The Sturg’s Week 3 NFL Power Rankings
Major shakeups in the power rankings this week
There were some exciting games this week and then there were some really ugly-looking games this week. Yeah, I’m looking at you, Denver-San Francisco, and that butt punt in Miami, yikes. That punt actually factored into my decision this week.
Only two of the six teams that were undefeated last week remained there at 3–0 and the team on top didn’t do that embarrassingly bad play.
Last week, I presented the teams in 1–32 fashion and no one read through the list. This week, I’m starting with the worst team and going up so you have to scroll down to see my number 1. I’m not making the same mistake again.
32. Las Vegas Raiders (0–3): This should come as no surprise to anyone. As the only team to lose three games so far this season, the Raiders just haven’t looked that good at all. And they just got clobbered by the previously winless Titans. Yeah, they’ve earned this spot.
31. Houston Texans (0–2–1): The other winless team right now but at least they have a tie in this whole debacle of an early season. As I said last week though, I think that this team is better than their record indicates and that they will win a few more games than what people think. Davis Mills is a serviceable quarterback and their defense is decent. They lost by three points to a decent Bears team.
30. New York Jets (1–2): After a surprise comeback victory against the Cleveland Browns, they came back down to earth with a Week 3 loss to the Bengals and they were exactly who we thought they were at the Meadowlands. This team is still that bad New York Jets team you love to hate.
29. Los Angeles Chargers (1–2): I really don’t want to be pushing the panic button on a team that was expected to make the playoffs this year. Justin Herbert has played through injury and they got soundly beaten by an improved Jacksonville Jaguars team. They could bounce back but I’m still definitely concerned about Herbert’s ribs at this point.
28. Tennessee Titans (1–2): Sure, they’re in the win column now with the win over the Las Vegas Raiders but I mean it’s the Raiders and I can’t put any more confidence in this win yet than moving them up a few spots. Until they can beat better teams, they’ll be in the bottom half of the standings for now.
27. Seattle Seahawks (1–2): The further away we get from that Week 1 victory over Denver, the worse that win looks given how sloppy Denver has looked. It also shows that Seattle is not a good team. They lost to the previously winless Falcons but the Falcons lost their first two games by one score so it doesn’t look that bad. At least Seattle was competitive this week.
26. New England Patriots (1–2): Look how the mighty have fallen. I’ll give them credit though. Their two losses have been to some great teams this season. I expect a bounce back from this team and their young quarterback, Mac Jones. Don’t count them out just yet.
25. Arizona Cardinals (1–2): Something seems off with this team this year. Kyler Murray is still Kyler Murray but they don’t feel like they’re a playoff team this year. It’s either that or the NFC West is just going to be more competitive this year than in recent years. The Week 3 loss to the Rams was an 8-point loss in the desert.
24. Washington Commanders (1–2): I would put them higher because their two losses this season are to the Lions and the Eagles; the Eagles are one of the best teams in football right now but this team isn’t quite ready for primetime just yet. Carson Wentz has been decent at starting quarterback.
23. New Orleans Saints (1–2): The Saints lost to the “better than their record suggests” Carolina Panthers in Week 3 and that puts them at the bottom of the trio of 1–2 teams in the NFC South in this power rankings. Jameis had the production in yards at quarterback but they still managed to lose to a winless Carolina team.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers (1–2): Is it just me or does this Pittsburgh team seem to take one step forward and then three huge steps back? That Week 1 thrilling overtime win over the Bengals feels so long ago already. Mitchell Trubisky played a little better in the last game but they do not look like the team that we thought they would be in Week 1. Disappointing? That’s at the very least.
21. Detroit Lions (1–2): A competitive Detroit football team? I didn’t think that I’d see it this fast either. Who is the second-highest-scoring offense? Was your answer also the Detroit Lions? Neither was mine. They’re definitely an exciting team to watch this year. I would rank them higher but they lost this week.
20. Atlanta Falcons (1–2): They’ve been involved in three one-score games this season. They could easily either be 3–0 or 0–3. I imagine that their season with Mariota at quarterback is going to look like this all season.
19. Cincinnati Bengals (1–2): I can’t move this team any higher than 19 after the expected win over the New York Jets. But these are the defending AFC champions. And with the same great offense so anything can happen going forward. Maybe this is the beginning of a bounce-back.
18. San Francisco 49ers (1–2): I wanted to put this team higher given that they still have a +10 point differential on the season after 3 games but their two ugly losses have been to the Broncos and the Seahawks. That definitely doesn’t inspire confidence in this team going forward. Plus, Jimmy G has become a meme for that flagrant safety.
