NFL Power Rankings Post-Week 3

     18) Dallas Cowboys (2-1) : Just when you thought all hope was lost, the Cowboys managed to field a defense in their first three games, albeit not a great one.  However, since this team lost it’s

best defensive players, DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee, and the defense was awful to begin with, the defense has been better than expected.  Turnovers will be the biggest challenge to the Cowboys, and DeMarco Murray has fumbled three times already.  However, of they can start playing consistently, the offense is good enough to compete.

     17) Green Bay Packers (1-2) : It’s been a tough year for the Cheeseheads thus far, and it’s difficult to find one specific reason.  Eddie Lacy has been disappointing, but overall Aaron Rodgers is still putting up strong numbers.  However, this doesn’t always translate to points, and the Packers looked atypically abysmal, putting up only seven points against the Lions.  This is another let’s wait and see situation.  I expect the Packers to move significantly in the next few weeks.

     16) San Francisco 49ers (1-2) : After going deep in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the 49ers now appear to be third in the always crowded NFC West.  Colin Kaepernick has had a regression so far, along with Frank Gore, which I predicted before the season started.  The defense has been pulling much of the weight, especially in their sole win against the Cowboys.  Their losses have come against good teams, however, in the Bears and Cardinals, which keeps them from falling further.

     15) Buffalo Bills (2-1) : I could really just call the Bills an even worse version of the Dolphins and Titans’ cycles, since they’ve spent seven of the last eight years at 6 or 7 wins, but this year looks a bit different for the only team that hasn’t reached the playoffs this century.  Fred Jackson is still running strong at age 33, which is remarkable, and EJ Manuel has only one turnover thus far.  The real strength of this team lies in its pass rush, however, which is led by Mario Williams.

 It shouldn’t be long before the Bills start receiving some attention for their effort, and a win against the Texans next week would really do wonders for Buffalo.

     14) Carolina Panthers (2-1) : It was all looking great for Panthers fans during this year’s first two weeks.  All signs pointed to a Super Bowl contender building up from last year.  Then week 3 happened, and in a home game against the Steelers they looked dazed and confused while taking a beating.  They need to forget about that game and move forward strongly next week against the Ravens.  And P.S. Kelvin Benjamin is a monster.

