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

Week 3 of the NFL season didn't lead off with a matchup between two powerhouses, but there are plenty of great games remaining on the docket for Sunday and Monday.

The New York Giants got their first win of the season Thursday night in a 32-21 triumph over their NFC East rival, the Washington Redskins. Neither team could get much going on the ground, but New York quarterback Eli Manning peppered the ball around to his receivers for a nice performance of 279 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Giants defense and special teams also made some big plays to set the offense up with short fields.

Let's examine the league's pecking order as it stands following the Giants-Redskins tilt. Then, we'll go in-depth with New York, Washington and another NFC East team that's struggling with its running game.

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

Notable Rankings

New York Giants (No. 21)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

It wasn't the prettiest win by the Giants, but they hung onto their lead, which is more than they can say about their first two games.

Manning played a crisp game, completing 23-of-32 passes and tossing his two scores to Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle, respectively. The New York offensive line played well, as the Redskins only got two hits on Manning.

Besides the passing game, the Giants had a few other driving forces behind their win: a first-quarter blocked punt safety by running back Rashad Jennings and the team's excellent run defense through the contest, as NFL.com's Conor Orr pointed out.

Remember, Washington came into the contest ranked No. 1 in rushing yards, with an average of 171.5 per game. But New York was stout at the line of scrimmage, allowing just 88 yards from the Redskins, many of which came after the team started playing prevent defense in the fourth quarter with the lead.

The Giants will have to get more of a pass rush and become more dynamic on the ground (84 rushing yards on 31 carries) to be considered a legit threat in the NFC.

But considering the 2-0 Dallas Cowboys are having a heck of a time keeping their stars healthy, New York has a great opportunity to move up in its division during the next several weeks.

Washington Redskins (No. 27)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Are these the real Redskins? Or was last week a better indication of the team's quality?

Things were looking up for Washington after Sunday's 24-10 win against the Saint Louis Rams, as the team was building an identity with a relentless ground game running behind a powerful offensive line. The defense was surprisingly unyielding against both the run and pass.

But that wasn't the squad we saw Thursday night. This edition couldn't run the ball and was mistake-prone on both sides of the ball and special teams.

The Redskins dug themselves in an early hole when poor blocking caused punter Tress Way to kick the ball directly at the hands of Jennings, and the ball bounded out the side of the end zone for a safety. Secondary miscues allowed some big passing gains for the Giants, and running back Matt Jones fumbled the ball inside New York's 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, and the ball squirted out the side of the end zone.

To make things worse, key Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall suffered a toe injury, per the team's Twitter account.

One highlight for Washington Thursday night was a 100-yard kick return touchdown by Rashad Ross, which came late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

Philadelphia Eagles (No. 22)

Speaking of disappointing rushing attacks, we have the 0-2 Eagles. The offensive line needs to block better, the play-calling needs to be diversified and the backs themselves need to find the holes when they are there.

Player	Rushes	Yards	Yards Per Carry
DeMarco Murray	21	11	0.5
Darren Sproles	6	46	7.7
Ryan Mathews	4	4	1.0
Total	33	61	1.8

Yes, the total yardage and yards per carry are both terrible, but what about the lack of attempts? Philadelphia is hardly even trying to get its running game going while quarterback Sam Bradford is on pace for 712 passing attempts for the season, which would be the second-highest total in NFL history. That shouldn't happen when the Eagles have the three-headed backfield monster they do.

Clearly, Chip Kelly's uptempo offense needs more balance, which it will undoubtedly try to attain Sunday afternoon as it visits the New York Jets.

However, the Jets defense is one of the best in the NFL, and DeMarco Murray may be out with a hamstring injury, per Kelly, via the Eagles Twitter account. 

Philly's defense will need to step up as well, but the big test will be on the other side of the ball; can the Eagles offense finally find a rhythm against the best defense it's played so far?