1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Previous Rank: 2)
The Bucs came into a high-volume game against Tom Brady’s former team, the New England Patriots, and stayed locked in throughout the whole matchup. It was a very close game and the Pats played strong. In the end, Brady and the Bucs took care of business and left Gillette Stadium with the win. Brady ended the game with 269 passing yards and no TDs. They face the Dolphins at home this week.
2. Buffalo Bills (Previous Rank: 3)
The Bills continued their streak of dominance with a very impressive 40-0 shutout of the Houston Texans. The defense continues to be one of the best in the league. Limiting Texans QB Davis Mills to three passing yards in the first half, the unit ended with 3 sacks, 4 interceptions and a fumble recovery. They have outscored teams 118 to 21 in their last three games. They look to make it four straight wins on Sunday night in an AFC Championship rematch against the Chiefs.
3. Green Bay Packers (Previous Rank: 4)
The Packers defense looked much better this week, as they took care of business against the Steelers. The offense was firing on all cylinders as Aaron Rodgers ended with 248 passing yards and three TDs. They have looked much improved after the week one disaster. They will also look to take four in a row this week vs. the Bengals.
4. Arizona Cardinals (Previous Rank: 8)
The Cardinals played their best game of the season on Sunday, pummeling a Super Bowl-contending Rams team 37-20. Kyler Murray is the front runner for MVP, he ended with a statline of 307 total yards and two TDs. The WR core on this team is very deep; AJ Green has come to life these last few weeks today ending with 67 yards and a TD. The defense also stepped up in a big way as well. The only undefeated team remaining will look to stay that way this week against the 49ers at home.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (Previous Rank: 6)
This game was surprisingly close for most of it. The Chiefs defense continues to struggle as they gave up 30 points to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. But a big game from QB Patrick Mahomes and an immaculate performance by WR Tyreek Hill was enough for the Chiefs to pull through. Hill ended with a line of 11 receptions, 186 yards and three TDs. They have their hardest task yet when they take on the vengeful Bills this week on Sunday night.
6. Los Angeles Rams (Previous Rank: 1)
The Rams had themselves an off game. The defense, who can usually counter-attack any offense, simply had no answer or Kyler Murray’s Cardinals. They gave up an abysmal 37 points. The offense wasn’t as bad but could not overcome the defense’s shortcomings. They’ll look to put this one past them as they take on another division rival in the Seahawks on Thursday night.
7. Baltimore Ravens (Previous Rank: 7)
Lamar Jackson had himself another great game Sunday, totaling 344 yards and a TD. He also managed to connect deep with WR Marquise Brown on a very strong throw. The Ravens’ defense keeps on improving, only giving up a measly seven points. They will look to make it four straight against the Colts on Monday night.
8. Dallas Cowboys (Previous Rank: 13)
The Cowboys’ offense is simply electric, they have both sides of the ball rolling. RB Ezekiel Elliott continues to look like his former self, ending with an absurd 143 yards on 20 carries and a TD. QB Dak Prescott also threw for four TDs. As long as they keep this up, they should have no problem running away with a division title in a weak NFC East. They play the Giants at home this week on Sunday afternoon.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (Previous Rank: 14)
Simply put, the Chargers look really good. They took care of business quite easily against the Raiders. QB Justin Herbert is silencing the sophomore slump haters, as he puts up another great line of 222 passing yards and three TDs. Austin Ekeler also had himself a great game on the ground, running for 117 and a TD. They sit atop of the AFC West at 3-1 and they’ll play Cleveland this week at So-Fi.
10. Cleveland Browns (Previous Rank: 5)
The Browns struggled heavily against the Vikings this past Sunday. Barely escaping with a win, the one bright side was their defense. The defense played fantastic, holding a well-built Minnesota offense to a sole touchdown. Baker struggled, not even completing 50% of his passes and only throwing for 155 yards. However, they did come away with a win and will try and do so again this Sunday against the Chargers in LA.
