NFL Power Rankings: Week 3, 2019
Late-game heroics and quarterback catastrophes top the headlines.
A new age seems to be upon us. When they take the field this week, three franchises will be without the quarterbacks who have led them for well over the past decade and have won a combined five Super Bowls.
Drew Brees suffered a ligament injury on his throwing hand early in the Saints’ Week 2 matchup against the Rams, and after having surgery, he is expected to miss six weeks.
This leaves the team with Teddy Bridgewater, who has thrown just 55 passes since 2015 and hasn’t looked the same after his terrible knee injury, and Swiss Army player Taysom Hill. Their job will be to find a way to keep the Saints afloat until Brees returns. But who knows if Brees, 40, will be able to return to 100%.
One player who won’t be coming back in 2019 is Ben Roethlisberger of the now 0–2 Steelers. Big Ben will be undergoing elbow surgery which puts him on the IR. With a significant injury history and already in his 16th season, Roethlisberger still aims to return stronger than ever.
For now, however, the burden falls on Mason Rudolph. Things might be different if the Steelers had started 2–0, but at 0–2, it looks increasingly unlikely that Pittsburgh will miss the playoffs for back-to-back seasons.
Lastly, the New York Giants have decided to bench Eli Manning in favor of rookie Daniel Jones, the promising Duke gunslinger who appears to be Manning’s successor. Manning, the #1 overall pick in 2004, has started all but one game since taking over for Kurt Warner in the middle of his rookie season.
Manning has two Super Bowls but has led the Giants to the playoffs just once since 2012. With New York facing another less-than-stellar 0–2 start, it seems time for the franchise to move on, and get Jones the reps he’ll need to develop in this league.
Quarterback drama has additionally hit the Jaguars and Jets, who are now both starting Washington State quarterbacks in Gardner Minshew and Luke Falk after Nick Foles went down for the year for Jacksonville and Trevor Siemian, already in for Sam Darnold, suffered a season-ending injury himself against the Browns on Monday Night Football.
Even Cam Newton may not play this week, which would see Kyle Allen getting the start for Carolina.
Elsewhere in the league, there were plenty of tight games and spectacular finishes, perhaps none more so than Eddy Pineiro’s 53-yard game-winning field goal for the Bears against the Broncos after the referees granted Mitch Trubisky’s timeout with one second left on the clock.
An important Week 2 lesson to learn: don’t force throws into the end zone and get intercepted late in games. Live to play another down. Kirk Cousins, Philip Rivers, and Joe Flacco all committed costly fourth-quarter red zone mistakes.
The Buccaneers, Packers, Colts, and Texans won important divisional matchups, and the Patriots blanked the Dolphins 43–0.
Let’s see how it all impacts the power rankings.
32. Miami Dolphins (0–2, Last Week: 32)
I’ll have more to say about this team soon (hint, hint; wink, wink) but the Dolphins have now dropped their first two games of the season by more than 40 points each, with a combined point total of 102–10. At the Cowboys in Week 3, they are currently 21.5 point underdogs. Are these the Miami Dolphins or the Miami Hurricanes? At least they keep stocking draft picks.
31. New York Giants (0–2, Last Week: 28)
I think the move to start Daniel Jones is a correct one from the Giants. Personally, I would have started him from Week 1. I don’t think Jones will be significantly better than Manning this season (although I’d love to be proven wrong), but it’s important to see game time, and if Jones is the future, get him in there already!
30. Washington Redskins (0–2, LW: 29)
Well, Adrian Peterson is starting for the Redskins again. And he’s passed Jim Brown on the career rushing touchdowns list, too. Case Keenum couldn’t have asked for too much of a better start at QB for Washington. Yet, despite 600 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions, the Redskins are 0–2. Let’s see how they look after this brutal early part of the schedule.
29. Cincinnati Bengals (0–2, LW: 26)
After Cincy’s Week 1 performance against the Seahawks, I thought they might be better than expected. I was wrong. Incredibly, John Ross leads the league with 270 receiving yards, which already exceeds his 2018 total. Outside of his performance, though, not a lot of bright spots.
28. New York Jets (0–2, LW: 25)
Bring on Luke Falk! The Jets’ season has gone up in flames, resembling the actual fire we saw before the Colts-Titans game. And we’re only two weeks in! I can’t wait to see how this turns out, and if Adam Gase kills anybody. The drama!
Also — that Sam Darnold graphic, man. Pure gold.
27. Arizona Cardinals (0–1–1, LW: 30)
The immortal Larry Fitzgerald has gone for over 100 yards receiving in both of the Cardinals’ first two games. What a beast. Arizona is rocking the one loss, one tie record right now, but considering they only lost to the Ravens by six after the Dolphins fell by 49, and the Lions beat the Chargers, maybe this team isn’t too bad after all.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1–1, LW: 31)
Look — I still don’t expect the Bucs to win more than five or six games this season. That being said, Drew Brees is out for six weeks and Tampa is now 1–0 in their division and in a tie for first place overall after beating the Panthers last Thursday. We’ve seen crazier — beat the Giants Week 3 and steal one in New Orleans Week 5, and things could get interesting quickly.
