NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: Denver Dominates Dak and Zeke

Tom Brady outrushed Ezekiel Elliott on Sunday and matched LeSean McCoy’s total of nine yards on 10 fewer carries.  Simply put, that’s not the sentence I expected to open this week’s Power Rankings this week, and if you did, I recommend catching the next flight out to Vegas.

For the most part, I’d say Week 2 went as planned.  No massive upsets, as the bottom six teams from last week all dropped to 0-2 and remain scattered from #27-32 this time around as well.  The Patriots rebounded from a surprising opening loss with an unstoppable first half in New Orleans, where Tom Brady threw three first-quarter touchdowns for the first time in his career.  The Rams, while keeping things close with the Redskins, dropped back down to Earth after putting up 46 on the Colts.

However, it’s the few big surprises that left the biggest impact after this second week of play in 2017.  Elliott had never rushed for fewer than 50 yards in a game and hadn’t finished below 80 since his debut against the Giants last season.  In Denver, he totaled just eight.

The Packers held the top spot in the Power Rankings following a defensive clinic versus Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.  When it came time to travel to Atlanta, the Falcons were relentless, opening up a 31-7 lead less than a minute into the second half.

Locked in a 6-3 defensive chess match in the third quarter, the Titans scored 31 points in 20 minutes to leave the Jaguars eager to leave town and head to London for a meeting with the Ravens in the debut of the NFL’s 2017 International Series.

Of course, it remains early, and as I said last week, it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves when discussing each team’s respective successes and failures.  Still, now with twice the sample size of a week ago, we can begin to see some telling patterns emerging.  Let’s jump into this week’s Power Rankings.

1. Chiefs (2-0, LW: 2) Don’t look now, but the Chiefs hold the top spot in the Power Rankings, and they’re more than deserving of it.  Against a strong Eagles team and a devastating front seven, Alex Smith had another strong day, hooking up with Travis Kelce eight times for 103 yards and this leaping touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter.  Kareem Hunt couldn’t quite match his 246-yard, three touchdown performance in Week 1, but overcame a slow start with a 53-yard scoring burst to finish with 109 total yards and two TDs.  Add six sacks of Carson Wentz, and the Chiefs look scary to start 2017.

2. Patriots (1-1, LW: 3) 19/25, 302 yards, three touchdowns.  That was just Tom Brady’s first half.  If there was any doubt how the Patriots would respond to losing their home opener, Brady laid it to rest early against the struggling Saints defense.  Everyone got in on the fun as Rex Burkhead, Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, and Mike Gillislee all found the end zone.  While Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia will still expect better, the defense improved this time around, surrendering just 20 points and forcing three field goal attempts from Wil Lutz.  Two games in and the Patriots lead the league in yards of offense- you tell me if they’re on the decline.

3. Falcons (2-0, LW: 7) In the Falcons’ debut at Mercedes-Benz stadium, the Super Bowl runners-up repeated their successes from last year’s NFC Championship Game and proved they learned how to hold onto a 20+ point lead over the offseason.  Devonta Freeman led skill position players with 100 yards and two touchdowns, helping Atlanta take control.  The Falcons are back on a revenge tour this season but will struggle to deal with the loss of Vic Beasley, 2016’s NFL sacks leader, expected to miss a month with a hamstring injury.

4. Raiders (2-0, LW: 5) Rarely will you ever see an NFL team favored by two touchdowns, but that’s exactly the position the Raiders were in, as NFL fans from around the country collectively awaited a beating in the most lopsided matchup of the year thus far.  Derek Carr and Michael Crabtree combined for three touchdowns while Jalen Richard, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Marshawn Lynch also ran for scores. 45-20 was the final, and Lynch more than enjoyed it.

5. Steelers (2-0, LW: 4) Facing Case Keenum, filling in for Minnesota for the injured Sam Bradford, the Steelers had little trouble getting the ball back to Ben Roethlisberger, who spread the ball around effectively, including giving JuJu Smith-Schuster his first career touchdown.  I’m still a bit concerned with LeVeon Bell, who once again averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, but the best players always find ways to get back on track, and Bell is clearly one of the league’s best players.

6. Packers (1-1, LW: 1) So much for #1.  Remember that Packers defense that shut down the Seahawks?  After this week, that looks a lot more like problems with the Seahawks than talent from Green Bay.  The Falcons dropped 34 points with ease, and Aaron Rodgers uncharacteristically turned the ball over twice on offense.  He was able to bounce back, leading two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to set up a reasonable 34-23 final score, but it was far too little, too late, and the Packers suffered more than a couple injuries during the game to boot.

