NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Bengals fall after Joe Burrow's injury; 0-2 Chiefs plummet out of top 10

You can’t shortchange the Eagles for narrowly beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, even if it wasn’t nearly as convincing as Philly’s Super Bowl LIX win. The Eagles were the better team on Sunday, even if the Chiefs felt they false started on some second-half tush pushes. Jalen Hurts hardly lit it up, but he found DeVonta Smith for a big connection late, and Saquon Barkley was a load all day. The defense played very well, with rookie Andrew Mukuba making the game-turning play with the interception off of Travis Kelce’s hands. Throw in two more long Jake Elliott field goals -- his third of 50-plus yards this season after missing six of seven from that distance a year ago -- and it was a three-phase victory.

It was a dominant performance against the Jets, even as Josh Allen had a pedestrian day throwing the football and suffered a bloodied nose, giving way to Mitchell Trubisky for a short spell. Allen got back in to lead a ground-based punishment of New York's defense. James Cook led the way, and Buffalo's defense made a strong statement after giving up 40 points to Baltimore in Week 1. The Bills only allowed the Jets to cross midfield once in the first 53 minutes of the game. Buffalo’s next three games are at home, and the team could be 3-0 in the AFC East by the first week of October. Things are good in Western New York.

It was getting just a tad worrisome when the Ravens hadn’t yet put away the Browns entering the fourth quarter, with the Buffalo nightmare still fresh in our memories. But Baltimore wasn’t about to cough this one up, dominating the fourth quarter and ending any chance of a shocking loss. To the Ravens’ credit, they’ve historically been very good coming off a loss -- especially a tough one. John Harbaugh had his team ready to fight for four quarters, and Baltimore was solid or better in all three phases. It wasn’t a banner game offensively, and Derrick Henry fumbled again. It was a no harm, no foul situation, but there are still a few things to tidy up.

Jordan Love and the offense have had their moments for sure, but it has been Green Bay's defense that has taken the league by storm through two games. The Packers held the Lions to 13 points in Week 1, then turned around four days later and limited the Commanders to 18. Micah Parsons was even more impactful in his second game, consistently harassing Washington blockers and drawing multiple flags. Even outside of Parsons, the Packers’ defense has played at a different level than we’ve seen in recent years. The offense had a few skittish moments for the second game in a row, but it’s hard to judge the performance in a vacuum with two starting offensive linemen out. The Jayden Reed injury is concerning, but the arrow remains firmly pointed upward.

A beat-up Baker Mayfield, with big help from Bucky Irving, led the Buccaneers on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, allowing Tampa Bay to sneak out of Houston with a one-point victory. Mayfield always did love winning in Texas. He gave everything in this game, which started like a shootout and ground down to a street fight. The Bucs nearly blew it by missing a 38-yard field goal, having a punt blocked and giving up a 53-yard punt return -- all in the second half. The defense made a key fourth-down stop in the red zone late, and Mayfield, Irving and Rachaad White finished it off. The win came at a cost, however. RT Luke Goedeke (foot) and DT Calijah Kancey (pec) suffered injuries and both were ruled out immediately, rarely a good sign. Losing either for a prolonged period would be a big deal. But the Bucs are still flying high after Monday's dramatic win.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Calijah Kancey suffered a torn pectoral muscle on Monday night that will require season-ending surgery, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday.

The Lions appeared to act as if Ben Johnson was a traitor who must be dealt with accordingly, and he certainly took a beating from his former team, watching the monstrous offense he helped build crush Chicago’s defense on Sunday. On six straight possessions from the second through the fourth quarter, the Lions scored -- five of them touchdowns. Whatever angst there was over the poor offensive showing in Green Bay, those worries are quelled for now. They scored 52 points. One of the best developments was that both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams were highly active, involved and dangerous. The run game cooked early and allowed Detroit's big-play threats to go to work. Great job by John Morton after a week of facing criticism for the state of his offense.

The second half belonged to Matthew Stafford on Sunday. He shook off a bad interception that helped the Titans take a three-point lead going into the break, dicing them up for the final 30 minutes in a road victory. The ground attack was so-so most of the game, and Kyren Williams was having trouble finding daylight, but Blake Corum got some extra reps and did well. The best news is that Los Angeles is 2-0 -- a welcome development for a team that got off to slow starts in the past two seasons. Defense has played a huge role. The Rams have now allowed one touchdown in eight quarters. If Stafford stays healthy, this is a team few will want to face.

