NFL Power rankings: Week 3

By Evan Copeland

After closing out week two at SoFi stadium, home of Super Bowl LXI, for the Giants taking on the Rams, we take a look at how the league is shaping up heading into next week’s action.

Rio will host its first international as the Dallas Cowboys face the Baltimore Ravens, while there will be plenty of entertainment on this week’s primetime games, with the Rams back to face the Broncos on Sunday night.

So, who is trending positively in this week’s rankings? Are there any teams in danger of an early end to their season?

D Tier – early season tank watch

*Rankings created before Thursday Night Football

32. Atlanta Falcons (-3) – The Falcons are in a really tricky spot. The roster has enormous talent on both sides of the ball, but it feels like the likes of Bijan Robinson and Drake London are being wasted in Atlanta.
I like Kevin Stefanksi as a head coach and hope the organisation recognises the ugly situation he is dealing with at quarterback. They should be a favourite to land a top prospect in the upcoming draft.

31. Miami Dolphins (=) – Malik Willis improved considerably from his first outing as a Miami Dolphin, looking average against the 49ers after a disaster against the Raiders in week one. They will be preparing already for a high draft pick and rebuild next season.

30. Tennessee Titans (=) – They showed a lot of heart and fight against the Eagles, falling to a last-gasp touchdown after Jalen Hurts led an excellent two-minute drill. The Titans defense gave Hurts all kinds of problems all game, a promising showing for the team after a tough week one.

29. Washington Commanders (-3) – I though they competed well against a Dallas team clearly out for a week two get back game. However, the season could already be over in Washington after Jayden Daniels re-injured his left elbow.
For all the talent Daniels has, his inability to stay healthy for a full season should sound the alarm bells in the organisation.

28. Cleveland Browns (+4) – Despite the weather delay and a significant underdog tag, Cleveland looked functional in their shock win against Tampa Bay, with DeShaun Waston doing just enough to keep his job for another week.
I’m happy to believe that this was just an awful performance from the Bucs rather than anything special from Cleveland, they will still be in the market for a quarterback in next year’s draft.

C Tier – No man’s land

27. New York Jets (+1) – I was once again really impressed by this Jets team, despite a narrow, overtime loss to the Packers in week two. They outplayed Green Bay on offense, with Geno Smith looking solid again under centre. While it’s fair to say they choked away the game, they are exceeding my expectations so far this year.

26. Arizona Cardinals (-1) – Took a heavy loss to the defending champion Seahawks in week two to rein in the hype around this team. There won’t be many in this league who can stay with the Seahawks on this form, but 95 passing yards for Jacoby Brissett will be a concern.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2) – A difficult game to watch if you are a Tampa fan. They looked a shadow of the team that ran the Bengals close in the opening weekend. Baker Mayfield looked a bit suspect against his former team, but he will have the chance to bounce back in typical Baker fashion against the Vikings.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (-2) – The age gap between the Steelers and the Patriots really showed in this game, with Aaron Rodgers getting bullied by the New England defense throughout. That hit on Rodgers for a fumble in the second quarter, forcing a fourth and 43, knocked the life out of Pittsburgh in this game.

23. Los Angeles Chargers (-9) – This team is probably the expectation to this tier of the rankings, purely based on their talent. But something needs to change. I saw this game as a must win for LA, but somehow, they were worse than week one, with five fumbles and three turnovers.
Justin Herbert looks in postseason form already (no that’s not a good thing) and the alarm bells will be ringing in Los Angeles, ahead of a season-defining run of games.

22. Las Vegas Raiders (+5) – This organisation is doing things perfectly in terms of their quarterback situation, with Kirk Cousins absolutely dealing to start the year. I’m not looking at this team as playoff contenders yet, but they are showing the league they have the pieces in place to contend in the future.

21. Indianapolis Colts (+3) – I thought the Colts put in a really strong performance in Kansas City, falling short against, if we are honest, the better team. I know they are 0-2 to start the year, but forcing overtime against the Chiefs is a good enough reason to move them up.

20. Green Bay Packers (-1) – Somehow Green Bay are tied for second in their division, despite a pretty dismal first two games. Even after losing Kyler Murray, the Vikings dismantled them in week one, before the Packers really struggled in New York against the Jets. I don’t see much hope for this team, Matt LeFleur is firmly on the hot seat.

19. Carolina Panthers (+2) – Bryce Young played typically brilliant football against ten Falcons, as he always does against Atlanta. The Panthers offense continued its excellent form from last week’s loss to Chicago, but the defense really stepped up this time around, forcing five turnovers and only allowing three points. This team is on the up!

18. New York Giants (-1) – Absolute worst-case scenario for New York. I was willing to give this team some leeway after a tough loss to the Rams, but the supposed season-ending injury to Jaxson Dart is a killer blow.
Look, this team has loads of potential and brilliant coaching. But the injuries are getting hard to ignore for their key players. I’m not sure how much I trust Jameis Winston to carry this team forward, so this could be a tough end to the season in New York.

