As 32 organizations prepare for battle in Week 4 of the 2015 NFL season, we break down the current Power Rankings after three weeks of play.
By Corey Aron
There have been many surprises thus far, as well as staples continuing their dominance.
Without further adieu, let’s take a look at how the NFL has shaped up thus far in the 2015 season in our latest NFL Power Rankings:
32. Chicago Bears: 0-3 ↓
So wait, let me get this straight. You would think the Bears front office at this point should already know how unstable of a QB they have in Jay Cutler right? Well that’s obviously wrong. They’re idiots for lack of a better word.
Let’s immediately re-sign Jay to a 7-year deal, $18 million a season with $54 million guaranteed as the first off-season move after the 2013 season. That was former GM’s Ray Emery’s doings, but either way, current GM Ryan Pace is just as more of a moron.
You’re going to keep Jimmy Clausen as your back up QB? Look, I know the Bears were going up against Seattle, in Seattle, and with the return of Kam Chancellor, but to punt after every possession might have made fans in Chicago want to throw up. Alshon Jeffrey needs to get back into action this Week 4 and maybe the baby boy Jay Cutler can also come back at some point from a hamstring injury.
31. New Orleans Saints: 0-3 ↑
The Saints haven’t been blown out in any of their three losses but the fact remains that things haven’t been easy in the Big Easy. You’re probably better off rooting for the LSU Tigers. But, there is a bit of some good news involving Drew Brees’s shoulder. Apparently the only Doctor that’s able to examine shoulders and arms is Dr. James Andrews, who says that he’s optimistic that Brees will be day-to-day and could give it a shot for this upcoming week against Dallas. Outside of that, Sean Payton and the Saints have put themselves in a big hole with two of their division rivals having started undefeated.
30. Cleveland Browns: 1-2 ↔
Unless Coach Pettine snaps out of it and gives the people what they want, then the Browns will just continue to sit comfortably as a bottom feeder.
Last year, I’ll give credit to Pettine’s first year as head coach though; he got some juice flowing into that team by at least making themselves contenders. I understand certain seniorities, given that Josh McCown has been in the league longer than Johnny Manziel but “Johnny Football” finally lived up to his name by beating Marcus Mariota in week 2 and flipped the switch for an awful Week 1 performance against the Jets.
Who, of course, started in that game? Josh McCown. Maybe I really don’t understand certain seniorities, I know for a fact that Cam Newton can’t seem to either with Ed Hochili.
Do the right thing Pettine. We want to see more Johnny to Travis Benjamin extended plays with a little improvisation long haul passes for crying out loud! Until then, I’m not sure how this team will be trending.
29. Detroit Lions: 0-3 ↓
I can’t say that the Lions looked flat out awful on Sunday Night in their loss against Peyton Manning and the Broncos. And they didn’t necessarily look awful when they were up 21-3 before blowing their season opener to the San Diego Chargers either. I mean they still have Megatron, Golden Tate’s 1300 receiving yards in 14′, the hot-shot UNC Tarheel in TE Eric Ebron, and a little Ameer Abdullah action now in the mix. Still though, the Detroit Lions find themselves 0-3 purring like little puddy cats instead of roaring with that kind of talent like true LIONS should.
I realize this is a physical game and the longer you play it, you’re bound at some point on endangering yourself towards getting battered up. Unfortunately Matthew Stafford is in a lot of endangerment. (FYI for your Fantasy Teams.) Stafford’s ribs and back soreness should possibly consider sitting out a month of football. The next two weeks you’ve got Seattle and Arizona, the NFL’s most prolific defenses right now. My feeling is he’ll still play, in which whether he’s injured or not he still would give DET the best chance to win. However my other feeling is that this red-trending downwards arrow that you see along side the team’s record will probably continue to drop as the Lions will by then go 0-5. First car dealerships, the Detroit Tigers cleaning house, and now their Lions. Cancel Thanksgiving in Detroit.
28. Washington Redskins: 1-2 ↓
First off, why are they even still called the Redskins based on such a controversy last year? I’m not offended by the name of the Redskins personally, but I guess that story is over and done with and we all feel comfortable by calling them the Redskins again?
Cool? Okay phewf!
Well now that we addressed this pressing issue, let’s address the issues with the current state of the Washington Redskins shall we. We’ve got the wrong Gruden coaching first and foremost. It might seem silly as this being my first go-to reason here, but it’s true. John is beloved and we’ve all been awaiting for the man to come back into the league for a while now. Meanwhile, Jay simply can’t handle more than just having a Coordinator role.
We’ve also seen what people were starting to believe to be a “much improved defense.” Instead, they got devoured by Eli and the Giants in last Thursday’s game.