Jayden Daniels’ availability for Week 3 is now up in the air after he suffered a knee sprain against the Packers, per NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. The injury rekindles concerns about his pass protection. The Commanders have faced two good pass-rushing teams, and the results have been decidedly mixed. Another concerning pass rusher is on the schedule in Week 3, with the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby coming to town, and Washington might have to turn to Marcus Mariota to start against his old team. The Commanders invested major resources in upgrading the O-line this offseason, but the results have yet to pay off. They also need to get Terry McLaurin going after he caught seven passes for 75 yards on 13 targets in the first two games. Maybe he’s still ramping up after missing a chunk of training camp during his hold-in. If Daniels’ injury is a one-week thing, perhaps the panic meter remains low. But Washington has four out of five games on the road thereafter, and the team is dealing with multiple offensive issues.

The Chargers' defense absolutely clamped down on Geno Smith and the Raiders, picking off the veteran quarterback three times. The first came on the first snap, gifting Los Angeles a field goal; the last came in the red zone, with Las Vegas looking to cut the deficit to one score. L.A.'s dominant defensive performance came in spite of Khalil Mack's elbow injury, which occurred in the first quarter. Credit the Chargers for keeping the pass rush going without Mack, but losing him for any extended stretch would hurt. The offense went through fits and starts. The run game remains a work in progress, and rookie Omarion Hampton's late fumble could affect his role. Justin Herbert played well (outside of a terrible near-pick late), and Quentin Johnston's 60-yard touchdown was the tipping point early. I question Jim Harbaugh's decision to go for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter, but his defense bailed him out. This was no work of art, but if you watched more than one Bolts game last season, this can't come as a shocker.

You can’t walk away from the Broncos’ shocking loss in Indianapolis without criticizing the defense, which played poorly outside the red zone, allowing 473 yards and seven scoring drives. It could have been worse had the Colts not forced two turnovers on downs at midfield. But Denver also deserves to be called out for what the offense did in the fourth quarter. With a chance to put the Colts away, the Broncos drove twice into Indy territory (inside the 30-yard line on both occasions) and came away with zero points. The missed field goal late by Wil Lutz was a killer, but it wasn’t as big as the 15-yard penalty on Spencer Shrader’s initial missed kick that ultimately cost Denver a victory. If the close win over the Titans had you concerned, this one had to sting even more.

There’s legitimate concern over the state of the offense, even if Xavier Worthy is able to return this week against the Giants. A lack of playmakers has really hindered things, putting way too much on Patrick Mahomes’ plate. He was terrific early against the Eagles as a scrambler, and that might be the best part of his game right now. But the more Mahomes has to run, the more susceptible he is to injury. Kansas City’s defense did improve vastly from Week 1 to Week 2, and the Giants aren’t the most fearsome foe imaginable, but this is an interesting time for the Chiefs. Chances are, when we look back eight or 10 weeks from now, this will all look so quaint. They are, after all, the Chiefs, and they’re not rolling over. But the Ravens, Jaguars and Lions are up after the G-Men, and everyone’s coming for the kings, even if they were already dethroned.

The Colts are 2-0 with two statement victories. I think it was fair to slowplay this team following the blowout of the Dolphins; we didn't know enough about either club then. But after a dramatic, gritty comeback win over the Broncos, it's time to give Indianapolis some proper respect. I am against massive moves up the Power Rankings chain on principle alone, but Week 2 typically creates more seismic activity than most others. The offense has hummed under Daniel Jones, and it makes a lot more sense now why the Colts went with him. More than a quarter of Jones' passes have gone to Tyler Warren, which is an incredible level of trust bestowed on a rookie tight end. He's been special so far, and he was particularly troublesome for the Broncos to handle Sunday. Next two are on the road, but with a win over Tennessee, Indy can go to 3-0 for the first time since 2009, back when Peyton Manning was at QB.

I had trouble spotting San Francisco in this pecking order. When I filed last week's rankings, we still hadn't received full clarity on Brock Purdy's injury. If we had, I probably would've dropped the 49ers a slot or two in that edition, just as I did when Jordan Love was hurt in Green Bay’s opener a year ago. So, I was prepared to give them a slight downgrade here, even though they just earned a road win with a backup QB. But as it turned out, the rankings wave pushed them up. Mac Jones made some key throws in New Orleans -- even with some mistakes, including the third-quarter fumble that kept the Saints alive. But considering whom he was throwing to, Jones played very well in his first start for San Francisco and can be trusted against Arizona this week if Purdy remains out. Say what you will about the defense, but once again, it kept the opponent in check and made a big play late to seal it. It hasn't been easy, and the Niners still have a lot to prove, but they are 2-0 with two road victories.

