By JORDAN ROSAS
1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0)
Last Week: 3 (High: 1, Low: 5)
If they hadn’t yet, the Rams have officially put the league on notice. There’s no quiet way to thrash the undefeated defending champs. A couple hot weeks, sure, decent players get hot. Three straight dominant performances to open the season though? Welcome to the elite tier of wide receivers, Cooper Kupp. Even without their top two RBs, the Rams hung 34 on Tampa. Matt Stafford has a well earned loser reputation after a decade of falling short to Aaron Rodgers among others. He’s putting that to rest one week at a time. We’re starting to see a bit of separation in the NFC West, and the Rams are rising to the top.
2. Buffalo Bills (2-1)
Last Week: 2 (High: 2, Low: 11)
After a 35-0 win over Miami left many unsatisfied with Josh Allen‘s performance (including Josh Allen), the 4th year Qb turned in an MVP level performance against what was supposed to be an elite defense coming into the season. Buffalo has scored more points every week so far, and even though they set the high mark (pun intended) this week with 43, an inviting matchup against Houston next week means that the trend could continue. Last week the pass rush was enough, this week, the secondary flipped the field on Washington more than mid-term elections. The Steelers loss looks worse as the Steelers look worse, but the Bills are doing everything they can to leave week 1 in the past. They’re the highest scoring team in the AFC through 3 weeks and their +50 point differential is tied with Denver for best in the NFL.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)
Last Week: 14 (High: 3, Low: 14)
The Chargers continue to play things dangerously close, but a win over Kansas City is still a major statement. It’s not easy to hold that offense to 24 points. It’s not like the Chargers had an easy start to the season either. Dallas is solid, Washington is at least decent, when healthy anyway, and Kansas City has been to the AFC Championship game 3 years running. Again, this team needs to learn to put games out of reach. They still don’t quite look like the best team in LA, but they do look like one of the best teams in the league.
4. Cleveland Browns (2-1)
Last Week: 11 (High: 3, Low: 11)
This was an important bounce back game for a team that still seems to be deciding whether or not they’re a true contender. Sure, the Bears are looking worse each week, but 26-6 over any NFL team is impressive. The Browns are clearly a team built to play with a lead, as their two headed backfield is sensational, while their passing game is average at best. Healthy receivers could change that, but this team still needs to prove that they can play from behind. That being said, their defense should be able to prevent that from happening most weeks.
5. Las Vegas Raiders (3-0)
Last Week: 7 (High: 5, Low: 13)
The Raiders should be higher. They’re an undefeated team, and they have yet to look bad. The problem is, these are my power rankings, and as entertaining as the Raiders are, I have a personal rule not to bet on the them. Every time I’ve let myself get too high on them, they come crashing down. Every time I get to down on them, they pull off an upset. Their wins look less impressive as the season goes on. They squeaked out a win over a Dolphins team that got completely embarrassed by Buffalo in Miami. I already mentioned that Pittsburgh looks worse each week, and the Ravens needed a record setting FG to beat the Lions. Not to mention, all of these wins for Vegas have been fairly close. They’re actually not too far from 0-3. Maybe they should be lower… Then again, they’re currently at the top of arguably the toughest division in the NFL.
6. Arizona Cardinals (3-0)
Last Week: 4 (High: 4, Low: 6)
I’m being nitpicky here, because we’re looking at the top. Arizona has had a dominant win, a close win, and a concerning win, in that order. They won 31-19, but the Jaguars were leading for an uncomfortably long time. An elite team should crush Jacksonville. The other teams have. In their defense, DeAndre Hopkins was hurt, and they still got a win. They’re tied for first in the division, but they’re starting to look like the second best team. That’s still very good.
7. Carolina Panthers (3-0)
Last Week: 9 (High: 7, Low: 26)
I was worried I might be a bit overly ambitious moving them up 17 spots last week. Then they won in primetime. Sure, it may have only been the Texans, but they lost their best player in Christian McCaffrey early, and still managed to pack on points. They also only gave up 9. It was a boring game for the most part, but this defense can hold its own while the offense recalibrates. We may or may not have seen them against a good team yet, depending on how good the Saints are, but they’re doing everything they need to do. For the first time in his career, Sam Darnold is firmly in first place in Tom Brady‘s division.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Last Week: 1 (High: 1, Low: 8)
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Not really, only seven spots, but a one-sided loss to the Rams clarifies that they’re not the best team in the league right now. With Antonio Brown out on the Covid list and Gronk leaving with an injury, the superpower returned to mortal status. Don’t get it twisted, this is still a very good team, even banged up. They took a long time to figure things out last year, and that ended okay. Outside of last week’s thrashing of the Falcons, they have yet to give us a true statement win. They can coast on their Super Bowl laurels for a little while, but eventually they’ll need the type of big win the 2-1 teams above them have produced in order to move back up.
9. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
Last Week: 9 (High: 9, Low: 10)
As I wrote last week Dallas’s first two games seemed to be more a product of the opposition. However, teams don’t luck into 41-21 divisional wins. Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott both got things rumbling. If it isn’t clear by now, Dallas has plenty of pass catchers capable of making big plays. After investing heavily in the draft, this defense is nasty. Through 3 weeks, they’re the best team in the division, and it isn’t all that close. They may still have a ways to go in their quest for Super Bowl glory, but they’re well on the right track.
10. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Last Week: 5 (High: 5, Low: 14)
Now here’s a team that’s truly about as close to 0-3 as they are to 3-0. Every win has been close, but this one wasn’t against a good team. Look, I’ll be the first to say that the Lions are the best of the 0-3 teams, but no legitimate Super Bowl contender should need the longest field goal in the 101 year history of the NFL to beat them. I see this as a down week more than anything, and they did win after all. Any team good enough for a win to be considered a bad game probably belongs in the top ten.
11. Denver Broncos (3-0)
Last Week: 17 (High: 11, Low: 20)
Denver has done everything that’s been asked of them, but until they beat a team THAT HAS AT LEAST WON A GAME, it’s tough to justify moving them any higher. They may be tied for first in a stacked division where Kansas City is in last place, but their 3 opponents are a combined 0-9 on the season… Not only that, but both RBs were very inefficient in the ground game. At the end of the day though, how much can we really complain about a 26-0 road win?
12. Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)
Last Week: 6 (High: 1, Low: 12)
Kansas City looks unwell. Not only are they not crushing teams, they’re straight up losing. I know it’s early, but last place in the division is unfamiliar territory. They won the division last year, which means they get a tougher schedule this year. This week though, they lost to a divisional opponent. The other two teams in the division are undefeated. This defense needs to step up, and even the best quarterbacks need help now and then. Pat Mahomes really wasn’t even all that bad, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a 100 yard rushing game.
13. New Orleans Saints (2-1)
Last Week: 12 (High: 2, Low: 13)
New England really isn’t all that great of a team, but they’re good enough that a 28-13 win is impressive. It doesn’t quite make up for getting spanked in a divisional matchup last week, but considering how dominant the Saints were over the Packers in week 1, upper middle class feels about right for where this team is at. There wasn’t any single player who had a standout performance. Even Alvin Kamara’s 118 yards from scrimmage plus a touchdown was balanced out by a sub 4 ypc. Nevertheless, the Saints did enough to get a fairly uneventful win.
14. Green Bay Packers (2-1)
Last Week: 18 (High: 14, Low: 20)
It’s not the type of statement win I was looking for, but a comeback with 32 seconds and no timeouts is impressive no matter who it’s against. Everyone knows Aaron Rodgers is looking for Davante Adams, but no one has been able to disrupt the connection since the New Orleans fiasco. It helps that their last two opponents have been missing corners, but Green Bay’s big three seem to be gelling. The defense holds its own. I still want that dominant win before moving them back into the elite tier of teams, but for now, two consecutive second half comebacks are enough to move them above average, even if only slightly.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
Last Week: 19 (High: 15, Low: 19)
I’m absolutely stunned. Pittsburgh came into this game having recorded at least one sack in 75 consecutive regular season games. Of all the offensive lines to break the streak, I’m completely shocked that it was the Bengals. I’ve liked Joe Burrow, noticed the ground game effectiveness of Joe Mixon, and even congratulated my fantasy cohost Steve two weeks in a row for hyping up Ja’Mar Chase. I’ve never wavered on my stance that passing up on Penei Sewell was a mistake. Until now. I was scared on behalf of Burrow and Mixon. But apparently I had no need to be. I’m happy to admit when I’m wrong, and while I’m not ready to concede that all of Cincinnati’s O-line woes are over, this is certainly an extremely encouraging sign, even if some of Pittsburgh’s defenders were hurt.
16. Tennessee Titans (2-1)
Last Week: 22 (High: 16, Low: 27)
For the second straight week, the Titans managed a narrow win. The Titans were up by 25-16 on the winless Colts when the clock hit 0:00, but it was tight most of the game. It still feels like they’re underperforming. Julio Jones has yet to play like, well, Julio, Ryan Tannehill still seems to be stuck in the Miami version of himself, and AJ Brown left the game with an injury. Derrick Henry is getting fed more than a kid at grandma’s house though, and he reminded Indianapolis that he’s still the king of the AFC South.