Speaking of the two teams, going down to FedEx field last year during a Thursday night Giants/Skins showdown also proved how much of a total IQ the fanbase has in general. I don’t mean to sound overly harsh here but when you see a die-hard fan in his mid-50s, wearing big old bifocals while constantly shouting in his raspy tone
“Come on Captain Kirk!”
As if the guy has won you something to be called Captain? I’m sorry you William Shatner groupie-lovers, but this isn’t freakin’ Star Trek! It’s the NFL and Kirk Cousins is going to be done after this season. That’s if they don’t resort back to RGIII taking over before then. Oh yes, and lastly hey DeSean Jackson I wanted to say you’re on pace to join Jay Cutler and the All-Baby Team. Redskins fans you with me here? Or maybe the IQ joke stung a bit.
27. San Francisco 49ers: 1-2 ↓
I hope Colin Kaepernick has a short memory because starting off last week’s game out in the desert by throwing for two picks 6’s may very well be the true indicator that Niners football is back to mediocrity. Maybe Kaep was thinking about his new tattoo he can add onto his body, because it’ll really standout with the 100s of other tattoos right? Imagine as a coach you said that to someone? Whatever fires them up is my philosophy and someone needs to fire up this San Fran team.
To new Head Coach Joe Tomsula’s credit, that man can scream and does a lot of it. So, we’ve figured out our problem here, Kaepernick is also another Quarterback that’s game isn’t really tailored to further flourish in this kind of league.
Also, Carlos Hyde had fantasy owners including myself questioning not drafting the 2nd round Buckeye product after his monstrous Week 1 performance. Since then, his carries in the last two games have been cut in half.
I don’t think there will be much gold to mine in this 2015 season.
26. Baltimore Ravens: 0-3 ↑
You’re probably wondering a couple of things here. Firstly, how are the Ravens ranked this high at #26 being a win-less team? And next, why is there a trending up sign next to their name?
I’ll tell you why.
It’s because the Ravens have played hard-nosed football in all three games and were cut short in all three of these games. Losing the heart and soul of the defense in the scary Terrell Suggs for the season with a torn Achillies injury took the oxygen out of their hopes for a Super Bowl run.
If there’s any head coach out there that can prime their team up for a true run, it’s John Harbaugh. However, Rookie WR Breshad Perriman has been a major bust, while making matters worse for himself to have tweaked his right knee during last Sunday’s warm-ups. It just makes things more difficult for Flacco to rely on anyone aside from the age-less Steve Smith.
But, reason why I have the Ravens trending up is because I think they’re in for an upset victory come this Thursday out in Heinz Field. I don’t think Michael Vick starting for Big Ben is such a good idea, but we’ll get into more of that when we talk about Pittsburgh.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1-2 ↓
Nothing like giving up 51 points to the defending Super Bowl Champs. Does anyone on this team scream out to you as being a superstar or let alone a Pro-Bowl type player? Justin Blackmon might have been the closest thing to that except he’s a troublesome man off-the-field and may never see the playing field again.
There’s still a glimpse of hope that once TE Julius Thomas heals from a broken finger, he’ll provide Jacksonville a fairly formidable weapons grouping.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-2 ↔
If I had to rate Jameis Winston on a scale of 1-10, since that’s all that anybody really cares about, I guess you can say he’s been a 5½ out of 10.
Tampa Bay has winnable games coming up in their schedule: vs Carolina, vs Jacksonville, @ Washington. Also, with Mike Evans getting 17 targets in last game, if he and Jameis can continue to build a rapport together, they could be a fun duo to watch throughout this season.
23. Miami Dolphins: 1-2 ↓
Rounding out the Florida teams are the Miami Dolphins. Joe Philbin’s message doesn’t seem to be getting across a room with a lot of talent under his hands. Every game so far the Dolphins have so far looked half-a**ed.
Ndamukong Suh looks like he just robbed the Dolphins blind considering he has given them a total of 7 tackles and a donut-hole in the sacks category. Not only that, but reports have it that he basically does what ever the hell he wants to do out there by disregarding the assigned plays that have been called. Which means, it messes up everyone else and the defense and team itself just isn’t on the same page.
The offense is just as frustrating. Lamar Miller, where are you? Ryan Tannehill was starting to fill out that ceiling of his and all of sudden looks like he just walked back onto Texas A&M as a WR initially in his football career. The Dolphins have the Jets, Titans and Texans coming up. They’ll have to turn things around.
