Ain't it grand having football back? Fantasy football managers are already punching the air over the Joe Burrow injury, Kansas City Chiefs fans who have grown accustomed to winning haven't felt that feeling yet, Dallas Cowboys fans are already about to bust a blood vessel, and the New York fan bases for the Giants and Jets are miserable. We're only going into Week 3, and all is right in the world — but not without some major surprises that have shaken up how we have to view our NFL Power Rankings.
There hasn't been a bigger surprise through the first two weeks of the season than Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts (further adding to the misery of Giants fans, it should be said). The former first-round pick has been a revelation for Shane Steichen's team, spearheading an offensive juggernaut that is now 2-0 on the season. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have teams like the aforementioned Chiefs, but also the Denver Broncos, the team the Colts beat in Week 2, that have gotten off to inauspicious starts.
And speaking of starts, the magical season opener from J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings already looks like fool's gold after they came crashing back to Earth.
Ranking all 32 teams after two weeks as wild as these in the NFL isn't an easy task, but it's the one we've got. We start these Week 3 NFL Power Rankings in South Beach, where it seems pretty clear that things are going to be arduous throughout the 2025 season already.
32. Miami Dolphins (32)
Here's the truth about the Miami Dolphins. Nothing that we've seen through the first two weeks should make anyone believe anything but the fact that this is one of the worst defenses in the NFL. However, it's also true that there are going to be weeks when we still see flashes from Tua Tagovailoa and Co. in the Mike McDaniel offense that allow them to make games competitive and are, frankly, fun and exciting to watch.
That's not a recipe for success, though. We've seen far too often in the past year that the Dolphins offense isn't capable against high-level defensive opponents. When you pair that with this unsightly defense, that's going to mean a long, long season for Miami, one in which they may squeak by to beat some of the worst teams on the schedule, and likely get dog-walked by the cream of the crop.
31. Carolina Panthers (29)
Don't be fooled by the Panthers nearly staging a comeback in Week 2. The Cardinals, while a team that I still believe in, are a team that has the world's worst habit of playing with their food way too early and it almost biting them. And even despite them doing that and Carolina having an opportunity to pull out a win late in the game, they were unable to do so.
Bryce Young did show some more positive signs than we saw in Week 1, which is a good thing for the future of this offense. However, the defensive problems this team faced a year ago aren't even close to fixed at this point. The Panthers are going to be in a dogfight, perhaps one of the saddest you've ever seen, with the Saints to figure out which team is actually the worst in the division. Not exactly the battle that either fan base was hoping for.
30. New Orleans Saints (30)
If you're looking at two relatively close losses for the Saints in as many weeks against first the Cardinals and then the 49ers and feeling good, I have some bad news for you. Arizona is still dealing with the same disease of self-inflicted wounds and not being able to get out of their own way, while San Francisco was starting Mac Jones on Sunday while being down numerous pass-catchers.
What that means is that the Saints have quietly just had the right situations to make this team look a bit more competitive than they actually are. With a trip to Seattle looming and what the Seahawks just did to the Steelers, I unfortunately believe we'll start to see more of New Orleans' true colors — and it's probably not going to be pretty.
29. Cleveland Browns (26)
Giving up 41 points to rival Baltimore doesn't exactly jibe with what I said a week ago, which is that the Browns defense is going to be the calling card of this team that ultimately can make them surprisingly competitive in a lot of games. The games I was talking about, however, doesn't include playing against teams like the Ravens who are just far too talented for Cleveland to hold a candle to.
The bigger question for Cleveland is when they start giving either Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders looks at quarterback over Joe Flacco. While the veteran is a floor-raiser, the floor still isn't high enough to justify not getting a peek into the future at quarterback, and whether or not the Browns need to add another QB in the near future.
28. New York Jets (25)
There were good vibes galore for the Jets coming out of Week 1, even though it was a loss to Pittsburgh. Justin Fields looked like a revelation and the rest of the offense was following suit. That's all gone, though, after Week 2, courtesy of the Bills.
Of course, no one expected a Super Bowl-caliber contender like Buffalo to not be able to beat the Jets, but fans in New York were certainly hoping that Gang Green would once again show the propensity to make a loss respectable. That wasn't the case, though, and with Fields now also likely to miss time, things could be about to get worse before they get better for the Jets.
