Week 3 Power Rankings 🤠

09/20/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Early Movement is Evident, But 1 Team Appears Untouchable After 2 Weeks

Ah, back to the mid-week edition, already? Each Wednesday of the NFL season gives us a chance to stop and reflect on the previous week of football. Then, we rank ‘em. After all, with games on Thursdays and Mondays, we only have a short window before adding to the sample size. By scouring the unending resources of the internet, one can quickly find that weekly power rankings are a badge of honor in sports media. We’d be remiss not to join the fun.

Cowboys Take September: In Week 3, it’s no surprise who’s at the top. But how long they’ll stay there? Probably at least into October. The Dallas Cowboys have absolutely demoralized the city of New York through the first two weeks, pounding the Giants (40-0) and grounding the Jets (30-10) by a combined total of 70-10. Their next two opponents are the Cardinals (0-2) and Patriots (0-2), so we should expect Dallas to hold No. 1 for a while, at least into October.

Subjective Parity: What makes the NFL so great is that anyone can beat anyone, but that also makes for some infuriating power rankings. Do we really think the Chargers should be 18th? No, but they’re 0-2. So are the Bengals, Vikings, and Patriots — all respectable teams. And if the Jets were with Aaron Rodgers, they’d be higher. The same rings true for injuries to the Ravens (J.K. Dobbins) and Browns (Nick Chubb). The Broncos (27th) are three total points away from being 2-0. These are tough decisions, people.

NFC South Revival: One notable shift in this week’s rankings is the added respect for the NFC South. Three of the four teams — Saints, Bucs, and Falcons — started the season way too low. New Orleans (8th), Atlanta (11th), and Tampa Bay (15th) have made statements with 2-0 starts.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 2)

1. Cowboys (2-0) | ↑1

2. 49ers (2-0) | ↓1

3. Eagles (2-0) | —

4. Dolphins (2-0) | ↑1

5. Chiefs (1-1) | ↓1

6. Ravens (2-0) | ↑1

7. Bills (1-1) | ↑2

8. Saints (2-0) | ↑6

9. Seahawks (1-1) | ↑8

10. Lions (1-1) | ↓4

Teams 11-20

11. Falcons (2-0) | ↑7

12. Rams (1-1) | ↑3

13. Jaguars (1-1) | —

14. Browns (1-1) | ↓4

15. Buccaneers (2-0) | ↑9

16. Jets (1-1) | ↓6

17. Packers (1-1) | ↓1

18. Chargers (0-2) | ↓5

19. Bengals (0-2) | ↓8

20. Titans (1-1) | ↑6

Teams 21-32

21. Steelers (1-1) | ↑7

22. Commanders (2-0) | ↑1

23. Vikings (0-2) | ↓4

24. Patriots (0-2) | ↓3

25. Raiders (1-1) | ↓4

26. Giants (1-1) | ↑1

27. Broncos (0-2) | ↓5

28. Colts (1-1) | ↑2

29. Panthers (0-2) | ↓1

30. Bears (0-2) | ↓5

31. Texans (0-2) | —

32. Cardinals (0-2) | —

PFT: PFT’s Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

NFL: Week 3 Power Rankings: Saints Crack Top-10, Bengals Keep Sliding

B/R: Power Rankings: Where Does Every Team Stand Entering Week 3?

Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images