NFL Power Rankings 2015: Team Records and Standings Predictions for Week 3

Not too many people could have predicted what happened in the NFL during Week 2. With the sheer amount of upsets and big teams going down, this week's NFL power rankings have certainly been shaken up. 

There are the usual suspects up toward the top and some teams that plenty of football fans would not have dreamed seeing. But that's the beautiful thing about football, there are plenty of opportunities to prove the pundits and predictions wrong. 

Without further ado, let's take a look at some projected power rankings after Week 2 and what the NFL's standings might look like at the end of Week 3. 

I arrived at these power rankings by taking prior results into consideration while analyzing the strengths of each respective team. 

Rank	Team	Record	Week 2 Result
1	Green Bay Packers	2-0	27-17 W vs. Seattle
2	New England Patriots	2-0	40-32 W at Buffalo
3	Arizona Cardinals	2-0	48-23 W at Chicago
4	New York Jets	2-0	20-7 W at Indianapolis
5	Denver Broncos	2-0	31-24 W at Kansas City
6	Cincinnati Bengals	2-0	24-19 W vs. San Diego
7	Kansas City Chiefs	1-1	31-24 L vs. Denver
8	Pittsburgh Steelers	1-1	43-18 W vs. San Francisco
9	Atlanta Falcons	2-0	24-20 W at New York Giants
10	Dallas Cowboys	2-0	20-10 W at Philadelphia
11	Buffalo Bills	1-1	40-32 L vs. New England
12	San Diego Chargers	1-1	24-19 L at Cincinnati
13	Seattle Seahawks	0-2	27-17 L at Green Bay
14	St. Louis Rams	1-1	24-10 L at Washington
15	Carolina Panthers	2-0	24-17 W vs. Houston
16	Minnesota Vikings	1-1	26-16 W vs. Detroit
17	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-1	23-20 W vs. Miami
18	Miami Dolphins	1-1	23-20 L at Jacksonville
19	Indianapolis Colts	0-2	20-7 L vs. New York Jets
20	Oakland Raiders	1-1	37-33 W vs. Baltimore
21	Washington Redskins	1-1	24-10 W vs. St. Louis
22	San Francisco 49ers	1-1	43-18 L at Pittsburgh
23	Baltimore Ravens	0-2	37-33 L at Oakland
24	Cleveland Browns	1-1	28-14 W vs. Tennessee
25	Tennessee Titans	1-1	28-14 L at Cleveland
26	Detroit Lions	0-2	26-16 L at Minnesota
27	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-1	26-19 W at New Orleans
28	New York Giants	0-2	24-20 L vs. Atlanta
29	Philadelphia Eagles	0-2	20-10 L vs. Dallas
30	Houston Texans	0-2	24-17 L at Carolina
31	New Orleans Saints	0-2	26-19 L vs. Tampa Bay
32	Chicago Bears	0-2	48-23 L vs. Arizona

It'd be difficult for anyone to overtake the Packers at the top after defeating the two-time defending NFC champions Seattle Seahawks following their dramatic tilt in January. Those same Seahawks, though, are struggling to start their 2015 campaign. 

The NFC also dominates the bottom of this power ranking, as just one of the last five ranked teams play in the AFC. But the Chicago Bears have the distinct honor of being dead-last here as they got smacked by the Arizona Cardinals at home on Sunday. 

Allowing 79 points over their first two games, its all going wrong for a team that built its reputation on defense. There's no play that better embodies their struggle more than this flea flicker the Cardinals pulled off, as shown by the NFL Network:

Over in the AFC, the New England Patriots are proving they are the team to beat, like they've done so many times over the past 15 years. With quality wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and an up and coming Buffalo Bills team, Tom Brady has shown that he has not missed a beat and the Patriots offense is still a well-oiled machine. 

When you have an unstoppable force like tight end Rob Gronkowski, it's unlikely they'll be doing much moving in the power rankings as the season continues:

But if Week 2 has taught us anything, it's that no favorite is safe no matter how favorable the matchup is on paper. However, here's how the standings could look at the end of the Week 3 schedule:

Team	Record	Predicted Result
AFC East
New England Patriots	3-0	W vs. Jacksonville
New York Jets	2-0	W vs. Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins	2-1	W vs. Buffalo
Buffalo Bills	1-2	L at Miami
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals	2-1	L at Baltimore
Pittsburgh Steelers	2-1	W at St. Louis
Baltimore Ravens	1-2	W vs. Cincinnati
Cleveland Browns	1-2	L vs. Oakland
AFC West
Denver Broncos	3-0	W at Detroit
Oakland Raiders	2-1	W at Cleveland
San Diego Chargers	2-1	W at Minnesota
Kansas City Chiefs	1-2	L at Green Bay
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars	1-2	L at New England
Indianapolis Colts	1-2	W at Tennessee
Tennessee Titans	1-2	L vs Indianapolis
Houston Texans	1-2	W vs. Tampa Bay
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys	2-1	L vs. Atlanta
New York Giants	1-2	W vs. Washington
Washington Redskins	1-2	L at New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles	0-3	L vs. New York Jets
NFC North
Green Bay Packers	3-0	W vs. Kansas City
Minnesota Vikings	1-2	L vs. San Diego
Detroit Lions	0-3	L vs. Denver
Chicago Bears	0-3	L at Seattle
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals	3-0	W vs. San Francisco
St. Louis Rams	1-2	L vs. Pittsburgh
Seattle Seahawks	1-2	W vs. Chicago
San Francisco 49ers	1-2	L at San Francisco
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons	3-0	W at Dallas
Carolina Panthers	2-1	L vs. New Orleans
New Orleans Saints	1-2	W at Carolina
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-2	L at Houston

The teams of New York are moving in different directions and it's not in the spots that most football fans are used to. It's the Giants that are finding ways to lose games, while the Jets have tallied off a pair of wins to start their season, their latest coming in impressive fashion on the road against the Colts. 

The Jets will be meeting a Philadelphia Eagles side that is struggling to find its offensive flow. They'll have a big challenge waiting for them in a Jets defense that has given up just 17 points in two games this season. 

And while the Jets don't have the flashiest offense, which could be without two of their receivers in Eric Decker and Devin Smith, the defense is a force to be reckoned with as ESPN.com's Rich Cimini pointed out:

The Giants on the other hand are reeling after a pair of blown leads in the fourth quarter but get a welcome opponent in the Washington Redskins. The Giants have won their last four games against Washington and will be at home on Thursday night. 

Then again, things are a toss-up right now in the NFC East as NFL.com's Ian Rapoport explains:

No team is safe anymore in the NFL. It seems like perennial bottom-dwellers are slaying some of the biggest or most promising teams in the league. If there is anything close to a repeat of Week 2, the NFL will be flipped on its head yet again.

And while picking winners might not be as easy as it was during Week 1 or even last year, one thing is certain heading into Week 3: America will be watching.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com