This week in the NFL brought about a lot of shuffling amongst the league’s haves and have-nots alike. Between some upsets, duds, and surprising performances, things have only gotten more unpredictable. Pitting these teams against each other is already hard enough, but the 2021 season has made things much more difficult. After three wild weeks of football, let’s stack up the teams 1-32:
1 – 
Rams (3-0) 
1
By beating the Buccaneers, the Rams established themselves as the team to beat in the NFL. They knocked Tampa clean off the mantle and took it for themselves. It’s not just the fact that they won, but it was their dominance in doing so that is so impressive. Matt Stafford is playing like an MVP, Cooper Kupp is putting up some of the best stats in the league at WR, and they’ve even rejuvenated Desean Jackson as a deep threat. The run game couldn’t really get going, but without their top 2 backs against an outstanding defensive front, I’ll give them a pass. With an outstanding defense of their own, the sky is the limit for this team. Everything is right there for them, they just have to reach out and grab it.
2 – 
Browns (2-1) 2
I know this looks and sounds crazy. But just give it some thought for me. The Browns could very easily be 3-0. They were the better team against Kansas City and had some very unlucky breaks. In the two weeks since, they have looked incredible. Granted, they’ve played two very bad teams, but the tape speaks for itself. It was the run game on full display in Week 2, and last week it was the incredible defensive front. Myles Garrett accounted for 4.5 out of the team’s 9 sacks against the Bears, and if that side of the ball gets going, it is certainly a scary sight for the rest of the AFC. I had very high hopes for this team, and I think they’re starting to realize their potential. I’d love to see them beat some better teams, but I’m buying their stock right now and hoping they don’t let me down.
3 – 
Buccaneers (2-1) 
2
Anyone who has been paying attention to this team so far this season saw Sunday’s loss coming from a mile away, and the reasons for that are the same reasons they lost. The defense remains a very big question, as for the third week in a row, they were torn apart. The offense was fine in terms of stats, as Tom Brady threw for over 400 yards, but they could not run the ball whatsoever and simply didn’t translate that offensive production into enough points. I still think this team will be fine considering they just played their toughest game, but they better hope they figure out their defensive issues, especially in the secondary. If they don’t get back to how they were playing late in 2020, this will not be a championship team.
4 – 
Cardinals (3-0) 1
Sunday’s game was a bit closer than I would have liked, but this team is just fine. Their explosive offense made enough plays to put points on the board, and their defense did a fine job of slamming the door on the Jags offense. A pick six from Byron Murphy was the icing on the cake against a team that is still lost and confused. This week’s contest against the Rams will tell us a lot about who this team truly is. Their identity is an explosive team that can shut you down when necessary on defense, but they did struggle with the best offense they played this year (Minnesota). How they perform against the hottest offense in football will be very telling.
5 – 
Packers (2-1) 7
The Packers are officially back. I originally had them so low because I wanted them to prove to me that they could climb back up. In just two weeks, they’ve done just that. Aaron Rodgers is more than back, carrying his team to victory thanks to incredible throws and ice in his veins. Davante Adams is still the only real receiving threat, but there’s nobody I’d rather have lining up on the outside. And Aaron Jones is still as productive as any RB in football. Their secondary looked vastly improved with DB Eric Stokes Jr. out there instead of Kevin King, and if they stick with the rookie, I see this defense doing big things once again. And if that’s the case, then Green Bay can easily reassert themselves as the team to beat in the NFC.
6 – 
Bills (2-1) 2
As I said yesterday, what we saw from the Bills on Sunday is just what we’ve expecting out of them. Destroying a Washington team that barely got off the plane isn’t the most impressive thing in the world, but it still felt good to see this team realize its offensive potential. There are only a few, if any teams that can stop them when they’re clicking like that. Moreover, their defense was putting in work, especially in the secondary. That’s what held them back last year, so if they get going on that side of the football, there might not be many teams in the AFC that can slow them down, especially in their division of anemic offenses.
