There’s A New Number One And A Plunge For Contenders
Week 3 of the NFL season gave us yet another number of sensational performances from of quarterback position. From Drew Brees and Matt Ryan combining for 10 touchdowns in Atlanta to Patrick Mahomes, Cam Newton and Jared Goff leading their teams to victory in strong showings.
While there were great quarterback performances, there were also a few stinkers. Tom Brady, Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton and Case Keenum turned in awful performances that played a significant factor in their teams losing.
How big of a drop will the Patriots, Packers and Vikings take following losses? Where do the Browns land after their first win in two years? Which new team just cracked the top 10 in this week’s power rankings?
Let’s jump into this week’s NFL power rankings below!
1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0)
Owning the NFL’s best point differential by a wide margin (+66), the Los Angeles Rams exploded offensively vs the Los Angeles Chargers in a 35-23 win.
The Rams went for 521 total yards while going 8-for-11 on 3rd down. Next up? A Vikings team having to travel West on a short week coming off a humbling defeat at home to a lowly Bills team.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
With Carson Wentz back, the Eagles offense still struggled to put points on the board in a come-from-behind 20-16 win vs the Indianapolis Colts. One thing ailing the Eagles is a lack of a deep threat.
With Alston Jefferey still out and Mike Wallace now likely done for the season, Philadelphia’s vertical pass game has been limited. Philadelphia is averaging 6.0 yards per completion, 28th in NFL.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
Patrick Mahomes broke yet another record when he threw three more touchdown passes vs the San Francisco 49ers to give him 13 through the first three games. He broke Peyton Manning’s record of 12 touchdown passes, which was set back in 2013.
He’ll have a chance to continue his success in Week 4 vs a Denver Broncos defense giving up a 102.2 Passer Rating this season.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
Jacksonville just can’t shake the Tennessee Titans. Dating back to the 2015 regular-season, the Jaguars have dropped five of their last six to their AFC South rivals. They should get a reprieve this Sunday vs a Jets offense that leads the NFL in giveaways this season with 8.
5. New Orleans Saints (2-1)
The Saints aren’t having much trouble through the air, and Alvin Kamara has been a big reason why. Kamara leads all running backs with 30 receptions and 289 receiving yards. He has 430 yards from scrimmage to begin the season.
6. Carolina Panthers (2-1)
Carolina’s defense bounced back with four interceptions of Andy Dalton in a 31-21 win last Sunday, which is the most interceptions Ron Rivera’s defense has recorded in a game since he became head coach.
7. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Baltimore sure does like playing at home. In two games at M&T Bank Stadium this season the Baltimore Ravens are outscoring their opposition by 57 points while holding opposing quarterbacks to 121.5 passing yards per game.
8. New England Patriots (1-2)
The New England Patriots looked lethargic once again offensively in a 26-10 loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday. What made matters worse was their inability to slow a Lions rushing attack that was nonexistent the first two weeks. They’ll need to fix that problem quickly for an offense that needs as much time as it can get to be on the field.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-1)
The Pittsburgh Steelers won on Monday night, but they have to be concerned as the penalties pile up. The Steelers have committed 37 penalties in the first three weeks for a whooping 361 yards.
10. Miami Dolphins (3-0)
The Miami Dolphins are winning with defense, and also an efficient Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill is completing 73 percent of his passes and has a 121.8 Passer Rating, 4th in the NFL.
11. Chicago Bears (2-1)
Chicago had a scare in Arizona in a 16-14 win, and the offense has to pick it up. The Bears rank 26th and offense and are only averaging 21 PPG this season.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
The Buccaneers played well on Monday in a 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers if you discount the four second quarter turnovers. Tampa Bay’s still scoring, but the offensive line led to Fitzpatrick reverting back to some of his old habits.
With Jameis Winston set to return, head coach Dirk Koetter has not yet named a starting quarterback for Week 4 at the Chicago Bears.
13. Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Atlanta defenders are dropping like flies.
Add safety Ricardo Allen — who tore his achilles in a 43-37 loss to the New Orleans Saints last Sunday — to the list of defensive players put on IR to begin the year. Atlanta’s hurting, and it may not get any better with their upcoming schedule that features three of the NFL’s highest scoring offenses.
14. Tennessee Titans (2-1)
The Titans have recovered well from a Week 1 loss in Miami to jump ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South standings early. Tennessee securing two early division wins, the latest a 9-6 road win in Jacksonville, positions them nicely as they get a visit from the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
Cincinnati’s run defense was exposed vs the Carolina Panthers in a 31-21 loss and Andy Dalton threw four interceptions. Despite that, they still had their chances late, which speaks to the talent level of this team. They get to visit a banged up Falcons team that just gave up 43 points at home next.
16. Minnesota Vikings (1-1-1)
No one saw Minnesota’s shocking 27-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills coming to fruition last Sunday, but maybe we should’ve.
