Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Overreactions, a new No. 1 and Vikings, Commanders drop

Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Overreactions, a new No. 1 and Vikings, Commanders drop

The Week 3 NFL Power Rankings have a new No. 1, major drops for some preseason favorites and early season overreactions for all 32 teams.

www.nytimes.com

We’re only two weeks into the NFL season. The most prudent thing to do with the limited amount of data we have at this point is to proceed cautiously.

But the Power Rankings won’t be doing that this week. We’re overreacting about pretty much everything from the tush push to Ben Johnson to the Super Bowl-bound Indianapolis Colts (OK, that last one was too far.).

1. Green Bay Packers (2-0)​

Last week: 2
Thursday: Beat Commanders 27-18
Overreaction: Dan Quinn shouldn’t have hired Matt LaFleur

The Packers head coach was Notre Dame’s quarterbacks coach when Quinn hired him in 2015 to be part of an Atlanta Falcons staff that included Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel. LaFleur has led the Packers against a team coached or coordinated by Quinn four times since 2019. His quarterbacks have thrown 12 touchdown passes against zero interceptions and had a 144.7 passer rating in those games, all of which were wins. Some thanks, huh?

Up next: at Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

2. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)​

Last week: 1
Sunday: Beat the Chiefs 20-17
Overreaction: It’s boring football

There, we said it. The Eagles choked the life out of the Chiefs anaconda-style. It was as tedious as it was ruthless. Philly averaged 3.7 yards per play and tush-pushed its way to its final touchdown and the first-down conversion that sealed the victory. At least A.J. Brown had five catches this week, albeit for a mere 27 yards! The Eagles are 3-0 in the last two years when passing for fewer than 100 yards.

Up next: vs. Rams, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

3. Buffalo Bills (2-0)​

Last week: 3
Sunday: Beat Jets 30-10
Overreaction: James Cook should have gotten more money

The Bills’ fifth-year running back had to hold in to get a four-year, $48 million contract extension. He’s fourth in the league with 176 rushing yards after a 132-yard, two-touchdown effort Sunday, including a 44-yard score in the second quarter. Cook’s five 40-plus-yard touchdown runs since 2022 lead the NFL, and he’s sixth in the league in rushing since the start of the 2023 season (2,307 yards).

Up next: vs. Dolphins, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

4. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0)​

Last week: 4
Monday: Beat Raiders 20-9
Overreaction: A Greg Roman body double is calling plays

When Roman was the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022, his team led the NFL in rush percentage (51.1). When he was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, his team was second in the league in rush percentage (50). After Monday night’s win, the Chargers are 17th in rush percentage (42.1), according to TruMedia. Until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Chargers simply wanted to drain the clock, Justin Herbert had thrown 25 passes against just 17 run plays. It’s working. This team looks like a contender.

Up next: vs. Broncos, Sunday, 4:05 p.m.

5. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)​

Last week: 8
Sunday: Beat Browns 41-17
Overreaction: This team will set the NFL points record

The 2013 Denver Broncos hold that title with 606 points. Baltimore is on pace for 689 after its second straight 40-point game to start the season. It did that despite gaining only 242 yards of offense. Lamar Jackson had his 12th career game with four or more touchdown passes and is now the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating (102.65), according to CBS Sports.

Up next: vs. Lions, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

6. Detroit Lions (1-1)​

Last week: 14
Sunday: Beat Bears 52-21
Overreaction: Ben Johnson’s not that great

We were all a little worried when the Lions scored 13 points in Week 1 without Johnson coordinating the offense, but Detroit made a statement by putting 511 yards and 52 points on Johnson’s new team, the Chicago Bears. Jared Goff had five passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 156, his second highest as a Lion. It’s the fifth time a Goff-quarterbacked team has topped 50 points.

Up next: at Ravens, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

7. Los Angeles Rams (2-0)​

Last week: 7
Sunday: Beat Titans 33-19
Overreaction: Davante Adams will top 1,200 receiving yards

The 32-year-old hasn’t reached that mark since 2022, but he looks good paired with Matthew Stafford. On Sunday, Adams had 106 yards on six catches (and 13 targets). He also had his first touchdown in Los Angeles. Adams and the defense made the Rams look like the NFC West favorites.

Up next: at Eagles, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET


Baker Mayfield led the Buccaneers on an 80-yard, game-winning touchdown drive to beat the Texans on Monday night. (Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)​

Last week: 11
Monday: Beat the Texans 20-19
Overreaction: Baker Mayfield is the toughest QB to play against

If there were an advanced stat for Opponents Aggravated per Dropback, Mayfield would lead the NFL. He is adding 4.35 expected points per game with his scrambling this year, which ranks third in the league. On Monday night, with under two minutes remaining, he scooted 15 yards to convert a fourth-and-10 on the game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive, somersaulting to the turf at the end. He has picked up first downs on 75 percent of his scrambles this year, and he’s tied for third with five passing touchdowns and ninth in EPA per dropback (0.23). Cleveland and Carolina would love to have him back.

