If Week 2 proved anything, it’s that any and all teams are an injury or two away from things going south in a hurry. With that in mind, we try to figure out how all the squads stack up with Week 3’s NFL Power Rankings.
NFL Power Rankings, Tier 1: As to be expected
1. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)
2. Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
These are clearly the two best teams in the league and the Chiefs clearly deserve to be on top.
NFL Power Rankings, Tier 2: On the brink
3. Seattle Seahawks (2-0)
Russell Wilson may finally break through and garner some real MVP attention after not getting any MVP votes thus far in his career.
4. Tennessee Titans (2-0)
It never really looks pretty. And the Titans also seem to be on the brink of defeat, but Derrick Henry allows Tennessee to have a unique style within the league, and its a style that can beat anyone on any given day.
5. New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Drew Brees may (finally) be showing signs of his age as he’s quietly been merely average through two games this season. New Orleans is good enough, however, that as long as Brees isn’t turning it over – which he seldom does – a championship is a realistic goal for this team. But in order for that to happen, the Saints will need to be better than they were in Week 2’s 10-point loss to the Raiders.
6. Green Bay Packers (2-0)
Aaron Rodgers is playing really great football this season, but Aaron Jones might be the MVP of this team so far. The running back has simply been sensational.
NFL Power Rankings, Tier 3: In an uneasy place
7. Buffalo Bills (2-0)
Josh Allen is stringing together a really impressive stretch of games, even dating back to last season. And the Bills have a strong defense. They certainly deserve to be inside the top 10, but this team also deserves to be viewed with a little bit of a skeptical eye because, while Buffalo is 2-0, they’ve played the Jets and Dolphins.
.@BuffaloBills QB @JoshAllenQB is the fourth quarterback with 700+ pass yards, 6+ touchdown passes and 0 interceptions through the first two weeks of a season in @NFL history. pic.twitter.com/dR0ZDeVgFT
— NFL345 (@NFL345) September 20, 2020
8. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
This feels like a bit of a placeholder because if the 49ers can power through the recent rash of injuries that have hit the team, then San Francisco would deserve to move up. Or, those injuries will derail the season and the ‘Niners will slide lower in the NFL Power Rankings.
9. New England Patriots (1-1)
Bill Belichick is still learning all the ways he can use Cam Newton. The quarterback’s health, though, is of supreme importance to the Pats’ continued success, even despite the early loss.
Still can’t get over this play for two reasons:
1.) Chase Winovich tossing Carlos Hyde around with ease
2.) Kyle Dugger blitzing and absolutely leveling a 327-pound linemen
The future of the Patriots defense. ?pic.twitter.com/UgGE9hB9wM
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) September 23, 2020
10. Arizona Cardinals (2-0)
It would be unfair to put Super Bowl-level expectations on this team right now, but with Kyler Murray at QB and young playmakers all over, the Cardinals sure look to be lining up to own a piece of the league’s future.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
Tom Brady is getting a lot of positive attention after the Bucs won in Week 2, but he wasn’t all that great against one of the worst teams in the league. Brady was 23 of 36 for 217 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Not exactly a vintage performance. But Tampa Bay still deserves a ton of respect for what they’re capable of with a loaded roster.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
It seems unfair that being in the same division as the Ravens basically cut the Steelers off from a division title, but Pittsburgh has done plenty of damage in the playoffs as a wild card during Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger’s tenure.
13. Las Vegas Raiders (2-0)
Las Vegas scored a really nice win against New Orleans but like Pittsburgh, the Raiders really don’t have a path to winning its division. However, with Denver having to deal with losing a starting quarterback and number one wideout, the path to the playoffs got slightly easier.
14. Indianapolis Colts (1-1)
Though it’s not exactly the sexiest storyline around the NFL, Philip Rivers’ week-to-week performance for the Colts is very intriguing as the team seeks to cement itself among the contenders. For now, Indy falls short of that.
15. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas scored one of the crazier wins you’ll see last Sunday against the Falcons, needing an onside kick to get the victory. But if the Cowboys was playing up to its potential, that game would have been put away before needing a minor miracle.
NFL Power Rankings, Tier 4: Still could go either way
16. Los Angeles Rams (2-0)
The Rams had a lot of question marks coming into the season since the team was trying to make up for a lot of personnel losses since last season, but things have gone very well thus far.
17. Houston Texans (0-2)
It’s hard to deny the talent on Hoston’s roster, there’s plenty there. However, nothing seems to be going right for this franchise.
18. Chicago Bears (2-0)
Chicago should absolutely be encouraged to be 2-0. But doing so against the Lions and Giants, who are a combined 0-4, in games that could have gone either way, must leave this team asking some questions about itself in regards to sustainability.
19. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1)
Justin Herbert looked worthy of his high draft selection, but the Chargers still lost to fall to 0-2. Thi incident with Tyrod Taylor is an embarrassing one for this team, and Herbert might face some increased adversity now that there’s tape on him.
20. Philadelphia Eagles (0-2)
It’s been a disappointing start to the season for Philly, but the Eagles are one of the few teams that deserve some benefit of the doubt as the team continues to get healthier. Still, the situation and record put the team on thin ice.
21. Cleveland Browns (1-1)
A win must feel relieving for this team, but a five-point victory over the lowly Bengals doesn’t do much to quell concerns over how things will shake out for the Browns in the long run.
22. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
The Falcons have a core that most teams would envy. Yet Atlanta keeps finding new ways to give games away.
23. Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Minnesota made the decision to be all-in on this season. Going forward, the organization’s cap situation is cringe-worthy, especially considering how big a chunk of that goes to QB Kirk Cousins, whose play has appeared to have stagnated over the last couple of years.
24. Denver Broncos (0-2)
Denver showed some signs of being frisky with a bunch of young playmakers. But now the Broncos will be without starting QB Drew Lock for an extended period of time and lost top receiving threat, Courtland Sutton, for the season. Things don’t look to get any better for this squad any time soon.
25. Washington Football Team (1-1)
Despite an even record and sitting atop the NFC East, Washington feels like fool’s gold through two weeks, to the extent that one may think this is a team that can win a division.
NFL Power Rankings, Tier 5: Down and trending down
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)
The Jags scored of the more surprising wins of the young season in Week 1, but don’t’ expect many more W’s to come Jacksonville’s way this year.
27. Detroit Lions (0-2)
If Detroit keeps losing, it will be super interesting to follow how the conversation around Matthew Stafford’s future with the team takes shape going forward.
28. Miami Dolphins (0-2)
The Dolphins have been relatively competitive through two games, but haven’t found the win column. That may prove to be a running theme for the season with Miami.
Mike Gesicki might have just made the catch of the year ? @mikegesicki @MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/6oLLke0wgh
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 20, 2020
29. Carolina Panthers (0-2)
The injury to Christian McCaffery is a big downer for the Panthers, but not the end of the world. This is a team that was lining up for a top draft pick anyway, so playing without their best player may actually help that cause.
30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
Joe Burrow has looked pretty good for the most part, all things considered. But at some point, he’ll need to take it up a notch, despite not a lot of weapons around him. Last season, even though losses, Kyler Murray turned a corner around midseason and it became undeniable that not only was Murray worthy of being the top pick, but he’s lined up to be a key figure in the league for years to come. Burrow needs to hit that level, whether it translates to wins or not.
31. New York Giants (0-2)
32. New York Jets (0-2)
It’s all bad for these two.
2020 stats
Calvin Ridley: 4 TD
New York Jets: 2 TD
New York Giants: 2 TD pic.twitter.com/KkeFkXDCL2— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 20, 2020
