NFL Power Rankings Heading Into Football Sunday

The Bucs, Rams, 49ers, and Ravens are good as expected, but there are some surprise 2-0 teams and already a 3-0 team

32. Jacksonville Jaguars, 0-2

Jacksonville looks awful. Straight up. Trevor Lawrence doesn’t look good yet, Urban Meyer won’t give more carries to Star Running Back James Robinson for whatever reason, and the defense is getting torched as well. I would be surprised if this team wins more than 2 games. Seriously. They are horrendous and Urban Meyer simply hasn’t prepared his guys for NFL games.

31. New York Jets, 0-2

Anyone still high on Zach Wilson? I never was and predicted he wouldn’t be better than Sam Darnold when they drafted him. He is still very young and obviously has a good arm, but when was the last time anyone saw a Quarterback play as bad as Wilson did last Sunday against the Patriots? I certainly can’t remember a QB playing worse than that. I mean 4 interceptions? This team will be lucky to win 2 or 3 games.

30. Atlanta Falcons, 0-2

I had high hopes for the Falcons after they drafted Kyle Pitts and returned Calvin Ridley, Mike Davis, and Matt Ryan, but it turns out I was wrong. This team is awful and it will undoubtedly be the last year for Ryan in Atlanta.

At least the Falcons got Kyle Pitts more involved this last weekend in the offense and guess what happened? They were able to compete unlike the previous week against the Eagles. Either way, this team will have to rely on its offense since this is one of the worst defenses in recent memory.

29. Houston Texans, 1-2

Tyrod Taylor actually looked really good before he got hurt, and Davis Mills doesn’t actually look that bad, but the problem is that this team does not have much to work with. They have an awful running game, an awful defense, and only one good receiver (Brandin Cooks). I would be surprised if they win more than 4 games even if Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills continue to play well.

28. Detroit Lions, 0-2

The Lions almost had a colossal comeback against a very good 49ers team in Week 1 and competed with a solid Green Bay Packers team for one half on Monday night.

However, this team’s secondary is non-existent especially with Cornerback Jeff Okudah out for the season and the Lions don’t have any reputable Wide Receivers on the offensive end either. Sure, Jared Goff looks better than expected and so does DeAndre Swift and Jamaal Williams, but this is the same old Lions who won’t win more than 4 or 5 games.

27. Minnesota Vikings, 0-2

The Vikings offense looks really good. The issue is the defense which gave up 34 points last week to the Cardinals and gave up 27 points to the Bengals in Week 1. Kirk Cousins has two elite receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.

Cousins also has a Superstar Running Back in Dalvin Cook and an underrated receiver in K.J. Osborn as well. However, even with a stacked offense, because of this team’s non-existent defense, they would be lucky to win 6 games.

26. New York Giants, 0-2

Daniel Jones actually looks really good. It is the defense and the inconsistencies on offense that are hurting this Giants team. Jones has been used as the primary rusher because Saquon Barkley is too inconsistent.

Kenny Golladay doesn’t look good and that is an issue considering he should be a bigger part of the offense. The Giants will beat the Falcons this week to get to 1-2, but we all will be waiting for the Week 4 matchup between the Giants and the Saints to see who the Giants really are.

25. Cincinnati Bengals, 1-1

Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, and Ja’Marr Chase look fantastic and the Bengals are definitely much improved this year. However, they will need more time to compete in the NFL. Wait a couple more years so the Bengals can get an offensive line.

24. Washington Football Team, 1-1

Ron Rivera simply doesn’t know what he is doing. Yes, his starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got hurt and they are stuck with Taylor Heincke at Quarterback, but the offense can’t seem to put up enough points to win.

Rivera won’t use Antonio Gibson enough, which is mind-boggling considering he is one of the best rushers and receiving Running Backs in the NFL. It won’t get much better against this Bills defense that will limit the Football Team’s offensive production tremendously. Washington will be 1-2 after this week with even more questions.

23. Chicago Bears, 1-1

Justin Fields will finally start this weekend which is already 3 weeks too late. The Bears looked awful in Week 1 against the Rams and barely won against the Bengals in Week 2. Fields is the long-term answer at QB and we will get a better look at what this team can be by watching Fields and the offense play the Browns this week.