11. Seattle Seahawks (Previous Rank: 15)
The Seahawks rebounded nicely against a mainly Trey Lance-led Niners team. Russell Wilson totaled three TDs and the Seahawks defense held on to secure a win. The Seahawks close the gap and keep the division race even tighter than it was before. They will look to gain more ground in the division on Thursday night vs. the Rams.
12. San Francisco 49ers (Previous Rank: 10)
The Niners did lose this Sunday but have a lot to look forward to. For starters when QB Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury, rookie Trey Lance filled in nicely throwing for 157 yards and two TDs. WR Deebo Samuel also had himself another monster game, ending with 156 receiving yards and two TDs. They will look to go over 500 this week against the scorching hot Cardinals.
13. Las Vegas Raiders (Previous Rank: 9)
The Raiders started the game off extremely slow, as they could not get anything going on the offensive end. The defense also had no answer for QB Justin Herbert. After halftime they started to pick it up, but it was too late. Derek Carr cooled off after a great start to the season. They will put this past them and take on Chicago this week.
14. Cincinnati Bengals (Previous Rank: 19)
The Bengals keep on winning, this time on Thursday vs. a winless Jags team. Joe Burrow had himself a great game throwing for 348 yards and two TDs. Surprisingly, they have been pretty good all-around on both sides of the ball. They will look to continue this winning streak this week against a formidable Packers team.
15. Carolina Panthers (Previous Rank: 17)
The Panthers offense was fantastic this past Sunday
. They did however lose a high scoring game 36-28 against the Cowboys. Sam Darnold had himself another huge game going for 336 yards and four TDs. The defense, which had been playing very well, had an off game. They will look to bounce back from that this Sunday against the Eagles.
16. New Orleans Saints (Previous Rank: 12)
The Saints were in control for most of this game but collapsed at the end to give the Giants their first win of the year. Jameis was ok throwing for 226 yards and a TD, while RB Alvin Kamara added on an additional 120 rushing yards. But in the end, they had no answer for Giants QB Daniel Jones as he tacked on almost 500 yards and a pair of TDs. They’re on the road this week vs. Washington.
17. Tennessee Titans (Previous Rank: 11)
The Titans lost to the Jets this Sunday which coming into the game was possibly the worst if not one of the worst teams in the league. Granted their two starting WRs AJ Brown and Julio Jones were out with injuries. Their defense was atrocious as they could not stop QB Zach Wilson from lighting them up. Even another big game from star RB Derrick Henry was not enough to push them over the top. He however ended with another 150+ rushing yard game and added a TD to that. They will look to regain their WRs and get back on track Sunday vs. the still-winless Jags.
18. Minnesota Vikings (Previous Rank: 18)
The Vikings were not able to come away with the win but did have a strong performance vs. the Super Bowl-contending Browns. The defense played a huge role in that, only giving up 14 total points to the best rushing attack in the league. They were also able to force pressure on Baker for most of the game. They will look to pick up the slack on the offensive end this week against the 0-4 Lions
19. Washington Football Team (Previous Rank: 25)
The Football team continues to struggle defensively as they gave up 30 to an at best average Atlanta offense. Their offense is finally starting to click, however. Led by a huge game from QB Taylor Heinicke who finished with 333 total yards and three TDs. Terry McLaurin looks to be getting into a groove as well, finishing with 123 receiving yards and two TDs. They will look to keep the winning going this week at home against the Saints.
20. New England Patriots (Previous Rank: 21)
Mac Jones, with all the anticipation following Tom Brady and his return to New England, ended up putting on a show to keep the game close all the way down to the wire. He ended with a line of 275 passing yards and two TDs and put up a better performance than Tom. The Patriots might not be winning a whole lot but they for sure have a bright future ahead with this kid under center. Mac by far looks the most NFL ready out of the bunch of rookie QBs. He will look to continue his solid rookie campaign against the depleted Texans on Sunday.
21. Denver Broncos (Previous Rank: 16)
The Broncos desperately need Teddy Bridgewater back to win. Drew Lock is simply not an NFL starter (at least now he’s not). The Broncos defense also struggled against Lamar Jackson’s Ravens. It was an overall ugly game for the Broncos as they await Teddy Bridgewater’s return. They will face the Steelers this week in Pittsburgh.
