Neil Reynolds' Week 3 Power Rankings
It’s top spot for the Ravens as they turned in a bullying display against Houston, rushing for 230 yards, sacking Deshaun Watson four times and scoring on a fumble return. Baltimore have out-scored their first two opponents 71-22 and have yet to look even slightly challenged.
The Chiefs have a chance to re-gain the number one slot when they take on the Ravens on Monday Night Football. KC had to dig deep against the Chargers but did show the mark of a champion in scrapping to a tougher-than-expected win, thanks to a pair of 58-yard kicks from Harrison Buttker.
Russell Wilson has come racing out of the gates as an MVP front-runner for 2020, while newly-arrived safety Jamal Adams has made impact plays on the defensive side of the ball. I still have some worries about the D but Wilson papers over many cracks with his brilliance.
The Packers have scored points for fun in the first two weeks of the season, racking up 43 against Minnesota and 42 against Detroit. Aaron Rodgers was the star of the show in Week 1 but Week 2 was all about the other Aaron, running back Jones.
The Steelers got plenty of production from their young receiving corps once again in Week 2 and Ben Roethlisberger looks to be rounding back into pre-injury form. But the real stars in Denver were on the defensive side of the ball as Pittsburgh recorded seven sacks.
Josh Allen is the NFL’s passing yards leader after two weeks (729 yards) and his receiving trio of Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley have combined for 35 catches for 519 yards and three scores in just two games. This is becoming one hugely-productive passing attack that is tough to stop.
What a worrying Monday Night Football loss that was to the Las Vegas Raiders. Most concerning is the continuing theme of Drew Brees not being able to push the ball down the field. This changes how teams will play defense against a Saints offense Sean Payton labelled as “average at best.”
Ryan Tannehill is now in the perfect situation for his skills as he thrives off play action passes. Tannehill threw four touchdown passes against Jacksonville last week and has shown that his leading the NFL in passer rating in 2019 was no fluke.
Kyler Murray is the real deal and a genuine contender to follow Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson as a second-season NFL MVP. And with the electrifying jitterbug leading the way, the Cardinals are serious players in the NFC West.
It’s great to see Cam Newton playing close to the best form that saw him named the NFL’s MVP in 2015, but will it distract from other issues in New England? I’ll be watching closely to see how a secondary that gave up five touchdown passes last week fares against Derek Carr.
The Rams use a lot of window dressing on the offensive side of the ball and those end-arounds, fake end-around and play action passes help quarterback Jared Goff a great deal. The offense is a lot less potent when it falls on Goff to drop back on his own and deliver a strike.
The Bucs got their first win of the season on Sunday but still rank 25th on offense in the NFL. Will they continue their progress this weekend in Denver? That is a place where Tom Brady has struggled to a 4-7 record against the Broncos. Tampa will come good but it will take time.
Dak Prescott was great in leading the Cowboys to a remarkable win over Atlanta and the weapons at his disposal are mouth-watering and plentiful. The skill-position players are going to need to hold up their end of the bargain for a few weeks because Dallas are struggling on defense.
The Niners pride themselves on their depth but last Sunday may prove too much for even them to overcome this season. Ziggy Ansah is not an adequate replacement for Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas. This team faces a hard and challenging road back to the playoffs now.
Derek Carr is off to a hot start in 2020 and finally seems to be winning over head coach Jon Gruden with his outstanding play. The Raiders have some promising youngsters on board in tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs. They look a decent playoff contender for 2020.
That was more like it from the Browns in their Week 2 victory over Cincinnati. Okay, it was only the Bengals, but Baker Mayfield looked much more effective off play action passes that were perfectly set up by the dominant rushing duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
I’m not sure on these Colts. They played well on defense during Sunday’s win over Minnesota, but they kicked too many field goals for my liking on offense. I think there are always going to be limitations with Philip Rivers now and the attack must centre on running back Jonathan Taylor.
Fine margins. Both Chicago victories have gone right down to the wire and required defensive stands on the final plays of games against Detroit and the New York Giants. At this current pace, Mitchell Trubisky is improving at quarterback but is he anything more than average at the moment?
Questions about Carson Wentz’s form are beginning to come with more regularity in Philadelphia where the Eagles are off to a disappointing 0-2 start. It’s not all on the offensive line, either. Wentz missed some throws against the Rams and deserved the virtual boos that came his way.
This has to be the most disappointing team of this young season, for me. The loss of Stefon Diggs appears to have taken the teeth out of the passing game, Dalvin Cook cannot get on track and the young players on defense are still finding their feet.
Anthony Lynn is sticking to that old adage that a veteran should not lose his starting job to injury. Tell that to Drew Bledsoe who gave way to some kid called Tom Brady or Nick Foles, who watched Minshew Mania be born in Jacksonville. It’s time for Justin Herbert, not Tyrod Taylor.
What a tough start to 2020 for the Texans. Defeats might have been expected against Kansas City and Baltimore, but what is most worrying is the listless ways in which Houston curled into a ball and took the beating in both losses. It doesn’t bode well for the coming weeks.
The opposite of the disappointing Vikings, the Jags are one of my pleasant surprises this season and Gardner Minshew is going to make management think long and hard about whether a new face is needed at quarterback in 2021. Tank for Trevor or Gain Ground with Gardner?
There was so much hope in the rarefied air of Denver this summer. But Drew Lock is gone for a few weeks at quarterback and Courtland Sutton and Von Miller are lost for the year. The gloss has come off what was shaping up to be a very promising season of growth.
Dan Quinn says no significant changes are coming on the defensive side of the ball but it’s clear those are where the big issues lie in Atlanta. With Calvin Ridley flying and Matt Ryan throwing strikes, the Falcons are going to get their points. They just cannot stop anybody.
Joe Burrow played with great intelligence and courage in Cincy’s Week 2 loss to the Browns, suggesting a brighter future for the Bengals. Of course, it should be noted that he needed to play with such courage because he took a beating behind a struggling offensive line that must be fixed.
There are building blocks on the defense and Terry McLaurin at wide receiver. After that, I don’t know what to tell you, Football Team fans! Is Dwayne Haskins the answer at quarterback? It doesn’t really look like it. Having the answer to that question heading into the offseason is the priority.
The lack of a running game in Miami is a real concern and the offseason signings of Jordan Howard and Matt Breida have yet to bear fruit. That puts even more pressure on the shoulders of bearded wonder Ryan Fitzpatrick, who should be given a medal for the fight and spirit he shows each week.
We’re about to find out if the Panthers can be more multiple and versatile on offense because Christian McCaffrey is gone for at least six weeks with an ankle injury. That heaps more pressure on Teddy Bridgewater, but he does have a dangerous WR duo in D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson.
Matthew Stafford can still sling it with the best of them, but his protection is shoddy, the defense is not good (I’m being kind) and the Lions cannot make the in-game adjustments necessary to hold onto leads. The pressure is building on Matt Patricia after 11 straight losses back to last season.
The Giants lost a major part of their identity and scoring power on Sunday when running back Saquon Barkley was sidelined for the remainder of this season with a torn ACL. They fought hard against the Bears but just lack enough difference-makers on both sides.
The 49ers played much of Sunday without some of their most key performers and still absolutely hammered the Jets. I don’t think Sam Darnold is the problem in the Big Apple. They need to keep him in place and blow everything else up and start over. Again.