My 2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 3

Three. That is how many weeks of the NFL season are already behind us. Three. That is how many unbeaten teams remain in the league after just three weeks. Three. That is the number of teams that remain winless after three games. That’s it, you see, or else I will have listed a fourth thing. And I can’t do that. Can’t disrupt the symmetry.

1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0) ~ After winning the battle for Los Angeles, the Rams remain the only unbeaten team in the NFC. They are doing it in dominating fashion too, as they are blowing out their opponents by an average score of 34-12. They could be in for a dogfight on a short week when Minnesota comes to town. The Vikings will no doubt want to get the bad taste out of their mouth after being manhandled by the seemingly hapless Buffalo Bills. (Last Week’s Ranking 1)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) ~ The Rams aren’t the only ones lighting up the scoreboard. Kansas City has scored at least 38 points in each of their three games and are showing no signs of stopping. Patrick Mahomes is now up to 13 touchdowns (which leads the league) without having thrown a pick. If he makes it out of Denver with a win, they will be 2-0 in the division with at least a two game lead over their nearest competitor. I hate to say a Week Four game is a big game, but this one is huge. (LWR 3)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) ~ That first drive was a thing of beauty. Carson Wentz returned to the lineup and led the Eagles right down the field for a touchdown on their opening possession. The rest of the game? Not so pretty. Philly DID grind out the win, but they had to fade a hail mary on the final play. Philly had an explosive offense last year when they captured their first Lombardi trophy. They are averaging under 20 points per game so far in 2018. That number will need to increase, and fast. (LWR 5)

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) ~ Life would be good if the Jags could avoid the Tennessee Titans. Being that they both play in the AFC South, that just isn’t going to happen. Jacksonville lost for the fourth time in their last five against the Titans. This time they didn’t even allow a touchdown. At home no less! At least they won’t see them again until a Thursday night tilt in Nashville on December 6^th. That should be plenty of time to prepare. (LWR 2)

5. New Orleans Saints (2-1) ~ Only the Chiefs have scored more points (118) than New Orleans (104). That’s good! Nobody has allowed more points (103) than the Saints. That’s bad! Last year it seemed like the Saints had a defense that could help take the load off of Drew Brees. So far this season that looks to have been an anomaly. Will a road trip to New York to face Eli Manning and company help turn things around? I’m thinking not. (LWR 8)

6. Carolina Panthers (2-1) ~ Christian McCaffrey ran wild against the Bengals piling up 184 yards on the ground. He also caught both of his targets for another 10 yards. Usually a 194-yard day nets a score or two. Nope. In fact, McCaffrey has yet to find the end zone this season despite 68 touches. I imagine that will change, but Run CMC will have to wait until the calendar turns to October for that first score. The Panthers are one of two teams to have a bye in Week Four. (LWR 10)

7. Miami Dolphins (3-0) ~ I did mention that there were three undefeated teams remaining. The first two led off the rankings. I suppose I have to give credit where credit is due. Miami makes a huge jump, even if I’m not sold on them being a top-10 team. They’ve won close games against the Titans, Jets and Raiders, none of whom are world beaters. Miami has a chance to prove themselves this weekend if they can take down the…(LWR 19)

8. New England Patriots (1-2) ~ I said earlier that I don’t like to call a September game a big game, but this Sunday’s game against the Dolphins is HUGE from New England’s perspective. A loss puts the Pats at 1-3, decidedly behind the would-be 4-0 Dolphins. A win and order in the AFC East is more restored to the norm of the past 15 years or so. I fully expect New England to win this one. That said, if the team who played Sunday night in Detroit shows up, all bets are off. (LWR 6)

9. Minnesota Vikings (1-1-1) ~ They got caught looking ahead. Right? I mean, how else you explain the beatdown they took at home against the Bills? I pegged Buffalo as the worst team in the league. Minnesota was one of the best! Ten minutes into the game they were already down 17-0 and that, as they say, was that. I hope you didn’t have money riding on this one. I am officially knocked out of both of my last man standing pools. Didn’t even make it to October. Yuck. (LWR 4)

10. Green Bay Packers (1-1-1) ~ Let’s be real here. Aaron Rodgers is not 100%. Not by a mile. But, Aaron Rodgers at 85% is still better than what some teams are trotting out there at quarterback. Something that could help ease the load on Rodgers is a solid running game. That could be on the way as Aaron Jones is back after serving a two-game suspension to begin the year. Jones had six carries for 42 yards in the loss against the Redskins. Green Bay has a few good backs in the stable, but Jones is the best of the bunch. (LWR 7)

