NFL Power Rankings 2015: Breaking Down League Hierarchy After Preseason Week 3

The NFL's third week of the preseason effectively ended the exhibition phase before the 2015 campaign. Backups will be evaluated from here on in until the real games get underway, and now it's easier to determine where all 32 teams stand in the power rankings.

Even as early as Week 1, the league's perceived hierarchy can change drastically. It's also easy to overreact to what was seen in the preseason. Bear these factors in mind when reading the subjective list below.

In addition to listing out the complete power rankings, a closer examination of the teams that may surprise or stir the biggest debate will be analyzed in more depth. 

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

Featured Team Analysis

Philadelphia Eagles (No. 3)

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Head coach Chip Kelly's powers within the organization increased this offseason as he was given final say over personnel decisions. Kelly made drastic changes to revamp Philadelphia's roster—none more vital than exchanging quarterbacks with St. Louis, dealing Nick Foles for Sam Bradford.

All eyes will be on Bradford as he tries to live up to his billing as a former No. 1 overall draft pick and prove he can stay healthy coming off a twice-torn ACL. If his incredible performance in Week 3 of the preseason against Green Bay is any indication, Bradford will be just fine.

Bradford lit the Packers up for three touchdowns on 10 passing attempts, all of which were completions. That's about as perfect as one could ask for in a so-called dress rehearsal. Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar praised Bradford's precision:

The signal-caller also has a magnificent backfield to lean on in reigning NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and electric scatback Darren Sproles.

Kelly is renowned for lighting up the scoreboard, but he also made sure to address the other side of the ball coming off a 10-6 campaign.

"Last year, our secondary was biting on a lot of underneath plays. We knew we needed to correct it," Kelly explained Tuesday, per the Eagles' official Twitter account.

An upgraded defensive backfield now features former Seattle starter Byron Maxwell at cornerback. The price to land him was heavy, but such is the market for those players nowadays. Kelly's reshuffling of ball-carriers was brought on when he traded LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for stud linebacker Kiko Alonso.

More transactions were made. Those mentioned were the primary, high-profile ones. It seems like a mad science experiment more than anything else. Soon fans will have the chance to see if it works.

Yours truly believes Kelly has done it. His uptempo offense catalyzed by Bradford's quick release and a deep stable of backs will keep opponents on their heels.

Chaotic as Kelly's moves seemed to be, Philadelphia has reason to believe a Lombardi Trophy is realistic if its pass rush, which tied for second with 49 sacks last season, carries over and generates more takeaways.

Minnesota Vikings (No. 8)

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Eighth seems a bit high for a team that finished last season with a 7-9 record. On the other hand, if Minnesota is meant to take a big step forward and make the playoffs in 2015, having the Vikings listed as the fourth-best team in the NFC isn't so much of a stretch.

Second-year signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater came on strong toward the end of his rookie year. Now he has had a full training camp as the starter in Norv Turner's QB-friendly system and welcomes back perhaps the best running back in football, Adrian Peterson.

It's the preseason, sure, yet Bridgewater hasn't missed a beat even without the benefit of Peterson at his disposal, as ESPN's John Buccigross highlights:

This offense could be lethal, especially if dynamic tight end Kyle Rudolph can stay healthy. Rudolph has appeared in only 17 games over the past two seasons. His pass-catching prowess can free up routes underneath for other playmakers such as newcomer Mike Wallace.

Bridgewater doesn't have transcendent arm talent, but he should be able to get clean downfield looks off play-action fakes. His cerebral nature and Peterson's elite skills will help the Vikings overcome any offensive line issues they may encounter.

Mike Zimmer is a defensive-minded head coach and welcomes back a unit that's mostly intact from last year.

Prominent contributors will have more familiarity, and it also helps to have Terence Newman in the secondary. Having played under Zimmer when he was the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati, Newman knows the defense well. He can pass along wisdom to first-round corner Trae Waynes.

