PFT’s Week Three 2021 power rankings

USA TODAY Sports

1. Buccaneers (2-0, Last week No. 1): The defense isn’t where it needs to be. But it doesn’t need to be there if the offense keeps doing what it’s doing.

2. Rams (2-0, No. 3): They get a shot to take over the top spot, with the Bucs coming to town for Tom Brady‘s first-ever L.A. game.

3. Ravens (1-1, No. 11): After one of the most deflating losses of the Harbaugh/Lamar era, the Ravens get their signature win.

4. Chiefs (1-1, No. 2): Wake them up when September ends.

5. Bills (1-1, No. 6): Which Bills are the real Bills, Week One or Week Two?

6. 49ers (2-0, No. 9): It’s running back by Congressional committee for the 49ers, but they’re winning.

7. Cardinals (2-0, No. 14): It’s better to be lucky than good. It’s even better to be both.

8. Raiders (2-0, No. 17): The NFL is always better when the Raiders are good.

9. Steelers (1-1, No. 5): They’re now 2-6 in their last eight games against the Raiders, dating back to 2006.

10. Panthers (2-0, No. 20): With everyone wondering whether Urban Meyer can be the next Jimmy Johnson, Matt Rhule is moving in that direction.

11. Packers (1-1, No. 15): With the 49ers and Steelers coming up, we’ll find out whether the Packers are ready to put Week One in the rear-view mirror.

12. Browns (1-1, No. 7): If Tyrod Taylor doesn’t get injured, the Browns could be 0-2.

13. Patriots (1-1, No. 13): Bill Belichick makes more people see ghosts than Oda Mae Brown.

14. Saints (1-1, No. 4): Jameis Winston isn’t Patrick Mahomes. Sean Payton needs to get Winston to stop trying to be Patrick Mahomes.

15. Cowboys (1-1, No. 16): Mike McCarthy manages the clock worse than a drunken horologist.

16. Chargers (1-1, No. 8): The new-look Chargers looked like the same-old Chargers on Sunday. Maybe they are.

17. Titans (1-1, No. 19): Better late than never. Better not late at all.

18. Broncos (2-0, No. 18): They looked sluggish against a team they should have beaten more easily than they did.

19. Seahawks (1-1, No. 10): Pete Carroll-coached teams aren’t supposed to blow big leads.

20. Dolphins (1-1, No. 12): Tua or no Tua, the Dolphins aren’t ready to compete at a high level, yet.

21. Washington (1-1, No. 22): Taylor Heinecke has a long way to go to keep Ryan Fitzpatrick on the bench after he’s healthy.

22. Bears (1-1, No. 26): They should have beaten the Bengals a lot more easily than they did.

23. Bengals (1-1, No. 21): They’re still better than they were supposed to be. If they were just a little bit better, they’d be 2-0.

24. Vikings (0-2, No. 23): The best 0-2 team in the league is still 0-2.

25. Eagles (1-1, No. 25): The season really starts on Monday night against the Cowboys.

26. Giants (0-2, No. 27): Dexter Lawrence wasn’t offside.

27. Colts (0-2, No. 24): Carson Wentz is injured so often because he so often puts himself in position to be injured.

28. Texans (1-1, No. 28): To their credit, they are much better than the complete and total mess we thought they’d be.

29. Lions (0-2, No. 31): They’ll win just enough games to blow their shot at one of the best quarterbacks in the draft.

30. Falcons (0-2, No. 29): Some potentially winnable games are coming. Let’s see if they can win any of them.

31. Jets (0-2, No. 30): Zach Wilson will be fine. He’d be even better if he never had to face Bill Belichick again.

32. Jaguars (0-2, No. 32): The 1976-77 Buccaneers should start thinking about putting some pink champagne on ice.

53 responses to “PFT’s Week Three 2021 power rankings

  1. Oh yes… power rankings:

    “But my team beat your team who beat his team and we’re still ranked lower than them?”

  2. Ravens at #3?? They beat KC on a miracle. Play that game 100 times and they win maybe 5. I’d have to see much more consistency before placing Baltimore in the top 5.

