Okay, so I've decided:1) This is going to be every other week. It just works with my schedule.1.5) It gives me a chance to take some big-picture looks at a couple of teams that are iffy from week-to-week.2) The NFC is better than the AFC and the AFC is the worst of them all.3) The Chargers are the Chargers again and the Brown may be bad.4) The last two weeks are first and the team's overall record is second. Now onto the rankings...
1. Patriots (2-0, 3-0)They dominated again. Their secondary was awesome, Brady was awesome, and their offensive line still looks like it’s among the best in the NFL. Their only issue over the past two weeks is that they had injuries to both Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman (although they are supposed to be good to go next week). Their schedule also continues to be the easiest in the NFL as they faced the only other undefeated team in their division next week, the Buffalo Bills.
2. Chiefs (2-0, 3-0)Mahomes is still unfair. He makes everything look so easy when it shouldn’t be. I will continue to say this about him every week until he proves me otherwise. He is just so much fun to watch. He scored 4 touchdowns in a single quarter last week and he is now on pace for 60 touchdowns and over 6,000 yards passing – literally unreal numbers.
3. Rams (2-0, 3-0)Anytime you win on the road on Sunday Night that’s a good win. It doesn’t how ugly it is, all you need to do is survive. The Rams did exactly that and they’ve proven that not only is their offense solid, but their defense looks even better than last year. Last week against the Saints, they stepped on their throats when Drew Brees went down with an injury, which is what good teams do. The Saints are on a mission and are just as determined to return to the Super Bowl as last year.
4. Cowboys (2-0, 3-0)Kellen Moore continues to be an offensive genius, Dak Prescott continues to see his future NFL contact go higher and higher, and all of this is set to come crashing down next week when they travel to NOLA to face the Saints who are one of only two NFC teams playing better than them. I really wish Drew Brees was healthy for this matchup, but this could be an opportunity for Dallas to steal a game which could ensure home-field advantage for them in the playoffs. NOLA’s defense will be the first real test of the year to see how legit the Cowboy’s offense really is.
5. Saints (1-1, 2-1)Their only loss this season came against the team in the NFC ranked higher than them and their win in Seattle this weekend proved they are more than capable of treading water during this Drew Brees injury. Bridgewater looked competent as a starter like he did in 2015, although he was helped out by two special teams/defensive touchdowns. Either way, winning on the road in Seattle, no matter the roster, is a big statement win. Although the final score shows that the Saints only won by 6, they were never in danger of losing that game after the first quarter.
6. Texans (2-0, 2-1)After surviving the swagger of Gardiner Minshew, the Texans traveled to LA and braved the beautiful weather as they beat the Chargers on the road. The Texans had no rhythm on offense and no protection for Deshaun all game long until it mattered most in the second half. There’s not much else to say about them besides what we say every week: stop letting Deshaun Watson get sacked!
7. Packers (2-0, 3-0)The Packers offense has been pretty mediocre to start the year, but their defense has been elite. Whenever a new offense is implemented it takes time to figure out, even with a genius such as Aaron Rodgers. Once the Packers find a rhythm offensively, this team could begin to show itself as a Super Bowl contender…assuming their defense continues to play at an elite level.
8. Ravens (1-1, 2-1)There’s no shame in losing on the road at Kansas City. Although this matchup was billed as the game of the week and the next “Brady vs Manning”, it didn’t really live up to the hype like I wanted it too. Kansas City was pretty in control most of the game and I felt like that’s because Harbaugh didn’t unleash Lamar Jackson as much as he could have (until they needed to come back in the 4th). Jackson did have some great highlights including an impossible 4th down conversion to score a touchdown late in the game. The Ravens proved over these past two weeks that they can compete with good teams as well as dominate bad ones.
9. Bears (2-0, 2-1) I'm writing this at halftime of Monday Night Football. I'm going to assume the Bears hold on here. It isn't fair. This team is in a different league than the Redskins.