22. Denver Broncos, 2-0

Teddy Bridgewater is much better than Drew Lock and it certainly shows. He has led the Broncos to a 2-0 record and has looked very good doing it, even without #1 receiver Jerry Jeudy.

It will only get tougher for the Broncos but as long as Bridgewater keeps playing well and the defense continues to dominate, this team will have a serious shot at making the playoffs and doing damage. We have to wait and see until the Broncos play better competition though.

21. Philadelphia Eagles, 1-1

Jalen Hurts has looked amazing and there is no denying his rising stardom. He was lights out against Atlanta in Week 1 and even rushed for a ton of yards including a touchdown in Week 2 against a very good 49ers defense. The Eagles are much better than people give them credit for.

Their defense has been elite so far with Fletcher Cox leading the way. Let’s see what the Eagles do on Monday night against the Cowboys, who will be a very tough test with their high-powered offense.

20. New England Patriots, 1-1

The Patriots are 1-1 with their only win coming against the Jets. Mac Jones and Damien Harris look good so far and the defense looks dominant. As long as they can continue to get consistency from Jones, Harris, and the defense, then the Patriots will be working their way into the postseason.

19. Miami Dolphins, 1-1

The Dolphins looked awful against the Bills in their 35-0 loss last weekend. Yes, starting QB Tua Tagovailoa got hurt and won’t play for who knows how long, but even when he did play they barely picked up any offense in a 17-16 win over the Patriots in Week 1.

Jacoby Brissett is not the answer and the Dolphins will desperately need to win games with their defense, which doesn’t look promising considering they just gave up 35 points last weekend.

18. Indianapolis Colts, 0-2

Even though the Colts are 0-2 I am giving them the benefit of the doubt since they played the Seahawks and the Rams, who are two of the best teams in the NFL. Sure, it does not look bright for the Colts to win a division title, but it is definitely still possible.

Carson Wentz needs to get healthy because he has been very good through two weeks, and Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. need more touches to get the offense rolling. The defense will definitley play better and the Colts are going to be in a huge hole if they fall to the Titans on Sunday.

17. New Orleans Saints, 1-1

The Saints looked elite in Week 1 and awful in Week 2. I think we are going to get these inconsistencies from this team all season long. Sure, Marshon Lattimore and other key defensive players were hurt in the loss to Carolina last weekend, but the offense should have been way more consistent. Winston threw 5 touchdowns in Week 1 and 2 interceptions with 0 touchdowns in Week 2.

The Saints could go 9-8 or they could go 11-6, but no one really knows at this point. What we do know is that when Alvin Kamara plays to his elite abilities, the Saints win by a lot, and when he doesn’t perform the Saints lose by a lot. This team’s success starts with Kamara and Winston’s consistency.

16. Los Angeles Chargers, 1-1

The Chargers can’t seem to convert in the Red-Zone only converting 3 times out of 10 for a touchdown. Justin Herbert has been inconsistent, but Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Keenan Allen all look great so far and the defense looks much improved.

This Chargers team will be a playoff team if they can fix their Red-Zone inconsistencies. If they do not, they are looking at possibly only an 8 or 9 win season since the Raiders are playing so well.

15. Green Bay Packers, 1-1

We will find out how good the Packers actually are against the 49ers on Sunday Night Football since this will be the first dominant team that the Packers play. The 38-3 loss against the Saints is obviously a fluke as they won’t get blown out like that again, but there are still question marks on how good this team actually is.

The Lions hung in with them for a half which should not be acceptable for a team that wants to win the Super Bowl. Are they dominant like last year when they went 13-3 and cruised into the NFC Title Game? Or is this team simply much weaker than last years team? We will get a taste of the real Packers on Sunday night.

14. Carolina Panthers, 3-0

Carolina has looked very good to start the year beating the Jets, Saints, and Texans in line to a 3-0 record. However, the team caught Jamies Winston, Alvin Kamara, and the Saints on an obvious off day (although the Panthers defense is really good so who knows) and played two of the worst teams in the NFL to get that undefeated record through 3 weeks of the NFL season.