  3. The NFL is always better when the Raiders are good.
    ————————-
    Guess that means the NFL has been bad for nearly 40 years.

  4. The Giants maintained #26 with a loss just because the teams behind them also lost. I think that the Texans might be better, but only if Tyrod is starting.

  5. If Tua was tough enough to endure hits; Bills might have sacked him 12 times with his lack of awareness in the pocket and abysmal O-Line.

    Miami doesn’t want to admit it but Jacoby Brissett coming off the bench did a phenomenal job dealing with zero protections and receivers who couldn’t catch COVID in Wuhan.

  6. Zimmer’s just can’t figure out how not to lose by less than 3. Maybe someday the people of Minnesota will stop settling for mediocrity in their leaders.

  7. This is the first time in 6 years you used the word “deflating” without it being about the Pats. Finally. Thanks!

  8. Since the Texans are down to their third-stringer, it’s time to call Kap. Kap would rejuvenate the franchise. Even Cam would. Or even Tebow at this point.

  9. Daddy Batz says:
    September 21, 2021 at 11:46 am
    Ravens at #3?? They beat KC on a miracle. Play that game 100 times and they win maybe 5. I’d have to see much more consistency before placing Baltimore in the top 5.

    ====

    I’m also not sure Baltimore should be in the top 5 based on their injuries – feels unsustainable. But stop with the “miracle” nonsense w/r/t the KC game. The Ravens had 9 more first downs, 75 more yards, 10 minutes more ToP, and same number of turnovers. If anything, one of the Ravens turnovers was unluckier (Watkins slipping on the pick 6).

  10. I’m also not sure Baltimore should be in the top 5 based on their injuries – feels unsustainable. But stop with the “miracle” nonsense w/r/t the KC game. The Ravens had 9 more first downs, 75 more yards, 10 minutes more ToP, and same number of turnovers. If anything, one of the Ravens turnovers was unluckier (Watkins slipping on the pick 6).

  11. gritandgrind8 says:
    September 21, 2021 at 11:59 am

    I’m also not sure Baltimore should be in the top 5 based on their injuries – feels unsustainable. But stop with the “miracle” nonsense w/r/t the KC game. The Ravens had 9 more first downs, 75 more yards, 10 minutes more ToP, and same number of turnovers. If anything, one of the Ravens turnovers was unluckier (Watkins slipping on the pick 6).

    ===========================================

    It was a miracle. The punch out was about as improbable as it gets. That was literally the only way to save the game. If that didn’t happen, Chiefs most likely make the easy field goal for another victory. And let’s not pass the buck from Lamar here. Yes, he settled down and made plays to carry the Ravens back. But the pick to Watkins was not the result of an unfortunate fall. Watkins fell, Lamar looked at him as he was down, and threw it anyways. He made poor decisions early which put his team in a precarious position. But he battled back and gave them a chance, and I respected that. But as I said, we need to see more consistency. Why didn’t he do that against the Raiders? Where is the defense? I get injuries happen, but the defense has been swiss cheese at this point. If they can dig in and start getting stops, as well as Lamar making better decisions ALL GAME and not having to battle back, they will be top 5. But as of right this instant, I wouldn’t have them there.

  12. Bills beat a bad Dolphins team in a sloppy sloppy game and that’s somehow enough to keep them ahead of team that just beat them at home. Sure…
    Josh Allen got his huge contract, but his play has been nowhere near good enough to justify it.
    And with back to back ugly defensive performances, the Ravens should not be at three. They finally got their win against the Chiefs in the battle of awful defences, but that’s not a reputation boosting win given how easily the Chiefs moved the ball, especially one week after the Raiders lit them up.

  13. I know it’s only two games, so this is a super hot take, but how long before the Falcons declare a tank for an April QB. Matty Melt is at the lowest TD%, yards per attempt, QB rating, and highest INT% of his career. It’s not even “oh it’s kinda lower” he’s lost nearly a yard in yards per attempt from his next lowest season and nearly two yards from his career average.

