Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 3. (To see our Week 2 rankings, click here.)
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 2: 3): No team has been more impressive this season than the Steelers, who beat a good Bengals squad by two scores on Sunday. And Le’Veon Bell will return to the Steelers’ lineup in two weeks.
2. Arizona Cardinals (2): After dropping a close one to the Patriots in Week 1, the Cards responded by manhandling the upstart Buccaneers 40-7 over the weekend. Like we said last week, they should be near the top of this list all season.
3. New England Patriots (1): The Patriots are 2-0, but it didn’t feel right keeping them in the top spot given the uncertainty surrounding their quarterback situation. They’re still our team to beat in the AFC, though, and Tom Brady’s suspension is halfway through.
4. Carolina Panthers (6): Cam Newton & Co. flexed their muscles in a 46-27 beatdown of the 49ers.
5. Denver Broncos (7): Denver’s defense is scaaaary good.
6. Green Bay Packers (4): The Packers nearly were upset by the Jaguars, then struggled against the Vikings’ ferocious defense in a 17-14 loss Sunday night.
7. Seattle Seahawks (5): Where is the Seahawks’ offense? They’ve scored one touchdown all season and managed just a field goal Sunday in a 9-3 loss to the lowly Rams.
8. Houston Texans (11): Houston hasn’t allowed a touchdown in six quarters, and DeAndre Hopkins and rookie Will Fuller have been arguably the league’s best receiver duo so far.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (8): A date with the Broncos this week should show us what the Bengals are really made of.
10. Minnesota Vikings (15): Sam Bradford surprisingly looked awesome against Green Bay, and Minnesota’s defense is straight-up terrifying. But can the Vikings possibly survive injuries to Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson?
11. New York Giants (14): Big Blue still isn’t scoring many points, but hey, it’s 2-0.
12. New York Jets (12): The Jets look like the No. 2 team in the AFC East.
13. Oakland Raiders (9): A trendy playoff pick, the Raiders have allowed 69 points in two weeks. It’s hard to win many games with a defense like that.
14. Kansas City Chiefs (10): Had it not been for a full-blown Chargers collapse in Week 1, the Chiefs would be 0-2 right now.
15. Baltimore Ravens (13): The Ravens are 2-0, but do wins over the Bills and Browns really count?
16. Indianapolis Colts (20): Indy kept it close against Denver before Von Miller had his say. Andrew Luck’s troops easily could have won each of their first two games. Instead, they’re 0-2.
17. Miami Dolphins (23): The Dolphins deserve credit after nearly erasing a 31-3 deficit in Foxboro. Ryan Tannehill was awesome in that second half, too.
18. Dallas Cowboys (24): Ezekiel Elliott was benched Sunday, but he and Alfred Morris did enough to help the Cowboys take down the division rival Redskins.
19. Washington Redskins (16): Kirk Cousins and the Skins have been all sorts of disappointing.
20. Philadelphia Eagles (30): The Eagles have beaten two truly terrible teams in the Browns and Bears, but 2-0 is 2-0.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (17): Jacksonville looked like the Jags of old in a blowout loss to San Diego.
22. San Diego Chargers (26): No Keenan Allen. Now no Danny Woodhead.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18): Soooo apparently the Bucs aren’t back.
24. Atlanta Falcons (22): The Falcons still don’t inspire a ton of confidence, even after their win over the Raiders.
25. Detroit Lions (19): Were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Titans. Enough said.
26. Buffalo Bills (21): The Bills look like a sinking ship.
27. Tennessee Titans (31): Tennessee jumps a few spots after beating Detroit.
28. Chicago Bears (24): Basically the opposite of the Cubs right now.
29. Los Angeles Rams (29): The Rams have a strange ability to beat the Seahawks but struggle against pretty much everyone else.
30. San Francisco 49ers (27): That blowout of the Rams in Week 1 sure looks like an aberration.
31. New Orleans Saints (28): Still hanging in the NFC South basement.
32. Cleveland Browns (32): Speaking of basement.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
