2024 NFL Week 3 Power Rankings

NFL Power Rankings in week 3 is always such a special event for me. Everyone is freaking out about their team unexpectedly being 2-0 or 0-2, or stuck in the purgatory of 1-1. Huge predictions are made because our sample size, though still meager, nonetheless doubled with just a single added week. Ah, September.

The AFC continues to plod along with the Chiefs, Bills, and Texans all 2-0 and largely meeting or exceeding expectations.

Over in the NFC, well… the top 3 teams in point differential are the Saints, Vikings, and Cardinals. If you thought any of those teams would be in that top 3 at any point this season, you’re either a superfan of the team, or you’re lying.

RB Resurgence

The workhorse running back continues its resurgence as Josh Jacobs carried the Packers with 32 carries, which was somewhat expected due to Jordan Love‘s injury. 6 others had 20+ carries, some repeats like Rhamondre Stevenson and Jordan Mason, but also some unexpecteds like sophomore De’Von Achane. Alvin Kamara had 20 carries for the first time since week 5 of last season.

Speaking of Kamara, he’s 29 years old and 6th in RB rushing yards. Below him is 28 year old Joe Mixon, then a couple spots further is 29 year old James Conner. The 5 RBs at the top of the list average 26 years old. There was a time not long ago when these were the ages of RBs on their way out of the league.

At the same time, and I guess somewhat expectedly, passing numbers are down. Are we starting to see the valuation of the running game coming back up? Or is it just a strategic way to ease into a season?

As always, may all your teams win or your coaches be forced to sit and watch endless political commercials.

NFL 1-32

1. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) 🥇

An ugly win against a really good team is still a big win. The Bengals have always had KC’s number more than anyone else, so there’s a psychological component to a win like that, even if it’s to an inferior team.

2. Buffalo Bills (2-0) ⇧4

Buffalo started this season hot, despite all the concerns that Josh Allen (now the only version) wouldn’t have Stefon Diggs to throw to. But a weird thing happened. The Bills decided to run it down team’s throats with James Cook, and Allen has been extremely efficient,

Even though the passing game has had a bit of a groggy start, it’s worth noting that Khalil Shakir has stepped up. And despite a lack of targets, Dalton Kincaid has actually been a solid run blocker. This is a team that’s very smartly built for January.

3. Houston Texans (2-0) ⇧2

4. San Francisco 49ers (1-1) ⇩2

5. Baltimore Ravens (0-2) ⇩2

The Ravens are that team you watch and you’re like, wow, they’re impressive. And then it’s the end of the game and you’re like, oh, they’re losing.

Baltimore’s schedule doesn’t get any easier the next 3 weeks with a road game in Dallas, at home against Buffalo, and back on the road to Cincinnati. They need at least 2 of those games.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) ⇧4

7. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) ⇔

I can’t even believe I’m about to say this… the Eagles will be facing a big test this week against the Saints. That shouldn’t be a sentence in 2024.

Now, about last Monday night. While I agree QB is one of, if not the most important position in sports, I think we’ve gone a bit overboard with putting wins and losses on the QB.

Jalen Hurts dropped a perfect pass into Saquon Barkley’s hands to all but win the game, and Circle Button dropped it. Then the Falcons ran over the defense with 1:39 left and no timeouts and scored a TD for the lead on a play in which… Darius Slay, what were you doing?

Then Hurts throws a pick under pressure in desperation time. Let’s settle down with acting like the QB can magically will everything out of his control to go right.

8. Detroit Lions (1-1) ⇩4

I like Dan Campbell a lot and I think he’s done an excellent job coaching up his team to this point. But, there does come a time for delegating some decisions. Detroit has been the underdog for so long, which is why Campbell’s aggressive style has been so refreshing.

But they’re not the underdogs anymore. They’re a top-10 team with top-5 talent. The difference between those is how the coach manages the risk-reward of certain situations in order to put the team in the best position to win. My point is, the fake punt isn’t always going to work. Settle down, Coach.

9. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) ⇧5

J.K. Dobbins is one of my favorite stories in the NFL this season. Let me tell you why.

