1. New England Patriots 3-0 (Last Week: 2nd)
Bill Belichick continues to defy the odds, coming off a 27-0 route of the Houston Texans last Thursday Night with Jacoby Brissett under center. The defense is playing dominant at all levels and it is hard to imagine how this team can lose, despite who is at QB. With Brissett out due to injury, the expectation is that the Emergency Quarterback (and former college QB), Julian Edelman will start against the Bills this coming Sunday. Whoever is holding down QB duties for one more game before Tom Brady returns, it is hard to envision New England losing a game. (CG)
2. Denver Broncos 3-0 (Last Week: 5th)
We all knew the Broncos had an elite defense, but Trevor Siemian absolutely torched the Cincinnati defense on the road this past Sunday for four touchdowns. If Siemian can continue his impressive play, Denver could be even better than they were in their Super Bowl campaign from a year ago, when Peyton Manning was sadly a shell of his former self. At this point, the Broncos look like a team that will have every opportunity to defend the Lombardi Trophy. (CG)
3. Minnesota Vikings 3-0 (Last Week: 6th)
The Vikings continue to impress, coming off another dominant defensive performance against a 2015 playoff team. They went into Carolina as seven-point underdogs and beat the defending NFC Champs in convincing fashion. With one of the league’s best defenses and newly acquired Sam Bradford playing at a very high level, the sky is the limit for Minnesota this season. (CG)
4. Green Bay Packers 2-1 (Last Week: 7th)
The Packers rebounded nicely, taking down their division rival in the Lions this past week. Following a very disappointing loss to the Vikings a week prior, the Green Bay offense once again flexed its muscles and showed that it is still one of the NFL’s best. The Packers draw an early bye, therefore we will need to wait another week before we can fully regain the confidence that they are true Super Bowl contenders. (CG)
5. Philadelphia Eagles 3-0 (Last Week: 17th)
The Eagles are the current surprise team of the NFL, especially after a 34-3 thrashing of the Steelers (our former #3 team). The defensive line is playing at an extremely high level as Carson Wentz, the talk of the NFL and front-runner for Rookie of the Year, continues to dazzle after winning NFC Player of the Week honors. (CG)
6. Carolina Panthers 1-2 (Last Week: 1st)
Carolina lost at home to the Vikings, getting soundly beat on both sides of the ball. Cam threw 3 interceptions, but accounted for their only touchdown. The Panthers have division matchups the next 3 weeks, so whatever went wrong (and it was quite a bit) on Sunday needs to get fixed if they want a chance at returning to the big game. Player to Watch: Look for Kelvin Benjamin to bounce back against a weak Falcons secondary. (CH)
7. Seattle Seahawks 2-1 (Last Week: 10th)
Seattle cruises past the 49ers to improve to 2-1. The Offense was running on all cylinders until Russell Wilson suffered an MCL sprain in the 3rd quarter. Jimmy Graham put up an impressive day with 100 yards and a score along with the emergence of journeyman RB Christian Michael adding 106 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. The biggest concern facing the Seahawks is Russell Wilson’s health. Without Wilson they go from a Super Bowl contender to a fringe playoff team. (DH)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-1 (Last Week: 3rd)
The Steelers are coming off their worst loss since 1989, after being decimated by the Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh let themselves become one-dimensional once they fell behind and it cost them dearly. Despite being shut down in such a convincing fashion, this is still a Super Bowl-caliber team that should bounce back for Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs. (CG)
9. Arizona Cardinals 1-2 (Last Week: 4th)
The Card’s drop to 1-2 after a shocking loss to the depleted Buffalo Bills. LeSean McCoy shredded the defensive line for 110 yards and two scores. Carson Palmer had 4 interceptions on the day and looked completely out of sync with all of his pass catching options. I still believe the Cardinals have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but they will be in a heap of trouble if they continue to perform based on expectations versus execution. (DH)
10. Baltimore Ravens 3-0 (Last Week: 14th)
The Baltimore defense is playing very well and is much of the reason for their 3-0 mark. Despite being 3-0, they are the lowest ranked undefeated team in our rankings. A lot of that is due to their wins coming against teams with a combined record of 1-8. The Ravens get their toughest test of the reason when they welcome the up-and-coming Raiders this Sunday. (CG)
11. Houston Texans 2-1 (Last Week: 8th)
