continue until hype improves.
7.		Chiefs	-5	1-2	Just more yuck, man. It is hard to win football games when your offense turns the ball over three straight drives to start the game, especially when your defense is 11/12 at giving up a touchdown in the redzone on the season. The Chiefs have a lot of issues to sort out right now and maybe going back to the basics will help. The good news is the revamped Oline continues to look good and Clyde Edwards-Helaire was able to bounce back from a fumble and look good against the Chargers. The Chiefs need to come out next week and blow out the Eagles to get their mojo back.
8.		Packers	+3	2-1	The Packers did a very Packer thing and took a game they had under control and then messed it up with poor special teams and a defense that melted in the biggest moments. Fortunately, the 49ers left just enough time for Aaron to do Aaron things and win anyway. Big shoutout to Mason Crosby for being a rock on this team for the last 15 years and being super clutch once again. The run defense wasn't a complete sieve, but our lack of linebacker play hurt us again with our inability to effectively cover the middle of the field (though Kittle is hard to stop for any team, so not too much blame here). Jaire allowed his first touchdown in 17 games but had a sick interception, so that's cool. Offensively, we opted for a ton of quick passes, which really took advantage of the lack of depth in the San Francisco secondary and prevented our inexperienced OL from getting bogged down against what should be a very good Niners DL. Running game was solid once again, thank you Aaron Jones, very cool. Things are looking up, though definitely still lots to improve on.
9.		Ravens	-5	2-1	Hollywood should thank Tucker for that game-saving, record-breaking, testicle-enhancing performance he pulled out of his ass. The Cardiac Crows live to another week. By the way, Tucker has repeatedly slaughtered the Lions with his leg, possibly as a subtle nod to the Brian Billick quote about how to approach a Lion's den. Going under the radar is Lamar's performance, which would've easily been a 300+ yard outing on 30 attempts had it not been for some bad Hollywood drops. This man just needs to get that vaccine; between the injuries and what kind of crap the Ravens have had to pull to win games, this season is truly terrifying.
10.		Chargers	+7	2-1	Hot damn, we did the thing. It wasn't a mistake-free performance, but it wasn't needed. The Chargers defense took the ball away four times from the normally mistake-free Chiefs and outlasted their comeback attempt. Justin Herbert tossed four touchdowns, two of which went to Mike "Contract Year" Williams. This is a statement win, but there's so much more season to go and more work to be done. The Chargers will be under the lights nationally as they host the surging Raiders on MNF next week.
11.		Cowboys	+3	2-1	This Cowboys team is ROLLING. Dallas is scoring 30 points a game, they've run for 358 yards the last two weeks, they lead the league in turnovers and turnover differential, and they went blow for blow with the champs. Its still early, but it looks real.
12.		Titans	--	2-1	On Sunday, the Titans were able to successfully grind their way through a sloppy game against the Colts. Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry carried the team once again with AJ Brown and Julio Jones missing time throughout the game. Henry carried the ball 28 times and was targeted 3 times for 144 total yards. At his current rate (fewer rushes than last year through 3 games), Henry is on pace for 2,000 yards and 2,595 yards from scrimmage which would break the NFL record held by former Titan Chris Johnson.
13.		49ers	-4	2-1	Shanny dialed up a great drive to take their first lead of the game, but he just left too much time for Rodgers. The offensive coaching staff needs to figure out how to get the run game going again, as it was almost non-existent this game. The team looks ahead to a divisional matchup with the Seahawks next week.
14.		Saints	+1	2-1	What have the first three weeks taught us about these Saints? A robust showing to obliterate the Packers, an outing where they were mauled by the Panthers, and now beating the Patriots in a game where Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers almost topped 100 yards each. Strap in because it's going to be a rollercoaster season - and not one of the good rollercoasters, more like the one at a county fair that has been around for 50 years and looks like it could fall apart any second but boasts the record for the highest top speed in the state so the risk is worth it.
