NFL Power Rankings: New York Giants and 3 Teams on the Rise

The Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions have hogged the spotlight in the early going of the 2011 NFL season, and rightfully so. Both teams are off to brilliant starts after years of heartbreak and mediocrity.

But let's not forget about some of the other teams in the league that are defying the odds and the expectations to become legitimate threats after Week 3.

New York Giants

The Giants were declared dead on arrival when half their defense, including Pro Bowl defensive linemen Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, went down with season-shortening or season-ending injuries before the season began. Things only seemed to get worse when most of the team's receiving corps succumbed to a variety of ailments in the first two weeks, with Mario Manningham (concussion) and Hakeem Nicks (knee) sidelined for a week or two and Domenik Hixon suffering a season-ending ACL tear for the second year running.

Yet, after slogging through a 28-14 loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 1, Big Blue has blazed a path to victory in each of the last two weeks, most impressively with a 29-16 victory against the "Dream Team" Eagles in Philadelphia. The G-Men could easily be 4-1, with games against the Cardinals and the Seahawks over the next two weeks, before hosting the surprising Buffalo Bills in a Battle of New York.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are for real, folks. Oakland would be 3-0 right now if not for a furious comeback by the Buffalo Bills, who proved that they really can circle the wagons with a win over the Patriots on Sunday.

The Silver and Black wasted no time bouncing back from that disappointing loss by running roughshod over the vaunted New York Jets defense in a rousing 34-24 victory. Oakland went 8-8 last season, boosted by a perfect 6-0 record against the AFC West.

The Rrrrraiders look even better this time around, with Darren McFadden leading the NFL in rushing and the team as a whole boasting the sort of nasty physical streak for which the team has long been famous. If the Raiders limit their mistakes, as they did against Gang Green, they should be able to contend in a weak division and even challenge the likes of the Patriots (next week) and the Texans (the week after) in head-to-head battles.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns came into the 2011 season as one of the chic picks to break out, yet everyone seemed to drop them like a hot potato after a disappointing loss to the in-state rival Bengals in the opener.

Things haven't improved all that much in Cleveland since, with close wins over 0-3 teams (the Colts and the Dolphins) boosting their own record to 2-1.

That being said, there's still plenty of reason for long-suffering Browns fans to be optimistic. The offense has been steady, if not spectacular, behind second-year quarterback Colt McCoy and a solid ground game, while the defense has held up its end of the bargain for the most part.

The Browns aren't about to set the world on fire, but they will finish up significantly better than 5-11, as they've done in each of the last two seasons. Look for Cleveland to improve, slowly but surely, as their young stars gain more experience and figure out how to play together. 

Follow @J0shMart1n

Josh Martin's Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Detroit Lions

4. Buffalo Bills

5. New England Patriots

6. New York Giants

7. Houston Texans

8. Dallas Cowboys

9. Baltimore Ravens

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

11. San Diego Chargers

12. New York Jets

13. Cleveland Browns

14. Washington Redskins

15. Philadelphia Eagles

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

17. Tennessee Titans

18. Atlanta Falcons

19. Oakland Raiders

20. San Francisco 49ers

21. Carolina Panthers

22. Chicago Bears

23. Miami Dolphins

24. Denver Broncos

25. Seattle Seahawks

26. Minnesota Vikings

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

28. Arizona Cardinals

29. Cincinnati Bengals

30. St. Louis Rams

31. Indianapolis Colts

32. Kansas City Chiefs