7. Lions (2-0, LW: 9) No late-game heroics required from Matthew Stafford this time.  Other than a short-lived 7-7 tie, the Lions led wire-to-wire, finally establishing a much-needed running game, mainly through Ameer Abdullah, and only requiring Stafford to go 15/21 for 122 yards and 2 TDs in a relatively simple victory.  After trailing 17-7 at halftime, the Giants looked capable of making a comeback in the third quarter, but an 88-yard punt return touchdown from Jamal Agnew all but sealed the deal.

8. Broncos (2-0, LW: 15) For the second consecutive game, the Broncos found themselves with a huge lead.  This time, instead of falling apart in the fourth quarter, relying on a blocked field goal to prevent overtime, Denver played a complete game, blowing out the Cowboys 42-17 at Mile High in the most stunning result of the week.  Trevor Siemian tossed four touchdowns, including two to Emmanuel Sanders, and C.J. Anderson erupted for 154 total yards and two scores, all while the secondary made a strong case for best unit in the league.

9. Cowboys (1-1, LW: 6) Entering Week 2, the dynamic duo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott had never lost a regular season game to a non-divisional opponent.  They’ll want to forget about their first as quickly as possible.  Prescott threw his first career pick-six on a Dez Bryant end zone target returned 103 yards by Aqib Talib while Elliott could manage just eight yards on nine carries.  On the other side of the ball, a defense which allowed just three points to the Giants a week prior had no answers for the Broncos.

10. Seahawks (1-1, LW: 8) Look- I get it.  DIvisional games, rivalry games, they’re typically close.  Both teams know each other’s tendencies well and play at their best.  But at some point, we’ve got to see some offense out of the Seattle Seahawks.  With just 18 points and one touchdown through two games, this looks nothing like a Super Bowl contender.  Jimmy Graham has just two catches for nine yards on the season, and Russell Wilson has settled for more than enough three-and-outs.  A win is a win, but they’d better figure things out soon.

11. Titans (1-1, LW: 12) As I mentioned in the intro, things were close until the Titans decided to, I don’t know, drop 31 points in the second half like it was nothing.  Capitalizing on three-and-outs and forced turnovers, the Titans used a balanced offensive attack led by 92 yards and a score from Derrick Henry to pull away, joining both Jacksonville and the Texans in a three-way tie at 1-1 in the AFC South.  Not sure how big of an upset it is anymore, but I like Mariota to lead the Titans to an upset when they host the Seahawks this week.

12. Buccaneers (1-0, LW: 13) Easy as you like.  After the Bucs’ Week 1 opener in Miami was postponed, they got on the board with a field goal in their first drive at home against the Bears and never looked back, scoring the game’s first 29 points.  A plethora of mistakes from the Bears made things easy for Jameis Winston, who finished with a modest 204 yards and a touchdown.  Bucs fans are optimistic about their team’s chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and the result of next week’s trip to Minnesota might have big implications down the road.

13. Eagles (1-1, LW: 10) Still trying to figure out how Zach Ertz caught this ball.  Look, I know a loss never feels good, but this was a close game throughout in Kansas City.  Surprisingly, LeGarrette Blount didn’t have a single carry in this one, as the Eagles decided to go with Darren Sproles as the lead back in a role the ageless elusive speedster has never really played.  I suspect Blount gets back into the mix next week in a battle of the lines, home against the rival Giants.

14. Ravens (2-0, LW: 17) It’s like déjà vu all over again.  Last year, the Ravens opened the season with wins over the Bills, Browns, and Jaguars.  This left them 3-0, but since no victories came over even half-decent teams, we didn’t know what to make of the team.  In 2017, Baltimore is 2-0 following shutdowns of the Bengals and Browns, and host the Jaguars in Week 3.  After starting 3-0 in 2016, the Ravens lost their next four before closing at 8-8.  I foresee a similar fate this year, although if they continue forcing turnovers at this unbelievable rate (10 takeaways in eight quarters, twice as many as any other team!), the sky’s the limit.