27. New England Patriots (28)
While it may not have been the prettiest thing you've ever seen, the Patriots were able to come out with their first win of the season on Sunday as they toppled the lowly Dolphins. At the same time, that feels like there's still some things to be encouraged by if you're a New England fan, not the least of which is Drake Maye and this offense, despite some issues in the trenches, showed off some of their moxie and firepower.
New England's defense is still a work-in-progress, to be sure, but the Dolphins are also the exact type of team that, despite being quite bad, is going to have weeks on that side of the ball where they push the opposition. Again, I'm not sure the Patriots are going anywhere meaningful, but the first win of the year does inspire some hope that this is all leading somewhere positive for this franchise.
26. New York Giants (31)
Show me someone who expected Russell Wilson to flirt with a 500-yard day passing in Week 2, and I'll show you a liar. Even against a porous Cowboys defense, no one saw that type of offensive explosion coming from the Giants in Week 2, but it was damn fun to watch. Alternatively, though, they also shouldn't be too discouraged by the defense, this team's strength, ultimately not being able to come up with enough stops, because the Dallas offense is as good as the defense is bad.
The Giants are going to be inconsistent this season, with Wilson at the heart of that equation. He's not going to play like this every week and, at times, it's going to look as bad as it did in Week 1. All of that being said, though, Sunday proved that New York might be a bit more frisky than we were giving them credit for.
25. Tennessee Titans (27)
While the Titans may have lost in Week 2 at home against the Rams, I still feel more than comfortable moving them up in this week's power rankings. In the simplest terms, there's a lot to like about this team, even if they aren't a finished product. Cam Ward looks more than promising just two weeks into his NFL career and, despite allowing 33 points, the defense is going to make some plays.
None of this will likely translate into a ton of wins for the Titans, but this team isn't going to be a doormat. They'll catch more than their fair share of opponents underestimating them this season and put a scare into a few of them, if not upsetting them. All this is to say, the Titans should be a fun team that inspires optimism, even if they clearly aren't a great team.
24. Chicago Bears (21)
Caleb Williams is likely going to keep taking heat after he was quite inconsistent in Week 1, but he was miles away from being the Bears' biggest problem in Week 2. Ben Johnson, returning to Detroit to face his former team, had circles run around him in this game. More importantly, the Chicago defense didn't have a single answer for the offense that Johnson left in Detroit.
My concerns about the Bears defense coming into the year seem well-founded at this point. There are good players, but the depth is questionable at best, so when the team is now without Jaylon Johnson for the year, that's a massive cause for concern. Many expected Johnson to be an immediate cure to all of the Bears' longstanding woes and, while he may still be the solution, it's going to be a much longer fix than some anticipated.
23. Las Vegas Raiders (23)
Though I like Geno Smith as much as the next guy, the Raiders seem to look like what should've been the biggest fear about this team coming into the 2025 season. Yes, they made substantial upgrades at quarterback, drafted a stud in Ashton Jeanty in the Top 10, and obviously added Pete Carroll. All of these were seemingly win-now moves, though, and I don't think the totality of the Las Vegas roster was in a position to have that kind of onus put on them.
This defense has some great pieces, but I still worry about their ability to consistently get stops against good offenses, which includes what we saw against the Chargers. Beyond that, this offensive line isn't allowing Smith or Jeanty to actually be the weapons we know they're capable of being. Unfortunately, it might just be another long season for the Raiders, even if they do feel much closer to competing than they did at the end of 2024.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (19)
Trevor Lawrence waving off Liam Coen was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential problems that the Jaguars have. Granted, it's a big tip of the iceberg, but there's more going on here, not the least of which is some poor effort from last year's breakout star, Brian Thomas Jr. Oh, and the defense might just be plain stinky. All this is to say, the vibes definitely aren't what you want in Duval right now.
Obviously, the talent in Jacksonville top to bottom is just undeniable at this point. However, until we see the Jags start to make good on that, and until we see Lawrence actually live up to his billing, this team isn't going to be able to get it done. The hope, however, is that the poor vibes coming out of Week 2 aren't something that lingers for the rest of the year.
