Week 3 On SI NFL Power Rankings: Surprising Saints and Buccaneers

Our local NFL insiders rank all 32 teams after a decisive Week 2 slate

Carr has the surprising Saints off to a 2-0 start after consecutive blowouts to start the 2024 NFL regular season. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

With Week 2 in the books, the pecking order of the NFL has once again been refreshed. We've tapped into the expertise of the On SI beat writers to shed some light on who's trending up, and who's off to a rough start. From the faltering 0-2 Bengals to the surging Buccaneers led by Baker Mayfield, let's take a look at where each team falls in our Week 3 power rankings

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1. Kansas City Chiefs

In perfect Chiefs vs. Bengals fashion, Kansas City needed every second to overcome their own mistakes in Week 2. While rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia underwent a baptism by fire, the bigger immediate concern may be with how the defending champions handle their running game if Isiah Pacheco misses significant time. —Joshua Brisco, Kansas City Chiefs On SI

2. Buffalo Bills

After an offseason revamp, the Bills are exceeding the expectations of almost every national media personality and even some of their fans. The Bills dominated the Miami Dolphins on their way to an impressive 31–10 victory. The Bills offensive line was dominant leveraging Cook and a multitude of weapons, and the defense held Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to a combined seven receptions for 65 yards. —Ronnie Eastham, Buffalo Bills On SI

3. San Francisco 49ers

Purdy was sacked six times against the Vikings, the only team he hasn't beaten in the NFC. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The 49ers had the better quarterback, running back and tight end and still found a way to lose to Sam Darnold who was their backup quarterback last year. Which means the 49ers currently are worse than the sum of their parts. —Grant Cohn, San Francisco 49ers On SI

4. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles lost a nail-biter against the formidable Atlanta Falcons. There’s no question that the Eagles roster ranks among the league’s best but they've yet to put it all together. Saquon Barkley making the game-losing drop was far from expected amid another strong performance. Jalen Hurts played much better in Week 2 but was not immune to the occasional critical mistake and Nick Siranni's over-aggressiveness at times doesn't help. If that duo could avoid the catastrophic miscues, there’d be no stopping this team. —Scott Neville, Philadelphia Eagles On SI

5. Houston Texans

The Texans are one of the handful of teams to start 2-0, but they haven't blown out either of their opponents yet. That being said, the Texans have looked like the better team out there each week and could have won each game by multiple scores, showing that there is room for improvement. —Jeremy Brener, Houston Texans On SI

6. Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions struggled to score in the red zone, despite moving the football effectively. An error at the end of the second quarter cost the Lions three points and Dan Campbell took accountability for the offensive blunder. —John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI

7. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens shot themselves in the foot over and over again in a collapse against the Raiders, continuing a disturbing trend. An 0-2 star with a brutal opening schedule doesn't bode well, so Lamar Jackson and co. now have their work cut out for them to turn it around —Jon Alfano, Baltimore Ravens On SI

8. New Orleans Saints

The outstanding 2-0 start of the New Orleans Saints is surprising everyone in the league, but not the team themselves. Klint Kubiak's offensive scheme is making a difference for Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara. Philadelphia will be a great test at home in Week 3. —Kyle T. Mosley, New Orleans Saints On SI

9. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers continue to dominate their opponents, but those opponents might not be the most talented. Still, the new offense under Greg Roman is clicking on all cylinders. Should Harbaugh and L.A. march into Pittsburgh and get a win, this team might be on their way to AFC dominance. —James Brizuela, Los Angeles Chargers on SI

10. Dallas Cowboys

Does anyone have anything good to say about the Cowboys getting blasted by the Saints on Sunday? It was an all-systems failure type of loss, and the team will need to go back to the drawing board before next week. This one is going to sting until the Cowboys can try to prove it was a fluke performance. —Tyler Reed, Dallas Cowboys On SI

11. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have proved to be closer to a contender than a cupcake. The intriguing thing about Minnesota is that Sam Darnold was probably playing tight against the Giants and 49ers, but now that he's 2-0 he might loosen up and really start firing on all cylinders. Hope is building. —Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI

12. Seattle Seahawks

Untimely drops by receivers and poor run defense in the second half nearly cost the Seahawks in Foxboro, but a gutsy comeback orchestrated by Geno Smith has Mike Macdonald’s team in sole possession of first place in the NFC West early. —Corbin Smith, Seattle Seahawks On SI

13. Green Bay Packers

The Colts are a bad team. They might be good in time, but Anthony Richardson can't hit the broad side of a barn on consecutive passes. Still, all 78,000 people at Lambeau Field knew the Packers were going to run the ball. And they still had 261 rushing yards to earn the must-win victory they needed without Jordan Love. —Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers On SI

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren't supposed to win in Detroit down multiple starters on both sides of the ball, but like great teams do, they got the win anyway. It was hard-fought and the team isn't perfect, but it's looking more and more like Tampa Bay can make some real noise. —River Wells, Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense continues to show it's one of the best in the NFL. Meanwhile, Justin Fields and the offense are starting to click, and with continued development, this team could make noise moving forward. —Noah Strackbein, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI

