The NFL season is off to an interesting start as many unexpected teams are undefeated and a few unexpected teams are winless. Of course, among those undefeated teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers climb into the top 5 for the first time this season after starting 3-0 as they continue to play efficient football on offense with elite play from the defense.
While the Steelers made a significant jump this week, they didn't make the biggest leap this week as several franchises have provided some exciting surprises through the first three weeks. Let's put the league into focus with this week's power rankings.
The Chiefs are sticking at number one, but make no mistake, they aren't exactly perfect. While their record may be perfect through three games, Patrick Mahomes is playing with more recklessness than usual, Travis Kelce is a non-factor and the running game is sputtering without Isiah Pacheco. They'll improve, no doubt, but that's where they are as the best team in the NFL.
The Bills probably shouldn't be such a surprise, but it's still somewhat surprising that they look so good. The competition hasn't been elite, but that changes with a trip to Baltimore. If the Bills walk away from that game 4-0, the Bills build momentum into the following week against the Texans. We'll learn a lot about the Bills in the next two weeks.
The Lions have struggled a bit more than expected the past two weeks, but the win over Arizona did show some of that patented Dan Campbell grit. Detroit does need to clean up their offense, but they still have enough going for them to stay competitive against anyone.
The Texans were upended by Minnesota and truthfully could have justifiably fallen farther. Staying in the top five is a vote of confidence that such a mistake won't be replicated. They had a few hiccups last year and always came back to set things right. They need to put Jacksonville down to justify it all though.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have cracked the top 5. While they are winning ugly, outside of the trip to Denver, they are mostly playing clean football too. The consistency of the offense is paired well with an elite defense. If the offense continues to grow, there could be something special here.
The Vikings have made believers out of me as they make another large leap in the Power Rankings. Crushing the Texans was rather unexpected, Now they sit at the top of the NFC North with an early trip to Green Bay up next. The offense gets stronger with Jordan Addison back, which should only help Sam Darnold continue to play the best football of his life.
The Eagles are dealing with injuries at wide receiver and a defense that's still coming together. Still, the defense slowed down the explosive Saints offense, showing growth after last year's slump. The offense will have to get back to its power-run game roots, which is far from a bad thing with Saquon Barkley continuing to play at an elite level.
The Saints simply swap places with Philadelphia in this week's power rankings after a narrow loss. It has to be comforting for Saints fans that their first loss to a fringe elite team was close, though it may have been a bit disappointing all the same. The Saints are alright, but they do have to continue to prove themselves in a wide-open NFC South.
The Baltimore Ravens ran the ball and crushed the Cowboys' defense in the process. Ravens fans should be hopeful that they continue to rely on the run game. Lamar Jackson and the defense aren't weak spots by any means, but the way the team is constructed, committing to the run makes them better.
The Seahawks have shown great consistency, even if they are winning ugly. They would take quite a leap up these rankings with a win over Detroit in primetime. Seattle hasn't lost to Detroit since 2012.
No one saw the 49ers starting the season at 1-2. While the offense is far from inept without Christian McCaffrey, they are just a touch behind without him. They'll get things on track in the coming weeks, without a doubt.
Green Bay's defense and rushing attack have taken over without Jordan Love. They'll be even more dangerous once he returns. An early home matchup with Minnesota is exciting, but a win sets up Green Bay to take command in the NFC.
The Bucs dropped a stinker to the Broncos after looking really good in a win over Detroit. Tampa is better than the performance they put out last week, but Atlanta is close and New Orleans is legit. They can't sleepwalk anymore this season.
The Jets handled the Patriots as expected, but a 21-point win also gives them the boost into the top-14. The offense slowly comes together, but they are clearly clicking, which makes them dangerous. New York isn't elite just yet, but they very well could be by mid-season at this rate.
Arizona is one of the best 1-2 teams. While more people are confident in Atlanta, I feel the explosive potential of Arizona's offense makes them a touch more dangerous. The Cardinals do need to come up with some wins, though. Potential never won anything.
The Falcons were a missed DPI call from toppling the Chiefs. Atlanta has opened a lot of eyes in the past two weeks, but like the Cardinals, the sooner they impress with some victories, the sooner they'll be in a better standing in the league.