22. Indianapolis Colts (Previous Rank: 27)
The Colts finally get their first win of the season and take down the Jacoby Brissett-led Dolphins. Wentz was solid in this game, throwing for 228 yards and two TDs. The Colts’ defense was great in this game holding the Dolphins to a measly 35 rushing yards. They look to make it two in a row this week on Monday night against the Ravens.
23. Chicago Bears (Previous Rank: 28)
Justin Fields gets his first career win in the NFL, as he is still getting familiar with the league. He ended his first win completing 11 of 17 pass attempts for a little over 200 yards. The Bears defense took care of business, only giving up 14 as they improved to an even 2-2 through the first two weeks. They will try and improve to 3-2 this week against the Raiders.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers (Previous Rank: 20)
The Steelers are 0-3 after an upset win against Buffalo in the first week. Ben Roethlisberger is on his last leg and is sinking this deadbeat offense into the ground. The Steelers have one of the worst offenses in the league and it is getting worse and worse each week. They will need to move on from Ben in the off-season or possibly even at some point during this season. They face the Broncos at home as they try to gain any momentum on offense this Sunday.
25. New York Giants (Previous Rank: 30)
Daniel Jones might have had the best start of his young career this past Sunday. Totaling 429 yards and two TDs, as he led a Giants comeback against a pretty good Saints team. Saquon Barkley also had himself quite the game with 126 total yards and two TDs. They will look to repeat this next week against the division rival Dallas Cowboys.
26. Philadelphia Eagles (Previous Rank: 26)
The Eagles fought hard and stayed in the game until the final minutes against the AFC champion Chiefs. Jalen Hurts had himself another monster performance as he continues to look like a franchise QB for years to come. He ended with 434 total yards and two TDs. The Eagles will look for the win this week against a much less talented Panthers team.
27. Miami Dolphins (Previous Rank: 24)
The Dolphins look disastrous to begin the year. They drop their third straight as the defense continues to be non-existent. QB Tua Tagovailoa is still unsure of when he will return, but in all honesty the Dolphins are still not sure whether he’s their guy or not. QB Jacoby Brissett has been functional in the meantime but with zero rushing attack the offense will continue to plummet. They will look to not drop four straight this week as they take on the former Super Bowl Champion Bucs.
28. Atlanta Falcons (Previous Rank: 23)
The Falcons offense was clicking on all cylinders, but their defense allowed an abysmal 34 points which led to their loss. Matt Ryan had himself another good game as he threw for 283 and four TDs. RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson had himself a breakout monster performance with 116 yards and three TDs. They will look to get back in the win column this week against the Jets.
29. New York Jets (Previous Rank: 32
)
The Jets pulled off quite a surprise by upsetting the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. QB Zach Wilson looked more comfortable as he limited his turnovers to one. He also threw for a respectable 297 yards and two TDs. The defense also was able to get some stops late in the game to secure a win. Zach will look to continue improving this week in Atlanta vs. the Falcons.
30. Detroit Lions (Previous Rank: 22)
Even though the Lions are 0-4, they have played in a lot of close games this season. They just cannot find a way to end with a win. Their offense this past Sunday looked pretty good overall, led by QB Jared Goff who ended with about 300 passing yards and two TDs. They’ll look to end the losing streak at four this Sunday against the Vikings.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Previous Rank: 31)
Internal problems arose within the Jags organization with head coach Urban Meyers, as the team drops their 4th straight game. QB Trevor Lawrence just has not seemed to click yet as the Jaguars continue to have their struggles. They did however keep it close this past Thursday. They will try again Sunday against Tennessee.
32. Houston Texans (Previous Rank: 29)
Davis Mills is just not ready to face NFL competition as he was slaughtered by a highly motivated Bills defense. He ended the first half with three passing yards and finished the game with four interceptions. The Texans desperately need QB Tyrod Taylor back if they want any chance at competing this season. They will face the Patriots this Sunday.
Photo Courtesy of Tom Fox