16. New York Jets

The New York Jets put their first tally in the win column on Sunday when they took down the Tennessee Titans 24-17. Of course, the big news of the day is the loss of pass rusher Jermaine Johnson with an Achilles injury. If the Jets offense can start humming more efficiently over the next few weeks, then the Jets might just live up to expectations this season. —Kade Kistner, New York Jets On SI

17. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals played much better this week, but a few key mistakes prevented them from knocking off the World Champions. They're 0-2 for a third-straight season. Regardless, it was a much better effort than Week 1 and they have plenty they can build on moving forward. —James Rapien, Cincinnati Bengals On SI

18. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals shocked practically the entire world with their first 40-point performance since October of 2022. Kyler Murray returned to old form and Arizona's defense flashed five sacks - is this a preview of what's to come? —Donnie Druin, Arizona Cardinals on SI

19. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns came out much stronger offensively against Jacksonville than they did against Dallas in Week 1, but that unit is still a work in progress on the whole. Solid defense and elite special teams continue to look like Cleveland's calling-card. Poor 3rd down efficiency, sloppy penalties and inconsistent QB play are still question marks as the Browns pursue a deep playoff run. —Brendan Gulick, Cleveland Browns On SI

20. Miami Dolphins

It was just about a worst-case scenario for the Dolphins, who once again came up short against big-time competition (a big question mark coming into the season) and also saw Tua Tagovailoa leave the game with a concussion. —Alain Poupart, Miami Dolphins On SI

21. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons showed a naive approach to offense against the Pittsburgh Steelers, tipping their run/pass based on formation. Forget if Kirk Cousins is healthy or not, if 1st-time play caller Zac Robinson doesn't improve dramatically, all the weapons in the world won't matter. —Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons on SI

22. Chicago Bears

Moore had a frustrating game against the Texans, catching six passes for only 53 yards. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams and the Bears offense remain the issue after Sunday night's 19-13 loss, but they did see progress over Week 1. The defense will need to continue to carry them until the timing in the passing game, the pass blocking and a running attack develop. —Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI

23. Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders bounced back with a win over last season's No. 1 seed, the Baltimore Ravens, on the road at M&T Bank Stadium. The Silver and Black are back on track with four winnable games in a row coming up. —Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr., Las Vegas Raiders On SI

24. Los Angeles Rams

No matter how Sean McVay and the Rams figured out how to manage 2022 with a heap of injuries, 2024 is not the same. The offensive line is decimated and losing Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua is not going to do the offense any favors. It could be a long season for L.A. —James Brizuela, Los Angeles Rams on SI

James Brizuela, Los Angeles Rams on SI

25. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are reeling through two weeks. The offense has scored just 30 points and the defense has failed to create a takeaway through two weeks. It is hard to thing of a bright spot. —John Shipley, Jacksonville Jaguars On SI

26. New England Patriots

The Patriots might have something going on under Jerod Mayo. The new head coach has this team believing in themselves, and despite any major playmakers on offense, they're finding ways to keep games close. —Noah Strackbein, New England Patriots On SI

27. Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are simply a mess right now. Defensively, many critical players are dealing with injury while the unit is getting run over for well over 200-plus rushing yards per game. Offensively, they completely depend on Anthony Richardson being Superman, which gives him no time and grace to develop at the pace he's supposed to. —Jake Arthur, Indianapolis Colts On SI

28. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans need help at quarterback, and if Will Levis stops throwing games away, they might find themselves with wins. Until then, this team lives and dies off of how their quarterback plays, and how many mistakes he makes. —Noah Strackbien, Tennessee Titans On SI

29. Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders On SIThe Commanders took a step in Week 2 and secured an NFC East Division victory. With the Eagles and Cowboys imploding, that puts them in first place and in line to be the next underdog winner on Monday Night Football in Cincy for Week 3. —David Harrison, Washington Commanders On SI

30. Denver Broncos

Well, so much for the Bo Nix era hitting the ground running. Sean Payton hasn't done enough to help his rookie quarterback, and neither has the Broncos' supporting cast. Nix's rookie foibles have only exacerbated and magnified everyone else's complicity. As Payton likes to say, there are a lot of "dirty hands" on this mess. —Chad Jenson, Denver Broncos On SI

31. New York Giants

The New York Giants’ 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders marked their first loss in franchise history in which they scored three touchdowns and did not allow any. The Giants were done this week because of their poor run defense, especially on third down, and another questionable roster management decision involving not having a backup kicker ready for Graham Gano (groin). —Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI

32. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers benched Young after the 2023 No. 1 pick had another dismal game. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Panthers got more of the same in their Week 2 loss that followed a humiliating season opener. Bryce Young floundered again, averaging just 3.2 yards per completion, no touchdowns (for the second straight week) and a woeful QBR of just 6.5. Defensively, they couldn't stop the run once again, allowing 219 rushing yards to the Chargers. Overall, this is a truly awful team that might be fighting to secure a first win for most of this season. —Tim Weaver
Carolina Panthers on SI