Week 3 Power Rankings

The Ravens lost to the Titans?! The Colts are 0-2?! The Lions are 2-0?! Two weeks have gone by in the 2011 season, and many things have surprised us football fans. That is why the NFL Report has Week 3 power rankings!

1. New England Patriots: A great start for this years New England Patriots; 2-0, Tom Brady combines for 940 passing yards in 2 games, and a win over the San Diego Chargers. However, the defense is very inconsistent, and the secondary looked extremely sloppy against the Chargers. If Brady can continue to stay healthy, and the defense improves slightly, good things are in store for the Pats

2. Green Bay Packers: Although the Packers have the best all-around team in the league, I was not happy with the Panthers game. In order for the packers to be number one, they can't win by a single touchdown against a team like Carolina. I am also worried about their pass-defense; it has given up 419 yards to Drew Brees and 432 to rookie Cam Newton.

3. New York Jets: The 2-0 Jets destroyed the Jaguars last weekend, after previously beating the skilled Cowboys in a shootout. The defense looks superb this year and even their offense is doing well. Expect a deep playoff run with this New York team.

4. Houston Texans: Surprisingly, the fourth place position is awarded to the Texans. In two games, their offense has let up 13 combined points. Also, they are without RB Arian Foster, (yet Ben Tate has been a great substitute). Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are connecting very well, and the Texans are on a great streak.

5. New Orleans Saints: A dominating win over the Bears resurrects New Orleans after a close loss to the Packers in week 1.  Drew Brees is doing extremely well, and the offense as a whole is 5th in total yards (429.5 yards) and 5th in total passing yards (330 yards) so far this season. The offense looks great, and the defense is doing well. This could be another great year for Drew Brees and the Saints.

6. Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta pulled off a must win game, and hopefully will put the Bears game behind them. Michael Turner looks stellar this year (6.9 yards per carry), and hopefully Ryan will be able to connect more with his WR's. The defense looks mediocre (ranked 27th in pass-defense), and they are hoping for a division W over the Tampa Buccaneers this week.

7. Philadelphia Eagles: A tough loss against Atlanta has dropped the Eagles down in the rankings, yet they should bounce back to beat the Giants this week. Their running game is doing very well (ranked 2nd) and a 6th ranked passing defense should help over the weekend. We need to wait and see if Vick plays (concussion). It will be a hard season for the Eagles if their QB continues to be injured.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Ravens loss last weekend to the Titans (yes, the TITANS!) definitely  benefited Pittsburgh in the NFC North rankings. An easy win over the Seahawks did not prove a lot, yet both the defense and offense look great, and they are, once again, a threat this year.

9. Chicago Bears: Six. That's how many times the Saints sacked Jay Cutler last weekend. The Bears NEED to improve the O-line, or else Jay Cutler may sprain his MCL again! The Bears face Green Bay on Sunday, which should test Jay Cutler's protecters. Luckily it is at Chicago, and it will be important for them to beat their division rival and prove the Atlanta game was not a fluke.

10. Baltimore Ravens: Are you kidding me! After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, they lose to the Tennessee Titans! Although the defense did a great job shutting down Chris Johnson last weekend, they must have completely forgotten about stopping Matt Hasselbeck (358 YDS, 1 TD). I don't expect this to happen again, and they should beat the St Louis Rams at St. Louis.

11. San Diego Chargers: Although I predicted the Chargers to beat the Patriots, I was not surprised when they lost in Foxborough. Unfortunately, they could not follow through in the red zone very well, throwing interceptions at the wrong time. However, the passing game continues to look great, and they should bounce back to beat the Chiefs.

12. Detroit Lions: I would have never guessed; the Lions are 2-0! I am not completely in love with Detroit due to the fact they haven't faced a challenging team yet. Stafford and Johnson are connecting extremely well, and even the defense looks above-average (WOW!). Minnesota should be an easy win, but it will be interesting to see how they do against the Cowboys in 2 weeks.

13. Dallas Cowboys: Ouch! The Cowboys suffered many key injuries in Week 2, such as Miles Austin (out for several weeks), Tony Romo (questionable), Felix Jones (questionable) and Dez Bryant (questionable). Their rushing game has been pitiful, yet their 3rd ranked passing game and 2nd ranked rush-defense are doing very well. It will be interesting to see how they do against the Redskins this week.

14. Buffalo Bills: What may turn into this year's Cinderella story, the Buffalo Bills are 2-0. Surprisingly, they are ranked 1st in the league in rushing yards per game (190.0). As they play the New England Patriots this weekend, we will find out if the Bills are a legitimate team.

15. Washington Redskins: Although they have the worst logo in football, the Redskins look like a decent team. They are 11th in total passing yards per game (270.5), 10th in rushing yards per game (123.0) and 8th in rushing yards allowed per game (84.0). As I said earlier, this weekends game against the Cowboys will be interesting, and if Dallas are missing players due to injuries, the Redskins might go 3-0!