21. Houston Texans (18)
I continue to just be uninspired by the Texans, particularly on offense. It was quite telling in the Monday night loss to the Bucs that, when the game was on the line, Houston largely took the ball out of C.J. Stroud's hands and started relying more heavily on veteran Nick Chubb, despite the fact that he's actually the backup for the injured Joe Mixon.
Houston's defense is extremely talented, but they aren't a group that appears to be good enough to overwhelm a good offense and ultimately win games of the Texans. Instead, Houston quite clearly needs to find something better going offensively that gets Stroud more comfortable. Until that happens, it feels completely justified to call this Texans team middling and nothing more.
20. Dallas Cowboys (22)
While everyone was a bit surprised by the fact that the Cowboys went from going toe-to-toe with the Eagles to finding themselves in an overtime shootout with the Giants, two things are true about this team. First, this offense is going to be electric, especially if we continue to see a resurgent Javonte Williams being the lead back playing at this level. Second, however, any positives about the defense may have been more about a tepid Eagles offense than anything else.
Quite simply, Dallas might have one of the worst defenses in the league. That's going to be great news for fantasy football managers who have a roster full of Cowboys. Outside of that, though, it's going to be a trying season for fans as this team isn't going to make a damn thing easy all year long. But hey, at least they have Brandon Aubrey, who is quickly throwing his hat in the ring as the best kicker in the game.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (14)
Being as transparent with you as possible, I’m starting to fully lose faith in Mike Tomlin. By proxy, that also means starting to lose faith in the Steelers. Aaron Rodgers didn’t play poorly in the loss to the Seahawks, and anyone blaming the mercurial quarterback isn’t paying attention. Tomlin’s gameplan was vanilla, he put Kaleb Johnson in a bad spot that the rookie clearly wasn’t prepared for, the defense got torched without Joey Porter Jr., and it frankly all seemed messy.
Steelers fans were highly critical of Tomlin and the current team's regime as a whole this offseason, and that's starting to look valid. Especially after seeing the Jets get completely steamrolled by the Bills after Pittsburgh was in a dogfight with New York the week prior, there's a lot of reason to be more pessimistic than anyone expected about the Steelers after what we saw on Sunday.
18. Minnesota Vikings (9)
Woof. We saw the same rough start from J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings offense that we did in Week 1, but the issue for Minnesota was that the late-game heroics never came this time around. It was just bad all around and, while the Vikings defense did everything it could to try and slow down the Falcons offense, when you only score six points and are continually putting that defense in bad spots, that’s a nearly impossible task.
Of course, McCarthy also suffered an ankle injury in the loss, which will force Carson Wentz into action. Given how blatant McCarthy’s inexperience has been, that might actually be best for Kevin O’Connell’s offense right now, but the high vibes coming out of the opener have flown by the wayside equally as quickly.
17. Denver Broncos (12)
Because I’m starting to believe a bit in the Colts, I’m not going to knock the Broncos quite as much as some others might. At the same time, you can’t hide the truth that a team many were calling a dark-horse contender entering the season has looked quite poor through their first two games of the campaign. Fighting tooth and nail to overcome mistakes and beat the Titans in Week 1 was worrisome, but losing to the Colts the following week was even worse.
Now, I’m sure people are going to be quick to point out the controversial leverage penalty on the Colts’ game-winning field goal attempt that gave Indy another shot that they then converted. That’s true, but if Denver was as good as they were billed to be coming into the season, they’d also have never been in that situation.
16. Atlanta Falcons (20)
After becoming of the butt of several jokes with the loss to Tampa in Week 1, the Falcons came back around with a statement on Sunday night to get the job done against the Vikings. Admittedly, Atlanta feasted on a depleted Vikings offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback, but you have to play the teams in front of you.
I’m still waiting to see a bit more from Michael Penix Jr., but even still, the weapons on this offense are still doing enough to get it done. And shout out to John Parker Romo for coming in off the street to be the steady hand (foot?) that this team needed in a pinch.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (17)
The Joe Burrow injury undeniably colors the Bengals in an entirely different light. However, this team does deserve plenty of credit for how they played once Jake Browning entered the fray offensively. That’s probably a good sign considering that Cincinnati will now be without their star quarterback for three months.
