Conor Orr’s Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Bengals Rise After Surprising 2–0 Start

Cincinnati has two impressive wins despite not playing up to its potential yet. Meanwhile, the Vikings' defense looks elite while the Chargers take a tumble.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals are off to a 2–0 start not many saw coming. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Week 2 of the NFL is in the books, which means Week 3 Power Rankings are now the order of the moment. If Week 1 is a notorious liar, Week 2 is a continuation of Week 1’s elaborate catfishing efforts. Not until Week 4, when many coaches and coordinators feel they have an adequate sample size, does this exercise begin to settle into a groove. 

One of the main issues right now are high profile injuries with uncertain timetables. The Jayden Daniels injury appears far more consequential than the Caleb Williams injury for multiple reasons, but both are going to affect how we view these teams in the immediate future. How scrambled is our picture? Let’s dive in: 

1. Seattle Seahawks (2–0) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Last week’s result: beat Cardinals, 31–7
This week: at Commanders

The stat about the Seahawks holding the Cardinals without a pass of more than 10 yards for the first time in Cardinals history since the strike year in 1987 is so wild. And, with Drew Lock having a lights-out day in that offense, we get closer to having The Darnold Conversation. 

2. Buffalo Bills (2–0) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Last week’s result: beat Lions, 41–31
This week: vs. Chargers

Buffalo’s absolute clobbering of the Lions shows a team that has an otherworldly presence at quarterback, who has faced two teams in the middle of an identity crisis to start the season. That doesn’t mean bad teams. Houston and Detroit are going to be far better at the end of this season and these wins are going to look even more quality in hindsight.  

3. Kansas City Chiefs (2–0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Last week’s result: beat Colts, 33–30 (OT)
This week: at Dolphins

There’s a lot we can say and should say about the Chiefs’ storming out of the gate this year. But the one that I am the most curious about, and need the most information on, is how Travis Kelce got into the best shape of his life in his late thirties post-wedding. Normally that is the time in a man’s life to really embrace the dad bod.

4. San Francisco 49ers (2–0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Last week’s result: beat Dolphins, 35–13
This week: vs. Cardinals

Sure, the Rams in Australia and the Dolphins at home to follow. But the clinical dissection of both teams was enough to earn Kyle Shanahan & Co. a major boost this week. I keep thinking about something Shanahan has said that makes the team’s sustained run all the more interesting. Nearly every team in the league runs his offense, so every defense practices against it every day. The fact that the 49ers are still an elite team is more amazing than we think.  

5. Los Angeles Rams (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 7
Last week’s result: beat the Giants, 28–6
This week: at Broncos

There is nothing like not playing in Australia, is what I always say. In all seriousness, I think that everyone posting “Aaron Donald looks gassed” online are going to be among the silliest looking internet humans in our universe four weeks from now. He got so much better even over the course of this game. Myles Garrett can’t return soon enough. 

6. Cincinnati Bengals (2–0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 13
Last week’s result: beat Texans, 20–6
This week: at Steelers

What I think is the most encouraging aspect of Cincinnati's two-game winning streak to start the season is that the Bengals beat the Buccaneers and Texans, have a negative EPA per play on offense and defense, and have an offensive success rate under 40%. We have not seen anything close to peak Bengals right now and—as I light several bundles of sage—I pray the team remains averse to the kind of injury witchcraft that normally derails its season.  

Bo. Nix made some key plays down the stretch in Denver's comeback win over the Jaguars. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

7. Denver Broncos (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 14
Last week’s result: beat Jaguars, 20–13
This week: vs. Rams

The brilliance of Davis Webb is in the details. His usage of Jaylen Waddle far beyond the passing game is what will continue giving the Broncos an edge. Edging the Jaguars over the weekend allowed us to see that Bo Nix cannot be contained by a four-man rush alone. You’ll have to blitz into the teeth of this very good offensive line, which means more explosive downfield potential for Waddle. 

8. Minnesota Vikings (2–0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 15
Last week’s result: beat Bears, 9–3
This week: at Buccaneers

Brian Flores is averaging a blitz rate well over 70% through two weeks, but I don’t think we’ll ever quite understand how precise these calls are. Rewatch the end of that Bears game and notice how he has the Vikings’ best pass rusher on the Bears’ most vulnerable pass blocker and how consistent he can attain these matchups through honed chaos. 

9. Philadelphia Eagles (2–0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 12
Last week’s result: beat Titans, 24–20
This week: at Bears

It’s hard not to feel happy for Jalen Hurts, who finished the game in almost exactly the way many pundits—myself included—did not feel he could. Hurts showed incredible resilience and a command of the field in the waning seconds of Sunday’s gritty win over the Titans. It was nowhere near pretty, but after losing Saquon Barkley to a stinger in the opening moments of the game, it was important to avoid a perilous loss against an inferior opponent.  

