NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Detroit and Arizona rise; Carolina and Green Bay slump
Overtime Seattle victory cements top spot for Seahawks
Wednesday 24 September 2014 13:04, UK
We can now start to be confident about our teams at the very top, Seattle and Cincinnati, and the no-hopers bringing up the rear - that would be you, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.
But everything in between? Not so much. There are a murky 13 teams all jumbled together at 2-1, some of whom have enjoyed a bit of luck so far, that’s Chicago and Atlanta, while others look more solid, notably Denver and San Diego.
So let’s try to work through the smokescreens to our four different divisions of NFL power…
Champions League – True Super Bowl Material
1. Seattle (no change) – The only thing that was missing in overtime at the Den of Din on Sunday was Liam Neeson commanding “Release the Kraken!” Instead, Pete Carroll switched his offence to Beast Mode, and Marshawn Lynch carried the team to a memorable – and crucial – overtime victory.
2. Cincinnati (up 2) – No team can sit back and enjoy their bye this week more than the Bengals. The REAL tests come next, though – at New England, home to Carolina and at Indianapolis. Get to 6-0 and this team could be a legit juggernaut.
3. Denver (down 1) – It just goes to show, if you bang your head against the CenturyLink wall long enough, it will eventually crack. More importantly, the Broncos discovered their defence IS built for the long haul.
4. Philadelphia (up 1) – The Eagles didn’t run an offensive play until there were just 2 minutes left in the first quarter but they still went on to rack up another 30 points. So scoring points is really not the problem. That defence has now given up 78 points, though, which is more than Oakland, Cleveland or the Giants.
5. New England (up 1) – If Denarius Moore doesn’t fumble a last-minute pass from Derek Carr and turn it into a game-killing interception, the Raiders might well have taken the Patriots to overtime on Sunday. Bill Belichick needs to get that wrench out of the offence’s system right now.
6. Arizona (PROMOTED, up 6) – Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is firmly on course for assistant coach of the year after taking a front seven devastated by injury, suspension and free agency and making it the second-best in the league in terms of points conceded (45) so far.
7. Detroit (PROMOTED, up 7) – Any team that holds Green Bay to their lowest ever score with Aaron Rodgers under centre deserves respect. And, right now, this Lions team is being taken seriously like never before.
8. Chicago (PROMOTED, up 2) – Back-to-back road wins with a defensive secondary that is rapidly being stripped of every safety and cornerback in Illinois is another remarkable coaching achievement.
Premier League – Those Most Likely For Promotion
9. Atlanta (no change) – Did you see how truly, deeply, utterly BAD the Buccaneers were last Thursday?
10. Green Bay (RELEGATED, down 7) – A historically bad offensive performance at Detroit has pundits throughout the league scratching their heads. Can someone please return the REAL Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy to Lambeau Field?
11. Baltimore (no change) – Two botched Cleveland field goals (one missed, the other blocked) were realistically all that stood between the Ravens and 1-2 this week.
12. New Orleans (up 3) – Welcome to the 2014 season, Marques Colston. The Saints’ No.1 wide receiver had to wait almost 12 quarters but he finally got his first touchdown of the year.
13. Indianapolis (no change) – Did you see how truly, deeply, utterly BAD the Jaguars were last Sunday?
14. San Francisco (RELEGATED, down 6) – When you have your division rivals 14-6 down at half-time on the road and they are already using their back-up quarterback, the 49ers finish the job, don’t they? Suddenly, home games with Philadelphia and Kansas City are looking like make-or-break time for Jim Harbaugh.
15. Carolina (RELEGATED, down 8) – That comprehensive meltdown at home to Pittsburgh was a major eye-opener. The Steelers hadn’t scored a touchdown in fully eight quarters and then torched the Panthers for 4 in half a game.
16. San Diego (PROMOTED, up 1) – The Chargers are playing a cruel game with Fantasy Football owners everywhere. After Antonio Gates caught 3 TD passes last week against Seattle, he had just 1 CATCH at Buffalo. Eddie Royal, with zero TDs in his first two games, had two in Orchard Park. Cue hair-tearing across the country
The Championship – Teams With a Lot Of Work To Do
17. Pittsburgh (up 3) – A super-charged running game, plenty of Big Ben – but defensive injuries aplenty. Can 36-year-old James Harrison now plug the gap?
18. Dallas (up 4) – Shrugging off a 21-point deficit, on the road and escaping with a win is the good news. Giving up 31 points to the Rams’ pop-gun attack (just 25 points, total, against Minnesota and Tampa) is not so good.
19. Miami (RELEGATED, down 3) – That 33-23 opening-day win at home to New England suddenly seems a LONG time ago. A third straight defeat, to the Raiders, could potentially spell the end of the Dolphins’ season.
20. Houston (down 2) – It was time-warp time for the Texans at MetLife Stadium. After two big steps in the right direction, it was straight back to 2013 for a team that could neither stop an unimpressive opponent nor get out of its own way, with three interceptions and a blocked punt.
21. Buffalo (up 4) – The life of a rookie wideout; one week it’s eight catches for 117 yards and a TD and the next it is just 2 catches for 19 and precious little else. Welcome to the NFL, Sammy Watkins.
22. Kansas City (PROMOTED, up 5) – Andy Reid can breathe again thanks to a veteran performance from Alex Smith, whose 19 of 25 for 186 yards and 3 TDs was enough for a whopping 136.0 quarterback rating at Miami.
23. New York Giants (PROMOTED, up 7) – You see what happens when you don’t beat yourselves?
24. Washington (no change) – It’s starting to look a lot like the Redskins have been backing completely the wrong passer for the last couple of years. Even in defeat at Philly, Kirk Cousins boasts a quarterback rating of 105.8 this season. Robert Griffin III’s 3-year figure stands at 91.8.
The Conference – Those in Rebuilding Mode
25. Tennessee (RELEGATED, down 6) – There’s a danger the Titans could go into freefall after giving up 59 points in two weeks. Only Jacksonville are keeping them off bottom spot in the AFC South. Gulp.
26. St Louis (RELEGATED, down 3) – That narrow win at Tampa Bay is not looking quite so solid for the Rams right now. Giving up 68 points in two home games tells an even more worrying story.
27. Cleveland (down 1) – The Browns seem obsessed with getting Johnny Manziel on the field somehow when, if they just concentrated on the basics, like proper blocking for field goals, they might well have chalked up another ‘W’ against Baltimore.
28. New York Jets (down 3) – OK, so they DID score 19 points at home to Chicago but, after watching the whole game, you might well be asking HOW?
29. Minnesota (down 1) – Now it’s up to Teddy Bridgewater to see if he can spark some life into an offence that has scored just 13 points in two games.
30. Oakland (up 1) – Full marks for effort, Raiders. Now catch a few passes and you could do some real damage – to the NFL head coaching future of Miami’s Joe Philbin.
31. Jacksonville (no change) – The defence was supposed to be the strength of the rebuilt Jags this season. After giving up 119 points in just 3 games that might be a touch optimistic. Like this team also chalking up a win before they get to London yet again.
32. Tampa Bay (down 3) – It’s hard to imagine a bigger meltdown in every single facet of the game than the Bucs produced at Atlanta as the Falcons did everything but steal their lunch. By the time Tampa’s defence forced a stop (on a fumble), they had been outgained 250 yards to 17 and were 28-0 down. They DID chalk up a first down before half-time, but they also allowed the Falcons’ first sack of the season! With five minutes to go in the third quarter, they had more turnovers (5) than first downs (4). Even the Keystone Cops were more organised than this.
