With two weeks of NFL action in the books, it’s time to update our TeamFB7 power rankings for Week 3 based on the early returns of the season.
The NFL’s perpetual unpredictability has always been among its most compelling components.
And sure enough, it’s only taken two weeks into the 2026 season to shake up much of what we thought we knew about the hierarchy of contenders and otherwise.
The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-0. So too are the Minnesota Vikings, despite Carson Wentz taking most of the quarterback snaps. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans are 0-2, and Tyler Shough and Bryce Young lead the NFL in passing yards.
That says it all.
But it’s also important not to overreact to early results.
For instance, we had to chalk up the Los Angeles Rams’ season-opening 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia as an outlier from a jet-lagged team that botched its travel plans.
The Rams looked like the Rams again Monday night in a 28-6 win over the New York Giants, and they remain atop our power rankings.
But in our first update since our preseason preview series, many other teams have been adjusted up or down based on what they’ve shown the last two weeks.
NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 3
Since we went so in-depth on every team leading up to the season, this first power rankings update will be delivered in one-liners because, ultimately, the overarching storylines haven’t changed a ton in most cases.
So here goes …
(Click preseason rankings link to read full season outlook breakdown for each team.)
Tier 1 Super Bowl Contenders
1. Los Angeles Rams (1-1), no change
Star edge rusher Myles Garrett is on injured reserve and out indefinitely following arthroscopic knee surgery. Star wide receiver Puka Nacua has already missed one game with a groin injury and could miss another this week. And yet, the Rams are still the Rams. They’re loaded across the field and should be full strength by the time it matters. The NFL power rankings are about what’s happened but also about the big picture, and nothing has changed in our outlook here so Los Angeles keeps the top spot despite an early loss.
2. Seattle Seahawks (2-0), no change
The Seahawks have played most of the first two games without starting QB Sam Darnold, who is expected back this weekend from his glute injury. But their “Dark Side Defense” is still so dang good, allowing only 17 points through two wins over the Patriots and Cardinals. And reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba is working on a repeat of that award (if not outright MVP consideration), racking up 17 catches for 277 yards and 4 TDs in two games while making backup QB Drew Lock look good.
3. Buffalo Bills (2-0), no change
The advanced metrics show that new Bills head coach Joe Brady, promoted from offensive coordinator in the offseason, has taken the clamps off Josh Allen’s cannon right arm while letting the NFL’s best quarterback actually attack down the field. Not surprisingly, Buffalo is the NFL’s top offense at 38.5 PPG and 427.5 YPG while Allen is going to be hard to beat in the MVP race if he keeps this up. He’s already thrown for 582 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs while rushing for 92 yards and 4 TDs.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0), up 1 spot
If Keanu Reeves’ John Wick was asked if he thought the Chiefs were back, he’d say, “Yeah! I’m thinking they’re back!”
A 31-10 statement-making opening win over the Broncos in which Kansas City flaunted its upgraded rushing attack in having big-ticket free agent Kenneth Walker III rush 23 times for 173 yards and a TD (plus a receiving TD). And then a 33-30 overtime win over the Colts in which the Chiefs followed a classic formula — huge games from Patrick Mahomes (382 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) and Travis Kelce (9 catches for 101 yards and a TD in a turn-back-the-block performance) and clutch field goal kicking by Harrison Butker (4 of 5 FGs made, including the 40-yard game-winner). Oh, and more Walker (24 carries for 117 yards, 6 catches for 61 yards).
5. San Francisco 49ers (2-0), up 2 spots
The wide receiver corps is a bit of a mess at the moment, but what else is new? Kyle Shanahan has the 49ers rolling, beating both the jet-lagged Rams and rebuilding Dolphins by at least 20 points. And their Super Bowl upside comes into clear focus whenever QB Brock Purdy plays like he did last week — 20-of-22 passing for 287 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs, 30 rushing yards and a TD.
