Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL teams. The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, injuries and roster depth, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders.
Here are the rankings heading into Week 3:
Super Bowl favorites
1. Buffalo Bills (2-0, No. 1 last week)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0, No. 2)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0, No. 3)
The Bills aren’t losing their top spot this week. Buffalo throttled the Titans, 41-7, on Monday night behind four touchdown passes from Josh Allen — including three to Stefon Diggs — and another dominant performance from the defense. The 2019 Ravens finished with the highest point differential in NFL history (+249), but Buffalo is on pace to break that record.
For all the talk about how much the AFC West improved this offseason, it’s still the Chiefs’ division to lose. Kansas City made an early statement with a 27-24 win over the Chargers on Thursday night by getting production from an unheralded group of players. Rookie seventh-round draft pick Jaylen Watson returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, while veteran running back Jerick McKinnon and fourth-round wide receiver Justin Watson caught touchdown passes from Patrick Mahomes. This Chiefs team looks deep and ready to compete for the top seed in the AFC.
In the NFC, the Bucs still look like the class of the conference despite missing some key players. Even with receivers Chris Godwin and Julio Jones and top left tackles Donovan Smith and Josh Wells sidelined by injuries, Tampa Bay made enough plays down the stretch to secure a 20-10 win over the Saints. While quarterback Tom Brady struggled for most of the game until hitting former Ravens first-round pick Breshad Perriman for a go-ahead 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Bucs forced five turnovers, including a 68-yard pick-six by Mike Edwards to ice the game. Brady doesn’t have to be perfect to keep winning behind this dominant defense.
The top contenders
4. Miami Dolphins (2-0, No. 8)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0, No. 7)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1, No. 4)
7. Green Bay Packers (1-1, No. 10)
8. Los Angeles Rams (1-1, No. 9)
9. Baltimore Ravens (1-1, No. 5)
It’s time to consider the Dolphins a true AFC contender. In an improbable 42-38 comeback win against the Ravens, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and a franchise-record tying six touchdowns, completely changing the notion of what’s possible for the third-year quarterback under new coach Mike McDaniel. Miami might have the league’s best receiving duo in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who became the first pair of teammates in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions, 150 receiving yards and two touchdown catches in the same game. It remains to be seen whether Tagovailoa and his receivers can keep up this level of production, but there’s no doubt the Dolphins are a force to be reckoned with.
While Miami has a clear blueprint for success, the team it erased a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat has plenty of questions to answer about its own identity. Through three quarters, the Ravens looked unstoppable as Lamar Jackson tore through a Dolphins defense that gave him fits with its Cover 0 blitzes last season. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to record a touchdown pass and run of at least 75 yards in the same game and nearly finished with a perfect passer rating, but even that MVP-level performance wasn’t enough to bail out the Ravens’ atrocious defense. The blown coverages in the secondary raise uncomfortable questions for new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who will need to shore up his players’ communication before Baltimore can even think about competing with the Chiefs and Bills for the AFC title.
The wild cards
10. San Francisco 49ers (1-1, No. 18)
11. Minnesota Vikings (1-1, No. 6)
12. New Orleans Saints (1-1, No. 12)
13. Denver Broncos (1-1, No. 13)
14. Arizona Cardinals (1-1, No. 19)
The 49ers’ decision to keep Jimmy Garoppolo looks pretty good now, doesn’t it? After second-year quarterback Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury, the veteran stepped in to lead San Francisco to a 27-7 win over the Seahawks, completing 13 of 21 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown and sneaking in for a score. In six seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan, Garoppolo is 31-14 as the starter, while all other 49ers quarterbacks are 9-29 in that span. This team is built to win now, and while Garoppolo was benched in favor of the 2021 No. 3 overall pick to start the season, he’s proven he’s good enough to lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl. Losing a player with Lance’s potential is tough to swallow, but it might end up helping the 49ers in the short term.
Things haven’t gone as planned for the team Garoppolo and the 49ers face on Sunday night, either. Russell Wilson lost his return to Seattle in part because of new coach Nathaniel Hackett’s head-scratching decision to attempt a 64-yard field goal instead of letting Wilson — the man Denver traded three players and five draft picks for and gave $165 million guaranteed — try and convert a fourth-and-5 with 20 seconds left. In Sunday’s sloppy 16-9 win over the Texans, the Broncos struggled so much getting the snap off in time that the Denver crowd started counting down the play clock. It’s only been two games, but Hackett already looks overwhelmed, and his offense isn’t delivering on its promise. To make matters worse, cornerback Patrick Surtain and receiver Jerry Jeudy are dealing with injuries. Denver needs to get its act together, and quickly.