Dallas isn't meshing as well as they'd like, that's for sure. They struggle to run the ball or stop the run with much consistency. The boom-or-bust defensive backfield isn't getting bailed out as much as in previous seasons, which is problematic. On top of that, Dak and CeeDee Lamb are having to carry practically the entire roster on their shoulders and it hasn't been going well.
Hello Los Angeles. The Rams crushed the 49ers in spite of an injury list that should absolutely cripple any chance of beating the most average NFL squads. That's mightily impressive and speaks to the talents of Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay.
A win over the Bengals has the Commanders looking hot early in the season. A bit of confidence will do wonders for this team that has more talent than it gets credit for. They have an opportunity to build some true momentum in the desert against the Cardinals this week.
The Chargers, like their LA roomates, are dealing with some tough injuries after a physical game with the Steelers. Unfortunately for the Chargers, Justin Herbert re-aggrivated that high ankle sprain and without him, teams can key in on the run and disrupt their identity completely. We'll see if they can overcome the injuries as the Rams have, but it feels unlikely with Herbert's status.
The Bengals are nearing a pitiful state with three largely unacceptable losses. They should get their first win against Carolina, but as the Panthers proved last week, nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. Even if Cincinnati gets the win in Carolina, they have to stack more victories to get back to .500. Otherwise, those uncomfortable conversations will continue to surface in Southwest Ohio.
The Colts toughed out their first win over Chicago and their reward is playing a hot Steelers team. Even in victory, Anthony Richardson is still playing inconsistent football and it's holding Indianapolis back. It's not all on him, but when he's making plays, it's tough to count them out.
The Giants are fun to watch if you only pay attention to Malik Nabers. But even he can't solve the problems plaguing this team on both sides of the ball. Still, credit where it is due, they got the win over Cleveland last week.
Chicago's offense clicked a bit better against Indianapolis, but they are still short of where they need to be. For the most part, the offensive problems boil down to play-calling and consistency. The defense is solid though, so if the offense can get it together, they'll start to become a nuisance.
The Dolphins are in a bad way at the quarterback position. Until Tua Tagovailoa returns, it's going to be tough to keep up with anyone. They could probably take a few notes from Green Bay and lean on their rushing attack and defense, both of which are strong enough to carry the team to an ugly win or two in the coming weeks.
Cleveland is squandering a fantastic roster. It's that simple. The defense should be elite, but the offense is so handcuffed with Deshaun Watson they can't keep their footing. This week's game with Las Vegas is an intriguing matchup. But if the Browns drop this one, they may need to take a serious look in the mirror when it comes to Watson.
The Patriots did a lot in the first two weeks to absorb the loss to the Jets. San Francisco is just the kind of team they'd like to sneak up on, though it'll be tough on the road. Strong defense and power running will keep them in games as the passing game catches up.
Props to Bo Nix. He played magnificently in Tampa Bay. While I'm still not sold on him, he had some dazzling plays to pick up his first win in the NFL. Overall, the Broncos are still going to struggle. The defense hasn't been as strong as they'd hoped to this point and offensively, Nix is being asked to do too much. That's a difficult recipe to find success with.
Understandably, the Raiders imploded a bit after dropping last week's game to Carolina. Truth be told, a quarterback change isn't going to change much about the offense. Without a great rushing attack and the defense underperforming, the problems in Las Vegas stretch beyond the signal caller anyway. The loss to the Panthers shouldn't define them based on their performance in Baltimore the week prior. Otherwise, things will get much worse for the Raiders before they get better.
Jacksonville might just be the most frustrating team in football outside of Cincinnati. They have way too much talent to be playing this poorly. A trip to Houston doesn't make things easier. An 0-4 start would have to spark some serious conversations about some mid-season changes.
It's actually impressive that the Carolina Panthers aren't going to be the final winless team in the NFL this year. However, we've seen this song and dance with Andy Dalton before. While he may play inspired against his former team this week, it's only a matter of time before he comes back down to earth and so too the Panthers.
The Titans are quite clearly no the worst team in the NFL, but they are the team beating themselves more than any other franchise. The difference in them being 2-1 instead of winless is purely a result of self-inflicted wounds. They will win some games in due time, but the Titans simplly have to get out of their own way.