6. Baltimore Ravens (1-1), down 2 spots
The 24-17 loss to the Saints last week after leading all the way until the fourth quarter should be more concerning, perhaps, because it’s reminiscent of so many other Ravens letdowns over the years. But we have a hunch that it’s going to be more of a wake-up call for the Jesse Minter-led Ravens. Baltimore also didn’t have star WR Zay Flowers, who remains questionable this week with a hamstring injury. We’ll feel differently about Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and a very good defense if they don’t look much better Sunday against the Cowboys.
Tier 2 Super Bowl Contenders
7. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0), up 11 spots
The biggest riser in our first power rankings update. We weren’t believers in the Bengals’ supposed defensive makeover, but they’re giving every reason to buy in so far. That Cincinnati defense forced 4 turnovers in a season-opening win over the Buccaneers and then shut the Texans down in every big moment with key stops in the red zone and on fourth down to close out a 20-6 win. Big DT additions Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen are making the impact we did expect up front. What is more surprising is how well the pass rush has performed led by former Seahawks EDGE Boye Mafe and the play of second-year LBs Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. It’s still early, but if that defense can help Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Co. even a little bit, then yes, the Bengals hype can become very real.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0), up 1 spots
This is where the list starts getting cloudier. The Eagles really haven’t looked especially impressive in either win — 24-22 over the Commanders and 24-20 on the road over the Titans. But this nonetheless is a team that won the Super Bowl two seasons ago and maintains a large percentage of that team’s core on both sides of the ball. The offensive line is already banged up with left guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve for at least a month and running back Saquon Barkley sustained a neck stinger in Week 2, but he should be good to go this week. And the Eagles should continue to settle in under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
9. Chicago Bears (1-1), up 2 spots
QB Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury throws a wrench in the Bears’ early-season momentum, and the reality is they were already struggling to move the ball before he went down late in that 9-3 loss to the Vikings. But that seemed a more telling reflection on Minnesota’s defense rather than what this Bears offense will be. We already saw Ben Johnson’s offense put up 59 points and 552 yards vs. the Panthers in Week 1. The reality of the Bears’ potential is surely somewhere in between those two polar opposite results, but there’s every reason to think Chicago is primed to build on its 11-win breakthrough in Johnson’s first season.
10. Denver Broncos (1-1), no change
Denver ran into a buzzsaw on opening night against Kansas City in Arrowhead Stadium with the Chiefs looking to make a statement after missing the playoffs last year for the first time in Andy Reid’s tenure. The Broncos bounced back with a solid 20-13 win over Jacksonville last week, making Jags QB Trevor Lawrence uncomfortable while getting their own offense going with new addition Jaylen Waddle catching 8 passes for 138 yards.
11. New England Patriots (1-1), down 3 spots
The vibes are just off with this team. After everything went right during the Patriots’ magical run to the Super Bowl last year in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season, it seems like the opposite is unfolding so far. It started with Vrabel’s off-field scandal in the offseason, continued with new star WR A.J. Brown’s significant Week 1 ankle injury that has him sidelined indefinitely, and keeps on mounting with QB Drake Maye’s concerning start to the season. Maye (386 passing yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs over two games) looks nothing like the star QB who finished one first-place vote away from winning the NFL MVP last season … and more like the guy who played through a shoulder injury in the Super Bowl loss. The 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seahawks and their backup QB was discouraging while a 20-3 win over the Steelers at least reflected well on the defense.
12. Houston Texans (0-2), down 6 spots
The Texans are winless after home losses to the Bills and Bengals, and QB C.J. Stroud hasn’t even really been the problem (627 passing yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs). Houston’s vaunted defense, which gave up the fewest yards and second-fewest points in the NFL last season, ranks 21st through two weeks in giving up 338.0 YPG. That won’t sustain. This defense is too deep and too talented, while the offense is better than last year. Houston should be cleared for takeoff moving forward, starting on the road at Indianapolis.
