NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Updated Standings After Thursday Night Football

The New England Patriots beating the Houston Texans 27-0 on the Week 3 edition of Thursday Night Football was the silliest outcome imaginable considering the victor entered the game without its top two quarterbacks. 

It figures, as the early throes of any season have a way of slapping a few surprises on the table. Besides the above, the Minnesota Vikings still sitting undefeated after an odd trade for Sam Bradford goes down as a shocker. On the other end of the spectrum, the Indianapolis Colts falling completely off the wagon deserves a few raised eyebrows.

With another week of good-looking matchups set to get underway, one can expect power rankings to remain in flux as the new hierarchy continues to form. Before it does, here is a look at where each team stands. 

Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

Rank	Team
1	New England Patriots (3-0)
2	Carolina Panthers (1-1)
3	Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
4	Denver Broncos (2-0)
5	New York Giants (2-0)
6	Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
7	Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
8	Kansas City Chiefs (1-1)
9	Minnesota Vikings (2-0)
10	Green Bay Packers (1-1)
11	Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
12	Houston Texans (2-1)
13	Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)
14	New York Jets (1-1)
15	Oakland Raiders (1-1)
16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
17	Detroit Lions (1-1)
18	Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
19	Washington (0-2)
20	Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
21	Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)
22	Miami Dolphins (0-2)
23	Buffalo Bills (0-2)
24	New Orleans Saints (0-2)
25	Atlanta Falcons (1-1)
26	San Diego Chargers (1-1)
27	Los Angeles Rams (1-1)
28	Tennessee Titans (1-1)
29	Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
30	San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
31	Chicago Bears (0-2)
32	Cleveland Browns (0-2)

Philadelphia Eagles 

Who wanted to doubt the Philadelphia Eagles and a rookie quarterback again?

Most preseason power rankings likely had the Eagles floating somewhere in the middle of the pack at best. No reason to throw blame at anyone—the Eagles entered the year after a 7-9 season and most didn't know who would start under center.

Carson Wentz, the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL draft, turned out as the man for the job. Over two wins, he has thrown three touchdowns to no interceptions while completing 60.6 percent of his passes.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson used quite the interesting model when helping Wentz prepare for the pro game, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted:

Let's say it worked. And while besting the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears isn't the most impressive thing in the world, Wentz has what seems like an upgraded defense as a complement. Through two weeks, the unit has tallied six sacks, a pair of interceptions and a trio of forced fumbles.

It looks like a race between the rookie-led Eagles and New York Giants in the NFC East. Strap in.

Buffalo Bills 

One can almost hear the incoming implosion in the distance.

The Buffalo Bills might stand as the biggest faller in the power-rankings realm to date. After an 8-8 season, getting quarterback Tyrod Taylor an extension and generating plenty of hype, the Bills belly-flopped into the pool with an 0-2 record and already fired a notable coach, now-former offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

There's no telling if the move will make a difference. Taylor has thrown three touchdowns to one interception, but the ground game as a whole has mustered only a 3.2 yard-per-carry average.

"Not as much thinking," running back LeSean McCoy said, according to ESPN.com's Mike Rodak. "Now it's just going out there and playing."

Will a back-to-basics offense work? Buffalo will find out in a hurry, as it has to host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 before taking a trip to Foxborough to encounter the New England Patriots.

Watching said Patriots excel while sitting in an 0-2 hole has to sting. If the approach doesn't work, the Bills will only dig a deeper hole.

Minnesota Vikings

Disaster struck the aforementioned Vikings when starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went down with a season-ending injury.

Many probably wrote the team off, perhaps a few even in permanent marker. But after winning the NFC North last year, the front office wasn't content to let a season go, coughing up the necessary assets to grab Bradford.

Now the Vikings sit on a 2-0 mark and look like the favorite in the NFC North again.

The Vikings got past the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 without Bradford, then turned him loose last week in a 17-14 upset of the Green Bay Packers. There, Bradford threw for 286 yards and two scores.

So the exact opposite has happened, really, as a note by the team revealed:

Though the team will miss the injured Adrian Peterson, Bradford has shown enough in his first game with the team to inspire confidence. An elite defense behind him certainly doesn't hurt the outlook, either.

The globe will find out how serious these Vikings stand as contenders when the team hits the road to take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 before welcoming the Giants to town the week after.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

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