NFL Power Rankings: 3 1-1 Teams That Must Win in Week 3

The NFL certainly scheduled plenty of strong games in the first two weeks, so there are plenty of teams that lost a game or two in Weeks 1 and 2.

Some of those teams are in more desperate situations than others. Even if they would be okay in the standings, these teams can't afford a loss in Week 3.

Losing would make all of these teams 1-2. Each could overcome that, but it would create greater problems.

San Francisco 49ers

I said last week that I wasn't too concerned with the game against Dallas. Of course, then I saw how they lost.

Now, a road win against Cincinnati is a must.

No, the NFC West isn't going to get away from them. Worst-case scenario is that they'll be a game behind at the end of Week 3.

But for the 49ers to show that they're a strong team, they must come back with a win against a Bengals team that's very beatable.

If that happens, then the tough loss against Dallas will not be forgotten, but it won't hurt the team long term. If they can't beat the Bengals, this will be another down year for the 49ers.

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas had a great win against the 49ers. Tony Romo went a long way in silencing his doubters. What they absolutely can't do is follow that up with a loss to the Redskins in Week 3.

The Redskins are better than expected. Still, this game is in Dallas and one that the Cowboys should win.

It's not that a loss to Washington would send them down the path to the No. 1 pick in the draft, but it would hurt. They would be two games back in the division (plus a home division loss), and the progress made against San Francisco would all of a sudden not look so great.

Philadelphia Eagles

I never thought I would place the Eagles on this list. The 1-1 start doesn't surprise me, but they were flat against Atlanta.

Yes, I know that they should have won. I also know that Atlanta's a good team that was desperate for a win, but the Eagles just didn't show up at times.

Now, in a divisional game, the Eagles need to bounce back. The Giants had a nice win on Monday and are playing with some confidence. Plus, they have to have revenge on their minds after last season's debacle against the Eagles.

A loss here would put Philadelphia in a tie for last place, at best. It's not that they can't recover, but that's not a hole they want to dig for themselves.

Michael Dixon's Week 2 Power Rankings

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