     13) Detroit Lions (2-1) : I’ve seen a lot of people going both ways on the Lions.  Some say they’re going to be great, others that they can’t finish above the Bears and Packers.  Hopefully, their victory over the Packers last week 19-7 proved something to that second group of people.  I think that we can all take something really important from that victory: the Lions offense didn’t play that well, but the defense more than made up for it, which is the difference this year than in years past for me when I look at the Lions.  Over the past few years the points were there, but they consistently lost games while scoring 30 points.  With the offense they have, an average defense will get them in the playoffs.  So far, they’re only allowing 15 per game.
     12) Indianapolis Colts (1-2) : My highest rated team with a losing record is the Colts.  They lost tough games to two teams that rank in my top five, the Broncos and Eagles, by a combined ten points.  I don’t think they should be penalized too much, because when you go past the record, I think the Colts are still the team to beat in the AFC South.  By far.  The next highest team in my power rankings is the Texans at #24.  The division is just really that bad.  Andrew Luck is really looking like a great quarterback this year, already with nine touchdown passes.  Ahmad Bradshaw has also added so much to both the run and passing games, and they tore apart the Jaguars like they should have last week.  With momentum on their side, let’s see what the Colts can do.
       11) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) : If only they were in another division.  That phrase is really applicable to all of the NFC North, since the division will be a messy race come December.  The Steel Curtain came to town (and by town I mean Charlotte, NC) and was able to really take the Panthers out of their comfort zone in what was an enormous victory.  That performance definitely moved the Steelers up a few spots in my book.  Their offense looks improved, Big Ben is performing well, the defense is looking good too (with James Harrison coming back as well, and that means Roger Goodell is already preparing the fines) so it’s looking up for the Steelers.  The only reason they can’t be higher was that they were shut down in a devastating divisional 26-6 game to the Ravens, who must be placed higher.
     10) Chicago Bears (2-1) : It hasn’t been pretty, but the Bears are able to find themselves 2-1 so far, and that’s a success.  They slide into the top 10 this week strongly due to their incredible comeback victory against the 49ers at the new Levi’s Stadium.  Before that they had lost to Buffalo, but now that Buffalo has established themselves as a solid team, that looks a lot better.  One stat that has fallen through the cracks is that the Bears have forced eight turnovers thus far, including six interceptions.  While they’ve been demolished by injuries, the backups in the secondary have stepped up, and Da Bears are looking good.
     9) Baltimore Ravens (2-1) : Well then, it looks some team has been able to rally and move on past the horrible Ray Rice situation.  They don’t have any clear starter at running back, but luckily Justin Forsett, Bernard Pierce, and Lorenzo Taliaferro have all had one strong game.  Hey, whatever works, right?  Joe Flacco looks a lot better than his abysmal 2013 performance, one that left Ravens fans and fantasy owners alike wondering what had gone wrong, as the Ravens missed the playoffs for the first time in the Joe Flacco era.  They’ve already played everyone in their division once, and 2-1 is  a good start.  They’ve got a better defense this year than last year, and the Ravens have officially played into wild card and division conversations.
     8) New England Patriots (2-1) : Pretty boy Brady has really suffered from a lack of receivers thus far.  Julian Edelman has been really picking up the load, but after him and an often-injured Gronk, where is there to turn?  Their #2 wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins has six catches.  Basically, someone needs to step up.  However, despite these issues, they have found ways to put up points.  After a really shaky opener against the Dolphins, the Pats have shown up, only allowing 16 total points in weeks 2 and 3, and playing turnover free ball.  A Monday night test in Kansas City will be a crucial game in determining just how good the Patriots are.
     7) Atlanta Falcons (2-1) : Wow.  It’s not often you get the opportunity to take your quarterback out of a game in the third quarter up 49-0, but that’s the situation the Falcons were in at one stage of their 56-14 romp of the Bucs.  That’s incredible, no matter who you play.  However, since I’ve already established the Bucs as being awful, they also came behind in the second half to beat the Saints in week 1, and their only loss comes to the undefeated Bengals on the road.  Matt Ryan could make a case for being one of the best NFL quarterbacks so far this season.  At this point it looks like a lot of good from a Falcons team that showed a lot of bad last year.
     6) San Diego Chargers (2-1) : They beat the Seahawks.  I could stop their and this position would be justified, but I’ll continue.  Last week they gave the Bills their first loss.  The only loss the Chargers have is away against the Cardinals by a single point, and the Cardinals are unbeaten.  So essentially, the Chargers opponents are all 2-0 in other games this season.  That’s an insane schedule.  However, a surprisingly strong defense and the comeback of Antonio Gates have worked wonders in making the Chargers look like one of the league’s best teams.  Their next three games are against the Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders, so I’d imagine the Chargers won’t be fallen down this list anytime soon.
     5) Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) : Here’s the first of the three undefeated teams.  What can I say?  I hate the Eagles personally, but I’d be really biased if I didn’t praise Chip Kelly’s offense.  I don’t know all the reasons why it works so well, but with the Eagles’ lineup, it just does.  Now did I think they would be 3-0 after trailing 17-0 to the JAGUARS in week 1?  Heck no.  But they rebounded, winning that game 34-17, then came from behind in weeks 2 and 3 to defeat the Colts and Redskins.  They love playing in high scoring games, and usually they can find a way to outscore the other guys, and that’s a great trait to have.
     4) Arizona Cardinals (3-0) : Another big surprise.  The Cardinals have managed to beat both the Giants and 49ers without starting quarterback Carson Palmer.  Plus, they have sole possession of first place possession of first place in the NFC West, which last season was football’s toughest.  They beat the Chargers as well, and that’s really impressive considering how strong the Chargers have come out the gates this year (get it, Antonio Gates pun).  In addition, I really like how they’ve been able to spread out the passing game.  The defense doesn’t know what to expect, and that works in their favor. They’re on bye this week, but play Denver in a can’t miss week 5 matchup.
     3) Denver Broncos (2-1) : If there are such things as moral victories, the Broncos really picked one up when they took the Seattle Seahawks, who made them look more like the Jaguars in the Super Bowl, to overtime IN SEATTLE where they basically can’t lose.  Peyton Manning is angry this year, and hungry for another championship.  The offense has stayed loaded, and the defense has gotten much better this year.  The Broncos will finish this season as a strong contender.  The question is how far can they go afterwards.  Week 5 against the Cardinals will be a huge preview of what a Denver playoff game might look like come January.
     2) Seattle Seahawks (2-1) : After much debate, I have finally come to the conclusion that the Seahawks aren’t the best team in football based on performance thus far.  I think way too many question marks came up about the Seahawks’ road ability in their loss against the Chargers, and they looked very vulnerable at home against the Broncos, although ending up with the W.  Seriously, they are near unstoppable in Seattle, but if they don’t finish #1 in the conference, I don’t see them winning on the road in the playoffs.  As for the team itself, it is still very strong, although a few defensive pieces have left.  They still have Sherman and most of the Legion of Boom, though.  Look for the Seahawks to come back strong in week 5 after a bye.
     1) Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) : Did someone say the new Seahawks?  The Bengals are the NFL’s best defense.  They’ve only allowed 33 points total through three games, which is best in the league by 12.  They’ve proven themselves at home and on the road, and are a force to be reckoned with.  Next week they’re on bye, along with everyone else in my top 4, but after that face perhaps their toughest test remaining on the schedule, away against the Patriots.  From what I’ve seen so far, they should be favored in that game, something very rarely said about a road team against New England.  I still don’t love Andy Dalton, but he’s been good enough and the rest of the team helps out.  The Bengals are the NFL’s best team right now.

     Do you agree with my rankings?  What did I get wrong?  Feel free to comment and I’ll reply.  Thanks for reading,
     Connor