Week Three Power Rankings: Purple Reign

Team who gained the most spots: Cincinnati Bengals—jumped from 21 to 12.

Team who lost the most spots: Pittsburgh Steelers—fell from 6 to 17.

Team who I have yet to figure out: The Arizona Cardinals—lost two home games and looked bad; went to the East Coast at a functional 10 o'clock in the morning start and looked great.

Game I can’t wait for next week: Green Bay-Minnesota. Need I say more? I’m always up for a little Brett Favre revenge, as in Green Bay getting revenge.

1. (1) New York Giants

Giants take it to the lowly Buccaneers. Defense held the Bucs to five first downs and only 86 total yards. Won’t get another true test for their defense until week six against the Saints. 226 rushing yards will help out Eli Manning as well.

2. (2) New York Jets

Jets played a tough game against a feisty, desperate Titans team. Despite a second quarter where they only gained three total yards, defense played well enough to keep them in it. Held Kerry Collins to 15-of-37 passing. Mark Sanchez continues to shine.

3. (8) Baltimore Ravens

Beat down a Browns team who has no identity or continuity. It didn’t matter who played QB; they intercepted both of them. Holding the Browns to 186 yards a game, but next week should show people who they really are, traveling to the Patriots, who looked good.

4. (3) Minnesota Vikings

A good win for the Vikings and their worries about Brett Favre. Throwing 46 times and only rushing Adrian Peterson 19 times is concerning. Sticking to their game plan would have helped a lot in this game. Defense held the 49ers in check. No Frank Gore did help.

5. (7) Indianapolis Colts

Colts took it to the Cardinals, racking up 505 yards of offense and forcing two red zone turnovers. Peyton Manning was near perfect, and both Joseph Addai and Donald Brown looked solid. Look to do more of the same against the Seahawks.

6. (9) New England Patriots

Back to the Patriots of old it appears, racking up 445 yards of offense and shutting down a solid Falcon team. Tom Brady looked back on track, and this is the exact momentum they needed going into the Ravens game. Wes Welker needs to come back, and Randy Moss looked excellent.

7. (5) New Orleans Saints

Despite the score, didn’t pummel the Bills. Drew Brees had a modest 172 yards, but Pierre Thomas had 126 on the ground. Reggie Bush also chimed in with 60. If the running game gets going, they won't be stopped.

8. (4) Atlanta Falcons

Falcons looked like they could do nothing against the Patriots. There seems to be a theme: Shut down Tony Gonzalez, and you shut down the Falcons offense. Because the game got away from them in the second half, Michael Turner only got 15 carries. Need to give him the ball more in the future, however. 49ers, Bears, and Cowboys should tell us whether this team was a fluke or not.

9. (10) Philadelphia Eagles

Good news: Kevin Kolb looked good, but it was, of course, the Chiefs. Donovan McNabb should be back after the bye week, and we will see if they can live up to expectations. Also, we will see how they work Michael Vick into the contest.

10. (11) Chicago Bears

It's all okay in Chicago after Jay Cutler again makes magic with a 38-yard TD pass to Devin Hester to win the game. The defense did what it had to do to win the game. After the Lions next week, the game against the Falcons should be a classic.

11. (12) San Diego Chargers

Not a convincing win against Miami, but still better than how they usually start. Philip Rivers made some amazing throws. However, better red zone scoring is needed. Need to average more than 2.5 yards a carry if they want to go to a Super Bowl.

12. (21) Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals never cease to amaze me. After what seemed to be a season filled with turmoil and bad luck, they have turned it around in their favor. Carson Palmer looks to be back in form, the defense is doing enough, and Cedric Benson seems to have revitalized his career. Browns and Ravens up next means they could make some nice headway in the AFC North.

13. (13) San Francisco 49ers

A tough loss for the Niners, but the biggest lost might have been Frank Gore. Backup Glen Coffee only averaged 2.2 yards per carry, although the Vikings have a good rush defense. Good signs from Vernon Davis, but you have to be worried about Shaun Hill trying to win you games.

14. (14) Dallas Cowboys

Struggled mightily against the Panthers until Jake Delhomme realized he was Jake Delhomme. Play calling was horrendous as multiple goal line situations were blown. Felix Jones looked excellent until he got hurt.