Zimmer also welcomes a new linebacker in second-round pick Eric Kendricks who can fly all over the field, drop in coverage and will be deployed as an X-factor pass-rusher.

Buffalo Bills (No. 9)

The Bills are building a team around a green, dual-threat QB who makes more plays than the average game manager, a top-flight running back and an elite defense.

Does that sound familiar? It's what the Seattle Seahawks did once Russell Wilson took over under center in 2012. Something similar is happening in Buffalo with Tyrod Taylor getting his shot to start.

Taylor backed up Joe Flacco in Baltimore and witnessed firsthand what it takes to win a Super Bowl. In his first year with a new team, the four-year second-stringer beat out a veteran in Matt Cassel, who started for the Vikings in 2014 before getting injured, and gifted 2013 first-round pick EJ Manuel.

Percy Harvin, who's joined a magnificent young receiving corps with Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins, doesn't believe Taylor has come out of nowhere, per Chris Brown of the Bills' official website:

"

He didn't surprise me. I've been watching T-Rod since we were growing up back in Virginia. So I've known what he's been able to do. I followed him when he was at Baltimore so I was looking forward to him getting the opportunity and for everybody else, the rest of the team see what he can do as far as arm strength-wise and his accuracy. I think people are now starting to see his accuracy, his ability to read coverages and just his craftiness of just knowing the game.

"

The team surrounding Taylor is simply excellent. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller hinted at that in his recent analysis:

A game-changing back in McCoy gives Taylor a solid complement. Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman is a great fit on Rex Ryan's staff too. Roman called the shots for San Francisco amid its resurgence during the Jim Harbaugh era, which happened rather instantaneously with a game-managing field general in Alex Smith.

Given Taylor's ability to make all the throws, extend plays with his legs and the capable supporting cast around him, the 2015 season looks extremely bright as he embarks on his first starting tenure.

And how about that? A Ryan-coached team and the defense has barely been mentioned to this point. It could be the NFL's best unit with a savvy schemer like Ryan manipulating the controls.

With a front featuring Kyle and Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes, it's hard to imagine who will stop Buffalo from pressuring the opposing passer on a regular basis.

The Indianapolis Colts will provide a stiff test in Week 1, as will New England in Week 2 if Tom Brady is eligible. Don't be surprised if defensive coordinators can't adjust to Taylor right away—and if the Bills play lights out on defense to start 2-0 against the two reigning AFC playoff finalists.

Cincinnati Bengals (No. 17)

Although the Bengals' recent relationship with the postseason beats the alternative, it's been a four-and-out affair.

The heat is on for Andy Dalton to deliver a playoff victory this year, and even drive Cincinnati deep in the AFC playoffs. That isn't going to happen—and the Bengals aren't going to even be in the top six in the conference.

Dalton's 0-4 record as a postseason starter is cringe-worthy. Some may say the quarterback shoulders too much blame. It'd be true in most instances—just not this one. He has a passer rating of 57.8 in those contests with one touchdown and six interceptions, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Oh right, superstar receiver A.J. Green is entering a contract year too. It only adds to the burden Dalton is carrying. ESPN.com's Mike Sando accentuates how important Green is to Dalton:

As if all that isn't enough to worry about, two critical pieces of the defense in lineman Geno Atkins and linebacker Vontaze Burfict have been plagued by severe injuries in recent years. 

This can't be good.

Even with Atkins flashing signs of his former dominant self in the preseason, defensive end Michael Johnson is dealing with a knee injury ahead of the regular season. Burfict has yet to return from microfracture surgery in January. Starting cornerback Leon Hall has torn both Achilles tendons in his career as well.

The combination of pressure, expectations, a tough division and a roster that hasn't improved much from last year's 10-5-1 season has the Bengals poised for a step back in 2015. Such a development may disappoint fans temporarily, but it may also be a blessing in disguise.

At some point the Bengals have to tersely analyze what they have in Dalton and coach Marvin Lewis. How the pair deal with a down season might be the biggest indicator as to whether those two vital cogs are strong enough to deliver a championship down the road.