NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Preseason Playoff Teams Looking Fraudulent

I thought week 1 had a good amount of unexpected outcomes like the Lions beating the Chiefs, and the Dolphins with the air raid offense, but week 2 featured teams that were looking preseason playoff bound to be absolutely fraudulent. I’m looking at you Chargers, Bears, and Giants.

A lot of movement from disappointments to surprise 2-0 teams, and we’re going to try to not overreact, but I can’t make any promises. It’s time to rank all 32 NFL teams.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (1)

• The Eagles hold onto the top spot with a big win on a short turnaround against a desperate Vikings team with a virtuoso Kirk Cousins performance. Really solid win with a DeAndre Swift breakout party. The only criticism is that star receiver AJ Brown is getting a little too hot for not getting enough targets. Something to monitor.

2. San Francisco 49ers (2)

• The Niners edged out a win against a divisional opponent, and continue to show that Brock Purdy can get the job done. Just wondering how scary this team could’ve been if they didn’t trade all those 1st round picks to get Trey Lance...

3. Kansas City Chiefs (3)

• The Chiefs defense was the difference in their win against the Jaguars, and Chris Jones has made an immediate impact. As great as the “Baby Goat” Patrick Mahomes is, they may not have enough firepower to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Go get Mike Evans or Chris Godwin.

4. Miami Dolphins (4)

• Can’t even lie, if there was a defensive strategy to slow down the Mike McDaniel system, Bill Belichick found it. With few plays going deep, or intermediate over the middle, the Dolphins were able to systematically run, and short pass their way to a win against the Patriots. Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins showed they are not a one-trick pony.

5. Dallas Cowboys (5)

• Mike McCarthy and this Dallas Cowboys team may be a match made in heaven. Since taking over play-calling duties, the Cowboys have become a well-oiled machine on both sides of the ball. They’re finally a real Super Bowl contender. Dominant 2-0.

6. Baltimore Ravens (6)

• As long as Lamar Jackson is under center, the Ravens win at least 70% of their games. I wasn’t too impressed with their win over the Bengals since Joe Burrow is a shell of himself nursing his calf injury, but a division win is a big win. On top of the AFC North is to be commended.

7. Buffalo Bills (9)

• Josh Allen is back to being what he’s supposed to be. A top 5 quarterback that doesn’t have multiple turnovers a game. The blowout win against the Raiders is impressive. What’s not impressive is trying to hurdle defenders at the goal line, and falling on his head. That needs to stop. Also, Gabe Davis is a great WR2 so stop the nonsense national media.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (7)

• Dropping one spot in a loss to the Baby Goat is not a bad place to be in Week 3. Trevor Lawrence needs to get his passes down a bit in the red zone because if he didn’t airmail some throws to Calvin Ridley, and Zay Jones, they could’ve knocked off the Chiefs at full health. They’re so close to cracking the top 5.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (8)

• The only reason the Bengals haven’t fallen out of the top 10 is out of respect for what they can do when Joe Burrow is right. The Bengals were the better team in the second half against the Ravens, but Burrow was on the bench smacking that calf with the massage gun. Let’s see if his calf can hold up.

10. New Orleans Saints (15)

• Derek Carr is the man who only plays well enough to win. Derek Carr fans must honestly be sick until the end of games because this man has to be allergic to blow-out teams. I get the Panthers are a division rival, but the talent disparity is big and the Saints can’t keep playing down to their competition, especially Carr and the offense. Figure it out!

11. Detroit Lions (10)

• Jared Goff and Man Campbell fell short in their overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but they looked pretty good doing it. The defense is better than last year, and the offense picked up right where it left off. Lions will most likely be the betting favorite in their next 4 games, so it’s time to stack some wins.

12. Seattle Seahawks (18)

• It’s hard for me to rank the Lions over the Seahawks since Geno Smith, and Company beat them but it could’ve gone either way. Seahawks bounced back off their losing skid that extended to last year, and look to also pile up wins over a soft third of their schedule. I like the trajectory of this team.

13. LA Chargers (12)

• Best 0-2 team in the NFL. Brandon Staley seems like a good guy who cares about this team, but they can’t finish games. It’s not all on him, and Justin Herbert seems to fade at the end of games, but someone is going to be blamed, and it’s going to be him because it comes with the territory. If the Chargers go 0-3, OC Kellen Moore may be the new HC by week 4.

14. New England Patriots (14)

• The Patriots may be 0-2, but man they’re a solid 0-2. They’ve played the Eagles, and the Dolphins and have been in both of those games with a chance to win. Mac Jones isn’t elite, but he can make the throws. The Patriots just need to make it easier on him and get him a true WR1 that can separate. They’re a piece away from competing.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (19)

• We know 3 things about the Steelers. Mike Tomlin was embarrassed in week 1 and responded. The defense will continue to be a top 5 defense, and George Pickens is special. Kenny Pickett just needs to get himself to a Kirk Cousins level to get this team into the playoffs. The Bengals and Browns are vulnerable so there’s room to get into the dance.

16. Cleveland Browns (11)

• Deshaun Watson isn’t the same guy he once was. Could he get back to the level he knows? Never say never, but so far the guaranteed deal the Cleveland Browns did with Watson has been one of the worst deals I’ve seen in a while. He’s 8 games in and throwing for less than 200 YPG, and his QB rating is in the mid-70s. He’s barely a top-15 quarterback.

