NFL Week 3 Power Rankings

The NFL season is starting to settle in. Most of the top teams are mostly holding tow while a few other teams are surging up the rankings and other teams are dropping. The big game of the week in Seattle did not live up to some of the expectations as the delayed game along with the 12th man provided enough instability for the 49ers as they again could not get much going as HB Marshawn Lynch mostly did enough for the Seahawks with his two scores to put the game away in another blowout. It adds an interesting chapter to last year's finale and build up to the rematch in San Francisco near the end of the year with the division title likely on the line. Possibly even less thrilling was the Green Bay Packers dominance of the Washington Redskins during the first half of their game that made the second half an afterthought. The loss brings up even more questions of the type of season ahead for the Redskins as they try to repeat last year's success. While the Packers look like they could overcome preseason struggles to make another deep playoff run.

The Monday night showdown in Cincinnati was mostly nothing special either as the Bengals ran the ball effectively and just wore down the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half after the two teams were tied up at halftime. For most of the first half as well, the New York Giants kept it close with the Denver Broncos but like in Week 1; the Broncos hit the accelerator in the second half and had another big win. Thus, four big games and four less than excited endings. The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a setback with a close loss to the San Diego Chargers who surged the most this week. Also, the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins are off to fast starts and could be surprise teams to watch. While the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons continue to play well but lack a complete game so far.

With all that said, time to get ready for another week and here are Week 3's power rankings:

1)(1) Broncos- They were able to repeat their dominating performance of Week 1 and now look to be at a slightly different level than the rest of the AFC contenders.
2)(3) Seahawks- They might have the best homefield advantage in the NFL and they used it again to romp a very good 49ers team to better position themselves in the NFC playoff race to have all their games at home.
3)(2) 49ers- They are still a top 5 team in the NFL but they will need to figure out how to win in Seattle because they might need to go there to get back to the Super Bowl if they do not win the NFC West.
4)(4) Falcons- They might have lost HB Steven Jackson for a couple games, but there are still plenty of tools at QB Matt Ryan's disposal to keep them on track.
5)(7) Packers- They looked nearly unstoppable for about three quarters against the Redskins and QB Aaron Rodgers look like an MVP candidate. Some questions about them going into the season might have been overexaggerated after two games.
6)(6) Texans- They are 2-0, but could easily be 0-2 after barely winning both of their games. They will need to be a sharper team against better teams or they find themselves in trouble fast.
7)(6) Patriots- QB Tom Brady is clearly frustrated with the lack of help he has on the field right now. He is good enough to get them by two poor teams and they should go to 3-0 in all likelihood but do not look like a team capable of challenging for a title right now.
8)(8) Saints- They did enough to win the game, but they still show some vulnerabilities when on the road despite having a very good offense with a quarterback and head coach reunited to execute it.
9)(9) Bears- Two wins, two late drives by the offense. They might have enough talent to escape future similar situations and upend the Packers for the division.
10)(11) Ravens- QB Joe Flacco certainly misses a couple of his big targets from last year, but he needs to do more getting the ball down the field as well as working HB Ray Rice more into the passing game.
11)(12) Bengals- They might have found a future star at running back and provide them with a legit triplet group to become a powerhouse in a tough division.
12)(18) Chiefs- They are getting things slowing going on both sides of the ball and their defense could be potent enough to slow down teams to allow the offense to score enough points to win like this past week.
13)(19) Dolphins- They have not been too flashy, but are 2-0 and with a less than stellar product in New England; they might have enough to steal the division crown.
14)(10) Colts- QB Andrew Luck fell a bit short in another 4th quarter comeback as he is seeing year two might not be as easy as they have not picked up totally where they left off last year.
15)(13) Cowboys- They almost blew one game and had chances to win another. They are moving the ball fairly well and improving their defense but need to play more complete to be the team they are capable of being.
16)(24) Chargers- They have played much more inspired so far this year than in 2012. They were very close to being 2-0 right now and could use the momentum of slowing down enough one of the fastest offense going forward. WR Eddie Royal is quickly becoming a hidden gem for them.
17)(14) Rams- They battled back in the 4th quarter but it was not enough. There were flashes of greatness from both QB Sam Bradford and WR Tavon Austin that show potential of what could be very soon.
18)(15) Eagles- They were slowed down enough and almost went to 2-0. They are showing the potential to be a scary team if they start going and are not slowed down as their speed in the open field creates difficulties for defenders.
19)(16) Giants- Turnovers, turnover, and turnovers. That explains why they are 0-2. They kept things close in the first half and tried to keep pace early in the second half before mistakes and a lack of touchdowns caught up to them.
20)(17) Redskins- QB Robert Griffin III is struggling to get going this season as defenses are coming hard at him. He has had better second halves of games but they are practically in garbage time with the game basically out of reach.
21)(20) Lions- WR Calvin Johnson can only do so much and that seems to be where they are right now which is holding them back from being a potential explosive offense with a better running back.
22)(26) Cardinals- QB Carson Palmer continues to provide an upgrade for them as he had to work to outscore the other team.
23)(23) Titans- They shocked the Steelers and almost upended the Texans. They are playing well on defense and doing enough on offense as HB Chris Johnson is starting to reemerge.
24)(22) Vikings- As the passing game goes, will this team's playoff chances. They kept it close largely due to non-offensive scores and need to do more in all areas on offense.
25)(21) Steelers- They are struggling on offense and their defense can only do so much to make up for that. They are not familiar to this level of disarray but have a solid head coach who has steered them through other struggles at times.
26)(29) Bills- They were on the positive side of a dramatic end of game of touchdown. QB EJ Manuel continues to develop and look like the pick he was intended to be.
27)(25) Panthers- QB Cam Newton is showing some improvement but their offense continues to lack that next level type of performance.
28)(27) Jets- It may have been the weather or just reality, but that couldn't get the same luck two weeks in a row and still have some questions to answer on both sides.
29)(31) Raiders-They look to be developing a good dynamic with their backfield and quarterback and that could provide them with the ability to pull off a surprise win or two.
30)(28) Buccaneers- They have come close and held late leads only to lose by a field goal each time. Closing a game will be something to work on for sure.
31)(30) Browns- They need more from QB Brandon Weeden if they are going to improve and compete with the rest of their division.
32)(32) Jaguars-They look to be lucky if they a touchdown each week with their play after two games.

The schedule this week lacks a big time matchup but a few good ones including a test for Kansas City going to Philadelphia as head coach Andy Reid faces his former team as well as Miami hosting Atlanta. Eight teams are hoping to avoid an 0-3 start while contenders are hoping to become a bit more polished. Houston going to Baltimore could feature a playoff preview as well. Movement will likely continue to occur.