Twists and turns, upside down, and overall just chaotic is the perfect way to describe the second week of the NFL season. Which teams struggled? Which teams over-performed? That’s why I am here people. Let’s get into my NFL Power Rankings for Week 3!
#32
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)
Previous Rank – 32
Jesus man, the Jaguars look freaking terrible, and it looks bad one Trevor Lawrence even though it’s not his fault. Urban Meyer is being a clown and screwing up everything in Jacksonville. Their offense looks like a mess. They started off strong with an 82-yard drive, but were only able to manage about 100 or so yards in total against the Broncos for the rest of the game. How is that possible? It’s gonna be a long one for Jaguars fans this year. They’ll face the red hot Arizona Cardinals this week.
#31
New York Jets (0-2)
Previous Rank – 30
Four interceptions… I knew this team was gonna struggle this week, but man this was a hard blowout against the Patriots. Zach Wilson looked absolutely awful in this one, and it looks like if you pressure the offensive line will completely crumble. This team looks bad and plays bad. Gonna be a bumpy ride for them again as they’ll look to get their first win of the season when they face the Denver Broncos this week.
#30
Detroit Lions (0-2)
Previous Rank – 31
Don’t get it twisted Lions fans. The only reason they move is because Zach Wilson and the Jets were truly awful. At least the Lions were able to get some points and pressure on the Packers last night, but yeah this went just about as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Goff started off strong, but in the end it was a killer night for the Lions. Constant penalties, turnovers, and bad coaching decisions gave them another loss to their season. The road only gets harder though as they face the Ravens this week.
#29
Houston Texans (1-1)
Previous Rank – 29
The Texans stay put despite their loss to the Browns here. The big things to take away from this game is that Brandin Cooks is still an elite receiver no matter who is throwing him the ball, and that Tyrod Taylor came away from this game with an injury. They were forced to go with Davis Mills for the rest of the contest and refuse to activate Deshaun Watson if Tyrod can’t go. I think I see where their loyalties are people. It was a close game for a while, but all in all the Texans still lost. They’ll look to get another win this week when they take on the Carolina Panthers.
#28
Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
Previous Rank – 28
You know for a while, I thought we were gonna see a revenge Super Bowl scenario with Matt Ryan and Tom Brady…until Matt Ryan decided to throw two pick sixes. I’ll give them this though. The offense looked decently better, but you can tell Matt Ryan is regressing with each game. Their running game is nowhere to be seen as this team constantly throws the ball to stay in games. Their defense is also still trash. They’ll face the New York Giants this week.
#27
New York Giants (0-2)
Previous Rank – 27
Speaking of the Giants, they stay where they’re at after losing in typical Giants fashion to the Washington Football Team. This team consistently finds ways to lose games, and the route of those problems revolves around the quarterback and the defense. Also add to the fact that Saquon Barkley refuses to be a factor in the offense as he still is being leaned into the offense. It is clear though that Sterling Shepard is the main guy on that team. They’ll look to finally get their first win of the season when they face the Atlanta Falcons.
#26
Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Previous Rank – 23
I told everyone the Vikings would be trash this season, and they haven’t disappointed me so far. In typical fashion of a Blair Walsh flashback, the Vikings missed the field goal that would win them the game against the Cardinals. Mike Zimmer has to be feeling a little sweaty right now as the team is falling behind early. Kirk and the boys will look to try win their first game of the season when the Vikings take on the Seahawks this week.
#25
Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
Previous Rank – 26
I know the Bengals moved up, but honestly I couldn’t put them below a team they just beat in week one. So unfortunately, they have to move up a spot despite their loss to the Chicago Bears this week. It looked rough at first, but honestly the Bengals almost made a comeback. In the end though, Burrow’s interceptions gave way, and team suffered because of it. They’ll have a big test this week as they’ll face and AFC North rival; the Pittsburgh Steelers.