What stood out more, though, is that Al Golden’s effect on the defense seems to be taking shape. They shored up in a huge way after Burrow went out to stifle the Jaguars and give Cincy a chance to win. Of course, we’ll need to see that continue for the Bengals to have a puncher’s chance with Burrow missing most of the year.
14. Seattle Seahawks (16)
Even with getting a gift on a botched kick return from the Steelers, the Seahawks still deserved to win on the road in Pittsburgh on Sunday. They’re not perfect, make no mistake, but Sam Darnold and the tandem of Kenneth Walker and Zac Charbonnet make for a dynamic offense. If they can limit the mistakes, they’ll be in an even better spot, though the Steelers defense is prone to forcing teams into mistakes.
More importantly, though, that’s now back-to-back games in which Seattle has held opponents to exactly 17 points. If that side of the ball continues to be nails, the Seahawks are going to be a tough out in any given week.
13. Indianapolis Colts (24)
Hand up, I was probably among the most dismissive of the Colts after Week 1, simply thinking that the sudden emergence of Daniel Jones and this offense was due to the Dolphins being an abject dumpster fire. To be clear, that point might still be true about Miami, but Indianapolis might actually be a legit threat this season. Jones looks like a player we never saw in New York with this new offense, the weapons and the line are reliable, and the defense is making plays as well. Not to get too ahead of myself, but I’m wondering if the Colts are actually the new favorite in the AFC South.
12. Kansas City Chiefs (7)
We’ve seen the Chiefs struggle before at times, even in the Patrick Mahomes era. I’m not sure we’ve ever witnessed this team looking so frustrating, though. Travis Kelce might’ve been on another planet on Sunday and the receiving corps is limping badly without Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.
Having said that, I remain a massive believer in this Chiefs defense. And with Andy Reid at the helm of this team, they have the ability to find something that starts working for them offensively. They’re winless through the first two weeks, however, which isn’t shocking to anyone who’s actually watched this team play.
11. San Francisco 49ers (13)
There were a ton of people high on the 49ers this season simply based on San Francisco having the easiest schedule in the NFL. And with the laundry list of injuries this team is dealing with, not the least of which is the Brock Purdy toe injury that forced Mac Jones into injury, they should be thankful for that schedule.
Having said that, New Orleans definitely made the Jones-led Niners sweat on Sunday, which isn’t exactly going to cover San Francisco in any kind of glory. This is still a good team, but I don’t think we’re going to have an inkling of how good until they start even getting remotely healthy. But hey, 2-0 isn’t nothing!
10. Los Angeles Rams (11)
Most people will probably look at the Rams’ win over the Titans and think that it should’ve been more dominant. However, we might need to somewhat recalibrate expectations for Tennessee, and that would then make LA’s body of work a bit more impressive, especially on the road.
Adding Davante Adams to this offense already appears to be an upgrade, and the defense may not be perfect — especially in the secondary — but they create enough havoc to accomplish what they need to. Frankly, even I might still be discounting the Rams too much.
9. Arizona Cardinals (10)
There might not be a more frustrating good team to watch play bad teams than the Cardinals. Multiple times throughout Sunday, Arizona had a chance to put a nail in the coffin against the struggling Panthers — and they didn’t. That gave Carolina a legitimate shot at overtaking the Cards, which to Arizona’s credit, they didn’t allow to happen.
Frankly, I’m not sure if it’s conservative coaching decisions, a mental block from the players, or what, but the Cardinals need to get over this hurdle sooner rather than later. The upside of this team is tremendous and, despite my criticism, they are 2-0. But we need to see them not suffer self-inflicted wounds in spots like this.
8. Washington Commanders (6)
If there had been some more impressive performances from this range of teams, I’d have been inclined to drop the Commanders further than this. The final score from Thursday looked much closer than that game felt, and you came out of that game with Jayden Daniels at least mildly banged up.