10. Vikings (1-1, 2-0)Don’t let this game fool you. Kirk Cousins didn’t figure anything out this week, he just happened to play the Raiders. The Vikings defense did wreck shop though and dominate in every aspect of the game, as all good teams should do against bad teams. Dalvin Cook also made a case for why he’s the best back in the league as he put on another clinic offensively and made is 3/3 on rushing over 100 yards this season.
11. Colts (2-0, 2-1)I was a doubter and now I’m a believer. I should have known that the “nobody believes in us” was a real thing with this team as they got another quality win on Sunday. Yes, the Falcons blew opportunity after opportunity in the red zone, but I’d counter by saying that the Colts wanted the Falcons to have as many red zone opportunities as possible because they know they can’t score from there. Their defense overall is very fundamentally sound though and Jacoby Brissett is not a joke at starting QB. Also considering how competitive the AFC South is shaking up to be, it may not be crazy to think the Colts can win the division or at least get a Wild Card spot.
12. Chargers (0-2, 1-2)I am still high on this team because of their offense and coaching, but their defensive injuries are mounting up too much now, and if they continue, I will have to keep dropping them. Both of their starting and backup safeties and left tackles were injured this week. Two of the most important positions on the field has to be filled by backups and it showed as Houston’s receivers did whatever they wanted on Sunday afternoon. The Chargers also lost a classic Chargers’ game in classic Chargers’ fashion. It hurt to watch.
13. 49ers (2-0, 3-0)I guess I have to put them here because they are undefeated, but I don’t like doing it. Jimmy G threw two interceptions in the first quarter yesterday and I think this team’s ceiling is still very low. However, because of their record, they are higher in the rankings this week than they probably deserve to be.
14. Bills (2-0, 3-0)This 3-0 start by the Bills is even more inexplicable than the 49ers start. Give the Bills all the credit in the world for finding ways to win games and give credit to the coaching staff for putting Josh Allen in a position to succeed. Yes, their three wins are against the Jets, Giants, and Bengals, but you can only play who’s in front of you. Next week the team in front of them is the Pats. I’m guessing they’ll be 3-1 after next week.
15. Eagles (0-2, 1-2)This team is just a bad first-half team. They’ve been outscored 50-23 by their opponents in the first half which is why they are below .500 through three weeks. You can excuse a bad first half against teams like the Redskins because you know you are more talented than them, but against teams with good defenses like the Lions, a ten-point deficit might as well be a 3 score game. The Eagles just need to get off to a better start and they will start to win more. Also, they need to not have as many injuries. Also, Carson Wentz needs to not dive headfirst into defenders. Actually maybe all of those other factors are why the Eagles are 1-2…hmmm…
16. Seahawks (0-2, 1-2)Russell Wilson had a career-high in pass attempts so I guess I’m glad that Seattle finally understood the value of letting Wilson throw…they just made too many mental mistakes as a team to win this game. Anytime you give up special teams touchdowns and touchdowns off turnovers, you’re probably not winning the game. It’s that simple. This loss doesn’t mean Seattle is bad, it just could mean that NOLA is really good. I’ll see if Seattle can prove that’s the case next week when they travel to Arizona and play against a team they should handle easily.
17. Lions (2-0, 2-0-1)If I asked you to list the undefeated teams remaining, would you remember to include the Lions? I certainly wouldn’t. This team has done a phenomenal job of bouncing back after what felt like a loss in week 1 against the Cardinals when they tied them in OT. The Lions beat two playoff teams in back to back weeks and it seems like they are starting to find an identity. They play smash-mouth defense with their line and they trust Stafford to guide their offense. It’s not the most ingenious game plan, but it works for them so they should keep trying it out.
18. Titans (0-2, 1-2)Well, they looked great in week 1, and like the Browns, we may have prematurely decided on who they are as a team. Turns out Mariota is not so great and Tannehill may not be so great either – despite some of the huge statistics he’s racked up in his career. The Titans are struggling once again to find an offensive identity.