#24
Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
Previous Rank – 21
The Colts are in trouble man. After their loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past weekend, it was revealed that Carson Wentz sprained not one, but both of his legs. I am actually not sure how that is physically possible, but that is the case here. This team did decent in holding off Stafford and the Rams, but overall this team is gonna suffer and likely lean with the run game going forward until Wentz can get healthy again. They’ll face the Tennessee Titans this weekend.
#23
Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Previous Rank – 22
The Eagles drop a spot after losing to the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. Now I kind of like what the Eagles are doing, but this team failed to throw a touchdown pass, and instead Hurts took it upon himself to rush for a touchdown. Some mistakes were made, and the Eagles have to look to bounce back from them especially with the injury bug going around their team from that game. They’ll face the Cowboys on Monday night.
#22
Miami Dolphins (1-1)
Previous Rank – 15
It’s never a good thing when your franchise quarterback gets hurt early in the game. Tua suffered an injury and honestly, I don’t know when he will be back. Jacoby Brissett is a good backup, but overall he was no match for this Buffalo defense. They failed to score a single point, and Buffalo put up over 30 points on them. It’s a rough time indeed for the Dolphins as they’ll face the Las Vegas Raiders this week.
#21
Chicago Bears (1-1)
Previous Rank – 24
It’s Justin Fields time. That’s right. Andy Dalton had to exit the contest with a leg injury, and Fields was put on the field to replace him. Man, did this Bears team look very different with new energy and a form of positive attack. It almost seemed like the right thing to do putting him in instead of Dalton huh? Matt Nagy will never learn man. However, the true star of this game was the defense as they picked off Joe Burrow three times in this contest. We’ll see if Fields remains the quarterback for this week as the Bears will take on the Cleveland Browns this week.
#20
Carolina Panthers (2-0)
Previous Rank – 25
Don’t look now people, but the Panthers are tied with the Bucs for first place in the division with two wins. This latest one was most impressive indeed as they knocked off the New Orleans Saints in terrific fashion. Their defense picked off Jameis twice, and held Alvin Kamara to single digit rushing attempts. This is a sneaky good team that could surprise a lot of people going down the line. They’ll face the Houston Texans this Thursday night.
#19
Washington Football Team (1-1)
Previous Rank – 19
I’m gonna keep Washington where they are at for the moment even with their victory over the Giants. Let’s be real here. If the Giants don’t cause that penalty at the end then the Giants win the game cause Hopkins missed the field goal initially. Their secondary is giving me goosebumps as they continue to let guys go down the field. Heinicke looked decent, and for the moment that is all they need. Gibson has to get more involved though with the run game if they are going to make a run for things. They’ll face a much tougher challenger in the Buffalo Bills this week.
#18
Denver Broncos (2-0)
Previous Rank – 20
The Broncos move up two spots after their victory over the Jaguars this past weekend. While Teddy Two-Gloves might not be the long term answer at quarterback, he is certainly putting on a show as he dominated this Jaguars defense for the majority of the contest. Courtland Sutton showed he is ready for a comeback, and their defense was elite against the Jaguars offense. The Broncos should have another good game this weekend when they take on the New York Jets.
#17
New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Previous Rank – 11
Yikes, this was a tough one to watch man. A team that showed up and scored over 30 points against Green Bay crumbled in dramatic fashion against the Panthers. There’s no other way to say it. This team looked terrible. Their inability to give Kamara the ball flattened them early, and Jameis went back to his old tricks throwing two interceptions. This defense also didn’t look good without Lattimore, and it remains to be seen what kind of team the Saints are. They’ll face another tough defense this weekend when they take on the New England Patriots.
#16
Los Angeles Chargers (1-1)
Previous Rank – 13
This game was a down-to-the-wire extravaganza. Honestly, they probably shouldn’t drop a lot here, but Justin Herbert showed some sophomore slump with two interceptions. Austin Ekeler looked like himself again, Keenan Allen continued to ball out, and Mike Williams continues his reign as a good receiver in the NFL. All in all there was a lot of laundry (flags) in this game, but still a good one to watch. The Chargers will look to get it together when they take on the Chiefs this weekend.
