NFL Power Rankings 2016: Examining Pecking Order After Week 3 of Preseason

The third week of the NFL preseason is typically considered the most important, as many teams give their starting units an extended look before resting players in Week 4. 

With the third set of preseason games behind us and teams starting to make their first round of major cuts, we can now start to get a better picture of how each franchise will look heading into Week 1. 

Unfortunately, this past week also brought about another round of injuries, which also plays a significant role in the updated power rankings. 

Based on all the information we've gathered to this point in the preseason, here's an updated look at the early NFL power rankings, followed by a breakdown of a few notable teams:

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

10. Denver Broncos

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The Denver Broncos surprised many fans by announcing Trevor Siemian as their starting quarterback on Monday. 

Siemian, a seventh-round draft choice of the Broncos in 2015, will make his first career pass attempt in the Broncos' season opener against the Carolina Panthers. 

While the decision is surprising, Siemian is drawing strong support from the locker room. Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post passed along these comments from Emmanuel Sanders, one of the Siemian's top targets:

"

Emmanuel Sanders, on Broncos naming Trevor Siemian starter: "I think they made a great decision."

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 29, 2016"

The decision to select Siemian over veteran Mark Sanchez might be the right one in the long run, but Broncos fans should brace themselves for some mistakes early in the season. 

Bleacher Report's Ian Wharton is among those skeptical of Siemian's ability to lead an NFL offense: 

"

Not once while scouting the B1G in 2014 did I see Trevor Siemian as a viable NFL starter. His preseason looked bad. But here we are for now.

— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) August 29, 2016"

Based on the decision to roll with Siemian, it's more difficult to justify keeping the Broncos in the top 10 of the preseason power rankings, but a strong defense allows them to hold their place for now. 

17. Jacksonville Jaguars

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles wasn't pleased with his team's performance in its most recent preseason matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals:

"

"We played pretty bad at every position. And usually you don't score a lot of points when you're that bad." --Blake Bortles, truth teller

— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) August 29, 2016"

Despite Bortles' critical comments, the Jaguars emerged with a victory. And while preseason outcomes might not mean much, they can be important for a young team still learning how to win games in the NFL. 

The most concerning takeaway from the game was the fact that the Jaguars—one of the league's more potent offenses in 2015—scored just three points in the first half, with the majority of their first-team offense on the field. 

Jacksonville's defense is still a work in progress, so Bortles will need to have his offense clicking on all cylinders in order for the Jaguars to enter the playoff race this season. 

19. Dallas Cowboys

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a relatively quiet preseason in terms of season-altering injuries, but Tony Romo's fractured back certainly stands out as one that will dramatically impact the Cowboys' projection. 

As great as his replacement, rookie Dak Prescott, has looked at times during the preseason, it's difficult to believe he will be capable of making the same impact as Romo. 

After losing Romo to injury in 2015, the Cowboys went from legitimate playoff contender to league doormat, and there is certainly the potential for similar results without Romo this season. 

Fans might point to Ezekiel Elliott as a reason to believe the team won't suffer as much without Romo this time around. But in 2015, the running game was never the problem. Led by Darren McFadden, Dallas finished fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt. 

If Romo returns within a few weeks, Dallas can still compete for the playoffs, but if his injury lingers into October, it might turn into another rebuilding year for the Cowboys.