Minnesota has been inconsistent to start the year, incapable of having their play carry over from quarter to quarter and half to half. They haven’t been able to run the ball and the offensive line looked abysmal in trying to slow Buffalo’s pass rush.
17. Washington Redskins (2-1)
The Redskins have made it clear that when they win, they do it in impressive fashion and when they lose, likewise. The Redskins have won two games by a combined 24 points and lost 21-9 vs the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
18. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2)
The Los Angeles Chargers have struggled vs the pass to begin the season, something they didn’t do in 2017. A silver lining in their 35-23 loss last Sunday vs the Rams is that Philip Rivers at age 37 continues to look amazing.
Against a tough Rams defense that didn’t allow a touchdown pass in the first two weeks, Rivers went for two more touchdown throws to give him 8 total in the first three weeks.
19. Green Bay Packers (1-1-1)
Green Bay is lucky to not be 0-3. They’re a fourth quarter miracle and a 35-yard field goal miss away from being just that.
Aaron Rodgers certainly is not healthy and according to him that knee sprain may only get worse. That’s bad news considering Green Bay, a predominately cold weather venue, will only make that worse for Rodgers to play through moving forward.
20. Denver Broncos (2-1)
Denver’s pass rush for a second consecutive week failed to get much pressure on the quarterback. After recording six sacks in Week 1, Von Miller and company have just three sacks combined in the last two weeks. That has to improve with Kansas City’s high-powered offense coming to town.
21. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Seattle’s defense has recovered well after getting shredded by Case Keenum in Week 1.
Opportunistic, the Seahawks continued to force turnovers last Sunday in a 24-13 win as Earl Thomas recorded two interceptions. Seattle is tied for 2nd in the NFL in takeaways with 8.
22. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)
The Cowboys have issues on offense at wide receiver. Dak Prescott has only developed a trust with wide receiver Cole Beasley who is at best a #3 receiver on most teams depth chart. Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup have struggled to make an impact.
23. San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
Losing to the Kansas City Chiefs was tough, but losing Jimmy Garoppolo puts San Francisco’s once promising season up in the air. The 49ers quarterback tore his ACL in his left knee last Sunday in a 38-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the rest of the season.
24. Cleveland Browns (1-1-1)
The Cleveland Browns defense has been terrifying in the first three weeks of the season, giving Cleveland a more than realistic chance to win each of their first three games. While their last win is their first since December 2016, don’t be surprised if it’s the start of something fans aren’t used to in Northeast Ohio.
25. Detroit Lions (1-2)
Detroit picked up a much needed victory over the New England Patriots and did so by running the ball, something that’s a direct influence from former Patriots defensive coordinator now Lions head coach Matt Patricia.
Patricia identified a weakness in his former team as the Lions ran the ball 33 times for 159 rushing yards in last Sunday’s 26-10 victory.
26. New York Jets (1-2)
The New York Jets defense couldn’t hold a 14-point lead last Thursday, but it was hardly a rough performance for them. The Jets are ranked 8th in the NFL in total defense but the offense is a concern. After 48 points in Week 1, the Jets have averaged 14.5 PPG the last two weeks.
27. New York Giants (1-2)
The G-Men got into the the win column last Sunday in a 27-22 win vs the Texans thanks to a tremendously efficient day from Eli Manning. Manning went 25-for-29 throwing the ball for 297 passing yards and 2 TDs. That’s something head coach Pat Shurmer hopes to continue to see from his quarterback … and also some pass protection.
28. Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
The Indianapolis Colts could be 3-0 if they had a few plays bounce their way. Nonetheless, it’s a 1-2 start for a team showcasing a much better defense than what we’ve seen in past years. If you take away a late fumble return touchdown in Week 1 by the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis is allowing only 18.6 PPG this season.
29. Oakland Raiders (0-3)
The Oakland Raiders just can’t find their way in the second half. Up 17-14 to begin the fourth, they would be outscored 14-3 in the quarter as they lost yet another game there for the taking. Up next is a Cleveland Browns team leads the NFL in takeaways with 11.
30. Houston Texans (0-3)
Houston is 0-3, and in each of those games Deshaun Watson has committed at least one turnover. Cause for alarm? Not exactly, the second-year quarterback had his first multi-touchdown game of the season last Sunday vs the Giants as he passed for 385 passing yards, 2 TDs and a INT.
31. Buffalo Bills (1-2)
Josh Allen had a coming out party vs the sleepwalking Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. The rookie quarterback had nerves of steel in his first career road start. Allen finished the game 15-for-22 for 196 passing yards and 3 TDs (2 rushing).
32. Arizona Cardinals (0-3)
The Arizona Cardinals stunned even their own fans when they jumped out to a 14-0 lead early vs the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, it would be all downhill from there. The Cardinals went to rookie quarterback Josh Rosen late in the game, which is worth monitoring going into Week 4.
What are your thoughts on this week’s power rankings? Leave your comments below!
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