In Week 1, Zach Charbonnet was the more effective runner. In Week 2, it was Kenneth Walker III, whose second-half performance fueled the Seahawks to a big road victory. Losing to the rival 49ers in a close one hurt, but coming back with a statement showing at Pittsburgh was an eye-opener. The defense held Aaron Rodgers down without Devon Witherspoon, and Sam Darnold survived his two picks to have a solid day on the whole with a slew of big pass plays. Seattle’s defense really deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Steelers firmly in check, with DT Byron Murphy II playing a big role. Murphy had a relatively quiet rookie year, but he appears to have taken a step forward in 2025.

Atlanta put on a defensive clinic in Minnesota on Sunday night, ringing up six sacks, forcing four turnovers and holding the Vikings to six points and 198 yards. Considering the opponent and hostile setting, this was probably the best defensive performance by the team in years, and it was led by a four-pack of impressive rookies. I admit to wondering if the Falcons had been too hyper-focused on two positions in the draft, but rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. and safeties Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. look like four exciting building blocks for a new era. All four had their fingerprints on the victory, as did a composed Michael Penix Jr. and a strong rushing attack. And given the fact that the Falcons got five field goals from a kicker they signed last week, it was a banner victory.

Headline A: The Bengals improbably won a game on Sunday, moving to 2-0 for the first time since 2018. Headline B: Joe Burrow’s toe injury is expected to keep him out three months or more. The Bengals now must ride with Jake Browning for the foreseeable future. His work in 2023 was commendable, leading the Bengals from 5-5 to an 8-6 record entering the home stretch before they faded. It was hard to point at Browning as the reason they missed the postseason that year. On Sunday, they were down 14-7 when he came in, and the Bengals won, 31-27. You can’t ignore his three interceptions, all of which were regrettable, and Cincy looked cooked after his final one. But Browning kept slinging and somehow pulled out the wild victory. Here’s the reality, though: The schedule appears brutal for the next several games, with three of the next four on the road against good defenses.

The Texans entered Monday night's game against the Buccaneers with questions about their offensive identity, and they didn't do much to answer them. Houston is 0-2, yet it had chances to win both games against quality teams. The offense landed some explosive plays early, as the Texans came out with some fire on both sides of the ball. But then the attack just fell flat, with C.J. Stroud routinely running for his life. The pass protection was leaky up and down the offensive line, which clearly is still trying to find some cohesion. Houston got back into the game via special teams with a blocked punt and a long punt return, setting up Nick Chubb's late go-ahead score. But there was too much time left, and a beat-up defense that had been on the field most of the game couldn't get one final stop. Frustrating, not demoralizing, but the Texans are suddenly two games back in the division.

The Cardinals are 2-0, but they’ve done it in less-than-spectacular fashion. Arizona led Carolina 27-9 midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday, yet almost found a way to blow it. That’s pretty hard to do. The home team actually was up 27-3 late in the third, but the Cardinals allowed three straight full-field TD drives and suddenly were in trouble. The Panthers had the ball late at the Arizona 38-yard line, thanks to four -- count ‘em, four -- Cardinal penalties on the final series defensively. The Cards held on for dear life and sacked Bryce Young to end it, but Young had diced them up after his slow start, throwing for 217 yards and three scores in the second half alone. Arizona ran just 48 offensive plays and got the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride and James Conner on 20 of them. That latter number needs to be higher. The Cardinals moved the ball in the middle of the game but started slowly and did little late. There’s still plenty of doubt here, even after I predicted a playoff spot for them a few weeks ago. 

It hurts to write this, but J.J. McCarthy has played poorly in seven of his eight quarters -- and now he’s considered week to week with a high-ankle sprain, per NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The fourth quarter in Chicago was tremendous, but the other seven quarters have included three INTs (one pick-six), nine sacks and a fumble lost. It has been a wild ride with McCarthy, and it’s tough to know how severe the injury is now, but it’s clear things haven’t gone according to plan early. The Vikings will have a chance in the Backup Bowl, with Carson Wentz in line to face the Bengals’ Jake Browning, but this injury could be a huge blow to Minnesota. The offense already was swimming upstream without Jordan Addison and Christian Darrisaw, and now McCarthy’s learning curve will steepen the more time he misses. Another issue: the run defense. It started going south on the first play against the Falcons and never really improved.

Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense had their chances to make the Seahawks pay for some early mistakes, but they settled for two field goals and two three-and-outs in their first four possessions. It got worse in the third quarter, when the Steelers came up empty on three possessions, including a red-zone pick. Now let’s move to the defense, which has been a sieve thus far. This is the first time in more than 20 years that the Steelers have allowed 30-plus points in two games to start the season. Even with some big plays on that side vs. Seattle, it was an equally unimpressive effort against the run and pass overall. Oh, and special teams: Rookie Kaleb Johnson, who has been relegated to kick-return duty, somehow let the 'Hawks recover a loose kickoff in the end zone for a TD in a 17-14 game. It’s difficult to allow 10 points with a total of six seconds elapsing, but Pittsburgh helped Seattle accomplish that feat.

The Cowboys outlasted the Giants in one of the more entertaining games you’ll see, even if it started routinely enough. It was 17-16 entering the fourth quarter, then all hell broke loose. The two teams rolled to nearly a thousand yards, with a stunning 361 of them -- plus 41 points -- coming in the fourth quarter. Brandon Aubrey saved the Cowboys’ bacon with an insane 64-yarder to tie it in regulation and a 46-yarder to win it in overtime. Dallas’ defense had an impressive second half in Philadelphia, but it kept allowing the Giants, who scored six points in Week 1, big play after big play. Dak Prescott wasn’t at his crispest on the day, but he did what he wasn’t able to at Philly: deliver the big drive late. He did it at the end of regulation and, eventually, in OT. This was a big win for Dallas, even if it required serious effort to bring home.

Even the most patient Bears fan had to look away Sunday. Chicago was nominally in the game for most of the first half, but the wheels came off quickly and never found their way back to the axle. I'm still not completely burying this team because I think it will get better. But how do you walk away from this beatdown in Detroit without some serious measure of concern? The offense had two turnovers and was stopped twice on fourth down. The Bears got themselves into a slew of long-yardage situations they couldn't find their way out of, even with Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze making some big plays. Defensively, Chicago was atrocious, allowing Detroit 15 plays of 10-plus yards. Fifteen! The Bears have two more games before the Week 5 bye, and neither one (vs. Cowboys, at Raiders) is a gimme.

Trevor Lawrence wasn’t perfect Sunday, missing some throws, but he battled all game, even with two interceptions. Liam Coen’s reaction to one Lawrence overthrow late in the game (and Lawrence waving Coen off) caught some social media fire, but both men tried to downplay it Monday morning. Coen’s decision to go for it, up three deep in Cincinnati territory, can be questioned, but I think he made the right call. Brian Thomas Jr., however, has been disappointing through two games, dropping Lawrence’s fourth-down pass and now has only five receptions this season on 19 targets. Coen said Monday that Thomas was dealing with a wrist injury, which might explain why he didn’t come down with plays he typically makes. Thomas and Lawrence still have work to do, ironing out their connection, as Coen and Lawrence might, as well. Both relationships are crucial to the team’s success, and the Jags suddenly have some issues after letting a 2-0 record slip through their fingers Sunday.

Pete Carroll's 74th birthday wasn't a particularly celebratory affair, as the offense had a nightmarish night vs. the division rival Chargers. Geno Smith threw three picks, and his offensive line couldn't keep enough clean pockets. Brock Bowers played through a knee injury but looked like a decoy early before waking up a bit late. Jakobi Meyers took a while to get going, too. Ashton Jeanty had a few nice runs but never really got in gear. Everything just felt labored and clunky. The Raiders had zero success threatening the Chargers downfield. The defense hung in there and played great in the fourth quarter, but Las Vegas used up more than 11 minutes on its most promising drive of the second half before ultimately settling for a field goal. Smith's late pick in the end zone all but ended it. It just wasn't his or Carroll's night.

Mike Vrabel will find space on the mantel for his first victory as Patriots head coach, but this one nearly got away from his team more than once. The Dolphins burned his defense several times, the kicking was bad, and the Patriots committed 12 penalties, wiping out a pick on one of them. Rookie kicker Andres Borregales missed his first two extra-point tries, which changed the game math and strategy. He made a 53-yard field goal, which was good, but then botched the ensuing kickoff. Borregales also missed a 40-yard kick in Week 1. Meanwhile, Parker Romo made all five of his field goal attempts, including one from 54 yards out, in his first game with Atlanta. Hmm. But forget all that for a moment. Drake Maye was awesome. After an un-awesome first game, he looked fantastic against a defense that might be pretty bad, but it's still something.

