Three weeks. That’s the amount of time it takes.
After three weeks, fans can wipe away all the preconceived notions about their teams from the offseason and assess what is in front of them. The sample size is large enough after three weeks.
So here are the current power rankings in the NFL based on the first three weeks of play:
1 – Bills
It’s been pure domination since the second half of Week 1 on for Buffalo. They’ve put to bed any worries on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, even after losing key pieces like Matt Milano. There’s no better sign of all of this than the fact that Damar Hamlin had his first career interception on Monday.
2 – Vikings
The Vikings hold two of the most impressive wins of the season so far. They struck fear into the hearts of the Niners faithful and snatched the young soul of the Texans, beating the brakes off the Super Bowl hopefuls. Sam Darnold looks the part too.
3 – Chiefs
The Chiefs are 3-0 and have won nine straight. However, all three games this season should be too close for comfort for Chiefs fans. It’s scary for the rest of the league that they’ve played as lackadaisically as they have and are still 3-0. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce seem distracted. Pick your favorite of all the reasons why that may be the case.
4- Steelers
Never doubt Mike Tomlin and the Steelers’ defense, which has been strangling teams into submission. If TJ Watt stays healthy, this team will be in the playoffs. Who had Pittsburgh with a two-game lead outright in the AFC North to start the year?
5 – Lions
Although they posted a loss to a burly Buccaneers squad, Detroit shut down a fiery Cardinals offense this weekend. Defense was supposed to be their weak side of the ball and it has looked better than the offense.
Just add more hook and ladder plays, Ben Johnson.
6 – Eagles
Held back by the misguided bravado of Nick Sirianni and the turnovers of Jalen Hurts, this team is clearly talented and the defense is rounding into form. Unfortunately, DeVonta Smith was bulldozed in Sunday’s game on a dirty play, and AJ Brown is likely a few weeks away from returning. If they can hold things together though, they have a clear shot at the division title.
7 – Saints
The offense took a step back on Sunday, and we were reminded that Derek Carr is still the QB for this team. The game was all but theirs until three defenders ran into each other to allow Dallas Goedert to go for 60 yards. This team is balanced and Taliese Fuaga is leading the way for an exceptional offensive line.
8 – Seahawks
3-0 is 3-0, but the Seahawks have yet to play anyone great. That being said, this defense has still looked the part. Mike McDonald has molded the talent into a scary force, and Ryan Grubb is getting more comfortable with navigating the offensive line woes. The Seahawks will be a player in a stacked NFC.
9 – Packers
While it was the Titans and the Colts, winning two games without Jordan Love is more impressive than if they had beaten the Eagles in Week 1 with him. Second fiddle to the Vikings for being this year’s poster child that coaching matters, Matt LaFleur has brought this young team together. The NFC North is truly a bloodbath with three of the top nine teams in this ranking coming from the historic division.
10 – Buccaneers
Perhaps the singular most impressive win of the season belongs to the Bucs, but they had to follow it up by getting trounced by the Broncos. This team seems to have more questions than answers for why they’ve had the success they’ve had these past two years.
11 – Texans
The darlings were dismantled in Minnesota in Week 3. Everything that could have gone wrong did. A second straight penalty-fest was paired with a two-interception day for CJ Stroud. The coaching staff will have to iron a handful of things out, but this team is still talented.
12 – Jets
Aaron Rodgers is ready to play football again. He’s not ready for a hug from his head coach yet though. He looked great against the Patriots, and the defense followed suit. Plus Braelon Allen looks like he’s ready to turn the backfield into a two-headed monster.
13 – Falcons
The highest two-loss team has gotten through the toughest part of its schedule and looked solid. Coming up with one clutch, primetime win is more than bettors expected out of Captain Kirk. Now they get to right themselves and prove they’re the easy favorite for the NFC South title everyone thought they would be.
14 – Cardinals
Perhaps the most fun team to watch in the league, it seems you never know what you’re going to get out of the Cardinals moving forward. They took somewhat close losses to two of the best teams in the league and demolished their perennial foes the Rams. They could sneak into the playoffs if they continue to grow.
15 – Chargers
Jim Harbaugh has already put doubters to rest. He’s the coach for the job. However, his hard-nosed ways may have cost Justin Herbert a season of playtime. They were outmatched in a physical battle with the Steelers, and they will not win many games in which that happens.
