SPORTS/NFL POWER RANKINGS
Week 3 (2024) NFL Power Rankings
Three weeks into the season, I am releasing my first power rankings.
I was going to start my power rankings from Week 1 as I have done in the last two NFL seasons. Then Week 1 hit with a new coach on my favorite team, the Carolina Panthers. That 47–10 loss was so embarrassing to me and I didn’t want a list where the New Orleans Saints were my number 1, even if it would be temporary. And that would also put my team at number 32.
Week 2 came and went and they arguably looked worse in the second loss of the season, making me think they might be the worst team in the NFL for another year in a row. Then something cool happened. The coach wised up and benched Bryce Young, as they should’ve. They started grizzled ginger veteran, Andy Dalton, and looked proficient in the Week 3 win over the Raiders. The Panthers having a rough start, to put it mildly, wasn’t my only factor here.
I also wanted to wait for a decent sample size to start my first rankings from so it would be less reactionary and volatile. I think after three weeks, we can start to see which teams are emerging early on. It will not stay this way but it’s exciting to see where we go from here. Without any further delay, I’m going to present my rankings in reverse order, as I did in 2022, not in 2023.
Bottom Quarter (The Caboose) 32–25
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0–3): This is a no-brainer after three weeks. They are winless. In the last game, they looked listless against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, no less. It’ll be tougher this year to make a turnaround but they have enough talent to.
31. Tennessee Titans (0–3): Former Titans quarterback, Malik Willis, beating current Titans quarterback, Will Levis, made this loss sting more. They are abysmal and rebuilding at the moment. With no Derrick Henry in Nashville to save their offense anymore, I anticipate that they could finish as the worst team in this division, even below the abysmal Jaguars.
30. Cincinnati Bengals (0–3): Sure, the first 0–3 start for the Bengals since the year before Joe Burrow was drafted seems troubling, especially since he and their top wide receiver weapon, JaMarr Chase, are healthy, but the games are close, and I feel that they can turn it around somewhat.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (1–2): I debated who to put here but after that terrible loss at home to the Carolina Panthers, who were previously winless, and starting a nearly 37-year-old Andy Dalton over their “franchise” quarterback. The Raiders had a benching this week as well. They benched Minshew for O’Connell in the game.
28. Carolina Panthers (1–2): One win against a team off to a shaky start shouldn’t catapult them more to right on top of the team they beat especially since there are still better teams ahead of them. This win is a step in the right direction and their first road win in almost two years. The offense hummed and looked good on both the ground and through the air with Dalton at quarterback.
27. Miami Dolphins (1–2): They are this low because Tua is out because of the serious concussion he suffered at the start of the season. Their offense doesn’t look the same without him out there. He’s trying to make a return this season so this may turn around a bit but I think this loss affects this team more than others. They don’t have a reliable number 2 quarterback right now to fill in the gap.
26. New England Patriots (1–2): Since the surprising Week 1 victory against the Bengals, they’ve lost the last two games and look a bit lost at the moment, especially after the 24–3 loss to the New York Jets in Week 3.
25. Cleveland Browns (1–2): So far the season is up and down. The Week 1 loss to the Cowboys and then a win in Week 2 against the Jaguars. Week 3’s loss to the Giants had to have hurt. No one thinks that the Giants with Daniel Jones at quarterback are going to do anything this year. The Browns’ investment in DeShaun Watson seems to age more poorly with each game.
Not Quite the Worst Right Now (But Close) 24–17
24. Dallas Cowboys (1–2): It gives me great pleasure to put this team in the bottom third of the league this early. I’m sure they will recover but a slow start at least ensures they’re not in first early on. They’ve lost two in a row and have to show more to turn it around and make the playoffs this season.
23. New York Giants (1–2): It’s just one win and it’s not likely going to push the needle one way or another but they’re doing better than the Cowboys in the last two weeks so that’s a win. This team with Singletary at running back is not as potent as their last running back, who’s now enjoying a better opportunity in Philly.
22. San Francisco 49ers (1–2): This next one was hard for me to do, considering the injury and intrigue going on with this franchise early in the season. Especially since if all of their weapons are healthy, they’re arguably the best team in the NFC, or at least one of them. This two-game losing streak with a less-than-healthy squad is an early sign of trouble.
21. Los Angeles Rams (1–2): I’m hesitant to put a team without Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua healthy higher than this right now. Tutu Atwell had a breakout game and they beat the 49ers but being above them is their only reward at this point.
20. Atlanta Falcons (1–2): I don’t know what to make of this Kurt Cousins-Atlanta pairing yet. It seems that the Vikings are certainly better without him, the Falcons are marginally better, maybe. They do have a star young running back though and that’ll help them win games. I’ll make a clearer verdict when the opponent isn’t the two-time defending champion as it was in Week 3.
19. Chicago Bears (1–2): The Bears have lost two in a row and have fallen since that surprising Week 1 win against the Titans with a rookie at quarterback. Caleb Williams will be a fine quarterback in the league but he’ll still need time to develop. The thing is, the first three games have been surprisingly close. This could be a sneaky team this year.
18. Indianapolis Colts (1–2): The reward for their first win of the season is to move ahead of the team they just beat. The Colts’ running game saved a terrible performance by Anthony Richardson against the Bears in a win in Week 3. This team has some potential, especially if the quarterback play improves. This is only his second year in the league. It should and could improve.
17. Arizona Cardinals (1–2): Their impressive differential is really from one impressive win against the Los Angeles Rams, in their other two losses, it’s been close losses to two elite teams, which I’ll give them credit for. It’s nice to see a healthy Kyler Murray playing for his career at this point.
