Ahead of Week 3 of the 2019 season, nothing changed at the top of Sporting News' weekly NFL power rankings, as the Patriots, Chiefs and Cowboys all posted convincing road victories against overmatched division rivals. The bottom also remains the Dolphins and then most of the other 0-2 teams.
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Everything in between, however, is seeing a lot of change. A few good teams are tumbling fast because of bad Week 2 losses that included injuries to quarterbacks. On the other hand, few supposedly bad teams are surging as early-season surprises.
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Here's how it all shakes out in order ahead of Week 3.
NFL power rankings
1. New England Patriots, 2-0 (previous ranking: 1)
The Patriots' defense has been dominant, somehow an underrated storyline because of all the drama surrounding the acquisition of Antonio Brown. By the way, Tom Brady hasn't lost anything, either (again).
2. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-0 (2)
Patrick Mahomes is still the most valuable player to the Chiefs and in the entire league. If they can keep getting more from the complementary defense, they can be steadier and more dangerous overall than they were last season.
3. Dallas Cowboys, 2-0 (3)
Dak Prescott is pretty darn valuable, too, and he's right there with Mahomes and Lamar Jackson as an early MVP candidate. The Cowboys' defense is doing its bending-and-not-breaking thing better, too.
4. Los Angeles Rams, 2-0 (5)
The Rams' offense is not yet at its usual explosive heights, save for a few big plays, but they are proving they can grind out victories with the deeper power running game. They have taken the Super Bowl hangover narrative and buried it.
5. Green Bay Packers, 2-0 (6)
The Packers won with big-play defense again against the Vikings once Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur saw the offense go cold in the second half. Wins over Chicago and Minnesota are huge early in the quest to regain the NFC North with more well-rounded football.
6. Baltimore Ravens, 2-0 (13)
The action is going to Lamar Jackson, and he has found his groove as a passer first and a dynamic runner a close second. The Ravens needed to be a more explosive offensive team to make up for growing defensive issues, and John Harbaugh is once again a coach of the year candidate.
7. Seattle Seahawks, 2-0 (12)
Russell Wilson got the job done on the road as he tries to continue his career streak of winning seasons. The defense isn't as good, like everyone expected, so credit him for putting more on himself to carry the team, if that's even possible.
8. San Francisco 49ers, 2-0 (13)
The 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo looking good again, and the defensive improvements are paying dividends. They will hope to keep a strong baseline running the ball, too, as they deal with another big injury to long-time left tackle Joe Staley.
9. Minnesota Vikings, 1-1 (7)
Dalvin Cook and the defense form the foundation of their success, much to the delight of Mike Zimmer. But they'll need Kirk Cousins to come up bigger in big games to be a factor in the NFC.
10. Philadelphia Eagles, 1-1 (10)
The Eagles are not playing good complementary football. They're going away from the run, creating shorter possessions and keeping their shaky pass defense on the field longer to get exploited. The whole notion of just having Carson Wentz bail them out in the end isn't a long-term formula for consistent success, especially with their new receiver injuries.
11. New Orleans Saints, 1-1 (4)
They were lost offensively without Drew Brees against the Rams, exposing some of their limitations at wide receiver. Then there are all the issues with the pass defense, and they haven't been as good against the run, either. With Brees out for several weeks, the Saints have reached contention crossroads with the Seahawks and Cowboys next on the schedule.
12. Buffalo Bills, 2-0 (18)
Josh Allen is feeling good in the new-look offense with John Brown and Frank Gore, allowing the Bills to join the Niners in opening the season with two road victories. Now we'll see how they do outside of New Jersey and back in upstate New York with Cincinnati and New England back-to-back.
13. Los Angeles Chargers, 1-1 (9)
The Chargers are back to losing tough road games, and the Lions loss will sting for a while because Los Angeles blew it with self-inflicted mistakes. The run defense also will be a lingering concern without Derwin James to fill behind the linebackers.
14. Indianapolis Colts, 1-1 (16)
The Colts will be playing a lot of close games with Jacoby Brissett, their running game and defense going on series-to-series roller-coasters. They needed that rebound win against the Titans to make sure the AFC South will be a wide-open race the rest of the way.
15. Atlanta Falcons, 1-1 (22)
The Falcons showed their defensive speed and talent on every level under Dan Quinn's play-calling against the Eagles. They also have plenty of that in the passing game with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley flanking Matt Ryan in a pass-happy scheme. At some point, though, they need to run the ball and stop the run better.
