NFL Power Rankings 2017: How League Stacks Up Heading into Week 3 of Preseason

Arguably the most important week of the preseason kicked off on Thursday night with a pair of games.

Week 3 is typically when the starters see the most action as a tune-up for the regular season before being given a lesser workload in the final weeks of training camp to ensure everyone is healthy for the start of the regular season. 

Not much changes in the power rankings during the preseason, but there is some shakeup due to injuries, suspensions and the results of training camp battles. Here's a look at the rankings heading into Week 3, followed by a closer look at a few key teams. 

NFL Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots

2. Green Bay Packers

3. Atlanta Falcons 

4. Seattle Seahawks

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. Pittsburgh Steelers 

7. Oakland Raiders 

8. Arizona Cardinals

9. Carolina Panthers

10. Kansas City Chiefs 

11. New York Giants

12. Tennessee Titans

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

14. Denver Broncos

15. Houston Texans

16. Minnesota Vikings

17. Indianapolis Colts

18. Los Angeles Chargers

19. Philadelphia Eagles

20. Washington Redskins

21. Cincinnati Bengals

22. Baltimore Ravens

23. Detroit Lions

24. Miami Dolphins

25. New Orleans Saints

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

27. Los Angeles Rams

28. Buffalo Bills

29. Cleveland Browns

30. Chicago Bears

31. San Francisco 49ers

32. New York Jets  

2. Green Bay Packers

Morry Gash/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers are built for a Super Bowl run, but the one piece missing in recent years has been the running game. It's possible Green Bay may have stumbled upon the answer in the form of fourth-round pick Jamaal Williams out of BYU. 

Ty Montgomery is the presumed starter, for now, but the Packers gave Williams a serious look in their last preseason game, according to DraftKings analyst Adam Levitan:

Williams didn't exactly make the most of his opportunity, only picking up 12 yards on seven attempts. But the experience with the first-team offense could prove valuable down the road if he's needed. 

The Packers open up the season at home against the Seattle Seahawks, followed by a visit to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. Establishing the running game will be important in each of those matchups, so Williams' time to make an impact could come sooner rather than later. 

5. Dallas Cowboys

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The recent suspension of Ezekiel Elliott damages the Cowboys chances to finish atop the NFC and wrap up home-field advantage, but even without Elliott this team is built for the playoffs. 

Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and Ronnie Hillman make up the Cowboys depth chart without Elliott in the lineup—that's a trio of backups that would make many teams jealous. 

So while the Cowboys will suffer a dropoff in production, the cupboard isn't bare at running back. 

Dallas also has two of their easiest games on the schedule during Elliott's suspsion—at home against the Los Angeles Rams and on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. So a 2-4 start lost like the worst-case scenario, and even that is hole the Cowboys are capable of digging themselves out of in time to make the playoffs. 

17. Indianapolis Colts

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Colts are the most difficult team to rank because so much rests on the health of Andrew Luck's shoulder. 

The most recent update on Luck came from Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who reported that head coach Chuck Pagano still does not have a timetable for Luck's return.

Despite the lack of information, there's still hope that Luck could return healthy for Week 1. And with a healthy Luck under center, the Colts can't be counted out in the AFC South. But the longer Luck's injury remains shrouded in mystery, the more concern there is for his health and the Colts season. 

If Luck misses time, the Colts could plummet down the power rankings and quickly fall out of contention. While he has the talent to carry them, this roster isn't built to compete if backup Scott Tolzein is forced into a starting role. 

29. Cleveland Browns

David Richard/Associated Press

There are no expectations for the Cleveland Browns this season, but they are one of the few intriguing teams down at the bottom of the power rankings.

After loading up on draft picks the past two years, the Browns are stocked with young talent. There will inevitably be some growing pains, but also some flashes of brilliance and some exciting surprises along the way.

One of those surprises could be rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer, who was recently named the starter for the Browns' third preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

NFL Network's Mike Silver is among those with high expectations for Kizer in his starting debut:

"

Personally, I expect DeShone Kizer to play well against the Bucs on Saturday and cement his hold on the Browns' QB job...

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 24, 2017"

Entering training camp, Kizer was buried on the depth chart behind Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler, but an impressive performance this weekend could win him the job. And if Kizer continues to exceed expectations, the Browns just might start their ascent out of the power rankings basement.