7 – 
Raiders (3-0) 
I really like what this team is doing, but I would love it if they could win their games a bit more convincingly. This has been the most prolific passing attack in football, statistically speaking, through 3 weeks, and Derek Carr is playing at an MVP level. But, for some reason, their defense is incapable of shutting the door and closing out games. That’s a quality that any championship-level team needs to have, and if the Raiders don’t find it, it will definitely hold them back. It is an offensive league, and their offense has won them every game thus far, but the lack of a clutch factor on defense concerns me moving forward.
8 – 
Chargers (2-1) 6
Sorry for being so back and forth on this team week after week. That’s just the nature of the Chargers. Justin Herbert and company picked up one of the best wins of the young season on Sunday at Arrowhead, and it proved quite a lot to me. It proved that this team can go anywhere and go toe to toe with any team in football. It also showed that Herbert is 100% built for the moment and can potentially be a championship-level QB, but I knew that already. Mike Williams has emerged as a potential star at WR beside Keenan Allen. The offensive line has been sensational thanks to the stellar play of rookie LT Rashawn Slater. This defense has stepped up in a big way week after week, and the emergence of the secondary has me feeling really good about this team’s potential. We’ll see how they perform against the best statistical passing offense in football on Monday night.
9 – 
Chiefs (1-2) 6
Well, this is uncharted territory for the Chiefs. This is the first time in the history of my Power Rankings that Kansas City isn’t in the top 3. And they have nobody to blame but themselves. I know I gave them a pass for losing in Baltimore a couple of week ago, but there are no excuses being handed out anymore. They absolutely punted their game against the Chargers on Sunday, and they did not deserve to win. I have never seen this offense be so careless with the football, and it starts with Patrick Mahomes. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but this is the worst he has ever played in his young career. He better get back to his old playmaking ways, or start actually taking care of the football. This defense isn’t nearly good enough to make up for his uncharacteristic mistakes. This team will be as great as he is, so as long as he plays like this, it will be shaky in KC.
10 – 
49ers (2-1) 4
Yes, the 49ers easily could have and probably should have won on Sunday night. But that was a very shaky first half, and if they had played even slightly better, they probably could have won that game easily. I think they’ll learn from it, but it was a rough showing. Jimmy Garoppolo looked great leading that final drive to take the lead, but let’s not forget his subpar play for the previous 58 minutes. It was his inability to get the ball downfield that led to their early 17-0 hole, and if he never inexplicably fumbled the ball late in the 4th, then their go-ahead score would be to go up 4 instead of 1, and they likely would have won. I’m not saying it’s Trey Lance, because obviously playing your rookie QBs is a mistake this season, but Jimmy’s shortcomings will hold this team back. They better hope that the run game gets going or he returns to form, because the defenses in this division will not make things much easier for him.
11 – 
Broncos (3-0)
As much as I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from the Broncos so far this season, I can’t get the fact that their opponents are a combined 0-9 out of my head. Yes, they’ve looked great, but opponents and matchups matter. That being said, this team’s offensive efficiency and suffocating defensive ability is enough to make any football purist happy. All they do is move the ball, both through the air and on the ground. Teddy Bridgewater is being his best self, and Melvin Gordon has been very solid out of the backfield. Now, they’re starting to get rookie RB Javonte Williams going, which could lead to Denver having one of the best RB duos in football. And the defense is continuing to speak for itself. Despite some injuries, they still refuse to give up points, and it’s largely thanks to some stellar play in the secondary. This team has the talent and the formula to be very successful in 2021, but still, I need to see them play a real team before making any judgements.
12 – 
Ravens (2-1) 3
You might not have realized this, but the Ravens are a couple of breaks away from being 0-3. If CEH never fumbled in Week 2 and if the refs call an easy delay of game last Sunday in Detroit, Baltimore would be winless. But, as I always say, this isn’t a “what if” league. You take whatever you get. As it stands, this team is in a decent spot, but I don’t know if this luck will last. This has to catch up to them eventually. They simply didn’t put up enough points against a pretty bad Lions defense, although I will cut them some slack considering the brick hands of WR Hollywood Brown. However, if these struggles continue, then the Ravens won’t keep getting away with everything. I trust Lamar Jackson and I trust this team, but they need to prove to me that they can win a game in solid fashion before I put them ahead of certain teams above them.
