Two weeks down, and two of the best players in the NFL are down (and out) as well. First, it was Aaron Rodgers, and now Nick Chubb. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game but the impact it has when it happens to top tier players cannot be overstated.
The AFC was supposed to the dominant conference this year but so far, the NFC is holding its own. The NFC East and NFC South each has three teams at 2-0, while the AFC West has accounted for two wins total.
In the rankings this week, the Chargers and Raiders took the biggest fall as each dropped six spots, while the Seahawks made the biggest jump going from #27 to #21.
The Prime Time Pick’em couldn’t have gone any better, as we finished the week 4-0, moving the overall season record to 5-2. Week 3 gives us another Monday Night doubleheader so there are four more games to pick this week. In the Thursday night game, I like the 49ers to get another win as they face the Giants. Sunday night is a toss-up – I’ve gone back and forth several times, but I’m going to take the Steelers to get a win on the road against the Raiders. On Monday night, I’m going to continue to ride the road teams; I like the Eagles over the Bucs and the Rams over the Bengals.
Here are the rankings as we head to Week 3. Teams’ previous ranking in ( ).
1. San Francisco 49ers (1): If this team doesn’t go at least 15-2 during the regular season, I’d be surprised. They don’t have any weaknesses, assuming they maintain relatively good health.
2. Dallas Cowboys (3): Dallas has looked like the most dominant team in football so far, but let’s not forget it’s been against Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson. Next up: Joshua Dobbs.
3. Miami Dolphins (4): In a loaded AFC, I’m not sure many had the Dolphins as the cream of the crop after two weeks, but here we are. I love everything about this team and see no reason they can’t continue to do what they’re doing.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (2): It’s not often a team drops two spots after a win, but it’s not a shot at the Eagles. They are still one of the best teams in the league; they’re 2-0 and have yet to play their best football.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (5): The Chiefs got a much-needed bounce back win against the Jags but still didn’t look like themselves. In other news, Travis Kelce appears to be dating Taylor Swift and since Swift seems to write so many songs about her ex’s, I can’t be the only one hoping this relationship goes south at some point.
6. Buffalo Bills (10): The Bills bounced back in a big way – but now they need to watch out for what could be a trap game as they travel on the road to face the Commanders before a big showdown with the Dolphins.
7. Detroit Lions (7): I’ve said all along I expect the Lions to be very good this year, but that their defense concerns me. Now they lose CJ GJ indefinitely which only exacerbates the issues on the defensive side.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (8): Not scoring a touchdown at home is a concern but I think Trevor Lawrence is too good for anyone to be worried about the Jags.
9. Baltimore Ravens (13): Every year people tell me it’s the Ravens’ year and every year I have my doubts. This year is no different. I think the Ravens are a very good team but I’m not sure I’ll ever be sold on Lamar Jackson as a quarterback that can win you a Super Bowl.
10. New York Jets (6): Initially I thought Zach Wilson was capable of keeping this team in the playoff hunt but after looking at the Jets’ schedule, I’m not so sure. They’ve got the Patriots, Chiefs, Broncos and Eagles before their bye and 1-3 sure seems like their best-case scenario.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16): The Bucs and Baker Mayfield have surprised just about everyone by starting 2-0 but it hasn’t been against the stiffest of competition. This week should be a great measuring stick for them as they face the defending NFC Champion Eagles.
12. Green Bay Packers (12): We knew there would be growing pains with a young team, but you just can’t lose a game when you have a 12-point lead in the 4th quarter and don’t commit any turnovers. Injuries are starting to pile up for this team, particularly on offense and that can become a big problem when your defense continues to not live up to its potential.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (15): It sure wasn’t pretty but that in a nutshell is Steelers football. I have been a big believer in this team but I’m starting to see what everyone else sees – their offensive coordinator doesn’t seem to have a clue in what he’s doing.
14. Cincinnati Bengals (9): This team normally starts slow, but something just feels different this year. I think it’s officially time to panic in Cincy.
15. New Orleans Saints (17): The Saints haven’t looked like anything special, but 2-0 is all that matters. The bad news is four of their next six games are on the road; the good news is they only have to get through one more game until they get Alvin Kamara back.
16. Cleveland Browns (14): Just when you thought this team was going to enter the conversation as a legitimate playoff contender, their best player goes down for the season. I’m not ready to write them off yet, but I think their performance in Week 3 will be very telling for how the rest of the season may go.
17. Los Angeles Chargers (11): I can’t take credit for this stat but I’m going to use it anyway; 32 teams have scored 50+ points and committed zero turnovers in their first two games of a season – the 2023 Chargers are the only one to lose both games.
18. Washington Commanders (21): The new era in Washington has started off in impressive fashion, but games against the Bills and Eagles over the next two weeks are likely to bring this team back down to earth.
19. New York Giants (18): The Giants went six quarters without scoring a point until they finally got it figured out in the second half against Arizona. Without Saquon, I’m not sure I see them scoring in their next four quarters either as they face the 49ers.
20. Atlanta Falcons (24): The Falcons may be 2-0 but I’m still a skeptic. I like what they’re building and I like some of their weapons, but I am not a believer in Desmond Ridder at quarterback yet.
21. Seattle Seahawks (27): Very impressive (and much-needed) win by the Seahawks in Week 2. This team could go on a run now, as their schedule is very soft between now and Halloween.
22. Tennessee Titans (26): The Titans are a team that I struggle to get a read on week in and week out. They have a great head coach, a great running back and… not much else. They play in a relatively weak division but I just see this team as an eight or nine win team at best.
23. Los Angeles Rams (22): The Rams have really impressed me so far and if they continue to play the way they’ve been playing they should win three of their next four and I don’t think anyone thought this team had a chance at starting 4-2.
24. Minnesota Vikings (19): I’ve been wrong about a lot of things in my life. But the 2023 Minnesota Vikings is not one of them (yet). We knew last year was an outlier and regression to the mean was inevitable – and boy has that been true after just two weeks. If they don’t turn it around this week, their season may be over before it begins.
25. New England Patriots (20): They have battled to the very end with two very good teams, but don’t have anything to show for it. I expect them to get in the win column this week against the Jets.
26. Indianapolis Colts (29): Anthony Richardson looks like he could be the next great young quarterback – if he can stay on the field.
27. Denver Broncos (25): Russell Wilson has looked way better so far this year than he did at any point last year, but it has yet to translate to winning. It doesn’t get any easier this week as they travel to Miami.
28. Carolina Panthers (28): The Panthers traded up for the #1 pick in the 2023 draft, but they might not have to do that in 2024 – they might earn it all on their own. They’re 0-2 now and frankly I see them being 0-6 when they hit their bye week.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (23): The Raiders are 1-1 and likely don’t deserve to be this low in the rankings, but I just don’t get the sense that this team has enough talent to win very many games.
30. Chicago Bears (30): The one bright spot in 2022 was Justin Fields and his ability to run the football. So what do the Bears do in 2023? They stop allowing Justin Fields to run the football.
31. Houston Texans (31): I really thought this team was going to compete every week, but so far that hasn’t been the case. I don’t see very many wins on the schedule – which is a huge benefit for the only team ranked below them, as the Cardinals own Houston’s #1 pick in 2024.
32. Arizona Cardinals (32): Arizona could be 2-0 (I have no idea how) but instead, they are 0-2 (as most expected). They are in full tanking mode. The good news is, they likely won’t have to intentionally tank the next couple of weeks, as they face the Cowboys and 49ers and will likely get the doors blown off them.
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