Washington seems to have taken a slight step back with the book now out on Kliff Kingsbury and Daniels, as well as the defense not operating at peak capacity. To be clear, I still think that’s a good team once they get rolling and make some adjustments. However, it’s not been the prettiest of starts to the year.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8)
Despite nearly getting completely boned by a flag that was seemingly wrongfully picked up, the Texans left Baker Mayfield entirely too much time, and the Buccaneers were able to overcome giving up the lead late to eke out a win over the Texans and move to 2-0 on the season. This offense continues to be dangerous despite their offensive line woes, and the defense has been solid against two equally solid units thus far.
Winning these early games was a crucial task for the Bucs, though. With Tristan Wirfs out, they need to be able to not fall too far behind. Starting out with two victories is obviously the best-case scenario in that regard, and there’s no reason to believe at this point that Tampa Bay isn’t already trending toward yet another division crown.
6. Detroit Lions (15)
It turns out, the Packers might just be that good — or maybe the Bears are really bad. The truth might actually be in the middle when it comes to explaining the two polar opposite performances from the Lions so far this season. Sunday’s beatdown of Chicago and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson looked a lot like the Detroit teams of the past couple of years, though.
Whenever Jared Goff and the running back tandem are working off one another in the way they were in Week 2, it’s a beautiful thing to watch, and one that’s near impossible to stop. Reports of the Lions’ demise may have, indeed, been way too premature.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (3)
I probably look like a massive hater after the Eagles moved to 2-0 with wins over the Cowboys and Chiefs and I’ve moved them down to No. 5 in the power rankings. Look, this is still an incredibly talented team and getting wins is really all that matters. Having said that, this offense still hasn’t exactly hit the ground running, which looks more concerning considering how awful the Dallas defense looked against the Giants. The good news is that Philadelphia is still a monster on defense, and that should propel them to many, many more victories. Until the offense takes flight fully, though, I have to have them behind these top three teams.
4. Los Angeles Chargers (4)
Everything that we saw from the Chargers in Week 1 seemed to hold up late on Monday night against Vegas. We knew that this was a game that Jim Harbaugh wanted badly, given that he was across the sideline from his longtime rival Pete Carroll, and you have to imagine the methodical nature in which Los Angeles was able to control this game to cap off Week 2 felt extremely gratifying in that capacity.
Justin Herbert continues to look like a stud, especially with a much more reliable group of pass-catchers now around him. While this defense may not have faced two great offenses to this point, they’ve showed what they’re capable of still. More importantly, though, this looks like a Chargers team capable of winning in multiple ways against anyone, which may well make them AFC West favorites now amid the Chiefs’ apparent demise.
3. Baltimore Ravens (5)
Considering how stout Cleveland’s defense appeared to be in their matchup against the Bengals, it was surely impressive how easy Lamar Jackson and the Ravens seemed to make things look on Sunday. Yes, they did pull away late, but there were few moments when Baltimore wasn’t in control of this game.
The heartbreak and disappointment of the blown lead in the opener should be a distant memory soon enough. This team is still a dangerous threat in the AFC, and few teams are going to have the defensive firepower to stand up consistently to what the Ravens are able to throw at them.
2. Buffalo Bills (2)
On the heels of their thrilling primetime win over the Ravens, a road trip to New York to play a Jets team that looked spirited against Pittsburgh seemed like it could be another shootout for the Bills. Josh Allen and Co. certainly did their part, but the defense looked quite stout in completely bottling up Justin Fields and the rest of the Jets offense.
With how explosive and versatile Buffalo’s offense looks like at this point, if the defense can play at that level, there’s no reason to stop believing that this is a viable Super Bowl contender coming out of the AFC.
1. Green Bay Packers (1)
Nothing that we’ve seen from the Packers to this point suggests anything other than this is the best team in the league. Against a talented Commanders offense on Thursday night, Green Bay and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley further unleashed Micah Parsons, and the results were devastating for Washington. The Jayden Reed injury is definitely a blow, but that’s why you draft someone like Matthew Golden in the first round to help keep that receiver room deep.
This team probably isn’t infallible, but the improvement on defense over the past two years combined with the depth of the skill positions and a good offensive line, it’s going to be hard for any team to unseat the Packers right now — but we are only two weeks in, so we’ll see how things can change.