The rumors of the Green Bay Packers’ demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated, as they rebounded from that Week 1 debacle against New Orleans with a by-now familiar drubbing of the Detroit Lions, winning for the fifth straight time in that rivalry. And those Saints? They got dismantled by the upstart Carolina Panthers, showing that they are not quite ready to dethrone the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.
Let’s take a look at the latest NFL power rankings heading into Week 3’s action, as you consider your sports betting action.
NFL News: Week 3 Power Rankings
#1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
That near-miss against Dallas was followed up by a rout of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. On both sides of the ball, the Buccaneers look like the team to beat already.
#2 Kansas City Chiefs (1-1)
How can a 1-1 team have the #2 ranking in the league? They lost, 36-35, to the Baltimore Ravens, a team that pulled out all the stops to end a four-game losing streak to the Chiefs. There were just a few plays that went the Ravens’ way in this one. I’d still pick Patrick Mahomes over any other quarterback if I needed a game-winning drive.
#3 L.A. Rams (2-0)
Cooper Kupp blew up the stat sheet in the Rams’ Week 2 win, as Matthew Stafford appears to have been waiting for just this sort of moment to arrive in his career: a chance with a team that could actually build a contending roster.
#4 Buffalo Bills (1-1)
After losing at home to Pittsburgh in ugly fashion, Buffalo went down to Miami and delivered a lesson on both sides of the ball. Interesting statistic: the Bills’ defense has played eight quarters. In the fourth quarter of Week 1, the defense permitted 17 points. In the other seven quarters, the defense has permitted six points combined.
#5 Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
The Ravens have lost three tailbacks for the season, along with a lot of other injuries, and they have delivered an outstanding win — and a maddening loss. Which team shows up in Week 3?
#6 Cleveland Browns (1-1)
A tough loss to Kansas City preceded a win over Houston, but the Texans jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over the Browns — in Cleveland. There could have been some hangover from that tough loss, but the Browns need to play 60 minutes this week.
#7 San Francisco 49ers (2-0)
Jimmy G struggled in a 17-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. The potential for a quarterback controversy seems like more of an issue for the fans than for the players, though.
#8 Green Bay Packers (1-1)
After playing three halves of shaky football, Green Bay came out of the locker room last night and punched the Detroit Lions in the mouth, over and over again. Next week’s game in San Francisco will tell us more about this team.
#9 Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
This really is a tale of two teams: dominating Indianapolis on the road, and then leading Tennessee by two touchdowns at home in the fourth quarter, only to implode and lose in overtime. The Seahawks’ offense is terrific under Shane Waldron, but that defense.
#10 Las Vegas Raiders (2-0)
The overtime win against Baltimore involved at least a little bit of luck, but that emphatic win at Pittsburgh? That’s two wins over 2020 playoff teams, and starting with the comeback against the Ravens, they looked elite on both sides of the ball.
#11 Arizona Cardinals (2-0)
The Week 1 rout of Tennessee was much more impressive than the last-second win over Minnesota, where the Vikings snatched defeat from the jaws of victory thanks to a missed field goal. Even so, this offense is even better than it was last year, and the defense can play at times.
#12 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
The defense is stout when it is healthy. However, the offensive line has some real problems. The defense flexed against Buffalo, but the O-line cratered against Las Vegas.
#13 L.A. Chargers (1-1)
Justin Herbert is fun to watch. However, this team looks for ways to lose, week in and week out, and next up is a trip to Arrowhead.
#14 Denver Broncos (2-0)
An unbeaten start is nice, but the Broncos have only played the Giants and the Jaguars. Teddy Bridgewater finally looks like the quarterback who led the Vikings to an NFC North title.
#15 Tennessee Titans (1-1)
The Titans climbed on Derrick Henry’s back once again, and once again he carried them to a comeback victory. This week is a home tilt against the Colts that will give one team the early inside track to the AFC South title.
#16 Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Does any owner celebrate each win like it’s the Super Bowl with any more enthusiasm than Jerry Jones? The Chargers made a lot of mistakes — and the Cowboys still only won by three. Monday night has the Eagles coming to town.
#17 Carolina Panthers (2-0)
After seeing the Panthers dispatch the Saints, I see that this young crew has a very high ceiling…but the floor is also low. How will they deal with a Houston team that is playing above its talent right now?
#18 New Orleans Saints (1-1)
So you beat Green Bay by 35…and lose to Carolina by 19. We don’t know what these Saints are yet, but the ceiling here is also very high.
#19 New England Patriots (1-1)
The defense is stout, but the offense really bogs down in the red zone. Hosting the Saints next week means that two teams with a lot of questions to answer might make some progress.
#20 Miami Dolphins (1-1)
Luckily, Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury is not going to turn out to be too severe. But how do you go from edging out the Pats at Gillette to getting blanked on your home field?
#21 Washington Football Team (1-1)
Taylor Heinicke did just fine against the Giants. But if the Washington defense is elite, how did it give up 29 in that game?
#22 Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Philadelphia hung 32 points on Atlanta but could only manage 11 against the 49ers. Expect some growing pains from Jalen Hurts — but also expect a big night on Monday in Dallas.
#23 Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
Home losses to the Seahawks and the Rams were not unexpected, but now they play three on the road in a row, and Carson Wentz has already sprained both ankles. Losing this week in Tennessee could make contending for an AFC South title even tougher.
#24 Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
The Vikings look more star-crossed each week. They’re just a couple of breaks away from being 2-0, but it’s hard to trust them from a betting perspective.
#25 Chicago Bears (1-1)
Justin Fields isn’t the starter yet, but expect to see him a lot now that Andy Dalton has knee problems. The defense was good enough to squeeze out the win against Cincinnati, but next week the Bears head to Cleveland.
#26 Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
The Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay was made a lot more graphic by those two pick-sixes in the fourth period. Next up come games against the Giants, Washington and the Jets, though, so the Falcons should get above .500.
#27 Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
Cincinnati trailed Chicago, 20-3, with six minutes on the clock and then roared back to finish just short, 20-17. Joe Burrow is the real deal, but this young offense needs more consistency.
#28 Detroit Lions (0-2)
Jared Goff looks much better this season than he did in L.A. last year. However, the defense is dreadful.
#29 N.Y. Giants (0-2)
Let’s see. You have a wide receiver yelling at the offensive coordinator in a game in which your team puts up 29 on an elite defense? Joe Judge needs to batten down some hatches.
#30 N.Y. Jets (0-2)
Growing pains hit Gotham, as Zach Wilson threw four interceptions in Week 2. Next up is a trip to Denver.
#31 Houston Texans (1-1)
Houston won their opener against Jacksonville, despite being a home underdog, and they went up 14-0 on the Browns in Cleveland. However, Tyrod Taylor is now out, and the team is using Davis Mills instead of Deshaun Watson.
#32 Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)
The Jaguars are already getting dragged on Twitter after apologizing for that 0-2 start. Trevor Lawrence has an amazing arm, but that O-line is going to make it hard for him to make it through all 17 games.
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