B Tier – inconsistent playoff outsiders

17. Houston Texans (-4) – I know this team has come up against two of the league’s best offenses and quarterbacks, the Bengals and the Bills, to start the year. However, the defense has had a slightly concerning start.
The Texans best hope is that this start-studded defense makes up for any shortcomings on the offense. As you can see by the 0-2 start, that plan isn’t working so far.

16. Dallas Cowboys (+4) – A really impressive bounce back win. The Cowboys offense looked back to its brilliant best against the Commanders, leaving Tom Brady in raptures in the commentary booth. The defense still concerns me for the Cowboys; they will face a real test against the Ravens in Rio this week.

15. Detroit Lions (-5) – This team remains a mystery to me. The offense is tremendous, Jared Goff continues to play at such a high level, and we all know the talent they have on that side of the ball.
Unfortunately for Lions fans, it’s the same story for the defense, which was torn apart by Josh Allen last week. I would love to see Brad Holmes make a move to help the secondary before the trade deadline, it feels like this team is being wasted.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (-2) – A slight regression for this Jags teams this week after giving up a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter against the Broncos. I still have them as my favourites to win the AFC South, especially after a tough start for the Houston Texans.

13. New Orleans Saints (+5) – It seems like more and more people are becoming aware of just how good Tyler Shough is. Yes, he throws the odd interception, like in last week’s game against the Lions, but he is only in his second year in the league.
What he does have on his side is athleticism, accuracy and a great arm. I think he has huge potential and the Saints have finally found their guy and potentially a playoff berth.

12. Minnesota Vikings (+4) – I feel like this defense has turned into what Houston’s was last season, where you can make a case for the Vikings making the playoffs purely based on how good the defensive unit is. The jury is out on Kyler Murray; he is expected to start in week three.

11. New England Patriots (+4) – Took a routine win over the Steelers in week two, bouncing back nicely from a tough opening loss to the Seahawks. Drake Maye still hasn’t returned to his 2025 form but will need to improve ahead of two tough road matchups, the Jags and the Bills.

A Tier – true Super Bowl contenders

10. Philadelphia Eagles (-1) – Another win for the Eagles but another lacklustre performance to go with it. I just can’t figure out this team, who still seem to have the issues on the offensive side that they faced last season, but yet somehow beat the Titans with a last gasp touchdown.
It feels incredibly harsh moving them down while 2-0, but I don’t trust Philly so far.

9. Chicago Bears (-4) – Even before Caleb Williams went out injured against the Vikings, the Bears looked a bit underwhelming. That could be a product of the high expectations Ben Johnson has created for this team, or because of Brian Flores’ defensive masterclass, but either way the Bears have to drop this week.

8. Baltimore Ravens (-5) – A reality check to say the least. I still believe this team will be one of the league’s best and well in the Lombardi conversation by January, but it will still be a concerning loss. Consistency will be key for this team ahead of a tough division battle with the Bengals.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (+4) – Could this finally be the year for Joe Burrow? It seems like the defense is finally playing its part, allowing only six points to the Texans, backing up a strong opening game against the Buccaneers. Whenever Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are healthy, this offense will always be near the top of the NFL.

6. Denver Broncos (+2) – An impressive bounce back for Denver and Bo Nix, taking down an on-form Jacksonville team in week two. It was shades of last season for this team, with another comeback win seeing them advance to 1-1.

5. San Francisco 49ers (+2) – Another dominant game by the 49ers, who are keeping pace with the Seattle Seahawks through two weeks. I still have my questions, especially as injuries start to mount for this team. It’s an old roster, which can both help and hurt San Francisco. The NFC West should be a dogfight until week 18.

4. Los Angeles Rams (=) – Well, that didn’t last long! The Rams seem well and truly back after dominating the Giants on Monday night. The connection between Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams continues to grow stronger, with Adams looking as brilliant as ever in Los Angeles. They head to Denver in week three.

S Tier – Juggernauts

3. Kansas City Chiefs (+3) – Just like the Rams, the Chiefs look back to their best and that’s a terrifying prospect for the rets of the league. Mahomes and Kelce are playing excellent football, and this defense will keep getting better. Watch out for Kansas City to make another Super Bowl run.

2. Seattle Seahawks (=) – No Sam Darnold, no problem again for Seattle. Yes, they haven’t had to face the toughest opposition since he was injured, but the champions looked ominously good in week two, dominating an Arizona team high on confidence. Darnold has a chance to return in week three.

1. Buffalo Bills (=) – No change at the top as the Bills look unstoppable at the moment. I just can’t fault Josh Allen, at least until the playoffs roll around, he is playing phenomenally to start the year. I would like to see more from the defense who seem to be leaking points.

EVAN COPELAND

NFL ANALYST

Evan is a Los Angeles Rams fan and sports journalism student at Lincoln University, with a keen interest in NFL writing, alongside golf and football. You can keep up with all of his content on X at @EvanCopeland26.

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