Dobbins was drafted in the 2nd round by the Ravens in 2020. In his rookie year, he split carries with Gus Edwards (who he’s splitting carries with again in LAC) and Mark Ingram. Edwards was good, but it was clear Dobbins was special. In just 134 carries, he ran for 805 yards, an average of 6.0 yards/carry.

Then in 2021, he entered preseason as the presumed starter, but he never came out of preseason. In the final preseason game, he tore his ACL, LCL, and hamstring. He missed all of the 2021 season.

2022 had some question marks because the extent of his knee injuries made his return to the field a bit slower than people expected. He played in 8 games and still maintained a 5.7 yards/carry average, but he had a separate lingering knee issue for most of the season.

Finally ready to hit the ground running in his contract year of 2023, he tore his Achilles in week 1 and went right back to injured reserve. The Ravens moved on to Derrick Henry and Dobbins signed a 1 year minimum contract with the Chargers.

I don’t know how a player can mentally withstand so many setbacks, knowing he’s talented enough to be one of the best around but never being able to show it because his joints and tendons keep betraying him. He went 4 years with more rehab than football.

The body, you’re going to build that back, but the mind aspect of it, man, you definitely gotta tap into another area.

• J.K. Dobbins on The Jim Rome Show

Dobbins tapped into another area. Perhaps another dimension. Through 2 weeks, he leads the NFL with 266 rushing yards and a ridiculous 9.9 yards/carry. In week 1, he carried just 10 times for 135 yards, then followed it up in week 2 with 17 carries for 131 yards. I haven’t looked at any odds, but he has to be the early favorite for Comeback Player of the Year.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) ⇧1

Andrei Iosivas. Did I tell you or did I tell you? The great thing for the Bengals and having Iosivas is that they don’t have to find a way to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They can essentially pick one. Obviously they’ll try to keep Chase and let Higgins walk, but Chase’s reported frustration right now could play into it.

Oh, right, they’re also 0-2. But you wanna know a secret? They’re always 0-2. This is literally the third season in a row. The year before that, it took an overtime win to be 1-1. If they stay healthy, they’ll go on a run. And frankly, they just barely got beat by the consensus best team in the league, so this is more like a strong 0-2, which sounds like a fun new term that I’m about to use way too much.

Also, Cam Taylor-Britt with the Interception of the Year so far…

11. Dallas Cowboys (1-1) ⇩2

12. Minnesota Vikings (2-0) ⇧4

13. Miami Dolphins (1-1) ⇩5

I don’t know what the future holds for Tua Tagovailoa, and ultimately it’s his decision whether to continue playing. What I do know is that we don’t currently know enough about concussions, and continuing to play risks more concussions, plus any number of sub-concussive hits, and Tua’s future as a human being gets murkier.

I will never hold it against a player if they play or retire. There are plenty of stories of players retiring early: Andrew Luck, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, the list is long. It’s a violent sport that only the very lucky ones are able to play into their 30s, after which they’re not even halfway through the average lifespan.

There’s a machismo in football that really needs to make a swift exit. It leads to players hurting their own teams by trying to tough their way through an injury when the team would likely be better off with the backup in that time. And in some cases, it can lead to lifelong, irreversible damage. Shoulders, knees, hips… that stuff doesn’t go away. Add brains to that list.

Best of luck, prayers, and all the good vibes to Tua as he considers all of this and makes a difficult decision.

14. Green Bay Packers (1-1) ⇩2

If the Packers defense plays like that again, I may need someone to pinch me.

15. New Orleans Saints (2-0) ⇧7

Is this a fluke or was I this wrong about Derek Carr? Kamara is on a tear and running through what might be the best interior offensive line right now. Their defense was good to start the year and has lived up to that. I know it’s still very early, a lot can change, injuries will happen, but there’s a lot to like in NO.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) ⇩3

This isn’t a “they’re worse than I thought” drop. It’s a “holy crap, some of these other teams might better than I thought” drop. Sorry, it’s not always fair.

17. Vegas Raiders (1-1) ⇧2

18. Seattle Seahawks (2-0) ⇧3

19. Arizona Cardinals (1-1) ⇧5

My only hesitation with the Cardinals is that we’ve seen Kyler Murray dominate before, and then we saw it completely fall apart in the second half of the season. I really hope that doesn’t happen this year cause he looks special.