10. Baltimore Ravens (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Last week’s result: lost to Saints, 24–17
This week: vs. Cowboys (Brazil)

The good news about Baltimore’s new offensive system is that Zay Flowers will be a star player when he’s healthy. The bad news is how dependent Baltimore is on the likes of Rashod Bateman when he’s not. Bateman caught a touchdown in this one but underran Lamar Jackson’s late-game interception that robbed us of a potentially dramatic finish. 

11. Jacksonville Jaguars (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Last week’s result: lost to Broncos, 20–13
This week: vs. Patriots

Thirty-seven snaps on defense and seven snaps on offense for Travis Hunter in a critical game against the Broncos. I feel deeply for the Jaguars’ coaching staff that has to shoulder the burden of this experiment. I think often about how much better this team could have been with a top-tier defensive tackle in the 2025 draft.

12. Chicago Bears (1–1) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Last week’s result: lost to Vikings, 9–3
This week: vs. Eagles

Longer column on the Bears’ current situation with Ben Johnson searching for his Sean Payton-Teddy Bridgewater moment. 

13. Houston Texans (0–2) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 8
Last week’s result: lost to Bengals, 20–6
This week: at Colts

The Texans remind me a little of the Chargers. It looks bad right now, but it’s not irreparably broken. Houston is struggling to find the sweet spot in an offense where the tackles are vulnerable in pass protection and not as effective as they need to be in the run game. This is going to take a masterclass from Nick Caley in dressing up his offense while, at the same time, making it easier to grasp for those running it. 

14. New Orleans Saints (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 20
Last week’s result: beat Ravens, 24–17
This week: vs. Raiders

The Kelvin Banks news is awful, but I’ll say this: New Orleans is the toughest team I’ve watched on film this year. Everyone is Kevin Costner-movie style gritty, especially Devaughn Vele and Chris Olave. They made some clutch, chain-moving catches in traffic against a good Ravens defense on Sunday to keep the comeback alive. Imagine what this offense looks like with a third star in Jordyn Tyson.  

15. New England Patriots (1–1) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 11
Last week’s result: beat Steelers, 20–3
This week: at Jaguars

We can wait until the Drake Maye and Patriots offensive line drama plays itself out. Spoiler, I don’t think there’s going to be much drama. The Patriots’ offensive line is okay, but much worse in the interim now that Mike Onwenu has broken his ankle. Maye is going to stop pressing and do his best Joe Burrow impression from the pocket. But the story of this team at the moment is just how dominant Christian Gonzalez has been.  

Jonathan Taylor had 132 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the Colts' overtime loss to the Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

16. Indianapolis Colts (0–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 23
Last week’s result: lost to Chiefs, 33–30 (OT)
This week: vs. Texans

Indianapolis’s loss to the Chiefs actually made me more confident in this team, especially after realizing what an absolute task it was to handle the Week 1 matchup against a brand-new Ravens team and then a Week 2 matchup against a still brand-new looking Chiefs team. The Colts’ schedule doesn’t let up, but the defense is not giving up 500 yards a week in perpetuity, and the running game is as steady as ever. 

17. Green Bay Packers (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 16
Last week’s result: beat Jets, 20–17 (OT)
This week: vs. Falcons

We know the injury shortfalls this team is facing right now after Jayden Reed and Zach Bako-Bewele went down at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. So, regardless of whatever outlier statistical parameter you’re going to apply to this game—the Packers were the first team to win a game gaining fewer than yada yada yards and yada yada penalties—getting out of there with an overtime victory is good enough given the difficult road ahead. 

18. Detroit Lions (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 10
Last week’s result: lost to Bills, 41–31
This week: vs. Jets

I’m trying to separate the issues of some disappointing teams into different buckets. Are these seemingly broken scheme issues, talent issues, or both? The Lions’ back end seems to be both, with Kelvin Sheppard facing an early do-or-die scenario with Detroit sitting at 1–1. Dan Campbell has had a quick-ish hook for underperforming assistant coaches in the past. Will Sheppard buck that trend?

19. Dallas Cowboys (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 19
Last week’s result: beat Commanders, 37–20
This week: vs. Ravens (Brazil)

Unpopular opinion: If Dan Quinn takes a field goal before halftime with three seconds on the clock, we’re looking at a narrow loss and an 0–2 Cowboys team. Jayden Daniels was carving this defense up on the ground and the Commanders had some explosives set up before Daniels was injured. The run game isn't there for Dallas quite yet and the defense needs to improve before I’ll reenter the Cowboy Believer space. 

20. Carolina Panthers (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 22
Last week’s result: beat Falcons, 34–3
This week: at Browns

Vibes in Carolina? Immaculate, why do you ask? 