The Cardinals finally seem to have their act together, but it took seven quarters to get there. Trailing 23-7 entering the fourth quarter Sunday, Arizona scored 16 straight points — including two wild 2-point conversions by quarterback Kyler Murray — to force overtime, where cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. returned a fumble by Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow 59 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The win doesn’t let coach Kliff Kingsbury and a disappointing defense off the hook, but it at least provides some hope that Murray can put the team on his back. We won’t get a fair assessment of the Cardinals until receiver DeAndre Hopkins returns from his six-game suspension, but it’s clear Murray needs more help.
Talented enough to compete
15. Detroit Lions (1-1, No. 25)
16. Cleveland Browns (1-1, No. 17)
17. Dallas Cowboys (1-1, No. 28)
18. New England Patriots (1-1, No. 27)
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1, No. 16)
20. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2, No. 11)
21. Las Vegas Raiders (0-2, No. 15)
A 36-27 victory over the Commanders is proof of concept for Lions coach Dan Campbell that his team is ready to take the next step. Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as one of the league’s best receivers, recording nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns Sunday to become just the eighth player in league history with at least eight receptions in eight consecutive games. No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks, all in the first half, and Jared Goff threw four touchdown passes. This could be the start of a special season for Detroit.
Two teams that looked hopeless in Week 1 proved that season openers can often be misleading. After losing quarterback Dak Prescott to a thumb injury, the Cowboys turned around and beat the defending AFC champion Bengals, 20-17, on a last-second 50-yard field goal. Cooper Rush led a game-winning drive in the second start of his career and linebacker Micah Parsons continued to build his case as the best defensive player in the league, giving Dallas hope that it can survive Prescott’s absence and still compete for a playoff spot.
The Patriots’ 17-14 win over the Steelers won’t strike fear in the rest of the AFC, but it does show that New England is sturdy enough to remain in the thick of the playoff race. Quarterback Mac Jones still looks shaky, throwing an interception into double coverage in the first quarter and nearly tossing another in the third, but the defense limited Pittsburgh to 4.2 yards per play and the offense ran the ball well on a 13-play drive to close the game. It’s far from coach Bill Belichick’s best team, but it has the potential to get back to the postseason.
Showing signs of life
22. New York Giants (2-0, No. 24)
23. Washington Commanders (1-1, No. 22)
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1, No. 31)
25. New York Jets (1-1, No. 32)
The Giants’ best start since 2016 is certainly exciting, but this team is going to need to vastly outperform its potential to make the playoffs. (Remember, the Panthers started 3-0 last season before finishing 5-12.) What’s encouraging is the play of the defense led by former Ravens coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. Even without top edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, Martindale has generated enough pressure to rattle opposing quarterbacks, with Baker Mayfield the latest victim in Sunday’s 19-16 victory. Quarterback Daniel Jones isn’t showing any signs of a Josh Allen-type leap, but he’s avoided making big mistakes. The Giants are going to need more from their receivers to have any hope of keeping this winning streak going.
The post-Urban Meyer bump is real for the Jaguars, who beat the Colts at home for the eighth straight time, 24-0. The addition of receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones has clearly helped second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who looks much more comfortable under the direction of coach Doug Pederson. A young defense also looks much improved, recording five sacks and three interceptions Sunday. The Jags have forced six turnovers through two games after creating nine all of last season.
We’d be remiss not to talk about the Jets’ stunning 31-30 win over the Browns, which ended up being only the third-most impressive comeback of the weekend. Former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes in the final two minutes, giving the Jets a much-needed shot in the arm after a dreary home-opening loss against Baltimore. It’s not fair to assess second-year coach Robert Saleh until quarterback Zach Wilson returns, but at least his team isn’t giving up.
Searching for a spark
26. Seattle Seahawks (1-1, No. 21)
27. Tennessee Titans (0-2, No. 20)
28. Chicago Bears (1-1, No. 23)
29. Atlanta Falcons (0-2, No. 29)
30. Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1, No. 14)
31. Carolina Panthers (0-2, No. 30)
32. Houston Texans (0-1-1, No. 26)
The Falcons’ 0-2 start isn’t surprising, but their play on the field is. After blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead against the Saints in Week 1, Atlanta nearly pulled off an improbable comeback of its own against the Rams. Trailing 28-3 in the third quarter, the Falcons got two touchdown passes from Marcus Mariota and a 26-yard touchdown return on a blocked punt to cut the deficit to 31-25 with less than five minutes left. They couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch to knock off the defending Super Bowl champs, but the fight alone is encouraging for a team that has some promising young players. They’re far from the worst team in the league.