22. Tennessee Titans: 1-2 ↔
Coach Ken Whisenhunt started designing his playbook surrounding Marcus Mariota well-on even before drafting him. A Chip Kelly package consisting of Pro Bowl nose tackle Fletcher Cox wasn’t enough to entice the Titans to give up on their franchise QB. So far I can see as to why Mariota created the biggest buzz heading into the draft and onto the season.
Mariota’s stat line through three games: 61-97, 833 passing yards, 8 TDs/2 INTs , 109.2 QB rating.
That’s living up to the billing as his Titans nearly pulled the major upset over Andrew Luck and the Colts. Why Mariota didn’t trust his gut to throw it on the 2pt conversion – to force a potential overtime – is beyond me though.
21. Houston Texans: 1-2 ↑
It’s a fainted green pointing up arrow for the Texans. Fainted, because you were able to pull off a big win at home against Jameis Winston.
HBO’s Hard Knocks team this year may also have good news in store. Arian Foster looks to be steadily closer towards his return back onto the field and that kind of impact player to come back on any team is a true game-changer. Coach Bill O’Brien has already played the QB carousel game between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, but I think at this point it’s Mallett’s job to lose.
Another note, why is Jadeveon Clowney not doing anything? He’s certainly getting a whole bunch of snaps so far in these games and hasn’t amounted to anything. He’s now officially a bust until proven otherwise. J.J. Watt can’t do it alone.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: 1-2 ↔
I’ve never seen someone clean house after having a winning season. However, Chip Kelly did just that by kicking Pro-Bowlers out the door, like it’s a “what’s it to Chip” kind of ordeal. One can only wonder if he regrets the actions that he took while disrupting his teams morale.
His additions included Demarco Murray, whose currently hurt at the moment and not having been able to fit into Chip’s offense. He traded LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso, who was coming back from a torn ACL to now having partially tearing it yet again. And they spent all this money to bring in Byron Maxwell who so far really does look like a product of the Legion of Boom’s defense. Rookie WR Nelson Agholor looks like Maclin’s replacement so far? And best of all was for Chip to put his faith into Sam Bradford who hasn’t played in two straight seasons.
In any case, Chip Kelly has shown to be innovative at times and with the NFC East in its current flux, the Eagles can win back everyone’s hearts again by playing up to their high expectations heading into this season.
19. San Diego Chargers ↓
Year in and year out, I can’t seem to ever figure out Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers. Maybe the Redzone channel didn’t get enough of this past game against the Vikings when you factor that SD had both more total yards and time of possession on the ball. And maybe once Antonio Gates comes back from his 4 game suspension (by the way his PEDs will probably cost him Canton) he could provide some extra insurance for Rivers.
18. New York Giants: 1-2 ↑
It was a big sign to see MLB Jon Beason return to game action for the G-Men last Thursday. It’s also promising to note that Victor Cruz is closer to returning.
The Giants biggest weakness thus far has surely been the defensive line. Quarterbacks have had all day to throw it and I’ve gotta be honest, even with JPP on the team I don’t see a drastic improvement in terms of pressure. That’s not to say their have been some bright spots on this defense. If DRC comes back healthy for week 4 out in Buffalo, the Giants secondary can be very potent in causing some turnovers on Tyrod Taylor.
Eli Manning has also yet to throw an interception himself, and seems to have done well under McAdoo’s offensive system. Giants must take advantage of the Cowboy’s injuries if they want to claim their stakes on winning the NFC East.
17. St. Louis Rams 1-2 ↓
Man, we all thought after that huge season opening win against the Seattle Seahawks that Jeff Fisher really had his pulse on this St. Louis team. Nope. Instead they lost to a Washington Redskins team fairly handedly and couldn’t make any opportunities come to fruition in this past Sunday’s game. “Rookie sensation” Todd Gurley had a debut in the books. More like in the gutters, the guy had 9 yards…
Yup, nine times, I mean yards, 9-yards.
The point is Todd Gurley didn’t much to rave about and will certainly need to if the Rams stand a chance to be in the Wild Card hunt. Their defense has been stout and will be the focal point in carrying this teams success.
16. Indianapolis Colts 1-2 ↑
I would have never believed for a split second that the Colts would barely be 1-2 with Andrew Luck having already thrown seven interceptions. What was the point in signing Andre Johnson and drafting a Phillip Dorsett in the first round? Addressing both the offensive and defensive lines didn’t come to mind for Colts GM Ryan Grigson. Nevertheless, the AFC South might be regarded as the weakest division in the NFL.
As I mentioned before, with Arian Foster coming back and Marcus Mariota playing inspiring football for the Titans, this means Andrew Luck and the Colts can’t mess around anymore. Otherwise they might not who we thought they were (thank you Dennis Green).