13 – 
Cowboys (2-1)
Even I can recognize that this is probably a bit too low. I just won’t read too far into a blowout win of a terrible Eagles team. As I said yesterday, what this offense has done is what we’ve expected of them, but the best part of the Cowboys thus far has been their vastly improved defense. Trevon Diggs has been a revelation in the secondary, and Micah Parsons and his athleticism have brought a new level of dynamic playmaking ability to the defensive front. If they can lock up elite offenses while their own offense does its thing, then this team has potential. They’re already winning the division with their eyes closes, obviously, but they have to prove that they’re more than NFC East merchants. I think this team has the talent to do so.
14 – 
Saints (2-1) 1
This team is nothing short of an enigma. I still have no idea how to get a read on them. And I never know what version of them I’m going to get on any given Sunday. Will it be the team with the explosive offense with Jameis Winston slinging the ball all over the place and Alvin Kamara running circles around defenses? Will it be the team with a suffocating defense that slams the door on opposing offenses? Or will it be the team that does nothing of note or worth? Come up and spin the wheel of the Saints!
15 – 
Vikings (1-2) 9
This is a good team. They could very, very easily be 3-0. Throw away the record and look at how this team is playing and tell me they’re not at least a top 15 team in this league. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Kirk Cousins is playing at an MVP level (no, I’m not joking) with 918 yards, 8 touchdowns, and not a single turnover so far this season. He’s also doing this on 74% completion. This is Kirk at his ceiling. When he plays like this with the talent around him, the passing game will be unstoppable. It helps when your RB room goes crazy, as Dalvin Cook has been very good to start the season, and Alexander Mattison did a splendid job as the starting RB on Sunday. My biggest question with this team was the defense, but they’ve honestly done a decent job so far this season. They’ve at least done well enough to put the Vikings in a position to win, and that’s more than you can ask for. The problem with the Vikings is that the schedule is absolutely brutal. But, if they can play up to their potential, they might just win enough games to make some noise in the NFC.
16 – 
Titans (2-1) 1
I’m still not entirely too sure to make of this team, but in the past two weeks, they’ve given me plenty to like. In Week 2, it was the offense, and this past week, it was the defense. Granted, the offense carved up a terrible defense and the defense shut down a terrible offense. But, as I keep saying, you take what you get in this league. I still don’t feel too confident about this team, but they have the benefit of playing in the most dreadful division I’ve ever seen, so they’ll be just fine in that regard. They better be thanking their lucky stars for that, because their schedule is absolutely brutal.
17 – 
Seahawks (1-2) 7
This team is a mess. It quite frankly hurts to watch. At least before, their offense was good enough to cover up for their other shortcomings. But that no longer seems to be the case. Seattle’s defense is still getting ripped to shreds every Sunday, and now the offense simply isn’t putting up enough points to make up for that. It’s not that Russell Wilson isn’t doing his usual wizadry, because he is, but it’s still not enough. Things are just rough for the Seahawks. I’m not sure how I feel about their chances in an insanely stacked division.
18 – 
Panthers (3-0) 1
Yes, this team is 3-0. Yes, they’ve looked really good. But, let’s be honest. Almost every team in this league is going to look good against the Jets and Texans. Moreover, this team’s injuries are worrying me as the schedule gets harder. Christian McCaffrey is now out for a few weeks with a hamstring problem, and rookie CB Jaycee Horn will be out even longer with a broken foot. I like the fact that they traded for Jaguars CB C.J. Henderson, but I’ll have to see how he performs before judging that move. Losing CMC will set this offense back, but I think the next few weeks will be fine for them considering their opponents. It only gets harder from there though. Don’t let this early record fool you too much.