Middling Contenders (Wannabes) 16–9
16. Baltimore Ravens (1–2): I was debating on whether to put the Broncos or the Ravens here. You could make an argument for either team as both teams have been in close games each of their first three this season. They’ve also both played good teams in this stretch. The Broncos got the edge here and you’ll see why in a second.
15. Denver Broncos (1–2): Despite being a 1–2 team, they’ve faced three undefeated teams going into the game. They lost two of them and most recently took down the previously undefeated Buccaneers 26–7. A convincing first win of the season and the potential for many more as the season goes on.
14. Houston Texans (2–1): As much as I resisted being reactionary in this, the Texans were the 2-win team that lost by the biggest margin this week when they lost to the Minnesota Vikings 34–7. They still have the best quarterback in their division currently and should win it easily, but this setback isn’t a great look.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2–1): Here we go, another team that lost by a wide margin in Week 3 gets taken down a couple of pegs this week. This team lost convincingly at home to the Denver Broncos. I’m not too worried about the long-term outlook for this team. They should still have a decent shot at the division again.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (2–1): The best team in LA currently, but they suffered a setback in a Week 3 loss to the Steelers. Justin Herbert didn’t have his best game this week. They face a tough opponent this week in the Kansas City Chiefs. This could prove to set them back a bit more but this team is a contender, at least, for the division this year.
11. New York Jets (2–1): I had a hard time placing this team after a recent two-game winning streak after a tough loss to start the season against the 49ers. Their two wins have been against two pathetic AFC teams so I’m not ready to crown them yet. When Aaron Rodgers helps the team beat a formidable team, then we can talk.
10. Green Bay Packers (2–1): It pained me to put them this low. But they’re starting a backup in Green Bay right now. Yeah, he’s won the last two games with Love out but this could just be a fluke. Willis looked like a dud in Tennessee. Who’s to say he doesn’t return to form soon enough in Green Bay? Love’s MCL is set to heal soon and he’ll be back at the helm, at that point, they could truly challenge the Lions for the division.
9. Washington Commanders (2–1): They have won two games in a row with rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, at the helm, including an upset Monday Night Football victory on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. This team is better than you think they are, but at the same time, they could just be overachieving early. Either way, an intriguing team going forward.
Elite Teams (The Cream of the Crop) 8–1
8. Detroit Lions (2–1): This Lions team has seemed to have a rougher go of it this year than last. They are still a winning team that should contend for the #1 seed in the NFC. They have been in three close games this year though so they’re making it interesting. I still think they’re a solid lock to win the division despite being behind one of the hottest teams in football right now in the same division.
7. New Orleans Saints (2–1): It was hard justifying knocking the Saints much lower than this, considering they still have the biggest point differential early on, and only lost by 3 to the Eagles this week. They have been outperforming their expectations and could be a surprise going further into the season.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (2–1): There’s no justification in putting this team any higher than I have here considering their games have all been close this season. They are turning the ball over too much to justify a higher ranking. The addition of Saquon Barkley this year makes the threat of them being a very dangerous team a reality. They also should win the division this year if they put it all together.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (3–0): The first of the five undefeated teams left this season coming in at #5 merely because their strength still seems to be the defense. I’m not a coach but I’m very knowledgeable about football. They should stick with Justin Fields at quarterback instead of turning to Russell Wilson when he is healthy. The thing is, Fields gives them a dynamic element Wilson would no longer have.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (3–0): One of the best teams in the NFL. Once that offense is clicking like it should, this team should stay on top in the AFC. They are a powerhouse on both sides of the ball. Mahomes just needs to limit his turnovers this season. Xavier Worthy is a weapon but he had a rookie-like game in Week 3. They should improve as he does.
3. Seattle Seahawks (3–0): I was tempted to put this team lower because their three wins have been against the Patriots, the Broncos, and the Dolphins without Tua, but they’ve taken care of business so that says something. Plus, they have a 2-game head start against the rest of their division.
2. Minnesota Vikings (3–0): The first full season in years without the previous franchise quarterback on the roster, Kirk Cousins, and with Sam Darnold at quarterback, seemed like it would set them back. This has not been the case. He’s been more than efficient and has helped them win instead of holding them back. It doesn’t hurt to have some great weapons around him.
1. Buffalo Bills (3–0):
This complete Bills team has to be the clear #1 team going into Week 4. They demolished the Jaguars, and in turn, the soul of their proud franchise’s owner, Shad Khan. This is the team that is the favorite to win the division yet again. Josh Allen, even without Stefon Diggs as a weapon in this offense, is still slinging it. And yeah, it’s still Josh Allen.
Some intriguing storylines going into Week 4:
Will the 49ers be able to turn it around against a weak New England Patriots team?
Will the Chargers or Chiefs win the division showdown Week 4?
Can the Panthers continue to win with Andy Dalton at quarterback, especially against his former team?
Will the Bills/Ravens game be close?
Who will win the Seahawks/Lions game on Monday Night?
We’ll find out.
Now I’m going to make a prediction on six games this week, including all of the primetime games.
Cowboys over Giants: Thursday Night Football
Bills over Ravens: Sunday Night Football — Game of the Week watch
Dolphins over Titans: Monday Night Football
Lions over Seahawks: Monday Night Football
Two more random Sunday games
Vikings over Packers
Jets over Broncos
We’ll see what my record will be after these six picks this week. I’m going to keep a running forward of my record in these games. Even if a game doesn’t cover the official spread, it still counts as a straight win for these purposes. I’m not giving betting advice here, just predictions.
You can check out other early power rankings by two other major sports publications. Note the differences between theirs and mine. I also never look at theirs before I make mine so I can compare them afterward.
Sports fans, stay tuned after Week 4 to see the rankings in PRESS BOX publication by me, Gerald Sturgill (The Sturg) here on medium.com.