15. Redskins (1-1, LW: 18) Bravo.  The Redskins went into Los Angeles, to meet the Rams’ supposedly great defensive line, and pounded the ball down their opponents’ throats for four quarters.  Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine (who didn’t play a snap in Week 1) all picked up at least 67 yards as the team totaled 229 yards on the ground and six per carry.  Special shout out goes to Thompson, one of the most underrated players in the league, who always seems to make guys miss.

16. Panthers (1-1, LW: 16) Yawn.  What a snooze-fest it was at Bank of America Stadium as Graham Gano’s three field goals were more than enough to put away a Bills team whose only points came on a 45-yard Steven Hauschka conversion early in the fourth quarter.  Credit once again goes to a stout defense which has allowed just six points through two games, fewest in the lead.  That’s great and all, but the Panthers will need to score eventually, and with Greg Olsen being placed on the IR with a broken foot, I’m not sure where the points will come from.

17. Dolphins (1-0, LW: 21) Linebacker Lawrence Timmons went AWOL before the Dolphins’ game in L.A., leading the team to file a missing person report before Timmons was eventually found at LAX.  The distraction didn’t seem to bother the team, however, who ground out a victory against the Chargers in Jay Cutler’s debut with the team.  Cutler quickly found his favorite target in Jarvis Landry and threw his direction 15 times, leading to 13 completions.  Trailing 17-13, Miami converted on two Cody Parkey field goals, including a 54-yarder, to take the lead late and start off 1-0.

18. Vikings (1-1, LW: 14) Well, the Vikings moved up four spots following their opening win over the Saints, but are right back where they started after a largely uneventful 26-9 defeat in Pittsburgh.  Dalvin Cook was once again one of the team’s bright spots, and Sam Bradford will be back in at QB this week to host the Buccaneers.

19. Cardinals (1-1, LW: 19) For most of their matchup with the Colts, the Cardinals were a team clearly without their best player and clearly unsure of what to do about it.  In the fourth quarter, though, Arizona showed the kind of team we know they can be, and that entered as 6.5 point favorites in Indy.  It began with Carson Palmer’s PERFECT bomb to J.J. Nelson who somehow held on for the touchdown in between two defenders to draw things to 13-10.  On the final play of regulation, Phil Dawson was iced on a kick that would’ve given the Cards a 16-13 victory, but after a Tyrann Mathieu interception on the first play of OT, Dawson got his second chance and made it count.

20. Chargers (0-2, LW: 21) You know it must’ve felt weird for the Chargers to be trailing in a fourth-quarter last week against the Broncos.  It’s usually them blowing the lead late in the game, which is exactly what happened in their home opener.  Once again, Younghoe Koo had a chance to kick a game-winner in the closing seconds, and once again the kick was no good.  Since the start of last season, the Chargers are 5-13, and 11 of those losses have come in one-possession games.  During the stretch, their biggest defeat has been just 12 points.  The Chargers are miserable, they play in a tiny stadium, and not even the city of Los Angeles wants them there.  Tough life.

21. Giants (0-2, LW: 13) Where to start, where to start?  Coach Ben McAdoo blames sloppy quarterback play from Eli Manning, particularly on a fourth-and-goal delay of game penalty which forced the Giants into plan B, an Aldrick Rosas field goal, instead of going for it.  However, Manning wasn’t responsible for the holding penalty on first-and-goal that moved things from the 1 to the 11 yard-line.  Nor was he responsible for a number of drops, including a terrible miscue by struggling veteran Brandon Marshall.  The offensive line and lack of a running game are hardly Manning’s fault either.  Eli will take the blame- that’s just what he does, but there are plenty of problems with New York right now, and while Manning isn’t perfect, most of them don’t have to do with the QB.

22. Rams (1-1, LW: 22) The Redskins played desperately and took the Rams by surprise, shooting out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.  Los Angeles got back to tie things up at 20, even breaking out the trickery with a fake punt from Johnny Hekker, but were ultimately doomed by penalties in critical situations and an interception by Jared Goff on their final drive of the game.  The Rams lacked discipline, and you could see the coaching staff growing more and more frustrated on the sidelines.

23. Saints (0-2, LW: 23) It’s really not that complicated- the Saints are allowing over 500 yards of offense per game through their first two contests.  With numbers like that, it doesn’t matter what Drew Brees does, although he had another strong effort against the Patriots with 357 yards and two scores.  It’ll be interesting to see how the Saints utilize their three running backs going forward.  This time around, Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson split carries, with the former being the more successful, while Kamara was featured more in the passing game.

