Crowe - NFL Week #3 Power Rankings
John Crowe, Sports Contributor
Crowe - NFL Week #3 Power Rankings
There’s no shock that we have the Bucs and the Rams cruising at 2-0. There’s a mild surprise that both the Cardinals and 49ers are still unbeaten as well. But the fact that we have Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, and Derek Carr leading the way for the top teams too is surely something we didn’t count out. The question, of course, is can they keep it up.
Still, after a week of amazing drama, with three games in the 4 pm window, the Cowboys vs. Chargers, Vikings vs. Cardinals and Titans vs. Seahawks all came down to the final possessions, here’s the moment that’s left in my head: Ravens head coach John Harbaugh setting up his star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, for a hero moment trying to seal his team’s win over the Chiefs:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Of course, there was only one answer for Jackson to give, but still, a pretty cool moment. So, with that, it’s onto this week’s power rankings.
10. Broncos (2-0, Last week: not ranked)
Not only are the Broncos 2-0, but they’re 2-0 on the road with wins at the Giants and at the Jaguars. Not too shabby for a team that was ticketed for the basement of the AFC West. Instead, they find themselves tied with the Raiders at the top of the division. How are they doing it? Well, it helps that Teddy Bridgewater’s playing clean football with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. It also doesn’t hurt that the defense is giving up only 13 points a game and an NFL 3rd best 251 yards per game.
9. Bills (1-1, Last week: not ranked)
So, since we shouldn’t get too dejected by the Bills Week 1 home loss to the Steelers, we shouldn’t get too overwhelmed by its 35-0 whitewash of the Dolphins. After all, they did take out Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa by fracturing his ribs, completely stymying the offense. Week 3 should be a good barometer as to whether the Bills are back on track as they host Washington, who comes in on 10 days’ rest.
8. Raiders (2-0, Last week: not ranked)
OK, a comeback win in week one was nice. But a comeback win on the road in Pittsburgh in week 2 should have Raider Nation feeling very good about itself. QB Derek Carr sure is playing well, throwing for a league-best 817 yards to go with his 4 touchdown passes. Now, if they can get Josh Jacobs back healthy (toe and ankle), Las Vegas’ odds on a good season would go dramatically up.
7. Panthers (3-0, Last week: not ranked)
Are the Panthers for real? Well, they have the NFL’s top-ranked defense after their three games, giving up only 190 yards per game and a league-low 10 points per game. Now comes the hard part. With injuries to Mr. Everything running back Christian McCaffrey (hamstring), who’ll be out several weeks and cornerback Jaycee Horn (broken foot), who’ll miss 2-3 months, the Panthers will be relying heavily on Sam Darnold. To his credit, Darnold ran for a pair of scores in Carolina’s latest win over the Texans. Kudos to head coach Matt Rhule through three weeks.
6. Ravens (1-1, Last week: not ranked)
Give the Ravens their due. Down 11 to the Chiefs Sunday night, they looked the AFC Champs in the face and scored 12 straight to pull off the 36-35 win. Kudos to Lamar Jackson, not only for the back-to-back rushing touchdowns for the go-ahead score but for the fourth-down conversion to seal the game as well instead of punting the ball back to Patrick Mahomes and friends for one last chance.
5. Cardinals (2-0, Last week: ranked 7th)
Kyler Murray’s 9 touchdowns (7 TD passes, 2 rushing TDs) lead the way along with some guy named Brady through two weeks. Plus, with a little luck from Minnesota’s last second field goal last Sunday, the Cardinals are soaring at 2-0. Arizona has Jacksonville this Sunday on the road before facing a tough three-week stretch against the Rams, 49ers and Browns.
4. 49ers (2-0, Last week: ranked 3rd)
Two weeks. Two wins. Two quarterbacks. Maybe the 49ers are seeing double so far this season. This Sunday night, San Francisco hosts the Packers in place that Aaron Rodgers has called his House of Horrors after a pair of routing losses in 2019 including the NFC Championship Game.
3. Chiefs (1-1, Last week: ranked 2nd)
Maybe we’re being generous or maybe we’re giving the Chiefs a pass for Sunday night’s loss in Baltimore. After all, they did have a 35-24 lead in the fourth quarter. After all, they did have the ball heading for a last-second field goal attempt before Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s fumble took that chance away. For now, losing by one in the final seconds keeps KC in our top 3.
2. Rams (2-0, Last week: ranked 6th)
This should be familiar territory for the Rams. They’re 2-0 for the fourth straight season. If you’re looking for more good trends for Los Angeles, how’s this one. The Rams are 37-0 when leading at halftime since 2017. If they take down the defending Super Bowl Champion Bucs this Sunday at home, they keep take the top spot next week.
1. Buccaneers (2-0, Last week: ranked 1st)
Is there anything bad you can say about the Bucs? Tom Brady is showing no signs of slowing down after tossing five more touchdown passes this past Sunday against the Falcons. That’s 9 for the young season if you’re counting at home. Tampa toyed with the Falcons, letting them get to within three before a pair of Mike Edwards’ pick-sixes sealed the 48-25 victory. The Bucs, after two home wins, now head out of the road to face the Rams before the much-anticipated return to Foxboro in week 4 against his former team of 20 years, the Patriots.
Games to watch this week:
Bears at Browns – Justin Fields gets his first start for the Bears.
Chargers at Chiefs – Suddenly, the loser is 1-2 and in the basement of the AFC West.
Washington at Bills – Washington hits the road for the first time against the up-and-down Bills.
Bucs at Rams – Game of the day between two NFC Super Bowl favorites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last week:
10. Dolphins
9. Chargers
8. Seahawks
7. Cardinals
6. Rams
S. Steelers
4. Saints
3. 49ers
2. Chiefs
1. Buccaneers