After reeling off 2 impressive defensive performances, the Texans were chomping at the bit to get after Patriots rookie QB Jacoby Brissett in his 1st career start. Unfortunately, Bill Belichick had the perfect mix of quick passes & designed runs for his young QB and a heavy dose of LeGarrette Blount to shutout the Texans 27-0. Look for “Glock” Osweiler to air it out against a poor Titans secondary this week. (JA)
12. Cincinnati Bengals 1-2 (Last Week: 9th)
Its hard to kill the Bengals because they have opened up their schedule against opponents who had a combined record of 32-16 in 2015. However, getting manhandled in a homeowner the way they did was very disheartening. The term “must win” may sound ridiculous for Week 4, but with the competition Cincinnati deals with in AFC North, that may be the case for Thursday Night against the Dolphins if they want the postseason to remain a realistic goal. (CG)
13. New York Giants 2-1 (Last Week: 11th)
The Giants suffered their first loss against their division rival, Redskins, in what could have been considered a desperation game for Washington, who earned their first victory of 2016. The New York offense and defense continue to impress, but they were not able to overcome the costly interceptions thrown by Eli Manning. Despite dropping to 2-1, the Giants should be in the NFC East hunt until the end. (CG)
14. Kansas City Chiefs 2-1 (Last Week: 13)
The Chiefs dropped a spot in the rankings, despite improving to 2-1. The talented defense picked off six passes from the Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick. Kansas City will likely be on the Broncos’ tail all season and the Raiders are no longer a pushover. However, they will face a tough test when traveling to Pittsburgh to play a very angry Steelers team on Sunday Night Football. (CG)
15. Dallas Cowboys 2-1 (Last Week: 18th)
The Cowboys are not the only NFC East team with a rookie QB playing well, as Dak Prescott continues to show signs of being the long-term replacement for Tony Romo. The defense is suspect, at best, but Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli is doing a phenomenal job with a major lack of talent. (CG)
16. Oakland Raiders 2-1 (Last Week: 11th)
A win and improvement to 2-1 against the lowly Titans was not convincing enough to prevent the Raiders from dropping five spots in this week’s rankings. The defense played much better after surrendering 70 points in the first two games, but that still remains a concern. Oakland gets the toughest test of the early season when they travel to Baltimore to face the 3-0 Ravens. (CG)
17. Atlanta Falcons 2-1 (Last Week: 18th)
Atlanta won their second straight of the season, soaring over the Saints in a Monday night shootout. They also did it without any help from Julio Jones, but don’t expect that to continue. The Falcons have a tough 3-week stretch, and need to win at home against Carolina to keep their early lead in the NFC South. Player to Watch: Tevin Coleman is 2nd on the team in receiving and has 4 more rushing TD’s than Devonta Freeman, but will he continue his dominance against the Panthers? (CH)
18. New York Jets 1-2 (Last Week: 12th)
The Jets went down in ugly fashion in Kansas City. The offense, despite its firepower, was inept and not helped out by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s six interceptions. New York still has a top-ten defense, but they will need to get much better play from Fitzpatrick and the offense as a whole if they want to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. (CG)
19. Detroit Lions 1-2 (Last Week: 20th)
The Lions have played better than a 1-2 team, but ran into the proverbial buzzsaw on Sunday when they had to travel to Green Bay for the Packers’ home opener. The expectations were exacerbated after the Packers suffered a bad loss a week prior. The offense is strong, but the defense is struggling and could be the reason Detroit misses the playoffs for the fifth straight season. (CG)
20. Indianapolis Colts 1-2 (Last Week: 22nd)
It was nice to see the Andrew Luck – T.Y. Hilton connection make an appearance in a comeback win over the Chargers for the first win of the season. With a less than stellar defense, the former number #1 overall pick in 2012 gives the Colts optimism for the future but he’ll need more than just Hilton to get the 2nd win of the season in London against the Jaguars. (JA)
21. San Diego Chargers 1-2 (Last Week: 19th)
The Chargers are another one of those teams that have played better than their record, even with their major losses to injury. Phillip Rivers is the king of keeping his team close, but coming up short in the end. Come December, some of these early-season losses could keep San Diego in the AFC West cellar. (CG)
22. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 27th)
Aside from the Seahawks, the top spot in the NFC West is shared with the LA Rams. The Rams
