For the second straight week, underdogs reigned supreme. In a performance perhaps not as dominating as their 12-4-0 mark last week, underdogs still covered nine of the 16 games in Week 2, bringing their overall record against the spread to 21-11-0 (65.6%).
Another week in the NFL, another batch of top teams taking a tumble down the rankings. Seattle collapsed at home against Tennessee, the Chargers couldn’t get anything going against the Dallas defense, and the Steelers continued their ineptitude on offense. But teams falling down the rankings means we’ve got some new blood towards the top. It took a missed chip-shot field goal, but Arizona survived Minnesota to climb into the top 10. The Bills, Ravens, and Packers all got back on track after surprising Week 1 losses. And are teams like the Raiders, Broncos, and Panthers actually good?
Let’s dive into the Week 3 power rankings and find out.
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I let the Steelers fool me like I did all of last year when I ranked them inside the top 10 last week. This isn’t a top 10 team. It doesn’t matter how good the defense is if the offense is this bad with this many weapons. The play calling is bland, the offensive line isn’t in sync, and Ben Roethlisberger might be hanging on a year too long.
I feel for the Saints. By the time Week 3 is over, they’ll have been away from Louisiana for an entire month, and that’s not easy on any team. The time away from home showed its effects on Sunday, and I expect it to be a problem this Sunday in New England. They’ve got a ton of talent, but this season isn’t going to be the smooth sailing we’re used to in New Orleans.
This offensive line was absolutely awful against Buffalo, allowing six sacks. Tua Tagovailoa was injured, and it’s a miracle Jacoby Brissett wasn’t too. It was only two possessions, but I’m just not encouraged or inspired by Tagovailoa. Nor am I inspired by the play calling on offense. Miami’s defense will keep them in a lot of games, but I’m questioning if they’re going to be able to score enough.
The Cardinals were quite sloppy at times against Minnesota, and they got down two scores early. But this offense can strike at a moment’s notice. That’s going to keep them in a ton of games and may even earn them some wins they left on the table last year. This team is still gelling together, but Arizona is a dark horse to win the NFC West if the defense can just be league average.
I’m higher on Dallas than most, but I’ve actually been encouraged by their defense, which was awful last year. They forced four turnovers against the Buccaneers, which is an accomplishment in and of itself, and they slowed down a Chargers offense with a ton of weapons. Obviously, they’ve got talent galore on offense, and the emergence of CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard make this a potential top-five unit.
I still think Seattle is a threat to win their division and make a playoff run, but the same concerns that plagued them over the last few seasons reared their ugly heads again on Sunday. The Seahawks were just unable to put the Titans away despite a two-score lead, scoring just six points in the final two quarters and overtime. And the defense simply couldn’t get off the field and allowed 24 points in the second half and overtime. Russell Wilson can win you some games on his own, but when playoff time rolls around, he’s going to need some help.
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Mike Wagenman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @mjwags23.
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