USA TODAY International Edition
Falcons move up two to No. 2, Chiefs still top power rankings
USA TODAY Sports’ NFL power rankings for Week 3 (previous ranking in parentheses)
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1): The legend of Kareem Hunt continues to grow. He’s the first player in more than six decades to score a touchdown from 50-plus yards in his first two NFL games.
2. Atlanta Falcons (4): We know what you were thinking when Green Bay scored two unanswered TDs midway through the fourth quarter Sunday night. We were thinking it, too.
3. Oakland Raiders (3): We can’t wait until Week 13 — that’s when Marshawn Lynch gets to engage Odell Beckham Jr. in what should be an epic dance battle.
4. Denver Broncos (9): ExNFL QB Steve Beuerlein says Trevor Siemian “looked like a Super Bowl quarterback.” If Siemian keeps having four-TD days, Beuerlein might be right. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5): That’s why WR Martavis Bryant is such a transformational presence. He’s scored 16 TDs in 23 career NFL games. 6. New England Patriots
(7): Rumors of Tom Brady’s demise were, of course, exaggerated. He could have thrown 12 TD passes against New Orleans if Bill Belichick had let him. 7. Green Bay Packers (2): Let’s not read too much into this loss. After all, they were without both starting tackles, and that was before Jordy Nelson got hurt.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10): No rust here. Even though many of their key players hadn’t seen game action in a month, Tampa Bay showed why it’s a trendy playoff pick.
9. Seattle Seahawks (8): Until Russell Wilson stops running for his life on every other play, it will be hard to take this team seriously as a contender.
10. Detroit Lions (13): Not very exciting when Matthew Stafford need not lead a last-minute charge. But that’s what happens when you have an effectively balanced offense and a suffocating D.
11. Baltimore Ravens (11): A nice start for sure, but no more Ohio teams on the schedule until Week 15. The loss of G Marshal Yanda is the cruelest blow to a team beset by injuries.
12. Tennessee Titans (12): Sunday marked their first divisional road win since 2013. A positive step considering their 2-4 division record cost them the AFC South title in 2016.
13. Carolina Panthers (14): They’re still in the Division I-AA portion of their schedule, but the defense might need to continue allowing three points a week while the offense licks its wounds.
14. Miami Dolphins (20): They’re the first team in NFL history to have two byes in the first three weeks of the season. Yes, they’re playing the Jets on Sunday ... but same difference.
15. Dallas Cowboys (6): Much to the dismay of the fans and Jason Garrett, Ezekiel Elliott seems to giving more effort in a courtroom than he is between the white lines.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (16): Few pills are more bitter than dropping to 0-2 against former coach Andy Reid. Maybe you shoulda treated Big Red a little nicer, Philly Fan.
17. Minnesota Vikings (15): If the team could stitch Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater together, Minnesota would have one pretty good, functional quarterback.
18. Washington Redskins (25): It appears they figured something out. No Redskin rushed for more than 30 yards in Week 1 loss, but three had 67-plus in Sunday’s victory.
19. Los Angeles Rams (19): No disrespect to Jared Goff (maybe a little), but Johnny Hekker reminded us he’s the best QB on the team after a 28-yard pass on a fake punt set up the tying TD.
20. Los Angeles Chargers
(17): YoungHoe Koo was a nice story ... until the season started. The rookie has missed three of four FG attempts, including both in the final seconds of the losses.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (21): CB Jalen Ramsey is a marvelously talented young player. But it’s time to eliminate bushleague plays like that late hit on Delanie Walker. 22. Houston Texans (26): Still a lot of work to do offensively, but rookie QB Deshaun Watson made a game-swinging play in Week 2 that showed why he got the starting nod.
23. New York Giants (18): It seems finger-pointing has already begun, including Ben McAdoo calling out besieged QB Eli Manning for poor play. This could get ugly(ier).
24. Buffalo Bills (27): It’s obvious they won’t quit under coach Sean McDermott. But they probably won’t contend, either, if LeSean McCoy remains the lone offensive threat.
25. Arizona Cardinals (23): Quite a bit’s already gone wrong for this team, but it was good to see the “Honey Badger” reemerge with that clutch interception in overtime.
26. New Orleans Saints (22): If there’s any team that should take preseason more seriously, it’s this one. New Orleans is 1-11 in September since 2014.
27. Cleveland Browns (28): We take this opportunity to laud LT Joe Thomas, he of 162 consecutive starts and more than 10,000 consecutive snaps since he was drafted in 2007. 28. Indianapolis Colts (29): Shoot ... out of Luck. The Colts are an underdog Sunday ... in Indianapolis ... against ... the Browns. Soon expect free tickets to see this free fall.
29. San Francisco 49ers (31): Coach Kyle Shanahan comes to Silicon Valley, and his offense reverts to The Stone Age. The Niners are still looking for their first TD.
30. Chicago Bears (24): QB Mike Glennon must have thought he was still wearing a Bucs uniform Sunday given he gave the ball back to his former mates three times.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (30): The whole is far less than the sum of parts given the offense is the first since 1939 to open with two home games and fail to score a TD. See ya, Ken Zampese.
32. New York Jets (32): Only thing more “infuriating ” than the defense’s play is LB Jordan Jenkins blasting the media for quoting him correctly regarding his Marshawn Lynch outrage.