15. Dallas Cowboys: 2-1 ↓
Again, without Romo and Dez for the next two months and possibly longer is basically getting two flat tires on the front of your vehicle. Brandon Weeden very briefly made those anxieties disappear for Jerry Jones by starting off the game 16-16 in pass attempts providing Dallas with a two-touchdown lead.
Let’s just say those two pivotal injuries had never occurred. I think we’re talking about not only them winning the NFC East, but being Super Bowl contenders. One positive sign is that post-life without Murray has been just fine with the emergence of Joseph Randle. The only question remains is will Matt Cassel get the start over Weeden soon?
14. Kansas City Chiefs: 1-2 ↓
If the Chiefs lose this upcoming game against Cincy, they could fall very far in these Power Rankings. Losing that Week 2 Thursday game to Denver was a real crusher. They had that game in their hands and they let it slip.
The Chiefs have the right personnel on both sides of the field and they don’t seem like a throw in the towel team just yet. After all, the season is still early, but it’s tough to tell scoping out the Chiefs season from here on out.
13. Minnesota Vikings: 2-1 ↔
Adrian Peterson had to get out some of the kinks back in Week 1’s loss against San Fran, but the last two weeks we’ve officially seen AP come back in full effect.
Minnesota’s defense have done a nice job for Head Coach Mike Zimmer. Their recent draft picks of Anthony Barr, Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, Sharrif Floyd, Trae Waynes, and now LB Eric Hendricks, who led the team in tackles in last weeks game, are all providing a real youth movement on potential success.
Their upcoming schedule will continue to test just how much grit does this team really as they’ll have to face: Denver, Kansas City and Detroit
12. New York Jets: 2-1 ↓
When I say trending down, I don’t mean drastically. Look, without Decker and Ivory (fooling us all that he was going to be active even though he didn’t line up for a snap), a viable reason pops up as to why they couldn’t muster enough offense to psyche out the Eagles. It’s still to be determined in whether Decker’s sprained knee will be OK to give it a shot against Miami this Sunday.
In other news, Geno Smith is back. He’s probably wondering why nobody has brought his name back into the equation but for now it’s Fitzpatrick’s job going forward. Another piece of news is that after Week 4 the Jets defensive line will most likely bring back Sheldon Richardson. Although we already know how much of knucklehead he was this past offseason but his addition to an already strong defense will give Gang Green a real chance to be the team of New York this season.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers: 2-1 ↓
Everything seemed all fine and gravy after the Steelers put a whipping on the 49ers in Week 2, especially with the return of Le’Veon Bell.
However, that was all but short-lived.
Big Ben’s sprained MCL suffered at the hands of Bucs S Mark Barron will cost him to miss about 4-6 weeks, leaving the man himself, Michael Vick, another shot in the limelight. My advice for Vick is to stay in the pocket, game-manage, and only run it when it’s completely necessary to. We all know he’s not the same, elusive and dynamic runner he once was, far from it actually. If they can play .500 football before Roethlisberger comes back, I think the Steelers will be back to being the Super Bowl contending team they were showing to be.
10. Oakland Raiders: 2-1 ↑
Derek Carr may not have had to start on a new expansion team like his older brother David had to endure with with the Houston Texans, but revitalizing an Oakland Raiders franchise might be just as challenging if not more. You might be rubbing your eyes as if you needed to take a double-take on this ranking, but yes, the Oakland Raiders I believe have earned being the 10th best team in the league at this very moment.
They say this is a place where “legends go to die” when in fact it was Justin Tuck’s hit on Josh McCown that forced the game-ending interception, picked off by none other than Charles Woodson.
Latavius Murray and Amari Cooper will be real play-makers on this offense. I hope the trending arrow will continue to remain green for black and silver.
9. Carolina Panthers: 3-0 ↔
It’s been a relatively easy schedule thus far for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. If they hadn’t lost last year’s big time 6’5” WR Kelvin Benjamin during the off season, I’d rank Carolina even higher on here. They did however just acquire DE Jared Allen which will only add onto to already sound defense. Sometimes in this league, it’s not always about how you win them but as long as you get the W.
8. Buffalo Bills: 2-1 ↔
Outside of Sammy Watkins on potentially missing out for this Sunday’s game against the Giants, the Buffalo Bills have really responded well under Rex Ryan’s first season at the realm. They’ve really looked like a complete team on both sides of the ball, and even hung in the game against the Patriots in week 2. However, a loss to the Giants could also warrant a major drop outside of being a top 10 team in this weeks power rankings.
