The second week of the NFL has concluded and there are plenty of talking points after a thrilling week. To start this was a week full of upsets as we saw the Saints take down the Cowboys, Vikings took down the 49ers, and then the Falcons on MNF stunning the Eagles. Some unfortunate headlines coming from this week are the injuries to star players around the league.
Those players include Cooper Kupp, Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel, Justin Jefferson, Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Mixon, Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, and A.J. Brown. After the dust settles it will be interesting to see what unsung heroes step up for these injured superstars. Let’s take a look at the week 3 power rankings ahead of Thursday Night Football
1. Kansas City Chiefs 2-0 (-)
The Chiefs had their hands full against the Bengals on Sunday but ultimately prevailed winning 26-25 after Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal. Patrick Mahomes had 158 passing yards, the offense had 3 turnovers, and they went 1/8 on 3rd down in a sloppy performance. Isiah Pacheco is out 6-8 weeks, the team will rely on a mix of Carson Steele, Samaje Perine, and potentially Kareem Hunt until Clyde Edwards-Helaire returns from the IR. This week goes to show you that the Chiefs can play D+ football and still beat one of the best teams in football.
2. Houston Texans 2-0 (+2)
The Texans have climbed up to number 2 on the power rankings after a win against the Chicago Bears. The Bears defense gave them fits the whole night holding them to 19 points. It does not have to be pretty every week, but the combination of C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins did enough to help them win. On the defensive side, they have one of the best pass rush tandems in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter that have been dominant to start the season.
3. Buffalo Bills 2-0 (+4)
The Bills demise was greatly exaggerated this offseason by a few NFL analysts but with Josh Allen at QB, this team will always be a contender. Through 2 weeks they have 65 points scored and have run the ball more than they have passed. The balance has helped Josh Allen cut down on turnovers and create more open throws in the passing game. We have to give credit to Sean McDermott for this new-look defense performing well to start the season.
4. San Francisco 49ers 1-1 (-2)
One of the first big upsets this week the 49ers dropped their 2nd game of the season to the Vikings. The 49ers moved the ball well but as soon as they got to the Vikings side of the field their drives stalled out. Defensively they got shredded allowing 403 total yards on the day. They will be fine going forward but the injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel are concerning.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-0 (+7)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in the TOP 5! After a big win on the road in Detroit to avenge their playoff loss the Bucs seem like a real contender out of the NFC. Baker Mayfield has been very good this season with 474 passing yards and 5 touchdowns on the year. Defensively they have some work to do with some young pieces but still held the Lions to 16 points.
6. Detroit Lions 1-1 (-1)
On the other hand, this was a game that the Lions could not get over the hump. They outgained the Bucs by 250 yards, converted on 3rd down at a higher rate, and won time of possession. All of these are key components in any Lions win, but 2 costly interceptions by Jared Goff killed drives. On defense Aidan Hutchinson was a monster recording 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Not too worried about them long term after this loss
7. Philadelphia Eagles 1-1 (-1)
The Eagles had a chance to put away the game on Monday if they either ran the ball or Saquon Barkley caught a pass for a 1st down to end the game. Now we have to talk about how the Eagles lost. Their secondary once again was not impressive last night and managed to let up the game-winning touchdown in under a minute. The Eagles will go as far as their defense takes them this season.
8. Baltimore Ravens 0-2 (-5)
The Ravens are surprisingly 0-2 to start the season after two winnable games slipped through their fingertips. On Sunday the Ravens played uninspiring football for a majority of the contest letting the Raiders hang around just long enough. The defense now has had two bad games without DC Mike MacDonald, starting to raise questions about that unit. They need to be ready to go this week against the Cowboys or could fall to 0-3.
9. New York Jets 1-1 (-)
The Jets handled business in Tennessee beating the Titans 24-17. After a rough week 1 both sides of the ball rebounded for the Jets. On offense Aaron Rodgers threw 2 touchdown passes while Braelon Allen caught one and ran one in for touchdowns. The offense is going to keep getting better as the season goes on.
10. New Orleans Saints 2-0 (+14)
The Saints are LEGIT contenders in 2024 if they keep up this performance. This is now the 3rd straight game they have gone over 40 points dating back to last season. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has unlocked whatever Derek Carr had left and he is having a resurgent season. On defensive they forced 2 interceptions and had 3 sacks while holding the Cowboys to 19 points. The NFC South is shaping up to be a tough division.
