NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Predicting Post-Monday Night Football Standings: The second week of action in the NFL has been as wild and unpredictable as the first, and it’s time to predict what the Week 3 power rankings will look like after Monday Night Football. The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in the Monday-night showcase this week, but fans of the other 30 franchises want to know where their team stands in the latest rankings. Here is where every team is ranked heading into Week 3. 32. Oakland Raiders: The Oakland Raiders have a strong core of young players, but the team is still the oldest in the NFL. After taking a 30-14 loss to the Houston Texans, Oakland has slipped to the bottom of the rankings once again. 31. Jacksonville Jaguars: Many fans were giving the Jacksonville Jaguars credit after an impressive first half against Philadelphia in Week 1, but a 41-10 loss against a Robert Griffin III-less Washington Redskins team is a bad sign. 30. St. Louis Rams: Backup quarterback Austin Davis helped guide the St. Louis Rams to a win over Tampa Bay Sunday, but injuries are taking their toll. While beating the Buccaneers provided a mental boost, St. Louis will struggle against the elite competition in the NFC West. 29. New York Giants: The New York Giants were terrible throughout the preseason. While many felt the team would turn it around once the regular season began, Eli Manning and the entire offense has been even worse than expected. It’s going to be a long year for Big Blue. 28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The transition to new head coach Lovie Smith was going to be a process on both sides of the ball, and the team showed growing pains in Week 2. Add in several key injuries, and it’s going to be a bad year for Buccaneers fans. 27. Houston Texans: A victory is a good start for the Houston Texans, but the team must quell its excitement. Though winning any game in the NFL is an achievement, beating the lowly Raiders isn’t an accomplishment to parade around. 26. Tennessee Titans: After beating Kansas City, many experts believed the Tennessee Titans would be a force in the AFC. However, the Dallas Cowboys dominated the team and gave the Titans their first loss of the season. 25. Washington Redskins: The ankle injury to Robert Griffin III, as reported by ESPN, was a scary moment for the Washington Redskins. With that said, backup Kirk Cousins stepped in and helped guide the team to a 41-10 win over Jacksonville. 24. Dallas Cowboys: The Dallas Cowboys looked like the biggest disappointment of the season in Week 1, but a bounce-back victory against Tennessee proved that the Cowboys could still be a viable threat in the lackluster NFC East. 23. Miami Dolphins: A victory over New England in Week 1 had Miami Dolphins fans confident in the team’s performance, but a loss to the Buffalo Bills was a devastating blow. Expect Miami to bounce back against a struggling Kansas City team. 22. Cleveland Browns: Who are the Cleveland Browns? The team was never supposed to be anything this season, but after almost beating Pittsburgh in Week 1 and knocking off New Orleans on Sunday, do not count out the tougher-than-expected Browns. 21. New York Jets: The New York Jets blew a huge lead over the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. The franchise can either toughen up through the adversity of the loss or fold under the pressure. A Week 3 matchup with Chicago won’t be easy. 20. Kansas City Chiefs: Two early-season losses have the Kansas City Chiefs reeling, but it was the injury to running back Jamaal Charles, as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, that could be the biggest blow to the team: 19. Minnesota Vikings: The Minnesota Vikings struggled Sunday against the New England Patriots. If Matt Cassel continues to turn the ball over like it’s his job, the franchise should turn the reins over to rookie backup Teddy Bridgewater. 18. Buffalo Bills: After wins over Chicago and now Miami, the most underrated team in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills. With a stellar defensive unit, a consistent rushing attack and a quarterback who is avoiding turnovers, the Bills could be the surprise of 2014. 17. Detroit Lions: As impressive as the Carolina defense is, the Detroit Lions should have scored more than seven points on Sunday. The Lions high-powered offense is much better than that, and the team must step up in big moments or risk missing the postseason. 16. Carolina Panthers: Despite starting two quarterbacks through the first two weeks of the season, the Carolina Panthers have still managed two victories and are now starting to gain an elite form. If Cam Newton can continue to recover from his rib injuries without any setbacks, Carolina will be dangerous in the wide-open NFC South. 15. Chicago Bears: The Chicago Bears were supposed to defeat Buffalo in Week 1 (the team lost) and lose to San Francisco in Week 2 (the team won). Chicago is either one of the best teams in the NFL or a pretender. Only time will sort this out. 14. Arizona Cardinals: Despite devastating injuries at key positions, the team is still managing to pull out victories. Let’s see if the roster can continue carrying that momentum as the schedule begins to get more difficult. 13. San Francisco 49ers: The San Francisco 49ers looked like Super Bowl contenders after destroying the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, but a loss in Week 2 against Chicago has raised many questions. If the 49ers can’t develop a more consistent rushing attack, there will be trouble in San Francisco. 12. Atlanta Falcons: Losing to the Cincinnati Bengals is not the worst-case scenario for the Atlanta Falcons. After beating New Orleans and still having most of the key players healthy, Atlanta could easily contend for a divisional crown in the NFC South this season. 11. San Diego Chargers: The San Diego Chargers stunned the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 and handed the defending Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season. If San Diego performs this well throughout the season, it will be a playoff-caliber team. 10. Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers were dominated on Thursday but won in Week 1. It’s hard to determine what kind of team Pittsburgh actually has, but a matchup against the tough Carolina Panthers will show if the Steelers are contenders or pretenders. 9. Baltimore Ravens: The Baltimore Ravens have not played perfectly, but a strong win on Thursday night will give the team confidence. If Baltimore can build a reliable rushing attack, the Ravens should contend with Cincinnati for the AFC North title. 8. New Orleans Saints: It’s hard to put a team that lost its first two games of the season at No. 8 overall in the rankings, but it’s even harder to imagine the New Orleans Saints losing the first two games of the season against teams they should have beaten. Saints fans shouldn’t panic...yet. 7. Indianapolis Colts: Just as the Eagles are looking to prove how good they are on Monday night, Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts are looking to bounce back from a Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos. Add in the fact that this is the Colts home opener, and Philadelphia must be ready for a war. 6. Green Bay Packers: There should be major concerns for Green Bay Packers fans after a loss in Week 1 and serious struggles against the New York Jets on Sunday. Green Bay was able to pull out the win, but only after scaring its entire fanbase first. 5. Cincinnati Bengals: The injury to wide receiver A.J. Green, as reported by Pro Football Talk, is alarming, but the Cincinnati Bengals are still one of the most complete teams in the league. If Andy Dalton can protect the football, watch out for Cincinnati. 4. Philadelphia Eagles: Monday’s matchup will be a huge test for the Philadelphia Eagles, but they will be one of the top teams in the NFC if they can pull out a marquee win over Indianapolis on national television. 3. New England Patriots: After losing to Miami, the New England Patriots bounced back in Week 2 and trounced the Minnesota Vikings 30-7. As long as Tom Brady is under center, the Patriots should be considered Super Bowl contenders. 2. Seattle Seahawks: A loss to the San Diego Chargers may be exactly what the Seattle Seahawks needed. Complacency can sneak up on even the best teams, and it’s better that this wake-up call happened in Week 2 instead of during a must-win game later in the season. 1. Denver Broncos: While it wasn’t the blowout most expected, the Denver Broncos were victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs and maintained the team’s spot at No. 1 in the rankings. Denvers favorable schedule indicates that it may be positioned at No. 1 for the foreseeable future. Stats via NFL. Follow @Donald_Wood Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #NFL #Opinion
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:55:48 +0000
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