17. Washington Commanders (23)

• I am becoming a Sam Howell fan. The man can sling it, and he distributes it. With the help of Eric Bieniemy, the Commanders offense is finally able to help the defense win some games. This team is getting better, and better each week, and it seems that they may have found their QB. It’s only two games, but the Commanders fan should be excited.

18. LA Rams (22)

• You lose a Cooper Kupp, and then you somehow gain a Cooper Kupp. 5th-round rookie receiver Puka Nacua is on pace for a million targets, and he along with Stafford is carrying a bottom-10 talent team to a win, and a close loss to the Niners. I don’t expect them to win more than 7 games, but they’re fun to watch right now as they build toward next season.

19. Las Vegas Raiders (16)

• The Raiders deserve a mulligan after getting stomped by the Bills. The Bills offense was on a mission after getting embarrassed by the Zach Wilson-led New York Jets, and the Raiders were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jimmy G still wins 70% of his games so let us just wait until they play the Steelers this week before we criticize.

20. Atlanta Falcons (26)

• Just keep running the ball. The Falcons need to do everything they can to not expect much from quarterback Desmond Ridder. He’s a backup, plain and simple. As long as he’s not turning the ball over, head coach Arthur Smith’s offensive gameplan of bulldozing teams with Bijan Robinson, and Tyler Allgeier can win them 7+ games. A new QB in 2024 is coming.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29)

• The Baker Mayfield redemption tour is chugging along nicely to the tune of a 2-0 record. Unfortunately, that tour may be postponed this week again in Philadelphia against the Eagles defense. A team I thought was in the catbird seat to have the number one pick in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes might just be a super dark horse playoff team.

22. Green Bay Packers (13)

• You know I had to have a controversial drop in the rankings, and it’s the Green Bay Packers. I made the mistake of judging a team that was comfortable with a lead and faced no adversity. Once the Falcons made a run in the 3rd quarter, Jordan Love couldn’t do anything to help his team with the last 3 drives resulting in 7 yards total. Kind of a choke job.

23. Minnesota Vikings (17)

• It may be time to turn the page in the Kirk Cousins era. Not because Kirk isn’t good enough, but because the defense is terrible. Cousins is on the last year of his deal, they’re 0-2, Justin Jefferson is going to command a huge contract, and it’s one of the best QB draft classes in a while. Time to mutually part ways so Kirk can compete for a ring with maybe the..... Jets?

24. New York Jets (21)

• Speaking of the New York Jets, I gotta say that it feels like Deja Vu. Great defense, Garrett Wilson, and Garrett Wilson are great, but the quarterback play is god-awful. It’s so bad that the defense is on the field too much, and fatigue is leading them to get exposed. Time to trade for Kirk Cousins on a one-year rental, and not only save the season but possibly compete in the playoffs.

25. Tennessee Titans (27)

• I may have been a little too rash on the Tennessee Titans after one game. They’ve got a good team, and they beat a potential playoff team with an elite QB in Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers. I’m not ready to believe it yet, but at least they’re trending in the right direction with a solid roster.

26. Denver Broncos (20)

• You have to beat the Commanders. It’s Sean Peyton, Russell Wilson, and a top-half defense. What’s missing here? Russ had a good game. They put up 33 points. Just feels like they’re not putting it all together, and maybe it’s going to take some time, but if they start 0-3 those playoff hopes vanish, and Nathaniel Hackett is vindicated.

27. New York Giants (25)

• I’m not sure what Brian Daboll said to his team in the locker room at halftime, but it’s like they remembered how to play football again. Despite the win, they go down two spots because they almost lost to the worst team in the league without their quarterback. The Giants need to channel whatever they did in the second half of the game going forward.

28. Indianapolis Colts (28)

• I wanted to move the Colts up because I like Anthony Richardson and what this team could be going forward. The only problem is that Richardson has Josh Allen syndrome, and can’t avoid contact, and now he’s hurt. With Gardner Minshew at the helm for the time being, I can’t move them up and can’t go down since they’re talented so they stay where they are.

29. Chicago Bears (24)

• With Justin Fields seemingly throwing the coaches under the bus today, we can say that so far the Bears season has been a dumpster fire. Fields can’t process, or throw and keeps getting sacked while the defense can’t stop anyone. This team is on the fast track to have a new quarterback or head coach in 2024. My guess is, a new quarterback.

30. Carolina Panthers (30)

• Two division losses with Bryce Young looking like a small rookie is not how the Panthers thought the season was going to start. At the end of the day, it’s a rebuilding season, but you hope that Bryce Young starts to progress because I’m not seeing it so far. They need a big-time playmaker to make things easier for Bryce Young. Could be Marvin Harrison Jr...

31. Houston Texans (31)

• The Texans don’t have enough talent on defense, and the running game is nonexistent, but CJ Stroud was chucking that ball to Nico Collins pretty well. That’s the biggest thing the organization was looking for. Throwing for 384 yards and 2 touchdowns is a great sign for the Texans, but they need to get a lot more talent on this roster to surround Stroud, and compete.

32. Arizona Cardinals (32)

• Another game, another half-time lead lost. It feels as if the Cardinals are motivated and come out hot, but just don’t have enough talent to finish games. It’s a good sign for the new head coach Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals who now have their hands on the bus driving straight to the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. Tank mode initiated.

That’s it for the Week 3 NFL power rankings. Let us know in the comments your grade on the rankings and what you would change.