11. Green Bay Packers 1-1 (+5)
The Packers played old school football in their win over the Indianapolis Colts as they ran the ball 53 times. Matt LaFleur is a genius and should be considered no less than a top 5 coach in the NFL right now. The defense even stepped up this week and held the Colts to 10 points while forcing 3 turnovers. They just need to hold down the fort until Jordan Love gets healthy
12. Dallas Cowboys 1-1 (-4)
The Cowboys had a letdown week against the Saints where they were beaten handily on both sides of the ball. Defensively this unit confuses me. They have weeks where they are dominant, and they look like a top defense in the NFL then other weeks where it is almost impossible not to score every drive on them. On offense, the lack of weapons outside of CeeDee Lamb showed in this one as they settled for field goals too many times on Sunday. They need someone to step up and be a reliable 2nd weapon on that offense.
13. Cleveland Browns 1-1 (+2)
The Browns got a big win against the Jags on the road for their first win in 2024. The offense once again struggled finishing with less than 300 total yards and 18 points. On defense though they were dominant giving the Jags offensive line nightmares the whole day. Like I mentioned last week this team is going to go as far as Deshaun Watson will take them.
14. Cincinnati Bengals 0-2 (-)
The Bengals played great on Sunday against the Chiefs. The offense was moving the ball at will and the defense has allowed the least amount of passing yards in the NFL after 2 weeks. Lou Anarumo never gets enough credit for how great of a defensive coordinator he is. Trey Hendrickson wrecked every Chiefs drive in the 2nd half by getting a sack or drawing a holding call that resulted in a big play coming back. The Bengals will be just fine this season.
15. Chicago Bears 1-1 (-2)
Two things can be true, the Bears have not looked great through 2 weeks and the Bears are a playoff team in 2024. Their defense is a top 5 unit in the NFL and gave the Texans fits in the 2nd half, only allowing them to 19 points in the game. On offense, they showed signs of improvement from week 1 but 7 sacks and Caleb Williams poor decision-making never allowed them to get in a rhythm. With a weak schedule the rest of the season their development week to week on the offensive side of the ball will be key.
16. Minnesota Vikings 2-0 (+7)
The Vikings pulled off a big upset over the 49ers this week behind HC Kevin O’Connell’s play-calling. This guy deserves consideration for coach of the year if the Vikings continue to play like they have, and QB Sam Darnold looks solid through 2 weeks. Surprisingly this defense has been great to start the season. In week 2 they had 6 sacks, led by Patrick Jones II who is now up to 4 sacks on the season.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-0 (+1)
The Steeler way consists of Kicking field goals, playing great defense, and mixing in a touchdown every once in a while. That recipe worked again this week as early DPOY favorite T.J. Watt lived in the backfield the whole game. On offense, Justin Fields is playing well within the system and succeeding. It will be interesting to see if they keep winning with Fields if they go back to Wilson as their starter.
18. Los Angeles Chargers 2-0 (+7)
The Jim Harbaugh led Chargers are playing great football behind their rushing attack. On Sunday they ran wild for 219 yards and a touchdown in their win over the Panthers. Taking pressure off of star QB Justin Herbert has worked well so far to start the season. On defense they have only allowed 13 points on the year and EDGE rusher Joey Bosa looks healthy for the first time in a while.
19. Seattle Seahawks 2-0 (+2)
The worst of the 2-0 teams, the Seahawks gutted out an OT win over the Patriots at home. Without former OC Shane Waldron the offense still appears to be firing on all cylinders. Geno Smith passed for 327 yards and the duo of D.K. Metcalk / Jaxon Smith-Njigba combined for 246 of those yards. As the season goes on their schedule gets harder and they will get tested in week 4 against the Lions.
20. Atlanta Falcons 1-1 (-)
Such a big win for the Falcons this week as Kirk Cousins is officially back. Credit to OC Zac Robinson for going more under center this week as that helped set up their inside zone and play action scheme. The Falcons showed signs of the explosiveness we expect from them this season last night. On defense, their secondary has been great through 2 weeks and has shown to be one of the better secondaries in football.
