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Neil Reynolds Week 3 Power Rankings

The Patriots have scored a club record-tying 76 points to open this season. More notable is that they have now not allowed a touchdown in three straight games dating back to the Super Bowl.

Sammy Watkins goes quiet and it doesn't matter a jot. Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes just abused the Raiders with DeMarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and Travis Kelce. Dynamite!

The Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott relationship is already a beautiful thing and even though there is a long way to play this season out, I have Dallas as Super Bowl front-runners in the NFC.

The Rams don't look quite as dynamic as they did for so much of 2018 but they have already scored 57 points in two games and recorded big wins over Carolina on the road and New Orleans.

Is Lamar Jackson fun to watch or what? He had another big day against Arizona, racking up 272 passing yards and two scores, while adding 120 rushing yards. Next up, Patrick Mahomes!

This could be the beginning of a slide for the Saints because they have a tough stretch and no Drew Brees at quarterback. Can Teddy Bridgewater hold down the fort or is it Taysom time?

It took six quarters for Aaron Rodgers to have a public blow-up with new head coach Matt LaFleur. But that is a worry for another day. The D is balling and the Pack are 2-0 after big division wins.

Other QBs get more attention - see Mahomes, Jackson and Rodgers to name three in this list alone – but few are playing better than the red-hot Russell Wilson. That's why his team is 2-0.

Josh Allen still makes mistakes and that is to be expected for a young QB. But this offense is much-improved and the defense keeps reminding us it is one of the very best units in the league.

The Eagles were sloppy and got banged up against the Falcons and still almost pulled out the win on the road. Consistency would push this talented team further up these rankings.

Two touchdowns wiped out by penalty, a fumble at the goal-line and the miss of a makeable field goal all contributed to a loss at Detroit. And all of that sounds eerily familiar to Chargers fans.

This team should rebound and move back into the top 10 soon, but the line must play better and so must Kirk Cousins. I have no concerns about Dalvin Cook at RB nor the defense, which is special.

A win is a win and victory was much needed for the Bears at Denver in Week 2. But I have ongoing concerns about the sluggish nature of a Chicago attack that was supposed to be better in 2019.

I have been impressed by the way the 49ers have opened with two wins. The defense is playing very well and Kyle Shanahan is finally seeing his vision for the offense come to fruition.

I told you Baker Mayfield to Odell Beckham Jr. was going to be fun. But now comes a sterner test than the New York Jets in the form of the Rams. Win this one and we'll really pay attention.

I really like the way that Jacoby Brissett has stood up big late in the first two games of the season. That is encouraging and this team still has enough talent to take the AFC South, even without 12.

Houston should learn the lessons from Andrew Luck's retirement. They MUST protect Deshaun Watson better. Last week, was the eighth straight game he was sacked at least four times. Ouch!

There were positive signs in Sunday's win over Philadelphia, but there were also indications that the Falcons are a work in progress with new coordinators across the board; most notably Matt Ryan's three interceptions.

Didn't last week just about sum up the Titans and place them firmly in the middle of the NFL pack? Just seven days after a big road win in Cleveland, they struggle badly at home and lose.

Detroit are undefeated at 1-0-1 and could demand a higher ranking. The defense is legit, Kerryon Johnson is a growing force and Matthew Stafford has his moments. Let's not sleep on this team.

I'm very keen to see how Mason Rudolph fares in his first NFL start on Sunday because he looked decent on Sunday. But the loss of Big Ben is, of course, a damaging factor for a winless team.

The offense could have been a little more exciting in last week's win at Carolina, but Bruce Arians will take them any way he can get them. And a much-maligned defense showed up big-time.

The Panthers are 0-2 with home losses to the Rams and Buccaneers. And now Cam Newton is reportedly hurt again. If he isn't injured, then we have to wonder if he is just not very good.

The Redskins look like they are close to being competitive and then they go and give up a bunch of big plays in the second halves of both games this season. Let's see if they respond soon.

It's going to be an up and down ride with these Raiders as they continue to build. But I like the way they fly around on defense and this team will be way more competitive than in 2018.

No wins yet for Kyler Murrary and Kliff Kingsbury but the Cards are competitive and interesting. But can this wide open attack work near the goal-line? Way too many short field goals last week.

The Broncos are 0-2 for the first time since 1999 but there are greater worries. Joe Flacco only sprung to life late in the Chicago game and Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are sack-less in 2019.

Just as I was about to get mildly excited by the Bengals after their spirited showing in Seattle in Week 1, they ship 572 yards and 41 points to the 49ers... in front of their own fans in Cincinnati!

Jags get arrested in London last season, Myles Jack gets ejected in Week 1 and head coach Doug Marrone and Jalen Ramsey nearly have a fight in Week 2. But hey, at least they took the ping-pong tables out of the locker room to clean up the 'mess' from the Gus Bradley era!

Does anyone remember those heady days of summer when the training camp air was filled with optimism? All that hangs in the air in the Big Apple these days is the stench of a lost season.

Don't laugh at that one, Giants... you're even worse than the Jets! There may be some faux outrage over Eli Manning's benching but it is time to see what rookie Daniel Jones has to offer.

The Dolphins are lucky to make 32 on this list. There must be at least 10 college teams right now who would beat Miami. I'm not even being flippant there. This is an historically bad outfit and I have never seen a more blatant attempt to give up on a season.

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