Squint And You Can See Super Bowl Potential
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1), up 6 spots
We sold the Jaguars short after a thoroughly uninspiring offseason, but second-year head coach Liam Coen looks to be the real deal and Jacksonville’s 13-win breakout last year wasn’t a fluke. That win total may be hard to match as everything seemed to go right for the Jags over the second half of last season, but they can stack up with just about any team in the league on a given week. The loss to the Broncos isn’t overly concerning, even with Trevor Lawrence having an off game (189 passing yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT). Lawrence looked great in Week 1 (18 of 23 for 245 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs vs. the Browns).
14. Minnesota Vikings (2-0), no change
The Vikings weathered an early Week 1 concussion to new QB Kyler Murray and managed to go 2-0 with Wentz filling in, thanks to a Brian Flores-led defense that ranked third in the NFL last season and then muscled up to shut down the potent Bears last week. Murray is back for Week 3 and should greatly elevate the potential for an offense loaded at WR with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings. Also, Kevin O’Connell is one of the steadiest coaches in the NFL — he’ll get the most out of this team. The ultimate upside for Minnesota hinges on whether Murray can rejuvenate his career now that he’s out of Arizona.
15. Dallas Cowboys (1-1), no change
The Cowboys of 2026 have so far been exactly like the Cowboys of many other years. Tantalizing, talented, teasing but ultimately unreliable. The 28-20 opening loss to the Giants really undercut preseason optimism for an improved defense. Dallas was better all-around in a 37-20 win over the Commanders, letting Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and that loaded offense lead the way. That’s the formula they’re going to need to use most weeks, but there’s still reason to think the re-tooled defense can be less of a liability once it settles in fully under first-time coordinator Christian Parker.
16. Detroit Lions (1-1), down 3 spots
At some point, if coach Dan Campbell doesn’t show he can get this team looking like it did two years ago (when Ben Johnson was the OC driving the train) — and if the still-injury-depleted defense can’t show anything at all — we’re going to have to admit that those Lions are no longer. But there’s just so much top-end talent with RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, TE Sam LaPorta and even QB Jared Goff that it’s hard to give up on that. But the reality remains the reality. Detroit looked hapless defensively in nearly giving away a huge lead to the Saints, needing overtime to hang on to a narrow win. And the Lions looked even worse in Week 2 in a 41-31 loss to the Bills.
Feisty But Off The Fringe For Now
17. Green Bay Packers (1-2), down 1 spot
The running game is a mess with Josh Jacobs sitting on the commissioner’s exempt list indefinitely and facing a likely subsequent suspension. The receiving corps is depleted, although Christian Watson is an incredible talent when healthy. The offensive line has questions and concerns already. Defensive star Micah Parsons is out the first part of the season recovering from his torn ACL. And it remains to be seen if QB Jordan Love is good enough to carry a playoff team. A decisive 35-14 loss to Atlanta on Thursday night is warming up Matt Lafleur’s seat as head coach.
18. Los Angeles Chargers (0-2), down 6 spots
Many people had the Chargers much higher in such preseason rankings and viewed them as true Super Bowl contenders after back-to-back 11-win seasons and playoff appearances to start Jim Harbaugh’s tenure. A lot of that had to do with hopes for a healthier and upgraded offensive line, which was the clear weak spot last year. Well, tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are indeed healthy, but big free agent center addition Tyler Biadasz sustained a season-ending knee injury in August and the overall interior of the line looks like a mess. Ditto for QB Justin Herbert, who is ranked 30th in QB rating (71.6) and 31st in QBR (28.7) after throwing for just 401 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs in two games. Herbert will be better — he’s enough of a proven entity at this point — but the concern is that the Chargers blew their two favorable matchups to the Cardinals and Raiders and now have this absolutely insane schedule ahead. Could they be 0-9?!