7. Atlanta Falcons: 3-0
Not a bad start for Dan Quinn’s first season as a head coach in the league. Not saying any of their victories came on convincing fashion, but the Falcons have something brewing down in the ATL.
Julio Jones is on pace for 181 receptions and over 2,300 receiving yards. That’s not going to happen, but just how good could this guys numbers be if he can stay healthy this season? Devonta Freeman also just had his big breakout game this past Sunday by rushing for 3 TDs and piling up a whole lot of yardage in total with 193 yards.
It’s a matter in whether this defense can hold up but so far the 8th overall pick Vic Beasley might have a few other teams that picked ahead regret not taking the pass-rushing specialist.
6. Seattle Seahawks 1-2 ↑
This is one of the rare occasions that you will see a team under .500 make it in the top 10. Seattle isn’t your typical team though, they’ve infused a serious winning culture and nothing gets a team back on track then to shut out your opponent for your teams home opener. Of course, Kam Chancellor is a big reason as to why the Seahawks made light work of Jimmy Clausen and the Bears.
Their is one big question mark going forward and that’s the health of Marshawn Lynch. We won’t get a better idea on his game-time status for next Monday’s game against Detroit, but Beast Mode has been pretty quiet even before his pulled hamstring.
5. Denver Broncos: 3-0 ↑
Peyton isn’t getting any younger, but something tells me he’ll continue to play even better football as that offensive line will be needed to keep gelling. They played their best football last Sunday night, but the running game has become a big question mark. Willis McGahee would be doing a better job than C.J. Anderson at this rate. I sort of knew that for fantasy owners to draft this guy in the 1st would be a big mistake and so far it has.
Denver’s defense on the other hand might be the most talented that they’ve been since Peyton becoming a Bronco. The Broncos could have easily gone 0-2 to start things off, but sometimes a little bit of luck could go a long ways and certainly the talent on that defense has helped prevail Denver. In other words, now that they’ve shook off some of the rust, I’d say watch out!
4. Cincinnati Bengals: 3-0 ↔
I think the Bengals have reached their ceiling in terms of power rankings. I mean, most fans would easily sign up for a #4 ranking anyways, but Marvin Lewis’s team has continued to get the job done. At least in terms of the regular season. But as Trent Dilfer stated the other day, it just seems that their’s been more follow-through and zip to Andy Dalton’s passes. Dalton as we know could be very Jeykll and Hyde.
The one question mark is why Jeremy Hill seems to be having a sophomore slump so far in the season. Instead of Giovanni Bernard whining to the teams front office about losing his #1 RB role, he accepted it for what it was, and now has had shown to possibly be the teams lead back again. It’ll be interesting to monitor who will be given the more carries and drives out on the field.
Again, with Terrell Suggs being out for the Ravens, and Big Ben missing some time with Pittsburgh, I’d have to assume the Bengals will win this AFC North.
3. Arizona Cardinals: 3-0 ↑
It’s Pick-6 City out in Arizona. Bruce Arians is something else. He’s got that team firing on all cylinders and it even looks as if Larry Fitzgerald turned back the clock playing his best football in quite some time. Heck, Chris Johnson had the biggest game this past Sunday that he’s had in quite a few years.
Carson Palmer’s knee injury last season might have been one those blessings in disguise considering he’s in the best playing shape of his life. He’s certainly playing like he is, and for that he’s got to be one of the best in-pocket QB’s in the league. I’m still high on the Seattle Seahawks, but this NFC West could be Arizona’s for the taking.
2. Green Bay Packers: 3-0 ↑
Aaron Rodgers, I’d first off like to say thank you for your heroic performance as you helped my team come back from 27-points behind in my fantasy match-up. But seriously, watching Aaron Rodgers is a thing of beauty. His foot movement is compared to Joe Montana, and his quick release is reason as to why his passes are hardly ever batted down by the opposing line. This is all without one of the best WR’s in the game in Jordy Nelson too.
With really on the Vikings to worry about so far in the NFC North, the Packers will steam roll through this division and fight for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
1. New England Patriots: 3-0 ♦
I’m sure Jimmy Garoppolo jerseys were immediately returned once Tom Brady was acquitted of all charges to the Deflate Gate. You know what, that whole thing only made Tom Brady that much hungrier to continue his hall of fame prowess in the game today.
He just picked up his 400th touchdown pass, and there’s no question he has his target on becoming the only QB to win five Super Bowls. The way the Patriots have been playing thus far, I don’t see any other team in the AFC outside of a Pittsburgh Steelers team that could beat New England. I say Pittsburgh because they were without Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant in that week 1 season opener to the NFL.
This organization seems to be as good as ever.