19. Falcons (1-1, 0-2)Every time you look at the Falcon’s box score you’d have to assume they won the game. How could they not? Matt Ryan threw for over 300 yards and Julio Jones caught a touchdown plus had over 100 yards receiving? They also scored 24 points! The Falcons are the ultimate fantasy team. You want their players on your roster, but you don’t want to have to actually root for the team. Also being the most penalized team in the league doesn't help either.
20. Panthers (1-1, 1-2)Kyle Allen isn’t the Panthers’ long-term answer at QB, but it was certainly nice to see a healthy player taking snaps for them this season. His throws looked stronger than Cam’s, and because he didn’t have an injured shoulder, those throws were also accurate as well. I am not going to overreact or declare that the Panther’s have a future because they only beat Arizona, but it was definitely a much-needed win for Carolina.
21. Jaguars (1-1, 1-2)Gardiner Minshew is taking the league by storm, and by the way, he was covered, you’d think he had the Jags at 3-0. However, he is a phenomenal dresser and he is a good QB so I like him. The bigger issue facing Jacksonville is Jalen Ramsey. According to NFL Insider Leroy the Dog he’s going to the Chiefs soon. No matter where he goes, we know he won’t be in Jacksonville for long.
22. Browns (1-1, 1-2)That play calling in the 4th quarter was both bad and inexplicable. I can forgive bad play-calling sometimes if you can justify the decision like “we saw a good coverage there so we threw”, or “we thought we had a different look there”, but some of those decisions were indefensible. The two plays that stand out to me are the ones that also stand out to everyone else. The 3rd down where every receiver ran long and the 4th and 9 draw play. Both of those calls were incorrect and indefensible in those situations. Also, I like that Freddy Kitchens fell on the sword to protect his players, but maybe he fell on it too hard.
It’s only week 3 buddy. It’ll be okay.
23. Steelers (0-2, 0-3)If the 49ers were considered sloppy on Sunday, the Steelers were even sloppier. Mason Rudolph did not look like the answer at QB like everyone was hoping he would as Minka Fitzpatrick was really the only Steeler who showed up to win on Sunday. Couple this look with a home-loss last week against a Seattle team that may not be good, and this season is starting to look pretty bleak for the Steelers.
24. Giants (1-1, 1-2)The savior has arrived!! Daniel Jones actually played really well in his debut and looked like a QB who could be the future of New York football. However, today could be an entirely different outlook on Jones’ future if the Buccaneers had just made their game-winning field goal to beat the Giants.
25. Bengals (0-2, 0-3)I forgot they played this week. Their defense is bad again. That is all.
26. Cardinals (0-2, 0-2-1)Kyler Murray has shown a particular ability to bounce back and play well after starting poorly. This is an admirable trait in a young QB because it means they can learn and that they can overcome adversity. Murray has also done a good job of targeting Larry Legend whenever he can on offense which means he’s smart because he understands who his best option on offense is. That’s all I have to say about the Cardinals for this week. Check back in two weeks for more.
27. Raiders (0-2, 1-1)That was my bad. I overreacted to how they played in week 1. They beat a really bad Broncos team on Monday night and I thought that may translate to some early season success. That is not the case. Now they play road games for the next 48 days and will try to not start 0-6. I think it is very possible that by then we have them right above the Dolphins as the worst team in the NFL.
28. Jets (0-2, 0-3)It’s not great. That’s all I got. All of the good jokes have already been said about the Jets so I won’t sink that low.
29. Broncos (0-2, 0-3)
"We're living in a world of suck"
30. Redskins (0-2, 0-3)I was excited to sit down and watch football. Then the Redskins refused to show up. I'm disgusted.
31. Buccaneers (1-1, 1-2)
This is why the Bucs will never win anything ever! (they never won a Super Bowl, I don’t know what you’re talking about). Even when Jameis put them in the perfect position to win, they still lost.
32. Dolphins (0-2, 0-3)
I could have sworn the Dolphins had the Cowboys shook in the first half and that Taco was set to complete his revenge game against the Boys. That was not the case for the Dolphins though who have fewer touchdowns than games played (3 to 2). Not a great look for a 2019 offense, but it’s good for a team trying to tank.