Watch #52 on the Panthers 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/eiicZDvZlE

— NFL Memes (@NFLMemes) September 21, 2026

21. Las Vegas Raiders (2–0)

Last week’s ranking: No. 28
Last week’s result: beat Chargers, 26–14
This week: at Saints

I don’t know what happens from here, but the fact that the Raiders have gotten incredible production out of a handful of players the previous regime deemed unplayable—and are getting game-changing plays from a 2026 fifth-round pick in the secondary—have me more confident in the John Spytek-Tom Brady mind meld than I’ve ever been. 

22. New York Giants (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 18
Last week’s result: lost to Rams, 28–6
This week: vs. Titans

The Giants were batted around like a kitten’s yarn ball after Jaxson Dart left the game on Monday. There’s not much to take from a game in which all your momentum is robbed within seconds of kickoff, save for the fact that John Harbaugh cannot kick a field goal before half and then tell the sideline reporter that field goals won’t cut it. 

23. New York Jets (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 25
Last week’s result: lost to Packers, 20–17 (OT)
This week: at Lions

Speaking of New York coaching malpractice, how many times is Aaron Glenn going to put his headphones on Do Not Disturb, missing the countless messages he should be receiving from his game management coach? Committing clock management errors is one thing. Doubling down on them? That’s the Aaron Glenn way. 

Dating back to last season, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers have lost five straight games by an average of 11.4 points. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

24. Los Angeles Chargers (0–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 17
Last week’s result: lost to Raiders, 26–14
This week: at Bills

I think calling Mike McDaniel a whiff is a classic two-weeks-in overreaction. However, it’s not nothing. McDaniel’s run game requires an immense amount of coordination, timing and athleticism. I think his best coaching job yet may be finding a way to streamline all of his window dressing while keeping his banged-up offense from slamming into one another. 

25. Arizona Cardinals (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 26
Last week’s result: lost to Seahawks, 31–7
This week: at 49ers

As we approach the trade deadline, I’m wondering how close we are, if at all, to Mike LaFleur giving Marvin Harrison Jr. a fresh start elsewhere. Some of the clips circulating of Harrison running routes are unfair and devoid of context. Others are concerning and, at least to me, depict someone who really isn’t all that fired up about the idea of playing professional football. 

26. Cleveland Browns (1–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 31
Last week’s result: beat Buccaneers, 23–19
This week: vs. Panthers

I will just say this: Deshaun Watson winning enough games as the Browns quarterback in 2026 to take the team out of contention for a top-five pick and setting up acrimonious longer-term contract discussions would be the absolute cherry atop this curdled sundae. 

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0–2) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 21
Last week’s result: lost to Browns, 23–19
This week: vs. Vikings

With the worst loss of the Todd Bowles era behind them, the question for Tampa Bay becomes: Now what? Flatlining against an opponent that should have been an automatic W, then hosting Brian Flores the week after, is not the path toward legitimizing Tampa Bay’s “run it back” attitude. 

28. Washington Commanders (0–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 24
Last week’s result: lost to Cowboys, 37–20
This week: vs. Seahawks

You should not blame Dan Quinn for Jayden Daniels’s two elbow dislocations. You should, however, begin to consider a world without Daniels, or at the very least, an uncomfortable world where the Commanders wind up with a top-five pick. 

29. Tennessee Titans (0–2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 30
Last week’s result: lost to Eagles, 24–20
This week: at Giants

Good for Cam Ward, who got a ton of flak after a Week 1 disaster. Ward used his legs against the Eagles and, at the very least, earned his captains’ stripes against a tough defensive opponent. Ward’s film is still a splatter painting of beautiful throws, moments where he sees the scheme and throws with anticipation, and passes that make you wonder what he was looking at. It needs to get that much better to survive a game like Sunday’s. 

Last week’s ranking: No. 27
Last week’s result: lost to Patriots, 20–3
This week: vs. Bengals

“I need to do a better job of telling the coach he’s not doing a good job” is maybe the funniest thing a starting quarterback has ever said at a podium. 

This is a pretty passive aggressive comment from Aaron Rodgers. Says he needs to do a better job of letting the coaches know they’re calling the wrong plays 😂. He didn’t do this one time under Tomlin. pic.twitter.com/jIuFLXAYGx

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) September 20, 2026

31. Atlanta Falcons (0–2) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 29
Last week’s result: lost to Panthers, 34–3
This week: at Packers

Michael Penix Jr. is on the way to save us. Thanks, perhaps, to the quarterback receiving a not-so-subtle message from his coaching staff? 

32. Miami Dolphins (0–2) 

Last week’s ranking: No. 32
Last week’s result: lost to 49ers, 35–13
This week: vs. Chiefs

Check out my Panic Index for 0–2 teams, where I think I have a thoughtful breakdown of where the Dolphins are at right now. Basically? On pace for the No. 1 overall pick (good) and developing young talent (good). Everything else matters not for Jeff Hafley in Year 1.