21. Arizona Cardinals 1-1 (+1)
The Cards offense broke out in a big way. Kyler Murray finished with 3 touchdowns and a perfect passer rating. Marving Harrison jr. had 130 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. James Conner had 122 rushing yards and a touchdown. The offense has the potential to be great this season and it showed in week 2.
22. Los Angeles Rams 0-2 (-12)
Injuries have decimated this team only 2 weeks into the season. After an emotional loss to the Lions on opening weekend, the Rams got blown out by the Cardinals this past week. Their defense without Aaron Donald is generating little to no pass rush and the secondary has been brutal. Sean McVay needs to find a way to keep this team afloat as they get healthy.
23. Miami Dolphins 1-1 (-12)
The Dolphins season looks like it is in shambles with QB Tua Tagovailoa suffering another concussion. Before his injury, they were getting beat up at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball while Tua was making horrible reads. With Skylar Thompson now in at QB this team and Snoop Huntley backing him up this team’s 2024 outlook is grim.
24. Las Vegas Raiders 1-1 (+3)
The Raiders pulled off the upset over the Ravens this weekend as Minshew Mania’s aura continues to grow. Brock Bowers has already inserted himself as one of the league’s top tight ends after two weeks. One of the more confusing parts about the Raiders is that they are so inconsistent. Last week we got a dud against the Chargers and this week we got an upset win. What’s in store next week for the silver and black?
25. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-2 (-8)
The Jags had another rough game on Sunday falling to the Cleveland Browns in a matchup of overpaid quarterbacks. Trevor Lawrence finished with 0 touchdown passes and completed less than 50% of his passes in the loss. His regression the last two seasons is very concerning for this team’s long-term outlook. Doug Pederson’s seat is starting to heat up after 2 weeks. Their defense on the other hand has been great through 2 weeks.
26. Indianapolis Colts 0-2 (-7)
The Anthony Richardson hype train heading into the season might be dying down after week 2. Richardson on the season is now completing less than 50% of his passes and has 4 interceptions. His big arm can’t make up for his accuracy problems and it is starting to become concerning. On defense, you knew the Packers were gonna run the ball a lot with Jordan Love out and they still had no answer. The AFC South might be a one-team race with the Colts being one of the three 0-3 teams.
27. Tennessee Titans 0-2 (-1)
The start to the 2024 campaign has not been great for 2nd year QB Will Levis. The Titans offense has scored under 20 points in back to back games while Levis himself now has 3 interceptions on the season. On the defensive side of things that unit appears to be very good. L’Jarius Sneed is just as good as he was in Kansas City and locked up Garret Wilson.
28. New England Patriots 1-1 (-)
The Patriots were one drive away from starting the season 2-0 but were forced to punt in overtime which led to the Seahawks game winning field goal. The style of play is very similar to the Bill Belichick style Patriots which is not super surprising. They are going to lean heavily on their defense and rushing attack to keep them in games.
29. Washington Commanders 1-1 (+2)
Jayden Daniels got his first NFL win by scoring 0 touchdowns! The Commanders offense is turning into a frisky unit this season behind their elite rushing attack. They finished with 215 rushing yards against a stout Giants front seven. If they can translate some of these drives into touchdowns this team could be ahead of schedule in 2024.
30. New York Giants 0-2 (-)
The Giants were a healthy kicker away from potentially winning this one. The Giants were forced to go for 4th downs and 2 point conversions with Graham Gano getting hurt during the game. Malik Nabers had his breakout game resulting in 127 receiving yards and a touchdown.
29. Denver Broncos 0-2 (-2)
The Broncos had a tough matchup on offense this week going against the Steelers elite defense. They finished with 6 points and rookie QB Bo Nix threw 2 interceptions for the 2nd straight week. The defense played better this week holding the Steelers to 251 yards and only 4/13 on 3rd down. Things will not get easier for them this week as they travel to Tampa Bay.
32. Carolina Panthers 0-2 (-)
The Bryce Young era in Carolina has officially been put on hold. After another abysmal performance finishing with 84 passing yards, the Panthers are turning to Andy Dalton as their starting QB. I do not think this is the end for Bryce Young but a trip to the bench could be the reset he needs.