D.J. Moore and Sam Darnold look absolutely fantastic, but Christian McCaffrey hurt his hamstring and will be out at least a couple of weeks. This obviously hurts the Panthers and puts way more pressure on Darnold, Moore, Robby Anderson, and Rookie RB Chuba Hubbard to pick up the slack over the next couple of weeks where they will play the Cowboys, Eagles, and Vikings.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1-1

The Steelers obviously have a dominant defense and one of the best coaches in all of football in Mike Tomlin. The issue is that it has become obvious that Ben Roethlisberger is not the same Quarterback he used to be and this should be his last year in the NFL.

He wasn’t great last year, but at least he could throw for more touchdowns and be consistent in the pass game in general. Roethlisberger’s lack of production is seriously hurting this team and if they had a better Quarterback they would be up there with the top 5 teams in the NFL. Instead, Rothlisberger is the QB who can’t produce with 3 elite Wide Recieivers in Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

12. Dallas Cowboys, 1-1

The Cowboys look to have one of the best offenses in the NFL. That is undeniable. Their receiving core consists of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb (who are both #1 receivers) and Michael Gallup when he is healthy.

Dak Prescott looks elite and even though Ezikiel Elliot doesn’t look fantastic, Tony Pollard is carrying the weight of the run game and providing a lot of value in the passing game as well. This team is a legitimate playoff contender and should be able to win the division on the heels of their high powered offense.

11. Tennessee Titans, 1-1

The Titans faced a ton of adversity in Week 1 losing to the Arizona Cardinals bad when they were at home and heavily favored. After being down a ton in Week 2 as well on the road in one of the toughest places to play in all of sports, the Titans jumped on Derrick Henry’s back to carry the offensive load and forege a comeback of the ages against a very good Seahawks team, winning in overtime.

It remains to be seen if the Titans can be as dominant or possibly even more dominant than last year. Ryan Tannehill needs to play way better for the Titans to have a shot at winning their division. I mean, Tannehill was great last year with just one dominant receiver. Now he has two and he is struggling? That makes no sense and I fully expect Tannehill to be very good the rest of the season with his offense weapons. The Titans should only move up this list, not down.

10. Arizona Cardinals, 2-0

The Cardinals have shown through two weeks that they are a legitimate playoff threat just like every other team in their division. All four of the NFC West teams are good enough to make it to the postseason, but only two or three will and the Cardinals hope to be one of them. Kyler Murray is possibly the league MVP through two weeks of the season dominating both the Titans and the Vikings.

Although the Vikings really should have won that game last weekend, the Cardinals have already shown that they have an elite Quarterback who has Deandre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, and A.J. Green to work with in the passing game. Arizona will improve to 3-0 as they face Jacksonville this weekend. With the Rams playing the Bucs and the 49ers playing the Packers, the Cardinals could be the lone division leader after this weekend.

9. Las Vegas Raiders, 2-0

The Raiders beat the Ravens and the Steelers in the their first two games of the season, both very impressive wins against probable playoff teams. Derek Carr and Darren Waller have always been good and the Raiders questions have always centered around the defense.

This year the defense looks really good and the Raiders are playing with real grit that they did not have at all last season. This could be the year they squeeze back into the playoffs with another pro-bowl season from underrated Quarterback Derek Carr.

8. Buffalo Bills, 1-1

Josh Allen has yet to have one of his MVP Candidate Josh Allen games this season but it is coming this weekend against the Washington Football Team. Yes, the Football Team has a dominant defense, but Allen must be frustrated with the way he has played this season so far. Allen will have a fantastic week and should get Stefon Diggs going as well.

I expect the Bills to give Washington a wake up call as they pounce on them. Maybe I will be wrong since Washington always plays teams tough and keeps games close, but I would be surprised if Allen isn’t back to 2020 Josh Allen this week. Behind one of the best QB’s in the league and a dominant defense, the Bills are Super Bowl contenders even through two games where one of them they lost to the Steelers.

