Neil Reynolds' Week 3 Power Rankings
There is a lot of week-to-week movement in these rankings and it’s hardly surprising given the wild nature of the first three rounds of action. The NFL has been as crazy and as unpredictable as ever before. With that in mind, there are two upstart teams at the top of my rankings.
Fly Eagles Fly! It’s not just the form of quarterback Jalen Hurts that has me purring over the Eagles. Their defense looks legit as well, making life a misery for Kirk Cousins in Week 2 and sacking Carson Wentz nine times in Week 3.
Mike McDaniel won’t need a wheelbarrow to carry his you-know-whats around for much longer. He’s going to need a lorry! The rookie head coach is making believers of us all and the Dolphins have beaten some quality in New England, Baltimore and Buffalo.
The Bills are still my pick to win the Super Bowl and that’s all because of quarterback Josh Allen. Buffalo had players dropping like flies during Sunday’s loss to Miami but as long as they have 17 in the lineup, they will always be competitive.
The Chiefs are still trying to figure their offense out and it was never going to be smooth sailing every week following the loss of Tyreek Hill. But they could easily be sitting pretty at 3-0, if not for a multitude of special teams mistakes last week.
The Packers started to see some glimpses from their receiving corps, particularly rookie Romeo Doubs. Aaron Rodgers and the passing game will click more as the season progresses. The defense is really good and that gives the offense room for error.
The Bucs just need to dig in and wait for some of their star receivers to become available. Tom Brady has just three touchdown passes in three games. The good news is that the D might just be the best in the NFL. Tampa are not going on a slide.
The Rams looked pretty ordinary in Arizona last weekend, but they still had more than enough to beat the Cardinals. LA have yet to really shine through three weeks and they certainly have room for improvement in the coming weeks.
Lamar Jackson is off to a stunning start at quarterback, where he has thrown at least three touchdown passes in every game this season. Lamar is also leading Baltimore’s ground attack every time he steps on the field. Pay the man!
The sky has not fallen in Dallas. The Cowboys are 2-0 with Cooper Rush subbing for the injured Dak Prescott. Dan Quinn’s defense has played a major role in keeping Dallas afloat. This team should continue to scrap for wins until Dak returns.
There were still times where Joe Burrow was scrambling for his life against the New York Jets on Sunday, but the star passer got the Bengals their first win of 2022. There will be more to come. The line is a worry but the rest of this team is very good.
The Vikings dug deep to record a win over the pesky Detroit Lions, twice coming from 14 points down to secure the victory. The only worry, for me, is that Justin Jefferson has just seven catches in his last two games after a stunning showing in Week 1.
The Chargers have serious injury worries and not just at quarterback where Justin Herbert is playing through fractured rib cartilage. Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater and wide receiver Jalen Guyton are gone for the year and defensive end Joey Bosa is also hurt.
The Jaguars are getting much-improved play from Trevor Lawrence and new additions at receiver such as Christian Kirk and Zay Jones are paying dividends. But the D is also a story. Jacksonville jointly lead the NFL with eight takeaways.
Jimmy Garropolo is a nice story for the Niners but can he make a real difference? You have to wonder after Sunday’s showing against the Denver Broncos. The 49ers need to find themselves because the rest of their roster is pretty strong.
There is a large portion of America that would like the Browns to slide out of relevance before Deshaun Watson returns to the field later this season. But this team could hang around thanks to the tough running of Nick Chubb.
What is going on with a Denver attack led by such a big-name quarterback like Russell Wilson? This is a real concern. The Broncos had a team record nine three-and-outs on Sunday. The good news is that they are 2-1 on the year.
I remain unconvinced that Matt Ryan is going to produce a high level of play for the Colts week in and week out, but he did deliver the win when it mattered on Sunday. That only happened because Indy played tough defense from start to finish.
It was not a classic and it was not pretty, but the Titans got their first win of the season against the Raiders on Sunday. There was a definite effort to focus on Derrick Henry, who had 25 touches for 143 yards and a touchdown.
There was a time when the Saints would lead the league in fewest giveaways every season. That time is not now. New Orleans have turned the ball over eight times in the past two weeks – losses to Tampa Bay and Carolina.
1. New York Giants -2
Everything appears to be centred around Saquon Barkley at running back and that makes total sense. The line is too much of a mess at the moment. Every time Daniel Jones drops back at quarterback, there are multiple men in his face.
Quarterback Mac Jones is heading to the bench for multiple games with a serious high ankle sprain. That leaves an already hot-and-cold offense in trouble with veteran Brian Hoyer at the helm.
The calls for Kenny Pickett are not going away. Mitchell Trubisky is not the only problem for a Steelers’ attack that has scored just four touchdowns in three games. But he is the most obvious one that fans can point to.
There is a dark cloud hovering over the Cardinals and it only separates occasionally when Kyler Murray produces a piece of improvised magic. He is not going anywhere, but there has to be some pressure mounting on head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
The Bears are not ready to trust Justin Fields yet and the numbers back that up as he completed just eight passes for 106 yards and two interceptions on Sunday. But Chicago won and are 2-1 with Khalil Herbert the star with 157 rushing yards and two scores.
Baker Mayfield continues to look pretty ordinary at quarterback for the Panthers, but defense powered Carolina to their first win of the season last Sunday. Christian McCaffrey is getting up to speed and that is good news.
Injuries to running back D’Andre Swift and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are a concern, but these Lions are officially feisty and much more fun to watch. They are on a journey towards being competitive, but they’re not there just yet.
The Falcons cannot rely on a clean game from quarterback Marcus Mariota every week, but they can lean heavily on running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who has rushed for 302 yards in three games this season.
The Raiders are a major disappointment this season and this is going to sound very simplistic, but the best fix is going to be constant and increased targeting of Davante Adams, no matter how he is covered. He had just five catches last week.
The positive is that Washington have some weapons worth paying attention to in the form of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel. But this offensive line has to be a worry after getting dominated by the Eagles on Sunday.
If the doctors give Zach Wilson the all clear to return at quarterback, the Jets will enter a critical phase in their rebuild. They need to see what Wilson can do with an extended run of games. Can he lift the offense and get more points on the board?
The Seahawks are proving to be a tough watch with Geno Smith at quarterback. Don’t get me wrong, he will have some good moments; but you have to accept you’re going to ride a roller-coaster with him in the game.
Once again, the Texans were competitive on Sunday but not produce the required result. You don’t get rosettes and trophies for trying hard in the NFL. It doesn’t feel like this team is going anywhere right now.