16 – Commanders
Jayden Daniels has officially clocked in with the fastest time to receive the “franchise QB” tag from his organization out of the 2024 rookie QBs. Sixteen is higher than the Commanders have probably been on any power ranking in the past five years. Things are going just fine in D.C.
17 – Broncos
With losses to two 3-0 teams and a great win in Tampa Bay this past weekend, Bo Nix may be a solution after all. Many were quick to write him off, but he’s looked better than many other QBs so far this season. Maybe Sean Payton is finally pleased with how the rest of his team played for his golden boy.
18 – 49ers
Christian McCaffrey is visiting a specialist in Germany to inquire about his Achilles. Javon Hargrave is out for the season with a pectoral injury. Aiyuk looks like he needed those preseason reps. Deebo Samuel is out. George Kittle is out. And now Brock Purdy is getting checked out for back spasms.
Sound like a typical 49ers season yet?
19 – Ravens
Ravens fans will be the first to tell you how frustrating John Harbaugh’s coaching decisions have been to end games. If they had blown that game to the Cowboys, then Lamar would have been correct. They’re likely better than their ranking projects, but they need to prove it by holding on to leads.
20 – Rams
It’s Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams and an XFL team out there for the Rams, yet they still find ways to win. Jared Verse and Braden Fiske look great. If they can weather the storm and get back their WR studs and offensive line without being too far behind, they might make something out of 2024. The win on Sunday was a great first step.
21 – Panthers
Bryce Young needs to figure out what’s next while he can sit on his $25 million contract— because it’s over.
Andy Dalton had a top-5 QB performance of the season and sliced the Raiders up. Once teams start to take him seriously they’ll halt his momentum, but for now, the Red Rifle is slinging it and the Panthers might be frisky… for now.
22 – Raiders
The benefactor of a classic Ravens choke, other than the fourth quarter of Week 2 the Raiders look bad. The offense is clunky and the defense should look closer to the Steelers’ than the Bengals’. Antonio Pierce will have to cut down on all the business decisions.
23 – Cowboys
This defense has lost the pop it had with Dan Quinn as its choreographer. Part of the issue can be attributed to injuries, but the Cowboys were skating by off of turnovers and the play of Dak Prescott. This team feels lifeless and it’s a bit tough to watch.
24 – Colts
Anthony Richardson is a project, but he looks to be more of a wet lump of clay than a chipped vase that needs a tune-up. It’s tough to say whether or not the Colts will have the patience to allow him to grow into a serviceable QB, but if he’s leading the offense the Colts will not be making the playoffs this season.
25 – Bears
The Bears’ offensive line is comically bad. There’s no semblance of a run game, especially since D’Andre Swift is proving to be the consensus questionable signing he is. It’s tough to build momentum around a rookie QB when that’s the case. The coaching isn’t doing Caleb Williams any favors either. Let’s hope Ryan Poles has the guts to remedy the situation before they ruin Williams.
https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1838037094792376665
26 – Dolphins
Skyler Thompson tried his best but still managed to get hurt. Until at least Tua is back this team won’t be much of a force in any regard, and even then they still have their questions. Maybe Tyler Huntley can provide a fun game or two.
27 – Giants
Malik Nabers is the next LSU WR phenom and may be so good that he keeps Daniel Jones around for another couple of years, which would be the worst case for New York.
28 – Browns
Deshaun Watson is going toe-to-toe with Jerry Jones for who can be the biggest wet rag of bad karma. Depending on what stat you look at he’s having the worst season for a Browns QB in the 21st century, and this is the Cleveland Browns we’re talking about. The offensive line and defense don’t look themselves either.
29 – Patriots
The fun, frisky Patriots had their moment. Reality is here and the 49ers need a beatdown to make themselves feel better. Patriots fans should want them to tank anyway.
30 – Bengals
This team was never right from the jump. Lou Anarumo has lost his touch and for how much praise the Bengals give themselves as being “built to beat the Chiefs”, they couldn’t even do that. Joe Burrow can play as well as he wants, but if the defense remains this bad it won’t matter. Consider the Bengals dead.
31 – Titans
At least we all know now that Will Levis is not the guy. The Titans can let this season sink and take their pick of QBs in the 2025 draft if they want.
32 – Jaguars
Trash through and through. The coaching staff should be gutted and Trevor Lawrence needs to be reevaluated, which is tough given that he just received his extension. The interception to Damar Hamlin was the worst throw of the season so far from a QB not named Anthony Richardson.
Leave a comment