17. San Francisco 49ers (2-1)
Last Week: 13 (High: 13, Low: 25)
For the second year in a row, injuries have plagued what should otherwise be a pretty good 49ers team. But this is a team built around the run, and without healthy RBs, the Niners were forced to lean on the passing game. At this point, Jimmy G is a serviceable game manager, but he hasn’t panned into the electric Brady-in-waiting (pun intended) that San Fran thought they were trading for. Trey Lance scampered in for a TD, but their defensive scheming for Davante Adams was simply too incompetent to overcome.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)
Last Week: 8 (High: 7, Low: 18)
The Steelers were missing some key players, so a drop in production was to be expected. But getting held without a single sack by the Bengals O-line? That’s bad. Najee Harris had his breakout game, and just in time. Ben Roethlisberger‘s arm looks shot. Just 318 yards on 38 completions, with 1 TD and 2 INTs. This defense shouldn’t be giving up 24 points to the Bengals, and this offense shouldn’t be held to 10 points. It’s a team loss, and it kicks the defending AFC north champions to the bottom of the division.
19. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)
Last Week: 23 (High: 19, Low: 23)
I said last week that the Vikings were close to winning, and they finally found a W in week 3, beating Seattle 30-17. Both Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson have been outstanding so far, and Kirk Cousins was 30/38 for 323 yards and 3 TDs. Alexander Mattison was a fantastic fill-in for the injured Dalvin Cook, racking up 112 yards on 23 carries. Speaking of action forced by injury, TE Tyler Conklin may be on the cusp of a breakout season. It was more of an unlucky start for the Vikings than anything, but they look like they’re on track to rise up the rankings in the coming weeks.
20. Washington Football Team (1-2)
Last Week: 18 (High: 15, Low: 20)
I’m not moving them down much after the loss, because a 43-21 loss in Buffalo is about what should be expected from a team ranked in the 20’s. Every team beneath them would have probably done the same if not worse. After Buffalo thrashed Miami 35-0 last week, 43-21 is at least somewhat more competitive. The defense is bad. It’s not just a rough couple weeks, they just straight up stink. On the bright side, Taylor Heinicke has been better than expected, which gives them a legitimate shot in what could once again be the worst division in football. They’re only 1 game behind after all.
21. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Last Week: 15 (High: 8, Low: 21)
I said last week that the Vikings were better than their 0-2 record would suggest. For the second week in a row though, the Seahawks gave up a win to a winless team. The Vikings didn’t even have Dalvin Cook. The offense has been mostly okay, but this defense needs to improve. They play in the toughest division in the NFC, and they’re at the bottom of it. It’s still too early to tell just how good each team is, but the Seahawks are already 2 games behind, and the Rams and Cardinals don’t look like they’ll be giving up too many games for Seattle to catch up.
22. Miami Dolphins (1-2)
Last Week: 26 (High: 12, Low: 26)
We knew the Dolphins aren’t as bad as they looked last week against Buffalo. They went toe to toe with the undefeated Raiders, even forcing overtime in Las Vegas. For a team with a losing record, that’s impressive. They still lost though. Jacoby Brissett was about what should be expected from a backup QB. The Dolphins were successful running the football, which might be their best strategy moving forward. Myles Gaskin averaged 5 yards per carry on 13 touches, while Malcolm Brown scored a TD and averaged 4.4 on 7 carries. Brissett added 37 yards and a score on his 7 rushes.
23. Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
Last Week: 21 (High: 16, Low: 23)
Once again, the Eagles were embarrassed in primetime. This time though, they lost outright. A porous offensive line couldn’t create room to run and Jalen Hurts struggled under consistent pressure, although he did have a few nice runs. The defense couldn’t decide between stopping the run or stopping the pass, so they chose neither. I’m a bit more forgiving with the secondary, because Dallas receivers had several fantastic catches. They still gave up 41 points to a division rival though.
24. Detroit Lions (0-3)
Last Week: 28 (High: 24, Low: 28)
I get it, they’re 0-3, but let’s look at the games and the schedule. Week 1, they fell just short of completing a comeback after trailing 41-17 to the 49ers (2-1). Last week, they went toe to toe with the Packers (2-1), and held the lead at halftime. This week, they nearly beat the Ravens (2-1), and they would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for that meddling Justin Tucker. Seriously, there has to be a curse over this city, to come that close just to lose to the FIRST 66 YARD FIELD GOAL IN NFL HISTORY. So yeah, they may be 0-3, but find me a remaining team that is honestly better than Detroit.
