NFL Power Rankings: Breaking Down Sunday's Action Ahead of Week 3

A predictable Week 2 Sunday it was not, as there were no less than seven upsets that shifted conventional wisdom in a big way heading into Week 3 of the 2015 season.

Opening-weekend surprises like Tennessee and St. Louis fell, while the likes of Jacksonville, Oakland and Minnesota pulled out huge victories to notch their first of the season. Things weren't as crazy at the top of the league with most of the league's best teams making statements, but a couple of marquee matchups tipped the scales.

Even with the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets yet to play on Monday Night Football, the league's hierarchy has shifted quite a bit. Let's take a look at the effects on the latest NFL power rankings.

Week 3 NFL Power Rankings Before MNF

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

Notable Rankings

Atlanta Falcons (No. 13)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Don't look now, but the 2014 struggles of the Atlanta Falcons appear to be a distant memory.

The Falcons squad flexed their muscle for a second straight week against an NFC East foe, outlasting the New York Giants 24-20. The defense held up just enough against Eli Manning to allow Matt Ryan a chance to mount a comeback, and Atlanta ripped off 14 fourth-quarter points to win.

After taking down Philadelphia in Week 1 and the G-Men in Week 2, the Falcons can't feel horrible about their facing the injury-depleted Cowboys next week, as the Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw noted:

At this point, the Falcons can only hope to sustain what they've built in the opening two weeks of the season. That begins with a suddenly competent defense, as the arrival of head coach Dan Quinn has paid immediate dividends.

As long as Ryan and Julio Jones continue to make sweet music on the other side of the field, the Falcons will be more than competitive in 2015.

Arizona Cardinals (No. 5)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The start to this season for the Arizona Cardinals has been eerily similar to that of last year, when they started out on fire only to be decimated by injuries. But that hasn't happened yet, and the Cardinals look as dangerous as ever.

Arizona improved to 2-0 Sunday with a road drubbing of the Chicago Bears, and Carson Palmer had a field day. He completed 17 of his 24 passes, going for 185 yards and throwing four touchdown passes.

The offense was on fire early, as ESPN Stats and Info showed:

When the special teams makes plays like this on top of Palmer's play and a hawking defense, Arizona will be virtually unstoppable, as the NFL showed:

In an NFC West division hailed as perhaps the league's toughest, the Cardinals have the early pole position at 2-0. The upcoming schedule makes it likely that they'll go to 5-0, facing San Francisco and St. Louis at home in consecutive weeks before traveling to Detroit.

As long as they can stay healthy, Arizona will remain among the NFL's elite.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 29)

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Winning pays off.

It was tough for anyone assessing the league's hierarchy to place the Tampa Bay Buccaneers anywhere better than dead last after a Week 1 drubbing from Tennessee. But the tide is beginning to change, starting with the Bucs' surprising road win in New Orleans.

His debut was an outing to forget, but rookie Jameis Winston made marked improvement against the Saints defense Sunday, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com observed:

Even without a single reception from Mike Evans in his 2015 debut, Winston looked composed and calm against a boisterous Saints front. He connected with Vincent Jackson on a beautiful touchdown pass and scampered for a one-yard score that put the game out of reach.

Perhaps more important to Lovie Smith is his defense's resurgent effort, allowing just seven points from Drew Brees through three quarters. One thing is certain—the Bucs' Twitter account was ready to call out the haters:

Simply put, the league's worst team doesn't simply waltz into the Superdome and take down Brees and the Saints. Whatever got into Tampa Bay in Week 1 against Tennessee doesn't seem to be a season-long ailment.

And as long as that keeps up, the Bucs won't have to worry about getting stuck in the league's cellar—especially with a Week 3 matchup against the Houston Texans.