19. New Orleans Saints (1-1), up 5 spots
We weren’t quite on board with the amount of preseason hype the Saints and second-year QB Tyler Shough were receiving all summer, and we’re still not all the way there. But results are results. Shough overcame a dreadful first half in Week 1 to lead New Orleans back from a 21-0 deficit and force overtime in an eventual 31-30 loss. In Week 2, he led the Saints back from an 8-point fourth quarter deficit to a 24-17 win over the Ravens. Overall, Shough leads the NFL with 662 passing yards (4 TDs and 2 INTs, plus a rushing TD). First-round pick WR Jordyn Tyson is missing the first chunk of the season due to injury, but Chris Olave looks primed for a career year with 18 catches for 268 yards and a TD already while Devaughn Vele has been excellent as the WR2 with 12 catches for 133 yards and a TD. There is real potential here in coach Kellen Moore’s second season, and the NFC South is so bad the Saints may indeed be the favorites there, but we’re not buying all the way in on a full breakout.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1), down 3 spots
The Steelers make into this tier purely because of their defense and having a healthy T.J. Watt back causing havoc off the edge. In fact, they only beat the hapless Falcons in Week 1 because Watt scored on a pick-6 in the fourth quarter of a 20-13 win while also making 2 sacks. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t showed much at 43 years old in what will be his 22nd and final NFL season. He ranks 30th out of 32 NFL QBs in QBR (31.2), 29th in passer rating (72.1), 21st in passing yards (408) and 31st in yards per attempt (5.2) while throwing for 1 TD and 1 INT. Pittsburgh ranks 30th in total offense (249.5 YPG) and 31st in scoring (11.5 PPG). Maybe new head coach Mike McCarthy will get things figured out on that side of the ball, but the ceiling is still pretty low for this team.
21. Carolina Panthers (1-1), up 4 spots
Don’t look now, but Bryce Young ranks second in the NFL in passing yards (648) and tied for first in passing TDs (6) with only 1 interception. The former No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 draft, could Young be ready to take a real leap in his fourth season?
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2), no change
Losing 33-27 on the road to the Bengals in Week 1 after 4 costly fumbles was disappointing. Losing 23-19 to Deshaun Watson and the Browns at home in Week 2 was catastrophic. The only reason the Buccaneers maintain a viable path to the playoffs is because they’re in the worst division in football, the NFC South. But QB Baker Mayfield (398 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and a rushing TD through two games) still doesn’t look right after an injury-marred 2025 season, and Todd Bowles could end up being the first coach fired if he doesn’t get Tampa Bay trending a different direction quickly.
23. Indianapolis Colts (0-2), no change
We said it at the time and it looks even more obvious now — the Colts made a bad and panicked decision to overpay Alec Pierce (four years, $114 million) to keep him from leaving as a free agent. Pierce was an emerging asset as a field-stretching WR2 for the Colts. They’re paying him like a WR1 when he’s never even had 50 catches in a season, waited until after signing to have ankle/heel surgery while missing most of the preseason and has now reinjured that ankle/heel to land on injured reserve with his season in jeopardy. He only had 5 catches for 72 yards in two games, and to clear the money needed to pay him the Colts gave away WR Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers for a negligible late-round pick swap. So now they’re relying on slot receiver Josh Downs and 34-yeard old Keenan Allen as the top wideouts (along with impressive TE Tyler Warren) to support a less-mobile QB Daniel Jones coming off a torn Achilles. Star RB Jonathan Taylor is the only thing to like about this team if we’re being blunt. If they didn’t look somewhat spunky in taking the Chiefs to overtime in Week 2, they’d be much lower on this list … and may soon get there anyway.
24. Las Vegas Raiders (2-0), up 7 spots
The second-biggest riser in our updated power rankings. Credit first-time head coach Klink Kubiak, who won a Super Bowl in his lone season as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and immediately has the Raiders looking like a more competent, well-coached team with comfortable wins over the Dolphins (27-13) and Chargers (26-14). Even 38-year-old QB Kirk Cousins is benefitting from Kubiak’s offense, throwing for 253 yards, 3 TDs and an INT in the win over the Chargers. Ditto for second-year RB Ashton Jeanty (210 combined rushing/receiving yards and 2 TDs in two games). But make no mistake, this is still Year 1 of a rebuild for Las Vegas. It could prove to be a quick rebuild with a lot of core pieces already in place, but any success this year is a bonus in the big picture.