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) ~ He didn’t get the win, but Ryan Fitzpatrick still put up numbers Monday night. That’s now three straight games with at least 400 yards passing and three touchdowns for the bearded wonder from Harvard. Jameis Winston is eligible to return from suspension this week, but I can’t see any reason why Tampa should close the curtain on this Fitzmagic show. (LWR 11)

12. Atlanta Falcons (1-2) ~ Close losses to the Eagles and Saints have Atlanta at 1-2, but the losses on their defense may weigh heavier as the season progresses. First, Pro Bowl strong safety Keanu Neal went down with a torn ACL. Next it was Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones who was lost to injured reserve following foot surgery. Most recently it was Ricardo Allen who went down with a torn Achilles. Allen was the quarterback of the defense. Add in some other nagging injuries amongst lineman and Atlanta just needs to stop the injury flood wave before their season is washed away. (LWR 9)

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-1) ~ After picking up their first win of the season, the Steelers no longer have to hear about sporting a worse record than the Cleveland Browns. Now, they simply have to hear about having the same record as the Browns. At least for one more week. Ben Roethlisberger put on a vintage display in the first half of their win in Tampa, and the defense held off a late rally to escape with the W. (LWR 15)

14. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) ~ The Ravens have set an NFL record for efficiency in the red zone. Twelve trips inside the 20 have yielded 12 touchdowns. That’s never been done before in the history of the NFL. Everyone thought this would be an important year for Joe Flacco and his future in Baltimore. So far, so good. (LWR 16)

15. Chicago Bears (2-1) ~ Chicago’s defense is back. Through three games they have five interceptions, fourteen sacks, seven forces fumbles and two touchdowns. Leading the way, of course, is Khalil Mack who has at least one sack and one forced fumble in each of his first three games as a Bear. The last player to do that in three straight games? That would be Mack who accomplished the feat back in 2016. He’s a beast. (LWR 18)

16. Washington Redskins (2-1) ~ When Washington runs the ball, they win games. Adrian Peterson has accounted for 216 rushing yards and three scores in Washington’s two wins. In the one loss? Just 11 carries for 20 yards. AP gets to rest his sore ankle this week during the bye before he travels to New Orleans to take on a Saints team that showed him the door last year. Motivation? I think he’s got it. (LWR 20)

17. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) ~ The Chargers may be 1-2, but they’ve lost to the Chiefs and Rams so far and both of those teams are still unbeaten. Last week I mentioned that Mike Williams was going to be a big part of this offense. All he did on Sunday was bring in four passes for 81 yards and two scores against a Rams secondary that hadn’t surrendered a passing touchdown to a receiver all year. Kid’s gonna be good. Book it. (LWR 12)

18. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) ~ I’m mad at the Bengals. They won their first two games by identical 34-23 scores. I wanted that third game in a row with the same score. They almost did it, albeit flipped. Cincy lost to Carolina 31-21 Sunday. Maybe they can lose to the Falcons by that same score? That could be fun. (LWR 14)

19. Denver Broncos (2-1) ~ Denver may be 2-1, but they have the worst point differential (-9) of any team with a winning record. I’m skeptical, but if they can pull off the stunner and take down the unbeaten Chiefs, maybe I will start believing. (LWR 13)

20. Seattle Seahawks (1-2) ~. Earl Thomas, a lifelong Seahawk, has made it known that he would enjoy playing for Dallas. The Cowboys, likewise, have made it known they would like Thomas to play for them. They collided on Sunday and Thomas’ two picks of Dak Prescott helped seal Seattle’s first win of the season. Final score of the Earl Thomas Bowl? Thomas 2 Dallas 0. (LWR 24)

21. Tennessee Titans (2-1) ~ Only the Cowboys (41) and Cardinals (20!) have scored fewer points than the Titans (49). The difference? Tennessee has made the most of those points and sit atop the AFC South. Injuries have ravaged this team thus far, but if they can manage to stay afloat until Marcus Mariota can return to full strength, they have as good a shot as anyone in a division that appears up for grabs. (LWR 22)

22. Dallas Cowboys (1-2) ~ The Cowboys have scored their fewest points across their first three games to start a season since 1990. People are calling for Dak Prescott and Jason Garrett’s heads. They aren’t the only ones to blame. Dallas released Dez Bryant, lost Jason Witten to retirement and cut Dan Bailey. They did little to replace them. To see Dallas scuffling on offense should come as no surprise. While I could see Dallas moving on from Garrett if the season doesn’t turn around, I don’t think they will, or even should, replace Prescott. (LWR 21)