24. Jaguars (1-1, LW: 24) The NFL has a lot of bad teams.  When I have eight teams below the Jaguars, that’s all I can really say.  Blake Bortles posted the ninth three-turnover game of his four-year career this week, but while many fans call for his benching, I have a simple question: would you really prefer Chad Henne?  At age 32 and with 53 career starts under his belt, we know who Henne is, and a franchise QB he is not.  Especially when Leonard Fournette struggles to get things going, the Jags offense is going to struggle.  Unfortunately, the defense can’t rack up 10 sacks every week.

25. Texans (1-1, LW: 26) Opening Week 2 was the Texans traveling to Cincinnati in one of the ugliest games in recent memory.  While neither offense could get much of anything going, rookie Deshaun Watson, starting on his 22nd birthday, make a few crucial plays, including a spectacular 49-yard scramble for the game’s only touchdown that looked far too easy.  I’d like to see the playcalling open up more opportunities for Watson, but crucially, he avoided turning the ball over while the defense did much of the work.  On the game’s final play, J.J. Watt put an exclamation point on the road victory.

26. Bills (1-1, LW: 25) How does one “offense”?  That’s the question of the day for first-year coach Sean McDermott, who watched on in frustration as his team ended with just 176 total yards against the Panthers.  Buffalo is a run-first offense, but when Shady McCoy averages less than a yard per carry, it forces Tyrod Taylor to throw to possibly the league’s worst group of receivers.  Yet, the Bills still had a chance at this one, and very well might’ve won if Taylor had connected with Zay Jones on a crucial fourth down incompletion that ended the game.  Good luck scoring on Denver next week.

27. Browns (0-2, LW: 27) At the end of the day, DeShone Kizer is a rookie quarterback, and sometimes rookie quarterbacks just have these kinds of games.  The Notre Dame grad, still just 21, gets a great opportunity to bounce back against the Colts and perhaps pick up his first NFL win, a necessary confidence boost.  We know it’ll take a while before the Browns are serious competitors, but some of the pieces are there, especially on defense.

28. Bears (0-2, LW: 28) Mike Glennon’s return to Tampa Bay went…well, not as planned.  Glennon did manage 301 passing yards and a touchdown, but much of it came in garbage time after his three turnovers and a foolishly attempted punt return turned fumble from Tarik Cohen had Chicago in a 26-0 halftime hole.  The 29-7 defeat had to be a major disappointment from a team who should have beat the Falcons in their season opener.  Now, many fans are wondering when we might see Mitchell Trubisky take over.

29. 49ers (0-2, LW: 31) The 49ers get bumped up a few spots simply by keeping things close when they weren’t really supposed to.  They have Carlos Hyde to thank.  His 124 yards on the ground were the only thing that kept things moving on a day where the Niners lived up to their shortened name, scoring nine points.  Technically, that’s six more than against the Panthers in Week 1, but Brian Hoyer- let’s shoot for 100 yards next time, OK?

30. Bengals (0-2, LW: 29) With just nine points and zero touchdowns through two games, it’s hard to see a way forward for the Bengals, who have already fired former Offensive Coordinator Ken Zampese.  Quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor gets the promotion and will be desperately searching for any way to consistently move the football. Andy Dalton has struggled mightily to start the year, leading to a reported interest in signing Colin Kaepernick from some players in the locker room.  Things will only get worse when the team travels to Green Bay in Week 3.

31. Colts (0-2, LW: 30) Indianapolis made the right decision by starting Jacoby Brissett in place of the woeful Scott Tolzien against the Cardinals.  I thought they should’ve opened the year with Brissett, but I can understand if they wanted to give Tolzien a chance considering Brissett had only been acquired eight days before the Rams matchup.  Brissett had a decent start, and earned a 13-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.  However, too many mistakes down the stretch on both sides doomed the Colts, and if they couldn’t pull that one out, it seems unlikely that they’ll enter the win column before Andrew Luck’s return.

32. Jets (0-2, LW: 32) Josh McCown and the Jets offense actually had a decent showing.  Nothing awe-inspiring, but McCown tossed a couple touchdowns to Jermaine Kearse, and together they pretended they played for a real football team.  On the flip side of the ball, the Jets defense couldn’t do much of anything to slow down the Raiders, who had a field day, lighting it up for the hometown fans.  The Jets lose to Miami next.