#15
Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Previous Rank – 17
Despite Prescott not having his best game, the Cowboys were able to pull off a win against the Chargers last weekend in a great matchup. Elliot had a nice bounce back, but honestly it looks like Tony Pollard might be ready to take the reigns off of him here soon. The defense played much better here in this one, and I do love watching CeeDee Lamb do his thing. The Cowboys will look to keep the drive going when they take on the Eagles this Monday night.
#14
New England Patriots (1-1)
Previous Rank – 16
The Patriots offense didn’t need to do much to succeed in this one as their defense did most of the work for them. The defense was able to muster four interceptions off of Zach Wilson, and made the Jets look foolish on a lot of plays. Mac Jones didn’t throw a touchdown, but he really didn’t need to with the run game going so smoothly. Both Damien Harris and James White both got their touchdowns in this one. The Pats will look to prove they are taking back their division with a game against the New Orleans Saints.
#13
Tennessee Titans (1-1)
Previous Rank – 14
The Titans came away with a victory here in overtime over the Seattle Seahawks. They pretty much got held in check until Derrick Henry proved to us why he is Derrick Henry. He got three rushing touchdowns on the day, and made Seattle look very silly here. Their defense is still a question mark for me, but Julio Jones finally showed up to play with over 100 yards on the day. Granted the Seattle defense isn’t very good either so we will see just how good the Titans are when they face the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.
#12
Las Vegas Raiders (2-0)
Previous Rank – 17
Are the Raiders for real? This team was able to knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers without much use of Darren Waller and no Josh Jacobs. Now granted a lot of Pittsburgh’s defense was out (Devin Bush, Joe Haden, TJ Watt), but a win is a win I guess. The Raiders proved that they are a team to be taken seriously this year with Derek Carr now having over 800 passing yards in two games. That is impressive. This team will look to keep their undefeated theme going when they take on the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Spider 2Y Banana!
#11
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
Previous Rank – 5
The Steelers drop hard on the list here after falling victim to the Raiders last weekend. I don’t know why these guys are our kryptonite, but they prove it all the time, and it is so damn annoying. The offense tried its best to keep up with things, but Ben didn’t look very good as tossed a costly pick early on in the contest. The defense also showed some bad mojo as TJ Watt had to leave the game with a groin injury, Tyson Alualu got injured, and both Devin Bush and Joe Haden didn’t even play. Add to the fact that Diontae Johnson got injured on the last play of the game makes being a Steelers fan really hard right now. They’ll look to bounce back when they take on the Bengals this weekend.
#10
Arizona Cardinals (2-0)
Previous Rank – 10
The Cardinals almost gave this one away man. Luckily, Minnesota forgot that field goals matter as well, and they were able to walk away with a one point lead over the Vikings. Kyler continues to be a great dual threat quarterback, but he did toss two picks in this game. Also, Hopkins was completely taken out of the equation after his first score as he was triple teamed for the rest of the contest. However, that opened up huge holes for both Rondale Moore and A.J. Green. The defense needs to get better though as they’ll face the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend.
#9
Green Bay Packers (1-1)
Previous Rank – 12
RELAX. The term Aaron Rodgers uses so often with this team when they start out rough. The Packers were able to bounce back and beat the Lions in good fashion on Monday night. Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams looked back in fighting shape after their gross loss in week one against the Saints. Their defense still gives me some bad vibes with how often Jared Goff was given time to throw the ball and have connections with his targets, but overall it is a nice relief to Packer fans everywhere. They’ll face a team that knocked them out of the Super Bowl run two years ago; the San Francisco 49ers.