topped the TB Bucs 37-32 improving to 2-1. The Rams finally scored their first touchdown and Todd Gurley was finally productive. Rams have some play makers on the defensive line in Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn and their offense is Todd Gurley. The Rams face divisional rival Cardinals on Sunday and we should have more clarity on how the NFC West will shake out. The countdown to Jared Goff continues. (DH)
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-2 (Last Week: 21st)
Tampa Bay lost a disappointing game to the Rams, allowing LA to score its first touchdown of the season. They also don’t take BS, as they parted ways with Austin Seferian-Jenkins following a DUI. Winston is tied for the NFL lead with 8 TD passes, but is second in INT’s. Charles Sims proved to be a solid fill-in for Doug Martin, and Adam Humphries turned in his best game yet. The Bucs will host Denver next week, who pose a real challenge for the offense. Player to Watch: Cameron Brate had a great game following ASJ’s release, he’ll continue to play a big role against a tough Broncos defense. (CH)
24. Washington Redskins 1-2 (Last Week: 28th)
The Redskins got off the schneid by getting their first win of the season and getting back in the NFC East race. Washington played with a sense of urgency and Kirk Cousins played is best game in 2016. The inconsistency of Cousins is a concern and the injuries in the secondary will not make things easier for a defensive unit that had an uphill battle even when healthy. At this point, the chances of repeating as NFC East Champs look very remote. (CG)
25. Buffalo Bills 1-2 (29th)
The Bills escaped the premature NFL label of becoming irrelevant in 2016 by handling the Arizona Cardinals and earning their first win of the season. The defense came to life and Lesean McCoy led the offense with an superb performance on the ground. Buffalo will be faced with a unique challenge against the Pats this Sunday, regardless of the QB they end up having to face. (CG)
26. Tennessee Titans 1-2 (Last Week: 23rd)
Riding high on a comeback win against Detroit, the Titans hoped to keep the momentum going at home vs Oakland. If it wasn’t for a 3 turnovers and a pointless penalty in the closing minute of the game, the Titans would’ve come away with the W. An interesting matchup of Tennessee’s run game against Houston’s front 7 is on deck. (JA)
27. New Orleans Saints 0-3 (Last Week: 25th)
The Saints keep finding ways to avoid a W, dropping to 0-3 for the second straight year. The one positive thing from this past week was holding Julio Jones to a 16-yard catch – but at the expense of allowing 45 points. Fleener looked much better, catching 7 passes for over 100 yards and a score. They’ll play a more-than-likely shootout in San Diego before getting a week 5 bye. Players to Watch: With Snead, Cooks, and Fleener getting the attention on offense, look for rookies Michael Thomas and Tommylee Lewis to make some big plays against San Diego’s 30th-ranked pass defense. (CH)
28. Miami Dolphins 1-2 (Last Week: 26th)
The Dolphins finally got in the win column, after defeating the hapless Browns in their home opener. It was one of the more uninspiring victories you will see, given that it took overtime and a missed Cleveland field goal to come on top 30-24. Based on the performance of the team through Weeks 1-3, it looks like a long season for Miami. (CG)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-3 (Last Week: 24th)
Another week, another loss for the Jaguars. Though this offense moves behind the arm of Blake Bortles, it also stalls with him continually tossing picks each week. Behind an injured, rotating offensive line and lackluster run game opposing teams will continue to make Bortles beat them through the air. Good thing the Jags get the Colts 27th ranked passing defense up next. (JA)
30. San Francisco 49ers 1-2 (Last Week: 30th)
Colin Kaepernick receives so much publicity because there is nothing else to talk about in San Francisco. Carlos Hyde is the sole play maker on the offensive side of the ball and no defense can be productive under Chip Kelly’s up tempo offense. A lack of talent combined with a tired defense leads to ugly football. OT Anthony Davis decided to call it quits mid-season and I don’t blame him. (DH)
31. Chicago Bears 0-3 (Last Week: 31st)
Things seem to just keep getting worse for the Bears, as they now have lost Kyle Fuller for the season. Chicago slipped to 0-3 after a pedestrian effort against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Injuries and a roster already devoid of talent will make wins hard to come by for the Bears this season. (CG)
32. Cleveland Browns 0-3 (Last Week: 32nd)
The Browns were a 46-yard field goal from Cody Parkey away from earning their first win of the season. Sadly, Cleveland will not have as many good chances to get a win as they last this past Sunday in Miami. Hue Jackson has the team playing hard, but the lack of talent on both sides of the ball will keep the Browns in line for a top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. (CG)