25. Chicago Bears (1-2)
Last Week: 16 (High: 16, Low: 25)
I’ll be the first to admit that Chicago has had a tough schedule. That doesn’t excuse poor performances. The Bears are 1 FG away from 0-3. Outside of that close win over Cincinnati, they’ve been smoked. Andy Dalton hasn’t been good enough, and Justin Fields was so bad in his first career start that Nick Foles might be the Bears third starting QB in 3 weeks. He does have a reputation for replacing injured starters and saving seasons, but even he hasn’t been able win in Matt Nagy‘s system. The #FreeAllenRobinson movement continues.
26. New England Patriots (1-2)
Last Week: 24 (High: 21, Low: 26)
The Patriots defense allowed a TD every quarter. With an offense that has yet to score more than 25 point in a game, that’s simply an unwinnable situation. In fact, the Patriots have yet to score more than 10 points in a single quarter. THE BUCS ARE COMING, THE BUCS ARE COMING! Boston knows a thing or two about repelling red invaders, but even Paul Revere himself might not be enough to save the city from the wrath of a man considered something of a god to Bostonians. New England is about to experience what the rest of the AFC East has had to put up with for the past twenty years. The Bucs may be on the road, but let’s be honest, Tom Brady knows that stadium better than any player on the Patriots roster. He also knows the tricks of Belicheck better than any player or coach Bill’s ever faced. Oh yeah, and he’s coming off of a loss. Good luck New England.
27. Indianapolis Colts (0-3)
Last Week: 27 (High: 24, Low: 27)
Carson Wentz may be the most fragile QB since Sam Bradford, but let’s give the man some credit for playing on not one, but two sprained ankles. The man literally couldn’t even limp. Given those circumstances, I’m willing to forgive a 25-16 loss to the Titans. They’re 0-3, but they’ve been competitive every week. They’re probably going to miss the playoffs, but that first win is coming, and I expect several after it.
28. Houston Texans (1-2)
Last Week: 25 (High: 25, Low: 29)
Tyrod Taylor may have been the only thing keeping the Texans somewhat competitive. We don’t know yet exactly how good Carolina is, but they beat Houston 24-9, without their best player for most of the game. We finally got to see Houston’s top draft pick in action. The most memorable thing about 3rd round QB Davis Mills‘s NFL debut was his long neck. WR Brandin Cooks is having a career year, but a tough matchup with the Bills looks to be a significant hurdle. The Texans are better than most of the bad teams though, and they’ve been ranked in the 20’s every week so far, which is higher than I expected them to be at the start of the season.
29. Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Last Week: 30 (High: 29, Low: 30)
Atlanta’s a bad team. We know that. However, when bad teams play other bad teams, those are the must win games. A win over the Giants isn’t all that impressive, but sometimes the first win is the hardest. We’ll see if the Falcons can build off of this. The offense is still underperforming, but the defense held up well. Cordarelle Patterson has been a pleasant surprise though, and perhaps a team has finally figured out how best to utilize the talented swiss army knife.
30. New York Giants (0-3)
Last Week: 29 (High: 23, Low: 30)
It’s one thing to lose to good teams. It’s another thing to get beat by the other bad teams. This was it, the easiest game on their schedule. Daniel Jones couldn’t score on one of the worst defenses in the league. It’s good to see Saquon Barkley getting more work, but 3.2 yards per carry is cause for concern. The Giants feel good enough to pull off an upset over somebody down the road, but they’ll likely be underdogs in every game from here on out.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)
Last Week: 32 (High: 31, Low: 32)
For the second week in a row, the Jags stayed competitive against an undefeated team. They even led the Cardinals at halftime. James Robinson is finally being used, but they can still afford to give him even more work. Marvin Jones continues to be a favorite target, and while Trevor Lawrence is still struggling with a subpar roster, this team seems to be improving every week. They’re still not good enough to win, but they’re getting close. They could be an interesting trap game for better teams.
32. New York Jets (0-3)
Last Week: 31 (High: 31, Low: 32)
The Jets are in trouble. They’re awful. Their defense is below average, and their offense is dysfunctional in both run and pass plays. Michael Carter is slowly improving, but not fast enough to become a real threat, even with Tevin Coleman getting hurt. Zach Wilson has showed flashes that a better team could build off of, but the Jets haven’t given him much to work with, and as a rookie, he’s nowhere near good enough overcome the team’s shortcomings. He hasn’t scored a TD in two straight games, but has 6 INTs over the same span. It’s early, but a 2:7 touchdown to interception rate is atrocious. I’m not going to say they’re destined for 0-17 just yet, but they haven’t given much reason to think they can beat even the Falcons, Texans, or Jaguars.
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