Up next: vs. Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

9. San Francisco 49ers (2-0)​

Last week: 6
Sunday: Beat Saints 26-21
Overreaction: Mac Jones is the next Sam Darnold

Darnold’s return from The Land of the First-Round Bust started with one start in San Francisco in 2023. On Sunday, Jones was 26-for-39 for 279 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his first stint since fill-in duty last season in Jacksonville, where he landed after being dumped by New England. He was eighth in the NFL in passer rating in Week 2 (113.1). The 15th pick in the 2021 draft will get another shot somewhere if he does this another time or two before Brock Purdy returns.

Up next: vs. Cardinals, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

10. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)​

Last week: 16
Sunday: Beat Broncos 29-28
Overreaction: This is the AFC South favorite

Indianapolis has scored on 14 of its 16 possessions this season, and Daniel Jones is third in the league in EPA per dropback (0.35). And then there’s this: Jonathan Taylor had 165 yards on 25 carries against a defense that gave up 71 rushing yards in Week 1. Shane Steichen is in the way-too-early conversation for Coach of the Year.

Up next: at Titans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

 

[HipKat]

NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: How all 32 teams stack up, plus takeaways on all QB situations

It's time for new NFL Power Rankings after two weeks! We stacked the best teams and named the biggest QB takeaway for each roster.

www.espn.com

After a weekend filled with last-minute wins by the Cowboys, Colts and Bengals, Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season concluded with two exciting "Monday Night Football" showdowns. How did wins for the Buccaneers and the Chargers shake up our Power Rankings? We stacked all 32 teams heading into Week 3.

In addition to our rankings, NFL Nation reporters named the No. 1 thing they've learned from the starting quarterback -- or QB situation in general -- this season. Some of those starters will change in the coming weeks as five quarterbacks deal with injuries: the 49ers' Brock Purdy (toe and left shoulder), the Bengals' Joe Burrow (toe surgery), the Commanders' Jayden Daniels (knee), the Jets' Justin Fields (concussion) and the Vikings' J.J. McCarthy (ankle). Can the backups keep their teams on track? And how have veteran QBs such as Daniel Jones and Geno Smith looked with their new squads so far?

Let's get right into it with our No. 1-ranked team. (Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluates how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.)

See previous rankings: Preseason, Week 2

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Week 2 result: Beat the Jets 30-10
Week 2 ranking: 1

Biggest QB takeaway: Josh Allen continues to embrace he doesn't have to be Superman

Although it's sometimes necessary for Allen to put the Bills on his back, he had issues early in his career of trying to do too much on his own. That certainly still comes up sometimes, but the Bills have shown that they don't have to rely solely on Allen's arm and legs. That was on display versus the Jets, as Buffalo's dominant rushing attack led the way. James Cook finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Allen didn't score for just the eighth start of his NFL career. -- Alaina Getzenberg

NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Chiefs will be fine; watch out for NFC West

Pete Prisco shares his Power Rankings heading into Week 3 of the 2025 season

www.cbssports.com

Somebody asked me the other day if the Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty is over.

Yeah, right.

The 0-2 start is cause for concern, but the Chiefs will find their way out of the hole. It's not like they didn't just go toe-to-toe with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, a game they might have won if Travis Kelce actually caught the football for what should have been a touchdown and a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter.

As it turned out, the Eagles intercepted the Kelce drop and turned it into a touchdown that led to a 20-17 victory that has the Chiefs 0-2 for the first time since 2014. It's also the first time Patrick Mahomes has lost three straight games since his college days at Texas Tech.

So, the cause for concern is understandable. But let's look at it deeper. The Chiefs lost a close one to the Chargers in Brazil and then did little on offense against the Eagles and still were in it in the fourth quarter.

0-2 isn't as bad as it looks.

What is bad is the lack of playmakers they have on the offense for Mahomes. They don't scare anybody.

But there might be good news this week. Speedy receiver Xavier Worthy could be back against the New York Giants, and Rashee Rice will be back in four weeks.

The Chiefs have to hold on until then. That will put more pressure on the defense to play like it did Sunday and for Mahomes and Kelce and whoever else is on the field to do enough to score more points.

Kansas City started at No. 4 in my Power Rankings this season, but now has fallen out of the top 10. The Eagles remain in the top spot.

I think the Chiefs will find a way to turn it around. With Andy Reid as head coach and Mahomes at quarterback, doesn't it seem like they always do?

The dynasty isn't dead. It's just in the ER for a bit, but my opinion is that they will be back to health in a big way come mid-October.

2	They dominated the Jets and clearly have staked a claim as one of the best teams after two weeks. The defense impressed in beating New York.