NFL Power Rankings 2017 Examining Pecking Order After Week 3 of Preseason

The New England Patriots sit atop the NFL heading into the 2017 season.

While power rankings can be more polarizing than someone like Tim Tebow, most can get behind the idea of Tom Brady and the Patriots leading the way.

After all, even losing Julian Edelman doesn't seem to crush the NFL's finest example of the rich get richer when Brady will now just have to throw to Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski, not to mention backfield depth two teams could probably split down the middle and come out looking good. 

After New England, though, is where things start to get interesting, especially after the third preseason game. Let's take a look at projected rankings and break down some of the teams making the most noise right now. 

2017 NFL Power Rankings

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

Detroit Lions

It's not hard to see why the Detroit Lions keep making headlines as of late. 

The Lions just made Matthew Stafford the highest-paid player in the NFL, inking him to a five-year extension worth $135 million. 

Not only does the deal speak to how desperate teams are for quality starters, it also confirms how well Stafford has played over the years while not missing a game since 2010. Keep in mind, too, he still completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 4,327 yards and 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions (lowest of his career not counting 2010's three-game campaign) without a guy by the name of Calvin Johnson. 

Stafford helps the Lions win games on his lonesome. But the team is more interesting than usual this season because it is a make-or-break year for running back Ameer Abdullah, and joining Golden Tate and Marvin Jones at wideout is preseason breakout rookie star Kenny Golladay, who posted two touchdowns on his debut. 

As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press noted, the Lions have a good problem on their hands with Golladay: "Golladay has played as a backup most of the summer, but I do expect him to eventually emerge as the Lions' No. 3 receiver. The problem, behind that he's a rookie in an offense with a lot of options, is that the Lions will use plenty of two tight end sets this fall."

With Stafford spreading the ball around and a defense slowly getting better after the arrival of rookie linebacker Jarrad Davis, the Lions look like a threat to make noise in the NFC North and beyond. 

Cleveland Browns

Thanks to a variety of reasons, the Cleveland Browns are one of the NFL's most interesting teams right now. 

Fully in a youth movement under head coach Hue Jackson, the team just cut notable cornerback Joe Haden, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The team also has ambitions of trading quarterback Brock Osweiler, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. 

The full embodiment of the youth movement, though, comes from the team naming rookie DeShone Kizer the starter under center for Week 1. 

"I feel comfortable with him," Jackson said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "He has the right feel for me and for what I'm looking for. I need to talk to all of our guys and be very forthcoming and upfront with the guys about where we are."

It's hard to avoid feeling enthusiastic about this development for the Browns when Kizer is out there navigating pockets and whipping superb passes to a young wideout like Corey Coleman in such a manner: 

Kizer under center far from fixes everything. But he has a decent offensive line in front of him and Isaiah Crowell in the backfield, by far one of the most underrated backs in the league. The defense, with Jamie Collins as a cornerstone, has better depth than a year ago and a potential breakout star in rookie edge defender Myles Garrett. 

This isn't like when past versions of the Browns have felt better than before. These Browns should make some noise while growing as the season progresses, and everybody loves an underdog story. 

Carolina Panthers 

Mystique surrounding quarterback Cam Newton has the Carolina Panthers in an odd spot right now, both in the power rankings and overall.

Let's keep it simple and roll right to the money quote. 

"He's still taking steps," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said, according to ESPN.com's David Newton. "You really won't know 'til the opener. Just the way it is. Nobody knew what he would be like his rookie year. That's kind of how this is going to be. We won't know until we open up in San Francisco."

Well alrighty then.

Coming off a six-win season and Newton's rotator cuff surgery in March, the Panthers remain one of the biggest question marks in the NFL. 

On paper, the Panthers should have a more diverse offense in 2017 with Kelvin Benjamin healthy, rookie Curtis Samuel stretching the field and versatile rookie running back Christian McCaffrey splitting the load with Jonathan Stewart. The Luke Kuechly-led defense should, at least, be steady. 

But the Panthers finally getting Newton some help on the offensive side of the ball could wind up as a moot point if he isn't a full go for the regular season, or even worse, lingering effects from a recent surgery impact his play. 

The NFC South hasn't exactly waited on the Panthers. Atlanta has eyes set on another Super Bowl, New Orleans is going all-in around Drew Brees' final years and Tampa Bay is stockpiling talent like DeSean Jackson to help Jameis Winston. 

Maybe in hindsight chatter surrounding the Panthers winds up seeming silly, but they feel like one of the teams capable of taking the biggest swing in either direction soon. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.