23. Detroit Lions (1-2) ~ It was a lock. Detroit was staring 0-3 right in the face. After opening the season with losses to the Jets and 49ers, both of whom have yet to make an appearance on this ranking, the Lions had no chance to upend the Patriots. Zero. Zilch. Not only did they defy the odds, they did so in dominant fashion. Kerryon Johnson became the first Lion with a 100-yard rushing game since Reggie Bush did it 70 games ago. Detroit still may not make the playoffs this year, but this win certainly saved their season from being over before it started. (LWR 27)

24. Cleveland Browns (1-1-1) ~ Believe-land! It seems like eons ago, because it was the Thursday night game, but the Browns put one on the board in the win column for the first time since December 24^th, 2016. That, my friends, is a long time to wait to win a game. The Browns, and their fans, have first overall pick Baker Mayfield to thank for the win and for some free Bud Light. Head Coach Hue Jackson has already named Mayfield the starter for Week Four. If he can pull out another W, that’s called a winning streak. That is something the Browns haven’t seen since November of 2014 when they ripped off three wins in a row. (LWR 28)

25. San Francisco 49ers (1-2) ~ This big drop is strictly because Jimmy Garoppolo has a torn ACL which will cause him to miss the season. That means C.J. Beathard is the starting quarterback. We all know how that went last year. So long, 49ers 2018 season! We hardly knew ye! (LWR 17)

26. Indianapolis Colts (1-2) ~ Old man Adam Vinatieri is in the record books once again. The oldest player in the league, at 45 years young, booted three field goals to tie Morten Andersen’s career record of 565 made field goals. He will look to break the record next week at home against the Texans. The dude just loves playing football. I mean, he made his NFL debut in 1996. I was in the sixth grade. What were you doing in ’96? (LWR 25)

27. New York Giants (1-2) ~ In a battle of 0-2 teams, the Giants avoided the dreaded 0-3 hole to start the season by beating Houston. Odell Beckham Jr. had over 100 yards receiving, Eli Manning threw for nearly 300 with two touchdowns and Saquon Barkley found the end zone again. The stars helped the Giants gut out the win after seeing young stud tight end Evan Engram leave the game with a knee injury. He has a sprained MCL and should miss some time. (LWR 29)

28. Houston Texas (0-3) ~ Well, we already know they lost to the Giants, so let’s try and find a positive. Shall we? Deshaun Watson and Will Fuller V seem to have an outstanding rapport. In the six games they have played together, they have connected for nine touchdowns. That is obviously unsustainable, but the Texans will be happy to simply see both of them healthy and on the field together. (LWR 23)

29. New York Jets (1-2) ~ About that 1-0 start. Yeah. Sam Darnold has looked like a rookie quarterback. And that’s OK! He IS a rookie after all. Darnold has just one touchdown and four interceptions over his last two games. He’s been held under 200 yards passing twice. There are going to be growing pains. It isn’t panic time in New York. (LWR 26)

30. Buffalo Bills (1-2) ~ Just how big of an upset was Buffalo’s win in Minnesota? The Bills were 17-point underdogs and playing without LeSean McCoy, arguably their biggest offensive threat. No matter. Buffalo stormed out to a big lead and didn’t look back pulling off the biggest upset in the NFL since 1995, or, just one year prior to Adam Vinatieri’s NFL debut. (LWR 32)

31. Oakland Raiders (0-3) ~ If NFL games were only 30 minutes, the Raiders would be 3-0. Games aren’t 30 minutes and the Raiders aren’t 3-0. Oakland has had the lead at halftime in every game this year only to see it evaporate in the second half. Think this team misses a defensive stud like Khalil Mack? (LWR 30)

32. Arizona Cardinals (0-3) ~ It’s Josh Rosen time in the desert. The number 10 overall draft pick will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Seahawks. Rosen takes over for Sam Bradford who was abysmal at best in the first three games. It’s sad that this could be the final season in Larry Fitzgerald’s stellar career. I hate to see him go out like this. Here’s hoping Rosen can help get Arizona back to respectability. (LWR 31)

Well, that’s it. All 32 NFL teams. All in one little list that can cause a reader a bevy of emotions. Do you like where your team is ranked? Do you hate it? Do you think I have no clue what I’m talking about? Maybe you should tell me about it. Leave a comment below or reach out to me on Twitter. Handle is in the profile. See you next time kids.