15. (23) Denver Broncos

The Broncos dominated the Raiders in every aspect of the game. Only 137 total yards, 42 of those passing. Kyle Orton didn’t make any mistakes against a solid defense. Clearly the most surprising 3-0 team, but with the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers next, this could change quickly.

16. (19) Green Bay Packers

Packers dominate a lesser opponent, which is exactly what you need after a loss like that to the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers only had to endure two sacks this weekend. Big game next week against Brett Favre and company.

17. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers

Could it get worse for the Steelers? Without Troy Polamalu they are struggling. They did find a running game though as Willie Parker had 93 yards. They did, however, have 100 more total yards than the Bengals. Next week against the Chargers won’t be easier.

18. (20) Seattle Seahawks

Lost a tough game to the Bears, but I have to question the play calling. Why are they throwing the ball 44 times? Defense has to step up if they want to compete. Colts, Jaguars, and Cards could be a tough stretch for them if Matt Hasselbeck isn’t back.

19. (18) Buffalo Bills

Kept it close with the Saints until the fourth quarter. Run defense was atrocious, but they held Drew Brees in check. TO needs to make plays as long as Marshawn “Money” Lynch is out. However, Fred Jackson has done an adequate job.

20. (17) Arizona Cardinals

Despite the score being 31-10, the game was much closer than it looked. Two red zone turnovers, one on a missed defensive holding call, and it was actually a game. Allowing 500 yards of offense needs to be fixed as the defensive line got no push. The bye week should serve them well.

21. (15) Houston Texans

Matt Schaub had another great game; however, the defense failed to show up. Allowing MJD to finally get going is fair, but allowing 214 yards to David Garrard is terrible. Next week is really a must win for the Texans if they want to live up to expectations.

22. (16) Tennessee Titans

The Titans can’t catch a break. A slow start on both sides of the ball had them doomed, losing all three of their games by seven points or less. It doesn’t get any easier with Jacksonville, the Colts, and the Patriots up next. Rough start for a good team.

23. (30) Jacksonville Jaguars

After getting rolled by the Cardinals, the Jaguars bounced back with a nice win. The offense finally got off the schnide, but the defense is going to need to play better because the offense can’t do that week in and week out.

24. (25) Miami Dolphins

Dolphins lose another close game to a good team. Chad Pennington is out for the season in what was perhaps the biggest loss of the day though. With Chad Henne at the helm, I would like to see the Wildcat brought to a whole new level. Maybe 25 plays a game. That would be fun.

25. (26) Carolina Panthers

Hung in there with the Cowboys in Dallas. Jake Delhomme has yet to get back on track. If the Panthers want any chance of winning, Steve Smith has to get the ball in his hands. Running game also needs to help out.

26. (31) Detroit Lions

The biggest, and only, win since 2007, the Lions playing hard finally held up for a whole game. The defense did what it had to win the game, and Matt Stafford took a lot of strides forward. Kevin Smith looked excellent and will need more of that to keep the pressure off of Stafford.

27. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Looked pitiful against the G-Men. Hopefully Josh Johnson can provide a spark at the QB position with his legs. Allowing 226 rushing yards is a problem. Maybe they can get their first win against the Redskins and make it a recurring theme.

28. (24) Oakland Raiders

Gave up 372 yards to the Kyle Orton-led Broncos. JaMarcus Russell still is making too many mistakes, and the defense is going to need to play better if the Raiders want any chance to win. Darren McFadden ran the ball well and needs more chances to shine.

29. (29) Kansas City Chiefs

Allowed Kevin Kolb 327 yards of passing, but Matt Cassel was good and didn’t make any mistakes despite the Chiefs' play. Larry Johnson needs to average more than two yards a carry to help him out though.

30. (22) Washington Redskins

Prediction: Jim Zorn will get fired this week. What can you say about the Redskins? They are in a downward spiral. It has to go back to play-calling; giving the ball to Clinton Portis only 12 times is unexplainable.

31. (32) St. Louis Rams

What else could go wrong for the Rams? Kyle Boller is their new starting quarterback, and they gave up 402 yards to the Packers. Steven Jackson did have 117 yards though, and they move out of our bottom spot. That’s good news.

32. (28) Cleveland Browns

What can you say about the Browns? They have outdone themselves once again. Brady Quinn looked bad, and Derek Anderson looked much worse. And only 23 carries for a team that has no consistent quarterback play. Have to question every level of the Browns organization on this one.