NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Tier 6 | They are trying their best out there
Tier 6 rosters are unfortunate. Even the Indianapolis Colts, considered a potential division favorite, are struggling without Michael Pittman Jr. and Shaquille Leonard on the field. But they are the only team not rebuilding at this level.
32) Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons defense looked disjointed against LA’s offense early. If not for Matthew Stafford’s weekly FIGJAM throw into a non-existent window, the Rams might have scored a touchdown on each of their first five offensive possessions. But instead of giving up, the Falcons rallied from a 31-10 deficit to make it a 31-25 game after returning a blocked punt for a touchdown.
31) Carolina Panthers
Matt Rhule may survive a few more weeks, but there’s a good chance this team will be 0-7 when they meet Atlanta in Week 8. With games against the Saints, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams and Buccaneers in back-to-back weeks, the James Webb Space Telescope to see where they can win. The offense was never going to be great, but it was non-existent through the first two weeks of the season. Rhule fired Joe Brady before the end of Year 2, hiring Ben McAdoo as his replacement. In an age of aggressive innovation, this never felt like a step in that direction.
30) Houston Texans
Once again, the Houston Texans fought hard to win a football game and came up short. They almost averaged as many yards on the ground as they did in the air. Davis Mills could only manage 4.7 yards per attempt in the passing offense against a stout Broncos defense. He was also sacked three times and fumbled twice. The Texans were helped by poor coaching on the other side of the ball and the Broncos’ inability to score in the red zone or go for it on third down. But this young Texans defense has played some amazing football in the first two weeks of the NFL season.
29) Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are a great example that we don’t know anything absurd until real football is played. Matt Ryan looked to be an upgrade from Carson Wentz. However, Chris Ballard has done nothing to improve an already depleted receiving corps and the offensive line has fallen apart in recent seasons. The hiring of Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator could be a reliable offense for Frank Reich, but injuries haven’t helped their defensive results either.
28) Chicago Bears
Make it 24 of the last 28 games the Chicago Bears have dropped to the Green Bay Packers. Justin Fields had more rushing attempts than completions before the Bears got the ball back with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. That’s surprising, considering the Bears trailed from the second quarter onward. But the Bears only managed 39 offensive plays at that point in the game. They had more 3-pointers than not against Green Bay. They were 1-for-7 on third downs and managed just 11 first downs before the two-minute warning. Chicago took Sunday Night Football back to the 1950s and in turn scored a lot of 1950s points.
27) New York Jets
Honestly, no one could have convinced me after Joe Flacco’s preseason performance and Week 1 exit that he would win a game for the Jets before Zach Wilson returned from injury. Congratulations are in order and a formal apology is essential. Robert Saleh kept the receipts and these papers have my name on them. Garrett Wilson already being good shouldn’t surprise anyone. After a scary onside hit on a play that showcased his ungodly leaping ability, he returned to be the catalyst in the Jets’ comeback win against the Browns.
26) Jacksonville Jaguars
What the Jaguars did to the Colts today was disrespectful. Jacksonville’s last win was against Indianapolis in 2017, and they did it to them again Sunday, scoring 24 points in the process. Trevor Lawrence didn’t have a pretty game a week ago. In fact, it was incredibly disappointing to see some of the same struggles he had a season ago despite the much better environment. Week 2, however, was completely different. Gus Bradley’s defense did nothing to make him uncomfortable and he finished 25 of 30 for 235 yards on the day.
NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Tier 5 | Very strong playoff contenders
Should we expect the Detroit Lions to make the playoffs? No way. The same can be said for the 2-0 New York Giants, though we should keep our eyes on them.
25) Washington Commanders
Maybe the Detroit Lions are better than we think. Maybe Washington’s defense will find its way at some point this season, but Sunday wasn’t that day. The Commanders allowed seven yards per play against Detroit and made Jared Goff look like it was 2018 and Sean McVay calling plays. Something has to give. This defense succumbed a season ago and continued that trend for two weeks. Their offense looks much improved from a season ago, but if they can’t stop anyone, they won’t find themselves climbing the NFL Power Rankings anytime soon.
24) Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are tired of losing. The question is, are they learning how to win? Things got a little interesting when Washington got the game within eight in the fourth quarter, but Detroit answered on the next drive with a touchdown to make it a two-possession game again. Amon-Ra St. Brown – who can name all 16 receivers drafted before him – continues to prove he’s the steal of the NFL draft and the franchise’s No. 1 receiver taken in the fourth round.
23) Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys defense is still outstanding and the Cowboys offense was almost impossible to watch after the first two offensive drives. Dallas had no business in this game, but this defense kept them in it, as did the Bengals offensive line. And in the end, the defense stopped on 3rd-and-3 to force a punt, and Cooper Rush moved the Cowboys 33 yards down the field for the game-winning field goal as time expired. It’s probably not a sustainable formula, but it got the job done against the Bengals in Week 2.
22) Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns defense needs to do better. This group of defensive backs, linemen and defensive ends is indistinguishable from the corpse of Joe Flacco. Yes, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Michael Carter and Breece Hall are a very talented bunch. But this was a Browns team going at it in 2022. The rush attack is excellent. Nick Chubb once again averaged over five yards per carry, scoring three touchdowns on just 17 carries. Jacoby Brissett and Amari Cooper have little to do with each other. But late in the game, when he needed to make a play, Brissett made the mistake that lost the game.
21) New York Giants
The Giants’ offense doesn’t appear to be any better than it was a season ago, even with Brian Daboll taking over as the offensive architect. After blowing the Titans to the ground a week ago, the Giants averaged just 3.1 yards per carry against the talented Panthers defense. Daniel Jones hasn’t made a magical leap in his fourth season so far, which could make the Giants’ decision that much easier in the offseason.
20) Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks looked impressive on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. However, as we learned in Week 2, that could have been a product of Denver not being as good as we thought. As with all Seahawks games, this one was boozy. Seattle tried one of the worst RB passes that ended in an interception. Geno Smith completed 24 of 30 passes, but the offense lacked explosiveness overall. The big plays they made were called back due to penalties. They couldn’t get the running game going against San Francisco, which was their offensive downfall.
19) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots game turned out almost exactly as we thought it would. It was an old fashioned slugfest between two teams trying to run the ball, control the clock and try to avoid mistakes on offense. Minkah Fitzpatrick continued to impose himself. He intercepted a McJones pass for his second early-season interception. Defense isn’t Pittsburgh’s thing, but that’s something we’ve known since the season. They lack explosiveness in attack. Their OL is a struggle and Mitch Trubisky is just treading water. He averaged 5.1 yards per attempt in Weeks 1 and 2.
NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Tier 4 | Wait and see
We’re still not sure what to make of the teams in Tier 4. There’s some talent on every roster, but it’ll take time to tell if it can come together for a playoff run.
18) Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders let the Chargers slip away in their Week 1 loss to the West Coast team. “Charging” is a real thing and the Raiders defined it today against the Arizona Cardinals. They completely outplayed Arizona in the first half, but Kyler Murray and the quarterback were a match made in heaven on Sunday. Hunter Renfrow made it two plays on three plays during overtime, the second leading to the Cardinals’ scoop-and-score touchdown to seal the game.
17) Cincinnati Bengals
We thought the Cincinnati Bengals would improve in 2022 after pouring resources into their offensive line. However, two games in, they are 0-2 and the offensive line may look worse than it did a season ago. Granted, they have played two defensive fronts that can get after the QB. But they’ve also faced two teams that shouldn’t even be competing for the 2022 playoffs. Cincinnati needs to turn things around quickly against the New York Jets next week.