15.		Panthers	+1	3-0	Though Jaycee Horn's injury will sideline him for the rest of the season, it looks very much like we avoided disaster with CMC's hamstring, which may only keep him out a game or two. The bad thing is that the next game up is against our toughest opponent yet: the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. Getting to the QB has been our specialty so far, and the Cowboys will be without Mr. Bribe La'el Collins. Hopefully that means our pass rush can break through before the Dallas receiving corps finds the holes where Horn would be.
16.		Broncos	+2	3-0	Three weeks, three wins. The Broncos famed "Wife Guy" Defense has given up only 26 points on the year, including a shutout against the New York Jets. Yes, their opponents at the start of the year have been bad. But aren't potential playoff teams supposed to beat the pants off the bottom of the league?
17.		Seahawks	-7	1-2	Remember that excitement after beating the Colts week 1? Completely gone. After totally falling apart in the second half last week against the Titans, the Seahawks followed up with yet another rough week 3 showing in the second half. After scoring 17 points by halftime, the Seahawks offense saw the field for 7 minutes and 20 seconds. the rest of the game. The Vikings dominated the time of possession and completely wore down the defense. And wew, is this defense rough. Jamal Adams has not been the playmaker he was last year. Tre Flowers deserves to be on the waiver wire. LJ Collier, the Seahawks first round pick a couple years ago, was again a healthy scratch. There are some bright spots (Alton Robinson and Darrell Taylor continue to grow and bobby as always), but this team does not look right. Perhaps a change in philosophy is warranted.
18.		Bengals	+8	2-1	Ja'Marr Chase is second in the NFL with four receiving touchdowns. For those counting at home, that's four more than Penei Sewell has for the Lions. The Bengals offensive line is still a work in progress, but they did manage to snap the Steelers NFL record streak of 75 straight games with a sack. Rookie 2nd round pick Jackson Carmen made his NFL debut and did not allow a single QB hurry on the day, and tackles Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff continue to play exceptional on the edges. Overall it's a great day to be a Bengals fan.
19.		Vikings	+5	1-2	Kirk Cousins is on fire, dropping dimes under pressure and creating out of structure. Through three weeks, Cousins ranks third in PFF grade and fifth in EPA/play. That high level of mistake-free play helped the Vikings pull off a resounding win against the Seahawks, along with great offensive play calling, Justin Jefferson putting up another route running clinic, and the Vikings' defense finally showing up and shutting out the Seahawks in the second half. This team feels a lot better than 1-2, and they'll certainly get a chance to prove it against a loaded Browns roster on Sunday.
20.		Steelers	-7	1-2	Wow. Well the Steelers are a hot mess right now and the AFC North ain't gettin' any easier. It's not just giving up wins to division opponents, it's all of the penalties. On offense. So bad. For sure, TJ Watt is the heart and soul of the defense and it's not the same without him. There was too much missing personnel at WR. You can't be down your best defender, have your WR corps depleted, and then commit unforced error after unforced error against a crew keen to call penalties. The Bengals just played smarter, more disciplined football and looked far more competent than the Steelers did.
21.		Patriots	-2	1-2	While it would have been nice to get a win over the Saints, a non-conference loss stings less and it's good experience for Mac Jones, who needs as much exposure as he can get right now. He took some deeper shots as well (to mixed results) which is encouraging for a young QB that the league wants to paint as a checkdown machine. The defense also looked better than expected, although playing against Jameis Winston makes it more difficult to judge a defense on its merits alone - that supremely Jameis-esque TD is a great example of why. Let's be honest though, this loss is supremely forgettable in the shadow of next week's game. It's Brady vs Belichick week, so get ready to hear about that nonstop for at least the next 6 days.
22.		Dolphins	-2	1-2	While losing 28-31 in OT in a winnable game may sting, the Dolphins at least showed they could battle back after last weeks annual "Sean Mcdermott Hates Aquatic Mammals" game. The Dolphins need a sense of consisentency, at points the defense looked dominant and the offense looked competent, neither seemed to be able to maintain that level of play the full 60 minutes. Brian Flores is a good coach, but he needs to figure out the offense. Next week is a winnable game against a struggling Colts team, and we're getting close to must win territory early in the season.