7. Seattle Seahawks, 1-1

Yes, Seattle is 1-1 but they really should be 2-0. Yes, they blew a big lead at home, but that will certainly not ruin the confidence this team has. Russell Wilson is still an MVP candidate and both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are #1 receivers. Chris Carson is playing out of his mind good this year and if he stays healthy will have his best season yet.

All this team has to do to win is stop the other team a couple of times because this offense will roll all season long. The Seahawks play the Vikings this weekend, which will be a very tough game considering the Vikings are at home and desperately need a win to salvage their season. I am expecting Seattle to win in a shootout just like Arizona did against the Vikings.

6. Baltimore Ravens, 1-1

Baltimore lost to Las Vegas in the first game of the season in overtime and then they came out and beat the dominant Cheifs, something they had yet to do with Lamar Jackson so far. The Ravens had a ton of question marks heading into last Sunday Night’s bout with the Cheifs but silenced all of the haters as Lamar Jackson played great after a shaky start.

Even though they are plagued with injuries, the Ravens still have one of the best QB’s in football in Lamar Jackson and because of that should be a serious contender. Baltimore plays at Ford Field in Detroit where they should pounce on the Lions.

5. Cleveland Browns, 1-1

Cleveland’s loss came in close fashion to the Cheifs in Week 1 but they are still a top 5 NFL team. Nick Chubb is arguably the best pure rusher in the NFL besides Derrick Henry and Kareem Hunt is also very good. Baker Mayfield looks the best he has ever looked and the front line on the defensive end led by Myles Garrett is dominant as well.

I would be surprised if the Browns don’t get 12 wins on the season. Odell Beckham Jr. is coming back this weekend as well and we know how lethal he can be if used correctly. The Browns will coast this weekend against the Bears, even against a solid defense.

4. San Francisco 49ers, 2-0

Even though the 49ers are already dealing with injuries this season (CB Jason Verrett and RB Raheem Mostert out for the year among many other less severe injuries) they look pretty in control and dominant through two games. Yes, the 49ers did put in their 2nd and 3rd strings in too early against the Lions in Week 1 and barley avoided an upset after being up 41-17, but they still were in control that whole game pretty much.

Week 2 was a little bit different playing against a much better Philadelphia team who had the 49ers’ number until the second quarter where Jimmy Garroppolo calmed down and controlled the pace for the rest of the game. The 49ers shut down a very good offense and were able to score some points against a much improved Philadelphia Eagles defense.

Even though the 49ers won’t get their first real test until Sunday night against Green Bay, they look way better than last year already through two games. We will see if they can control the pace of play against a dominant offense in the Packers. If they beat the Packers pretty handily and its not close, then we can have a conversation on if the 49ers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

3. Los Angeles Rams, 2-0

The Rams survived the Colts in Indianapolis in a very close game, but still have proved through two games that they are indeed the best team in the best division in football. The 49ers are close to them, but the Rams hold the torch in this division so far this season.

Matthew Stafford and Connor Kupp have been arguably the best QB/RB tandem in the NFL and we will see how they stack up this weekend against the defending Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers.

2. Kansas City Cheifs

Even though they are 1-1, the Cheifs are still easily the best team in the AFC and would have been 2-0 if they did not fumble the ball on their last drive where they were inching into Ravens territory and would have hit at least a field goal to win.

Patrick Mahomes is still the best player in the NFL and his teammates Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are not that far behind him. The Cheifs’ defense is obviously their biggest hole and to win another Super Bowl they will have to continue to win in shootout’s with the best offense in football.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady looks even better this year than he did in the Super Bowl if that is possible. In fact, Brady looks the best he has since 2018 and if this trend continues, there will be no beating the Bucs. With that being said, the Bucs will face off with another Super Bowl contender in the Los Angeles Rams and we will see how the Bucs deal with their first bit of adversity this season.

With Antonio Brown out, does Tom Brady have enough weapons still to dominate in the passing game? Becuase the Bucs by no means have a solid running game and like the first two games, tey will have to heavily rely on Brady to control the pace of the whole game.