19 – 
Bengals (2-1) 7
Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh was the single best game of the Joe Burrow era for the Bengals. I loved what I saw from this team, and I’m looking forward to seeing if they can keep it going. Their in the midst of the easiest stretch in their schedule, and while I don’t expect anything massive from them, I think the Bengals will look very nice in the coming weeks. It could give them some good momentum, and that’s all this team can really ask for. There is talent here, there’s no denying that. I’m not sure what the missing piece is in Cincinnati, but if they ever fill it, then this could quickly turn into one of the best young teams in football, if they aren’t already.
20 – 
Patriots (1-2) 4
What exactly is this team’s identity? I don’t know. Do you know? Probably not. Are they a run-first, efficient offense with an elite defense that wins them low scoring affairs? Apparently not. But that’s what they are supposed to be. If they can’t do that, then this team quite frankly can’t do anything. And that’s what I’m afraid the Patriots are quickly becoming in 2021. It’s not that I don’t trust Mac Jones, but he just had the worst game of his young career, and now he’ll be without RB James White for the rest of the season. The defense will likely be fine, but I just don’t see New England doing enough on the other side of the football to be a very competitive team. We’ll see if they prove me wrong.
21 – 
Dolphins (1-2) 1
Is this team better with Jacoby Brissett at QB than Tua Tagovailoa? It certainly seems like it. Yes, they got steamrolled in Week 2, but they just went all the way out west and took a very good Raiders team to the brink. Brissett played a pretty solid game and put his team in a position to win it. He never gave up, and that’s something I love to see. I really think Tua would have shrunk in the moments that Brissett stepped up in. Regardless of the QB situation, the rest of this team isn’t giving me much to like. The rest of the offense hasn’t looked very good in any of their games, and the supposedly elite defense has only looked that way against a bad Patriots offense. They have the benefit of several poor offenses on their schedule, but I’m not sure if their offense can do enough to win a lot of games, especially considering the subpar QB play, no matter who is under center. It’s a shame, because I thought this team would be a lot better. Maybe once they get their guy at QB, they’ll finally realize their potential.
22 – 
Steelers (1-2) 4
In a league with some pretty unwatchable teams, the Steelers are one of the most unwatchable teams out there. This offense is simply dreadful, and it starts with Ben Roethlisberger. The 39-year old’s age is rearing its ugly head, and it is holding this team back in a massive way. There simply is no passing offense, but his stats after 50 passing attempts in a game won’t show that. The offensive line isn’t doing him any favors either, allowing for no running game whatsoever and minimal pass blocking. Every Steelers drive is just a checkdown simulator, and at this rate, Najee Harris is going to be worn out by Thanksgiving. The injuries have also gotten to this defense, as they seemingly can’t stop a nosebleed without T.J. Watt on the edge to generate any semblance of a pass rush. There’s just nothing going right in Pittsburgh at the moment, and I don’t see it turning around any time soon.
23 – 
Washington (1-2) 2
This team is a joke. And a really bad joke at that. While I’d love to give the offense a pass for playing like garbage thanks to having a backup QB, I refuse to do so. This was Taylor Heinicke’s 2nd start coming off a long week and he still played like garbage. The team refuses to move the ball, and I think one of the biggest issues is playcalling. For some reason, Ron Rivera and Scott Turner refuse to give the football to Antonio Gibson, one of the most dynamic players in all of football, and it is holding this offense back in a huge way. Any time he touches the ball, good things happen, and yet they simply refuse to go back to him when he does something good. It’s such a shame. And don’t even get me started on the defense. This has quickly become the most overrated unit and football, and I don’t even want to waste my breath on them. It’s only a matter of time before massive changes will need to be made in DC. I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later.
24 – 
Colts (0-3) 2
This team is in a brutal spot. This is the worst possible start they could have had, and the rest of the schedule doesn’t make things much easier. The offense simply isn’t doing enough, because they’re quite frankly doing nothing. Carson Wentz has not been the answer at QB, and whether it’s due to talent or injury, he is holding the offense back. Their offensive line problems have restricted their ability to run the football, and their defense isn’t doing them any favors whatsoever. It’s just a whole lotta nothing going on in Indy. It might be time to stick a fork in the Colts.