23.		Washington FT	-2	1-2	Washington did not look like they belonged on the same field as Buffalo on Sunday. It looked like a Varsity/JV exhibition game where the bigger kids got too rough. Obviously, the offense and Taylor Heinicke had their worse day, yet but the defense continues to be dreadful. They also gave up a third-straight opening-drive TD, and it only went downhill from there. It’s hard to realistically see more than 3-4 wins with the schedule ahead.
24.		Eagles	-2	1-2	Reuban Frank said it best, "This brand of football is an abomination." Horrible play-calling, horrible coaching, horrible offense, horrible defense. The Eagles managed to play 60 minutes of a professional football game and handed the ball off 3 total times. Let that one marinate.
25.		Colts	-2	0-3	The Colts had Super Bowl aspirations, but now they have a quarterback playing a game on two sprained ankles. They're one of five winless teams, and things aren't looking to get better anytime soon with injuries to Quenton Nelson and Kwity Paye. It's frustrating watching Frank Reich refuse to use Jonathon Taylor because the Titans' defense was giving "looks [they] hadn't seen before". It's frustrating watching a defense hyped up to be one of the best blow more assignments than a pornstar in college. Everything that was supposed to go right for the team has been going so horrendously we're at the point where the quarterback with two sprained ankles is the least of their problems. There's fourteen games to go, but it might be time to hit the panic button.
26.		Bears	-2	1-2	The Chicago Bears ended the game with literally 1 net yard of passing.
27.		Lions	+1	0-3	This game had it all: Lions playing suprisingly well against a team out of their league, missed flags AGAINST the Lions (missed delay of game by the Ravens), and losing in a chaotic fashion. The Lions kept Lamar Jackson mostly in check throughout the game, forcing him to throw by containing the edge and middle running lane. The Lions are getting noticably better every single week, that should all come together against the Bears in week 4.
28.		Falcons	+1	1-2	Cor-darrelle Cor-darrelle Go! The Falcons took on the fellow bottom dwelling Giants and showed them who's the best and the brightest. The "charge" was led by none other than legend Cordarrelle Patterson, who on a team with Kyle Pitts and Calvin Ridley, has become the offense's deadliest weapon. Defensively, with two minutes left in a tied game, Daniel Jones was sacked like a bag of groceries, courtesy of Dante Fowler. Grady might have line help for the first time since Kroy Biermann hung up his red contact lenses. In special teams news, with the game on the line, Koo hit his first NFL game winning field goal with the accuracy Matty Thrice would be proud of. If this skyrocketing trajectory continues, Atlanta could be competitive against average teams by Q4 2023.
29.		Texans	-2	1-2	It's been a long September with no reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember the last time it was said that we were leading, now the days go by so fast. And it's one more year of a Texans rebuild, and it's one more year of "wish they would". If you think Cal McNair could sell the team off, I wish he would.
30.		Giants	--	0-3	We all knew the Giants were bad, but it's the ways they're losing that's really starting to twist the knife. Amid a game wrought with cowardly punts and inexplicable playcalls, the coaching has to start being questioned as much as (or more than) the quality of the players is. A slew of injuries takes this squad from bad to worse, and the Giants are officially entering the difficult part of their schedule. Things might get ugly, folks
31.		Jaguars	+1	0-3	The Jaguars have done the impossible. This season, they scored a touchdown off of a kickoff return, as well as a touchdown off of a missed field goal. They did both of those things before scoring their first rushing touchdown of the season. If you read that and thought it odd, then yes, you're also correct in assuming that's exactly how the team has been performing in general: SNAFU.
32.		Jets	-1	0-3	Jets fans looking for a source of optimism might point to the possibility that the Jets have played the three toughest defenses on their schedule. Denver (8.7 pts/g), Carolina (10.0) and New England (17.0) are all in the top 5 in fewest points allowed. Some of that is playing teams like the Jets, but not all of it. Zach Wilson should put up some better numbers against a Titans defense that has allowed 28 points per game.