2023 NFL power rankings, Week 3: Cowboys roll, Cardinals fold, Commanders rally

After a somewhat sluggish opening weekend in terms of scoring, there were plenty of points to go around in the second week of NFL 2023. The surprises also continued around the league, both positive and negative.

The Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers, all playoff teams a year ago, haven’t won a game in the early stages of this season. Meanwhile, the NFC South didn’t produce a team with a winning record in 2022. Yet, the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all off to 2-0 starts.

Welcome to the latest edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

DeMeco Ryans’ head coaching debut last Sunday saw the Texans settle for three field goals at Baltimore. They hosted the rival Colts on Sunday. Houston's biggest problem in recent years has been its inability to stop the run. It was somewhat of an issue in the loss to the Ravens and a bit of a problem once again on Sunday afternoon.

The Texans gave up 126 yards rushing. The Colts ran for three scores, two of those by starting quarterback Anthony Richardson. Houston’s pass rush failed to generate a sack and the defense had zero takeaways.

The Cardinals hung tough at Washington last week but their offense failed to score a touchdown in a four-point loss. They hosted a Giants team that was shut out last Sunday night at home. Arizona opened up a 20-0 halftime lead and owned a 28-7 advantage midway through the third quarter.

Jonathan Gannon’s defense had no answers for the Giants’ attack the remainder of the game. Big Blue scored 24 unanswered points and handed the Cardinals their ninth consecutive loss dating back to 2022.

A year ago, the Broncos were the lowest-scoring team in the league and in this season’s Week 1 loss to the Raiders, they managed only 16 points. Sean Payton’s club hosted the Commanders on Sunday. Russell Wilson and company got off to a great start and owned a 21-3 second-quarter lead, the Broncos’ quarterback throwing two TD passes.

However, Denver was outscored 32-12 the rest of the way. Payton’s team had a chance as Wilson’s “Hail Mary” found Brandon Johnson for a 50-yard score on the game’s final play. Denver failed on the two-point conversion try.

For the second straight week, Frank Reich’s club faced a divisional foe as the Panthers hosted the Saints on Monday night. Carolina grabbed an early 3-0 lead but after 30 minutes of play, New Orleans actually owned a 6-3 edge.  Reich’s team totaled just 88 yards of offense in the first half.

The Panthers’ defense sacked Derek Carr four times and safety Vonn Bell picked off the veteran signal-caller. Still, this unit also gave up 134 yards rushing. Carolina is the only NFC South team that hasn’t won a game in 2023.