25 – 
Eagles (1-2) 2
Any and all promise that might have stemmed from Philly’s Week 1 victory is now dead and gone. This team is back to being horrible. In back to back weeks now, their offense has been pathetic thanks to Jalen Hurts playing like anything but a starting QB. Miles Sanders has become a nonfactor out of the backfield, and their young WR talent simply isn’t getting enough traction to put up the numbers that I know they can. The defense is getting mauled, especially in the secondary, and it means their offense has to play catch-up for several quarters of football. It’s just not going to work. There are a lot of problems here. I don’t even know where to begin working on a solution.
26 – 
Lions (0-3) 2
This has to be the grittiest 0-3 team I’ve ever seen. I’ll give Dan Campbell some credit. His team never gives up, and you can always count on them to be in the game. As I said yesterday, some higher power does not want the Lions to succeed, and at some point, you have to just throw your hands up and surrender. Everything that I’ve liked about this team is still doing good things, especially the offensive line and weapons. This defense is still a huge problem that will hold them back, especially at the second level, but it’s not like we were expecting the Lions to do anything this season anyways. Them being a tough out is likely more than they can ask for.
27 – 
Bears (1-2) 2
I haven’t been this disgusted with a team that isn’t the WFT in a very, very long time. Be ashamed of yourselves, Chicago. I don’t want to waste too much time talking about their nonexistent gameplan or negligent coaching. You already know what’s up by now. I don’t even know who the starting QB will be on Sunday. No matter who it is, I have no faith in this team to do anything productive. Matt Nagy should have already been fired by now. As long as he’s the head coach of this team, I don’t even want to think about them.
28 – 
Falcons (1-2) 2
The only thing separating the Falcons and Giants is the 3 points that were scored on the final play of Sunday’s game. This team is still very, very bad, and beating an even worse team doesn’t prove anything to me. The only thing I liked about Atlanta was their offense, but putting up a whopping 17 points against the mighty Giants defense means nothing. Any and all problems with this team were covered up by playing someone just as bad as they are, so while they get to get slightly bumped up this week, don’t read too far into it.
29 – 
Giants (0-3) 2
This team is just sad. They could be so much more, but they just refuse to be anything but awful. Whether it’s their offense being incapable of moving the football, even against a dreadful defense, or their own defense doing absolutely nothing, this team is just an uninspired and lifeless group of guys. That’s the worst part. I don’t think the Giants are bad in terms of their talent. I just think they lack a pulse. And that might be worse.
30 – 
Texans (1-2) 1
Thursday night’s showing wasn’t exactly a promising one, but I’ll cut Houston some slack. Starting a 3rd string rookie QB in his first game on a short week against a very good defense is obviously never going to work. Still, this team is just as dreadful as ever and there is no fixing them. The schedule isn’t going to treat them much kinder moving forward, and this team is going to be pounded into the dirt in most weeks. But, when you expect that, it makes it a bit less painful.
31 – 
Jaguars (0-3) 1
Thanks to the incompetence and putridness of the Jets as well as a not-so-terrible performance against the Cardinals on Sunday, the Jaguars are no longer the #32 team in football for me anymore. But they’re still not far off. Trevor Lawrence has been very up and down, delivering dimes one moment and making terrible throws the next. I wouldn’t expect someone like him, with his talent and skillset, to be so erratic, but I feel like it’s a product of the terrible situation he’s in. Even if he figures it out, it doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the team has nothing going for them. I’m finding it hard to find a win on this schedule. I know they’ll get one eventually, but this looks nothing like a winning team as of right now.
32 – 
Jets (0-3) 1
Congratulations, Jets! You have now reclaimed the throne for the worst team in football. This seat surely missed you! I’m sure you’re very happy to be back. How does scoring 6.6 points per game with 0 touchdowns in 2 weeks feel? Not good, I imagine. What about your rookie QB that now leads the league in INTs who couldn’t find an open receiver if he was playing 11-on-0? Do you still feel good about taking him 2nd overall? Yeah. I didn’t think so. I know I said it’s extremely hard to go winless in this league. But if there’s any team that I have ever see that is capable of doing so, it has to be this team.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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