25. Denver Broncos (0–2, LW: 24)
Denver was one second away from a victory against Chicago, but I think that says more about the Bears than it does the Broncos. Heading to Green Bay in Week 3, they’ll just be trying to keep it close. Against the Packers’ D, it’s anyone’s guess if they even get on the board at all.
24. Oakland Raiders (1–1, LW: 22)
One quarter in and the Raiders led the Chiefs 10–0. No points were scored in the second half, either. To recap, for three-quarters of a game against one of the greatest offenses we’ve ever seen, the Raiders pitched a shutout. That second quarter, though. Well…the Raiders lost 28–10, and I’ll leave it at that.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers (0–2, LW: 15)
The Steelers must have a ton of faith in Mason Rudolph. Certainly, more than I would have with a backup QB forced into the starting role for the season and an already 0–2 record. The Steelers traded their 2020 1st round pick, which could’ve easily been used on a Big Ben’s successor, for disgruntled Dolphins corner Minkah Fitzpatrick. Here’s hoping it pans out for them, someway, somehow.
22. Detroit Lions (1–0–1, LW: 27)
For the entire second half, the Lions trailed 10–6, just waiting for their one break. After getting lucky on two missed field goals by the Chargers, Matthew Stafford finally put that touchdown drive together, connecting with Kenny Golladay from 31 yards out for the score. I still need more of a sample size to get a good gauge on this year’s Lions, but after their Week 1 collapse, this was a much-needed bounce back.
21. Carolina Panthers (0–2, LW: 16)
Are we approaching the end of the Cam Newton era in Carolina? That seems to be the questions on everyone’s minds after Newton has gone winless in his last eight starts and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 13 of 2018. He seems unable to run the ball and is inconsistent hitting even open targets. And, of course, the injury isn’t helping, either. I’m not sure what the way forward is — Carolina seems to be covered in a haze.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (0–2, LW: 17)
I liked the choice from head coach Doug Marrone to go for two at the end of his team’s game against the Texans. However, I don’t like the play call. You need to give the ball to your quarterback, who has adrenaline through the roof after just completing a touchdown pass and leading his first potential game-winning drive.
Something else I don’t like — whatever was going on between Marrone and Jalen Ramsey on the bench. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Ramsey requested a trade shortly afterward.
19. Buffalo Bills (2–0, LW: 23)
I’ve seen some people place the Bills even as high as the top 10 in their power rankings this week. Look — I’ll be the first to congratulate the team on starting 2–0, and I’ll even acknowledge that they’ll likely beat the Bengals to reach 3–0 and could be a sneaky playoff contender. However, let’s wait for them to beat a team that’s actually won a football game before we get too high on Buffalo.
Side note: I love this comment from Josh Allen after being asked about not landing in New York.
18. Cleveland Browns (1–1, LW: 19)
That’s two years in a row beating the Jets for Cleveland — the first came to end their streak of 19 straight games without a victory, and now this one comes as an almost mandatory W following the team’s terrible performance in Week 1.
OBJ balled out and had another sick one-handed catch, but his quarterback has had a less-than-ideal start to the season. Baker will need to take better care of the football moving forward.
17. Tennessee Titans (1–1, LW: 14)
The Titans will have to bounce back from a tough AFC South loss to the Colts with another divisional matchup this week, this time against the Jaguars on Thursday night. It’ll be a big opportunity to maintain at least a share of the division while burying the Jaguars at 0–3. But who will show up: the world-beaters who played the Browns, or the mediocre squad from Week 2?
16. Indianapolis Colts (1–1, LW: 18)
Adam Vinatieri missed another couple kicks and nearly cost his team a second victory this season. Luckily, the Titans couldn’t get into field goal range late, and Indy hung on. Rumors suggested that Vinatieri would be retiring this week, but that proved not to be the case. However, should he have another poor performance in Week 3, the team will have no choice but to consider alternatives at the kicker position.
15. Atlanta Falcons (1–1, LW: 20)
Color me impressed. After saying on my podcast that the Falcons had the potential to collapse in 2019, they immediately proved me wrong by defending home turf against the Eagles and moving back to 1–1. However, after a strong start, they nearly gave the game up late, ultimately stopping Zach Ertz just short on a critical fourth down. Similar to what I said about the Bucs, this division now feels for the taking, and the Falcons are certainly the most talented team in the mix.
14. San Francisco 49ers (2–0, LW: 21)
Well, how about that! More than 500 yards of offense later, it appears the 49ers came to play! Alongside the Rams and Seahawks, the 49ers make three 2–0 teams in the NFC West. Of the three, the Rams are clear favorites, and the Seahawks have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, making San Francisco clear underdogs. However, this could be Jimmy Garoppolo’s year to establish himself, and he can keep the ball rolling against the Big Ben-less Steelers in Week 3.
