JOHN McCLAIN’S NFL POWER RANKINGS
1. Denver 3-0 (1):
Dating to last season’s playoffs, the Broncos have beaten Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Cam Newton (twice), Andrew Luck and Andy Dalton.
2. New England 3-0 (3):
If the Patriots win at home over Buffalo, they’ll start 4-0 without Tom Brady. He returns for the next game at Cleveland.
3. Minnesota 3-0 (5):
No Adrian Peterson. No Teddy Bridgewater. No Matt Kalil. No problem. The Vikings are playing outstanding defense.
4. Philadelphia 3-0 (13):
Rookie QB Carson Wentz is 66-of-102 with five touchdowns in his three starts and has yet to throw an interception.
5. Baltimore 3-0 (11):
John Harbaugh is doing another terrific coaching job after an injury-plagued 2015 season.
6. Pittsburgh 2-1 (2):
After losing the Pennsylvania state championship at Philadelphia, the Steelers return home to play Kansas City in a prime-time game.
7. Green Bay 2-1 (7):
Mike McCarthy has to be concerned about the bad second half after the great first half in the seven-point win over Detroit.
8. Seattle 2-1 (12):
Christine Michael ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns against San Francisco to provide a running game that’s been missing.
9. N.Y. Giants 2-1 (8):
Losing at home to Washington knocked them out of a first-place tie, and now they travel to Minnesota in the Monday night game.
10. Dallas 2-1 (14):
The Dak Prescott legend grows. Two victories, no interceptions in three games for the talented rookie quarterback. Tony who?
11. Atlanta 2-1 (15):
It looks as if Matt Ryan and his teammates are finally buying what second-year offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is selling.
12. Houston 2-1 (9):
They lost respect around the NFL with their performance at New England, but who wouldn’t have taken 3-1 before the season?
13. Oakland 2-1 (16):
After winning at Tennessee, the Raiders travel to Baltimore to play the undefeated Ravens. The best defense will win this game.
14. Kansas City 2-1 (17):
After forcing eight turnovers, including six interceptions, in their victory over the Jets, they visit Pittsburgh.
15. Arizona 1-2 (6):
It’s still early in the season, but the Cardinals have to qualify as one of the most disappointing teams in the league.
16. Cincinnati 1-2 (10):
The Bengals have lost to Pittsburgh and Denver. They need to get back on a winning track Thursday night against Miami.
17. Carolina 1-2 (4):
The Super Bowl hangover won’t go away. The Panthers are another disappointment this season.
18. Indianapolis 1-2 (23):
Andrew Luck earned his 15th come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter or overtime against San Diego.
19. San Diego 1-2 (18):
The Chargers are so close to being unbeaten. They blew fourth-quarter leads in road losses to Kansas City (OT) and Indianapolis.
20. Washingon 1-2 (30):
Right when everyone was ready to write off Washington and Kirk Cousins, it escaped with a two-point win over the Giants.
21. Los Angeles 2-1 (25):
The wolves were howling for Jeff Fisher’s job after the opening shutout against San Francisco, but now the Rams are tied for first.
22. Buffalo 1-2 (27):
Looks like Rex Ryan made the right decision firing offensive coordinator Greg Roman and elevating Anthony Lynn to replace him.
23. Tennessee 1-2 (20):
The Titans have suffered two winnable losses at home sandwiched between a comeback victory at Detroit.
24. Detroit 1-2 (21):
Scoring isn’t an issue. Only four teams have scored more points. The problem is defense. The Lions allow 28.3 points a game.
25. Miami 1-2 (26):
Winning at home over Cleveland in overtime is nothing to brag about. Winning the Thursday night game at Cincinnati is.
26. N.Y. Jets 1-2 (19):
They committed eight turnovers, including six Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions, in the loss at Kansas City. Here comes Seattle.
27. Tampa Bay 1-2 (22):
The Bucs have allowed 101 points, more than any team in the league. They’ve lost two in a row and host the undefeated Broncos.
28. San Francisco 1-2 (24):
With rookie QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys coming to town, they’re looking at a possible three-game losing streak.
29. New Orleans 0-3 (28):
The Saints are winless after three games for the fourth time since Sean Payton and Drew Brees have been together.
30. Jacksonville 0-3 (29):
Complaints that the offense is too conservative aren’t taking into account quarterback Blake Bortles’ six interceptions.
31. Chicago 0-3 (31):
As if the Bears didn’t have enough problems with QB Jay Cutler being injured, now running back Jeremy Langford is out.
32. Cleveland 0-3 (32):
For the first time this season, a QB will start consecutive games. Rookie Cody Kessler was impressive against Miami.
Last week’s ranking in parentheses