NFL Week 3 Power Rankings

Sep. 22, 2016

Denver Broncos' linebacker Von Miller

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Let's be honest. Weekly rankings are incredibly pointless and serve no real purpose aside from starting fiery debates among friends, family or even co-workers. Luckily, I enjoy a good football-centered debate, therefore I'll be throwing my list out there because, well, why not?

1. Denver Broncos

The champions are the champions until they're beat, and the Broncos have taken care of business through two weeks. They edged the Carolina Panthers (defending NFC champs) on opening night and secured a double-digit win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. They continue to win with mediocre quarterback play, which emulates much of their 2015-2016 championship season. Will they be the first repeat champion since the 2004-2005 New England Patriots? Doubtful. But if Trevor Siemian can avoid turning the ball over, they'll continue to be the toughest team to beat.

2.
New England Patriots

It's anyone's guess how
Bill Belichick continues to find a way to win under any circumstance, but the Patriots are 2-0 with their third-string quarterback now occupying the top spot on the depth chart. Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady is serving a four-game suspension and with backup Jimmy Garoppolo on the shelf for multiple weeks, rookie Jacoby Brissett will be QB1 for the next two weeks. It would be easy to slide them down the board based on that, though considering their upcoming schedule, they'll likely be at least 3-1 when Brady returns. Not bad at all.

If you're unfamiliar with the Patriots' third-round pick, take a look at the following video to get an idea of what you'll see Thursday night in Foxborough:

[Get to know Patriots rookie QB Jacoby Brissett - ESPN Video]

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

There may not be a team who has impressed more through two weeks considering the Steelers have been missing some of their top talent. Wide receiver
Martavis Bryant is serving a year-long suspension while star running back Le'Veon Bell is sitting out the first three, both due to substance abuse violations. On top of that, Pittsburgh has also been missing young receiver Markus Wheaton due to injury. Despite the setbacks, Mike Tomlin's crew has sprinted to a 2-0 start with a dismantling of the Washington Redskins on the Monday Night opener and an important division win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. They'll play just one more game before Bell returns to the lineup and as we've seen, backup De'Angelo Williams has been a more-than-capable complement to the passing game led by veteran Ben Roethlisberger.

4.
Arizona Cardinals

Despite a Week 1 loss to the aforementioned Patriots, Bruce Arians and the Cardinals seem poised to make another Super Bowl push after last year's playoff embarrassment in the NFC Championship Game. The aging Carson Palmer doesn't look as if he's lost anything yet and their dynamic defense has been providing even more offense. The key will be Palmer's health, but if he stays on the field, there's no reason to believe they won't have a chance at redemption and a trip to Super Bowl LI after their 40-7 domination over the Buccaneers in Week 2.

5.
Carolina Panthers

The Panthers dropped the season opener to the Patriots but bounced back in dominating fashion with a 46-27 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. You might say such a game isn't an adequate measuring stick, but lets not forget that Carolina still has Cam Newton, the reigning MVP. It's also worth mentioning that hey lost to Denver by just a missed field goal two weeks ago. They'll play the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) this weekend and despite not having two of their top playmakers, their stingy defense will certainly test the Panthers.

6.
Houston Texans

Bill O'Brien
is in his third season in charge and the team continues to take strides. The organization threw a lot of money at unproven quarterback Brock Osweiler in the offseason and though he has a long way to go in his development, under O'Brien's leadership, he's got the tools to be potentially the best quarterback in the history of their franchise. Lamar Miller has stepped nicely into the tailback position with 94.5 yards per game and youngster Will Fuller has logged two straight 100+ yard receiving games to start the season. We should really get an idea of what they're made of Thursday night when they face New England.

7.
Minnesota Vikings

Amazingly, the Vikings are 2-0 after losing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the season before the season even started. Shaun Hill started the opener while new acquisition Sam Bradford learned the offense. Bradford started Sunday night against Green Bay and exceeded expectations. Minnesota upset the Packers, taking an early lead in the NFC North. The bad news: Adrian Peterson will miss the next few months after sustaining an injury against Green Bay. They'll need to find a respectable replacement if they hope to continue their upward momentum.

8.
Philadelphia Eagles

Many might tell you the Eagles don't belong in the top ten, though those people would be wrong. It's still too soon to tell whether they've improved enough to compete for an NFC title but with a sensational rookie quarterback, a new head coach and a 2-0 record, Philadelphia has started something that fans are excited about. They've played a weak schedule so far and will be tested Sunday when they play Pittsburgh in a cross-state battle of the unbeatens.

9.
Green Bay Packers

I was one who believed Green Bay was overhyped leading into the season and so far, I still believe that to be true. They survived Jacksonville in Week 1 and dropped their division opener to Minnesota over the weekend. Still, Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the league (though, I still believe it to be Tom Brady) and they have a talented roster. They'll certainly be right there with the Vikings all season long and may overtake them for the division considering Minnesota's bad luck, but I don't expect more than 10 wins.

10.
Cincinnati Bengals

Expectations were high for Cincinnati going into the season, just as they are every year, but a Week 2 loss to the Steelers has shown us that they may not be the AFC North favorites anymore. Pittsburgh was in control through most of the second half and after they took a double-digit lead, there really wasn't any doubt. I'd still expect a playoff berth, but there's no reason to believe they've done anything to help them finally get that illusive playoff win.

11. New York Giants

12. New York Jets

13. Seattle Seahawks

14. Baltimore Ravens

15. Dallas Cowboys

16. Kansas City Chiefs

17. Detroit Lions