13. Chicago Bears (1–1, LW: 13)
Maybe the Bears should have dropped a few spots this week. I would’ve sent them tumbling had the Broncos stolen that game from the Bears, a game Chicago had controlled virtually the whole way through. But give credit where credit is due — after going down one to a two-point conversion with 31 seconds left, Mitch Trubisky showed incredible poise and perfect clock management on that fourth-and-15 to give Eddy Pineiro a shot. And how about that rookie kicker? He’s 4/4 so far. Maybe the Bears have found their man.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (1–1, LW: 6)
Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes. Missed field goals and a crucial interception from Philip Rivers meant that in a 13–10 loss, the Chargers gave up at least nine points in the second half. Had it not been for poor kicking from Adam Vinatieri right now, the Chargers would be sitting at 0–2.
Melvin Gordon seems confident that he’ll play somewhere in 2019, but will that place be Los Angeles?
11. Minnesota Vikings (1–1, LW: 8)
It’s really remarkable. Time and time again, Kirk Cousins disappoints when the Vikings need him the most, and in a game the Vikings had plenty of chances to win, he did it again against the rival Green Bay Packers. This one could sting down the road, and Cousins knows he needs to play better. The problem is, he’s been hearing the same criticism for years. Will he ever be able to flip the switch?
10. New Orleans Saints (1–1, LW: 4)
It’s a disaster for New Orleans. In the highly-anticipated rematch to last year’s NFC Championship, the Saints lose Drew Brees and are robbed of a touchdown thanks to yet another poor decision by the referees. This makes three games in a row now. When will it stop?
9. Houston Texans (1–1, LW: 10)
It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but Houston picked up their first win of the season in a defensive struggle against the Jaguars after stopping Leonard Fournette on a two-point conversion for the win. The key to this team is protecting Deshaun Watson as much as possible and continuing to play great defense. If they can accomplish those two things, the Texans have everything it takes to make a deep run this season.
8. Seattle Seahawks (2–0, LW: 11)
Wins are wins. The Seahawks have outscored their opponents — the Bengals and Steelers, who both appear to be far from playoff teams — by a combined three points. Yet, at 2–0, they have to be feeling pretty good about themselves considering how much room for improvement they have and that they’ll be the first team to take on the Saints as they try to figure things out in Drew Brees’ absence.
Shoutout to NFL Combine stud D.K. Metcalf on his first NFL touchdown.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (1–1, LW: 7)
The Eagles head back to Philly to face the Lions in Week 3, where they’ll be pretty banged up on the offensive end. Corey Clement will miss the game, and there’s a chance that DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Dallas Goedert will all sit as well.
After a critical drop late in an otherwise strong game from Nelson Agholor, the oft-criticized receiver will likely have a big role in the gameplan and have an opportunity to prove himself.
6. Green Bay Packers (2–0, LW: 12)
The Packers’ offense still hasn’t gotten clicking quite the way they would want it to, but whenever that side of the ball is the concern, you know the Packers are probably in good shape. Coming off back-to-back victories against the Bears and Vikings, expected to be the main competition in the NFC North, the Packers should feel great about their position and upcoming matchup against Denver.
5. Baltimore Ravens (2–0, LW: 9)
No, the Ravens couldn’t replicate their 59–10 performance. Still, Lamar Jackson turned in another great performance and Baltimore has a case for being the most dynamic offense in the NFL. I’m still taking the Chiefs for now, but luckily, the Ravens and Chiefs play each other in Week 3! We’ll see who the leading challenger to the Patriots is then, but for now, it’s incredible how much the perception of this team has changed in two games.
4. Dallas Cowboys (2–0, LW: 5)
It’s literally not possible to have an easier start to the season than the Cowboys have had. Once they demolish Miami this week, they will have beaten the Giants, Redskins, and Dolphins, the three bottom teams in the power rankings. Even after that, they’ll get the Saints without Brees and the Packers at home. That one should be their first test, but right now, it’s smooth sailing for Dallas.
3. Los Angeles Rams (2–0, LW: 3)
It wasn’t quite the rematch the fans were hoping for, but the Rams will take a relatively easy victory over the Saints every day of the week. After struggling to separate themselves from the Panthers in Week 1, this performance reaffirmed the Rams as the team to beat in the NFC.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2–0, LW: 2)
In the second quarter against the Raiders, Patrick Mahomes threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns. This man is simply not from planet Earth. The third-year QB racked up 443 passing yards in the game, and that’s not even counting a 74-yarder which got called back. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen someone that makes it look easier than this guy.
1. New England Patriots (2–0, LW: 1)
Why do we even play games like Patriots-Dolphins? The Pats came up with seven sacks, four interceptions, and two pick-sixes, including this stunner where Jamie Collins plucks a juggled ball out of the air with one hand and jogs to the end zone just fast enough to outrun a Dolphins offensive lineman.
And how do I know those defensive stats? The Patriots D gave my fantasy team 41 points. That’s how. Somehow, they still scored more in their 43–0 beatdown of the Fins.
Connor Groel is a writer who studies sport management at the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as editor of the Top Level Sports publication on Medium, and the host of the Connor Groel Sports podcast. You can follow Connor on Medium, Facebook, and Twitter, and view his archives at toplevelsports.net.