Cam Ward has actually played pretty well in the first two games, but the offensive line and penalties are spoiling any progress. After 13 flags in the opener, the Titans had 10 more against the Rams. There were two wicked special teams penalties, one of which erased a punt-return touchdown. L'Jarius Sneed had two flags on defense. But the false starts on offense have to go. Ward was sacked five times, with a fourth-quarter strip-sack setting up a back-breaking touchdown. Some of this is play-calling and some of it is on Ward, but the protection breakdowns must be limited. There's added worry following Sunday's elbow injury for Kevin Zeitler. A suddenly-tough game this Sunday vs. Indy precedes three straight road games for the 0-2 Titans.

Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and hit Malik Nabers on a 48-yard TD strike with 25 seconds remaining to give the Giants a lead they couldn’t protect. The Cowboys were at their own 33-yard line with 14 seconds left and still found a way to tie it. Then Wilson and the offense went ice cold in overtime, with a punt and an interception, and the Cowboys ripped the Giants’ hearts out with another Brandon Aubrey field goal to win it. Wilson’s performance will quiet the Jaxson Dart talk a bit. But with games upcoming against the Chiefs and Chargers and an 0-2 record slung around their necks, the G-Men are facing even more pressure. Letting Sunday's game slip through their fingers could be one we look back on later.

The Jets are now 0-2 at home, and whatever goodwill there was from the close loss to the Steelers, it was undone by a listless performance against the Bills. In a showing that was far too 2024-ish, the Jets couldn't get anything going offensively and were not much better on defense. Justin Fields completed just three of his 11 passes for 27 yards -- and did little altogether outside of a 27-yard run -- before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion. Tyrod Taylor mopped up in the final 12 minutes and more than doubled Fields' passing output. The Jets were also helpless trying to tackle the Bills' leading rushers, as James Cook and Josh Allen combined for 191 ground yards at 7.1 a pop. It was a pretty dismaying performance ahead of two road games in the Florida heat. Aaron Glenn knows he has plenty to figure out.

Bryce Young started poorly and ended the game having made several impressive throws, nearly rallying the Panthers to victory. Young couldn’t finish the job, missing some throws late, even though he logged a career-high 328 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers now find themselves at 0-2 once again. It was at this point a year ago that Dave Canales had to bench Young for a while before he rallied. We’re not back at that point at all, but the inconsistency must be cleaned up. Defensively, the Panthers played fairly well at Arizona, but they can’t seem to get all three phases locked in at the same time right now.

Spencer Rattler is a fighter who has kept the Saints in both games, no doubt about that. He peeled himself off the turf several times in the first two outings of the season, continuing to battle like an undead warrior until the end. His late strip-sack fumble was the game-sealer, but Rattler really had little chance to get out of that one. The Saints can look at a missed field goal, a momentum-swinging fumble and some particularly painful penalties as reasons why they lost. They had two special teams penalties that hurt field position, and their other five flags either gave the Niners a first down or wiped out their own first down on offense. That's now two straight home losses to start the season. Up next: trips to Seattle and Buffalo. New Orleans might not win a game in September.

The game was still within reach at 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but then the Ravens finished off a long, grinding drive with a touchdown. On the ensuing Browns possession, the Ravens stripped Joe Flacco, running the fumble back 63 yards for the score, and that was all she wrote. It doesn't matter what the score once was when the final is 41-17. And the Browns can't ask and expect Flacco to save them. He's a pro's pro, but the ground game -- even with Quinshon Judkins active -- offered no help early. Kevin Stefanski's offense is built around the run, so when it fails, the system usually breaks down. The next two games are against the Packers and Lions, and right now, it's hard to see a path to victory in either. 

The Dolphins are 0-2 with a short-week trip to Buffalo this week. They sure had their chances against the Patriots, who insisted on keeping the door wide open, but the Fins couldn't string enough plays together. The big play was back on Sunday, which was nice, but the Pats weren't offering a ton of resistance. Tua Tagovailoa missed a wide-open Tyreek Hill late, and De'Von Achane stepped out of bounds on what could have been the game-winning score. This was an improvement from Week 1, but it's hard to be too encouraged by the product we've seen through two games. The Dolphins are taking on water, and Thursday could be a deluge if they're not vastly better.