25. Atlanta Falcons (1-2), down 4 spots
The QB situation will continue to hold back the overall potential of this team, even with Michael Penix Jr. making his season debut in a win Thursday night, but surely the Falcons can be better than what they’ve been with journeyman No. 3 QB Cooper Rush starting the first two games and failing to even get the offense into the red zone. Kevin Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year with the Browns, is good enough to finagle some upset wins this year from a roster that has real offensive star power with RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London (and to a lesser degree TE Kyle Pitts).
Maybe Next Year
26. New York Jets (1-1), up 2 spots
Again, this where we reiterate the need to not overreact to two weeks of sample size. But it’s notable nonetheless that the Jets have the top-ranked defense in the NFL so far (197.0 YPG). New York did make major investments via free agency, the draft and trades in upgrading the defense, so that should indeed make a difference. And Geno Smith will be at least somewhat of an upgrade over the QB situation from last year. So the Jets aren’t to be overlooked week to week, but overall they are another year or two away from being a real playoff contender.
27. New York Giants (1-1), down 1 spot
The Giants would have made it into the next tier if not for second-year QB Jaxson Dart’s season-ending knee injury sustained on Monday night. That’s a brutal blow, especially when New York had some real momentum coming off a 28-20 win over the Cowboys in coach John Harbaugh’s debut. Jameis Winston is one of the better backup QBs around, but the upside for this team took a nosedive with Dart’s unfortunate injury.
28. Washington Commanders (0-2), down 8 spots
The Commanders’ worst-case scenario has come true … again. QB Jayden Daniels sustained yet another gruesome dislocation of his left non-throwing elbow for the third time in less than a year with no clarity on how long he might miss this time. That leaves the already-limited Washington offense back in the hands of uninspiring backup QB Marcus Mariota for the foreseeable future. If Daniels returns, there was real potential for this team to bounce back in a big way with some key defensive upgrades. Now, it’s all in flux again.
29. Arizona Cardinals (1-1), no change
The Cardinals were the surprise team of Week 1 with the 26-14 road win over the Chargers in coach Mike LaFleur’s debut, but they looked more as expected in a 31-7 loss to the Seahawks last week. RB Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick, has just 70 rushing yards and a TD on 25 carries (3.5 YPC) and 5 catches for 25 yards while former high-first-round pick WR Marvin Harrison Jr. looks totally lost with just 1 reception on 4 targets so far.
Competing For The No. 1 Draft Pick
30. Cleveland Browns (1-1), no change
The Browns beat the Buccaneers 23-19 on the road in Week 2 for Todd Monken’s first win as a head coach and embattled QB Deshaun Watson’s first win since 2024. Watson was actually good in the game, completing 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs with a team-high 22 rushing yards. Nonetheless, it still feels like such moments will be few and far between.
31. Tennessee Titans (0-2), down 4 spots
The Titans might well be back in the market for a quarterback high in the draft if former 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward doesn’t look a lot better before the season is over. Ward has again been one of the least productive QBs in the league, throwing for just 323 yards and 1 TD (plus 2 rushing TDs) through two games and looking quite similar to his rookie form despite a lot of expensive offensive additions and a new coaching staff. Unbelievably, the Titans actually took the lead on the Eagles in the final 2 minutes last week before falling, 24-20, on a Philadelphia touchdown with 9 seconds left. Head coach Robert Saleh’s defense may steal a few wins for this team, but the offense has given any reason for optimism yet.
32. Miami Dolphins (0-2), no change
This is by design. Miami stripped its roster down and took a flier on free agent QB Malik Willis to fill the position for the time being. The Dolphins front office absolutely wants the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, where it will surely draft a franchise QB from a deep class of talented passing prospects.