17. Carolina Panthers (1–2): It might seem like I’m playing favorites here putting my favorite team in the highest 1–2 spot but they really lost their first two games by one score. They looked like the dominant team that I thought they might be in that Week 3 win against the Saints. The box score was a lot closer than the actual game suggested this week. They are arriving.
16. Indianapolis Colts (1–1–1): The Colts land here by default by being the only team with a checkmark in each column of the standings. Their recent game was a win. And a pretty convincing one against one of the top teams in the league. Beating the Chiefs looks good any given year. Indy has arrived.
15. Cleveland Browns (2–1): I thought about putting this team higher in the power rankings after the impressive win against their division rival, Pittsburgh Steelers. I will reserve that judgment for the next couple of games to see how impressive that was. They are about to face a trio of 1–2 teams in the next three games.
14. Denver Broncos (2–1): Sure, the Broncos have two wins but that last game was more like the 49ers beat themselves than the Broncos actually beating them. I would’ve ranked them lower but they do have two wins, regardless of how bad the team has looked.
13. Chicago Bears (2–1): I’m still not a big believer in this team maintaining a lengthy winning streak. They’ve looked up and down this year. We’ll see how they play against the New York Giants this week. Their Week 3 victory was against the winless Texans.
12. New York Giants (2–1): The Giants suffered a tough loss to the division rival, Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 on Monday night. They had previously won two one-score games. They are more competitive than they have been in a few years though in another one-score game so I won’t knock them down too much. Saquon is back if you haven’t heard.
11. Minnesota Vikings (2–1): I can’t in good conscience put a team with Kirk Cousins at quarterback higher than this. All joking aside, their Week 3 win was over a more competitive Detroit Lions team and could’ve gone either way. Plus, the Vikings are in the most competitive division in football this season.
10. Los Angeles Rams (2–1): After an eight-point win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams are now leading the NFC West by one game. The defending Super Bowl champions bounced back from that Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills and are above .500. I expect them to compete for the division this year.
9. Dallas Cowboys (2–1): After a Week 1 opening loss to the Buccaneers, they have bounced back with two one-score victories over the Bengals and the Giants. I will move them higher once they start beating some powerhouses. Cooper Rush has looked good in his starts replacing the injured Dak Prescott. The undrafted quarterback is 3–0 in his NFL starts lifetime.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2–1): I put them here because of their Week 1 victory over Dallas but also here because of their Week 3 loss to the Packers. We will see if the offense can match what the defense is doing at some point this year.
7. Green Bay Packers (2–1): This is about as high as I can put a team that lost to the Minnesota Vikings right now until they win more games to move up the power rankings at this point. They are the best team in the division despite their head-to-head loss to the Vikings in Week 1 and Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback so it’s not much of a contest.
6. Baltimore Ravens (2–1): The Baltimore Ravens have been competitive against all three teams this season. Their only blemish is against the surprising Miami Dolphins team and they have the highest scoring offense in the league so that’s definitely a huge plus at the moment.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (2–1): This is the second straight week that the Chiefs were involved in a three-point game. This time, it was a loss to a previously winless Colts team but the Colts were expected to be a good team so the Chiefs shouldn’t fall too far for the loss. They could still be a Super Bowl-contending team this year.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (2–1): It turns out that my ranking of the Jacksonville Jaguars wasn’t too high last week and they moved up, even more, this week. The improvement between Year 1 and 2 for Trevor Lawrence is a huge part of their early success and he did it in an impressive fashion against a playoff-caliber Los Angeles Chargers team. I’m impressed with the Jags early.
3. Buffalo Bills (2–1): This was a competitive game against two undefeated teams on the road. The Bills lost by 2 points. They still look like a dangerous team that can beat anyone any given week. Since their loss was to a team that is a surprising 3–0 this year, I’m not marking them down too far on the power rankings for it. They only lose two spots for a loss to a 3–0 team.
2. Miami Dolphins (3–0): Speaking of that team, the Miami Dolphins are 3–0 and Tua has made huge progress from last year. This team could be a legitimate contender after beating Buffalo. This is only their fourth 3–0 start in the last 20 years. Enjoy it while you can. That butt punt in last week’s game despite the win looked ugly. Hopefully, it’s not foreshadowing.
1 Philadelphia Eagles (3–0): They have clearly looked like the best team in the NFL at this point in the NFL season. They look good on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball and Jalen Hurts is exactly what the Eagles organization was hoping for. He’s a great quarterback and leader and this team is certainly set up for a Super Bowl run.
It’s still too early in the season to keep these teams where they are in stone but this is where they’ve earned themselves in the power rankings so far this season. There are definitely some early surprises on both sides of the standings and it’ll be fun to watch as this season plays out. Until next week, The Press Box. Stay tuned for my power rankings every Tuesday or Wednesday throughout the season.