#8
Cleveland Browns (1-1)
Previous Rank – 8
The Browns will stay put despite their win over the Houston Texans last week. A bunch of injuries came out of this game. Baker got knocked down hard to the point where I thought a backup was needed, and Jarvis Landry exited the contest after his only catch of the day. With OBJ still out, this receiving core will now depend on the likes of Donovon Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz. The run game should keep them in games though. The defense looked a little suspect here giving up scores to Tyrod through the air and on the ground, but also to rookie Davis Mills. They’ll have a good defense to contend with this week when they take on the Chicago Bears.
#7
San Francisco 49ers (2-0)
Previous Rank – 7
The 49ers will also stay put despite them pulling out a win over the Eagles. The reason being is that this team is facing the injury bug yet again, but this time it is with their running backs. Mostert is already out for the year, Mitchell had to exit the contest with an injury, McHasty got injured, and Trey Sermon suffered a concussion. Adding to the fact that Aiyuk still doesn’t look 100%, this team might be in trouble down the road if they can’t get healthy. Their defense will have a nice test when they face the Green Bay Packers this week.
#6
Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
Previous Rank – 4
The Seahawks move down two spots after their overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans. They had Tennessee for a while, but got comfortable way too quick, and Derrick Henry made them pay for it with over 100 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns. The two problems continue to inflict damage on this team, that being the offensive line and defense. Russ continues to cook despite those odds against him though. The Seahawks will face the Vikings this week so they better learn how to slow down Dalvin Cook.
#5
Buffalo Bills (1-1)
Previous Rank – 6
The Buffalo Bills bounced back hard from their loss to the Steelers. How you may ask? By completely blowing out the Miami Dolphins. Granted some of that might have had to do with Tua going out with injury, but this team didn’t let the Dolphins score a single point. The Bills in turn put up over 30 points in dynamic fashion. Josh Allen looked like he was struggling in this contest though as the run game got them a majority of touchdowns (one from Singletary and two from Moss). This team will face the Washington Football team this week so it would be wise for Josh Allen to get rid of the ball quickly in this one.
#4
Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
Previous Rank – 9
The Baltimore Ravens finally did it. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs, and the ball was literally put in the hands of Lamar Jackson, and boy did he deliver. He threw one touchdown and two picks, but was able to rush for over 100 yards and have two rushing touchdowns. Overall, it was a very good game as the receivers and running backs were able to also produce. Their defense despite having some setbacks pressured Mahomes often, held Tyreek Hill to minimal yardage, and gave Mahomes his first interception of his career in September. All good things for Baltimore as they’ll have a much easier contender this week in the Detroit Lions.
#3
Kanas City Chiefs (1-1)
Previous Rank – 2
The Chiefs finally drop a spot in the rankings and man it’s kind of sad that I am happy about it. The Chiefs struggled all night to try to win this game. Mahomes threw his first pick of his career in September, Tyreek Hill got covered to the point where he barely got the ball, and Clyde gave up a costly fumble which put the Ravens in front. Honestly the defense did do well here though picking off Lamar twice, but overall they just ran out of gas trying to stop the run. They’ll look to rebound when they face the Chargers this week.
#2
Los Angeles Rams (2-0)
Previous Rank – 3
Man do I love the Rams this year. While it is true Stafford threw a pick here, and the defense looked a little sluggish, the team came away with a victory over the Colts. Cooper Kupp is something else man scoring two touchdowns and having over 100 yards in the contest. The offense was able to exploit a lot of issues and overall it was a good day for the Rams. Henderson did appear to suffer a rib injury which is worth noting, but with Sony Michel waiting to prove this trade right the Rams shouldn’t have any sign of slowing down. They have a big game though this week as they take on the Buccaneers.
#1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
Previous Rank – 1
Speaking of the Bucs, they decided to give the Falcons a fighting chance, but when push came to shove, the defense answered the call with not one, but two pick sixes near the end of the game. Brady looked on fire once again though throwing for five touchdown passes. Overall, this team still looks great, and they are fighting for another Super Bowl run. The one obstacle this week though is going to be another team fighting for a chance at the promise land once again; The Los Angeles Rams.
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