FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The story of Week 3? Blocked kicks and pick sixes. How were there so many this week? For real? But oh how fun they were (expect for teams that saw themselves on the other side of those scores).
Week 3 saw one of the biggest upsets of the 2025 to this point, with the Cleveland Browns beating the Green Bay Packers. How did that game shake up the rankings? And how far did the Falcons fall after being shutout by the Panthers? Let's dive into this week's power rankings.
Hey, give Miami credit: They kept this game interesting through at least three quarters, which is more quarters than I expected going in.
This is a big win for Philadelphia. I would argue their most important to this point (and yes, I am saying that knowing they have already played the Chiefs this season, too).
This was yet another win for the Chargers, but not enough to warrant too much movement for the Chargers up this ranking. But I'll give them a spot.
Last week I thought the Bengals were the luckiest team in football this year. After Week 3 I think that team may be the Bucs.
I knew the Lions' Week 1 loss was not indicative of what they could be in 2025. This Week 3 win over the Ravens in which they sacked Lamar Jackson as many times as they did? That's more like it.
It was a valiant effort by the Rams and Matthew Stafford. It just wasn't enough in the end when Jordan Davis' big palm is in a kicker's face. But hey, I am not counting the Rams out, which is why they didn't fall in rankings.
The Colts are 3-0, but they don't have a signature win at this point. They face the Rams next week and that will be the measuring stick by which we know what the Colts truly are in 2025.
Until the Baltimore Ravens lose to a team not listed in the top-10 of every single power ranking across the league, I cannot in good faith drop them out of the top-10 despite their 1-2 record. One could argue they are two Derrick Henry fumbles from being 3-0 and in the No. 1 seed.
The Commanders did what they were supposed to do and did so without Jayden Daniels. That's a W for Marcus Mariota as Daniels' backup. Let's see what a week of rest did for Daniels with Atlanta on deck.
The Steelers got back on track with a win this week after a lackluster performance in Week 2. But did they do enough to really warrant a jump? Against the Patriots? Not really.
UPSET ALERT! I — for one — am shocked by this result. It really does play into the fact that any team, on any given Sunday, can beat anybody else.
Maybe the 49ers aren't blowing anyone out of the water, but they're getting tallies in the win column. Sooooo....
After being shutout of the endzone in Week 2 vs. the Falcons, the Vikings offense came alive against the Bengals to the tune of 350 yards of total offense, averaging 6.1 yards per play against a Joe-Burrow-less Bengals.
The Cardinals were oh so close to being 3-0. Honestly, it's probably a good thing they're not because I don't know where I would put them if that were the case.
The Seahawks solidly stomped the Saints in Seattle. Say that five times fast.
The Bengals miss Joey B, right?
The Broncos played right in step with the Chargers and if we are working under the assumption that the Chargers are one of the best teams in the league, that means that performance is a boon for the Broncos.
The Bears needed a confidence boost, and they absolutely got one with this performance against the Cowboys.
The Chiefs have earned their first win of the 2025 season... in Week 3... I don't think anyone saw this coming.
I don't know whether to give kudos to the Bears for turning it on after a couple tough losses or to smite the Cowboys.
Good news for the Jaguars: They won. Bad news for the Jaguars: They only beat a team that was right above them in the previous rankings last week.
The Falcons scored zero points against a 0-2 Panthers. The Falcons move to 0-2 in NFC South play. It's not the end of the line for Atlanta, but they need something big to infuse a bit of confidence back into the fanbase.
LOOK AT THE BROWNS! Maybe they are not as... Browns-like... as we thought. They did only lose to the Bengals by one in Week 1 and then full on beat a previously ranked top-3 team. Maybe we should be giving them more credit.
This is what I wrote about the Panthers last week:
"I am worried about the Falcons facing a 0-2 Panthers on the road. They kind of have nothing to lose. And a team like that can be dangerous."
I am not going to tell you I told you so but I'm also not... not... saying that.
I don't think the Patriots are too far from putting something interesting together. I keep believing they're going to make a stand somewhere.
The Raiders let Marcus Mariota throw for over 200 yards and rush for 40. Is that a plus for Mariota or a minus for the Raiders?
Man, the Jets are in these games. They are a play or two away from being 2-1, not 0-3. And that's what frustrates me so much with them.
We're at the point in the season where I can't justify putting 0-3 teams ahead of teams with wins. So, the Jets? You're the best of the winless bunch. Congrats...?
I really thought this was going to be a get-back game for the Texans, a win over an opponent that — on paper — they should beat. That is not what happened, and the Texans are still left searching for their first win of 2025. Not what I was expecting to say about them as Week 4 gets underway.
Sunday Night Football's game was the battle of the winless teams. And if the goal was to remain winless then the Giants really won. Right? That's how that works, yeah?
The Colts are rolling, and the Titans are... rebuilding.
Because the Dolphins kept things interesting with the Bills I decided to move them out of last in the league. Let's see how long that longs.
Ah, yes. There's the Saints performances I figured was bound to happen.