Even scarier for the rest of the league is the rapport he already seems to have with Marvin Harrison, Jr. Besides the TDs, he hit Harrison for on an early back shoulder throw to get out from their own goal line. That’s not a play any QB-WR can just naturally do… it takes a lot of repetition to get it right, and they executed it perfectly.

And then there was this…

20. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) ⇩2

Looks like Kirk Cousins is finding his rhythm. What stood out to me was a more equitable distribution of carries between Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. The latter has been underused since Robinson showed up last year, and it really makes no sense. The two complement each other perfectly.

Robinson could be a 3-down back, but why risk that when you can soften defenses with a hammer like Allgeier from time to time?

21. Chicago Bears (1-1) ⇩4

It’s amazing to me how quickly people want to insist Caleb Williams is a bust. I’m not surprised, but I do want to make a distinction. There’s a difference between questioning his abilities before the draft and calling him a bust after 2 games.

This site was among several that questioned whether he would be the generational talent so many believed him to be. My personal take was more along the lines of concern that he wouldn’t get the time he needed to clean up some sloppy habits that NFL defenses would expose. Well, here we are, 2 games in and those habits are being exposed. The longer they continue forcing him out there week after week, the lower his chances of ultimately having a successful career.

Maybe he still will. Maybe he’ll be one of those rare QBs who can plow through the negativity. Or maybe the Bears will have another top pick in a couple years and send Williams packing so they can draft Arch Manning and start the process all over again.

22. Indianapolis Colts (0-2) ⇩2

Anthony Richardson didn’t look nearly as impressive against the Packers as he did in week 1 against the Texans. But that’s what Colts fans will need to get used to. He’s going to make some otherworldly plays right alongside some boneheaded mistakes. They could’ve used another year of Minshew Mania™.

23. New York Jets (1-1) ⇧4

So it turns out Aaron Rodgers actually is a good QB. Who knew?

I know a lot of people want him to play poorly so we can all feel vindicated by how much we despise his personality. But the dude can play quarterback. I watched his entire career with the Packers and trashing him only makes the Jets more of a threat. Yeah, I called him old last week, cause he looked old last week. And then he responded.

24. New England Patriots (1-1) ⇩1

Jacoby Brissett was once again efficient, and the running game continues to be strong behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. If they keep developing their young weapons with Brissett, Drake Maye could walk into a pretty great situation next year. Stick to the plan, Coach Mayo.

25. Cleveland Browns (1-1) ≨

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) ⇩11

I swear, there must be a #1 draft pick curse going around. Trevor Lawrence‘s head needs to get in this thing cause he still has plenty of talent and plenty of weapons around him. Jags have a chance to be a big turnaround team as the season goes on. But right now, in Lawrence’s own words, “We suck right now.”

27. Los Angeles Rams (0-2) ⇩1

28. Tennessee Titans (0-2) ⇔

29. Washington Commanders (1-1) ⇧1

30. Denver Broncos (0-2) ⇩1

They’re paying Russell Wilson $39 million this year to be the backup QB on the team that just beat them. I know that sounds like a sister’s brother’s cousin sort of thing, but it’s a wild correlation.

31. Carolina Panthers (0-2) ⇔

I’m not ready to call this Bryce Young‘s fault. First, I don’t care if he was the top pick in the draft… he never should’ve started last season, just like Caleb Williams shouldn’t have started this season.

Second, he now has a coach with a track record of bringing out the best in a QB, but there’s just nothing around Young. I mentioned last week that Dave Canales coached Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield to their major comeback seasons. But it’s worth noting that Geno’s receivers were D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and Baker’s receivers were Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Young has the consistently underachieving Diontae Johnson and well-past-his-prime Adam Thielen.

And third, when considering who’s to blame for this void of talent, it has to start at the top with David Tepper. I don’t know how involved he’s been with some of the decisions that have been made the past couple years, but the simple fact that he involves himself in decision-making puts it squarely on his shoulders. They gave up their best WR and a pile of draft capital just to get Young and surround him with scraps. I called it short-sighted then and that looks to be painfully true now.

32. New York Giants (0-2) ⇔

Come on, Giants fans. Don’t act like your kicker getting hurt is the problem.