16. Tennessee Titans, 1-1 (11)
The Titans will ride their defense as much as possible, as few teams are as deep in their pass rush and secondary. But when the running game is contained, they still need a lot more from Marcus Mariota to take advantage of holding opponents to the teens in scoring.
17. Houston Texans, 1-1 (14)
What was that? Deshaun Watson and the offense cooled off at home, but the good news is their defense had a rebound, and they have a legitimate power running game again with Carlos Hyde. They should feel fortunate they're not trying to dig out of 0-2 hole again.
18. Chicago Bears, 1-1 (15)
The Bears also can breathe a sigh of relief after surviving the last-minute Mile High craziness against the Broncos. Go figure: Their offense and defense were saved by the kicker this time.
19. Detroit Lions, 1-0-1 (24)
The Lions are not a bad team; they're just the fourth best team in a loaded NFC North. Their offense looks more versatile than it has been in a while, and some of their defensive investments are paying off for Matt Patricia. He is off to a much better start in his second year as coach.
20. Cleveland Browns, 0-1 (19)
The Browns are already in must-win mode after the Ravens rolled to 2-0 in their quest to repeat in the AFC North. Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. still carry most of the hype, but this team needs to be more about Nick Chubb and the Myles Garrett-led defense to be a steady winner.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers, 0-2 (17)
The Steelers might see the wheels come off in their post-Antonio Brown, post-Le'Veon Bell world with Ben Roethlisberger potentially on the shelf for a while. Mike Tomlin might need to accept that this will be a tough transition season instead of a big rebound one, and his defense might be the biggest culprit.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1-1 (31)
Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles have brought some much-needed offensive and defensive organization to what the Bucs are trying to do with their talent. It's not unlike their early influence on the Cardinals a few years back.
23. New York Jets, 0-1 (20)
The Jets won't have Sam Darnold for a while, but they should remain a weird, unbalanced short passing and running team with Trevor Siemian and Le'Veon Bell. Adam Gase has some early pressure in his new gig, especially with injuries already impacting Gregg Williams' defense, too.
24. Carolina Panthers, 0-2 (21)
Cam Newton may not be fully healthy, but there's something else going on with his lack of execution. Of equal concern is a defense that has plenty of holes in the back seven around its one dominant player, Luke Kuechly.
25. Oakland Raiders, 1-1 (23)
Derek Carr turned back into his old self with a sloppy game against the Chiefs. The defense also crashed without Johnathan Abram. Oakland is better with Jon Gruden's type of offensive roster, led by Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller and Tyrell Williams, but the Raiders are closer to the team that lost to Kansas City than the one that beat Denver.
26. Arizona Cardinals, 0-1-1 (25)
Kyler Murray kept the Cardinals competitive in another game but ran into a more polished Heisman-winning sensation on the road. The offense has makings of success with Kliff Kingsbury's exuberance and Larry Fitzgerald's experience, and the improved defense makes Arizona a trap opponent for everyone, especially when Patrick Peterson returns.
27. Denver Broncos, 0-2 (26)
What was that? The Broncos have played two drab games under Vic Fangio, with offense and defense taking the turns being bad. The connection between Joe Flaocc and Emmanuel Sanders is solid, but the running game and run defense are negatively impacting the juice of both the passing game and pass rush.
28. Cincinnati Bengals, 0-2 (27)
Zac Taylor has brought life and pop, as Andy Dalton looks like a better system quarterback in a new, pass-happy offense, one that will get better with a healthy A.J. Green. But it's all empty given the defense remains a drag, and the effective running is non-existent behind a bad offensive line.
29. Washington Redskins, 0-2 (28)
Case Keenum is doing just enough to delay the Dwayne Haskins era. The defense is doing plenty to bring it on faster, because its first-half respectability has been overshadowed by its second-half collapses. The seat under Jay Gruden is scorching.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars, 0-2 (29)
Gardner Minshew is a gamer who is getting a deserved, franchise-potential look, and the defense flexed its muscles in Houston. The Jaguars have a big chance to get right back in the division race Thursday against the Titans, but they need to find synergy between both sides of the ball.
31. New York Giants, 0-2 (28)
Eli Manning won't last long as the starter, because it won't be long before the Giants don't have anything at stake. The best guess is Daniel Jones will make his first start by the Week 7 game against the Cardinals, right after a mini-bye coming off a Thursday night loss in New England.
32. Miami Dolphins, 0-2 (32)
They have been outscored 102-10 combined in two home losses. Their average margin of defeat is 46. They're on pace to give up 816 points this season (a record) and go 0-16. Remember the 1972 undefeated team? As a polar opposite, this 2019 team will talked about in the same breath as the worst teams in NFL history.