  14. Seahawks at 19? Yeah, they blew a game they had comfortably in the bag because Pete Carroll went into prevent mode for the whole 2nd half, but to have 11 other 1-1 teams ahead of them doesn’t make sense. Yeah these ratings mean nothing, but sheesh, that one’s a head scratcher.

  15. 12. Browns (1-1, No. 7): If Tyrod Taylor doesn’t get injured, the Browns could be
    0-2.

    Yeah, right, The Browns defense would have forced Tyrod Taylor to make his usual mistakes in the rest of the game if he wasn’t injured. Browns WIN!

    The Cleveland Browns at number 12 in your Power Rankings, what a slap in the face!
    Complete disrespect!

  16. Which Josh Allen is the real Josh Allen, first two weeks guy or last year’s guy?

    Bills are screwed if the first two weeks guy is the player they paid all that money to…

  17. Man these Chiefs fans are still salty?! LOL – you got punched in the mouth. Own it. Ravens shut your team down 4th quarter. Let me repeat that: your high flying offense had zero points in the fourth quarter, zero! Somehow though the ravens got lucky and the chiefs got robbed? Just pathetic fanbase making excuse after excuse.

  18. Ravens finally published the REAL blueprint on how to beat the Chiefs. Run, run and run some more. The Chiefs run D is as bad as it’s ever been. Do that and force a couple of turnovers, you got it. That’s the blue print. Not some nonsense you hear about a coach that is 3-4 in his last seven against the Chiefs.

  19. I think the list would be more accurate if you swapped the Giants and Texans. And even more accurate if you then swapped the Dolphins and Texans.

  20. Can we stop the bashing of McCarthy? It was 3rd and 3 with just under 30 sec left. If they don’t get the first down and kick the FG and miss – it gives the Chargers 15-20 sec left from the 45 with a chance to move into FG range themselves. Perspective…..

  21. If the blueprint to beat the chiefs is run, run, run them pray to god you get a lucky turnover in the last 2 mins to stop mahomes as he had already drove the time half the field into easy field goal position. Then I love my chiefs chances of not only going to another super bowl but wining it…

  22. Jameis Winston lead the Saints to their worst day on offense since 2006. He barely crossed 100 yards. He didnt look like Patrick Mahomes, he didnt even look like Patrick Ramsay

  23. I don’t know what I hate more…power rankings or politics…both will be the end of life as we know it.

  24. 12. Browns (1-1, No. 7): If Tyrod Taylor doesn’t get injured, the Browns could be 0-2.
    ——-
    When their coach declines a penalty to punt rather than replay the down, do you really think the Texans were going to win?

  25. Honestly, until the Browns defense gels together, I do not disagree with the power ranking. The Browns defense struggle against running QB’s and our inability to get to the QB last week was staggering until we sent Delpit on the blitz.

  26. malcomreynolds says:
    September 21, 2021 at 12:29 pm
    Bills beat a bad Dolphins team in a sloppy sloppy game and that’s somehow enough to keep them ahead of team that just beat them at home. Sure…
    Josh Allen got his huge contract, but his play has been nowhere near good enough to justify it.
    And with back to back ugly defensive performances, the Ravens should not be at three. They finally got their win against the Chiefs in the battle of awful defences, but that’s not a reputation boosting win given how easily the Chiefs moved the ball, especially one week after the Raiders lit them up.

    ———-

    Allen hasn’t broken out yet, but the Bills didn’t merely beat a bad team in a sloppy, sloppy game. They absolutely obliterated an average team in a game in which their defensive line physically abused the opposing quarterback on virtually every single drop back. There’s a difference.

  27. josh plum says:
    September 21, 2021 at 3:23 pm
    Seahawks are still a top ten team. There is no way they do not make the playoffs.

    ——/—

    The Seahawks won’t make the playoffs coming in 4th place in the NFC West and at this time they are the worst team in the division

  28. Steelers were lucky to win last week. Bills couldn’t play any worse and still were in the game. Now that we’re passed week 2 and half their team is on IR the swirl down the bowl is coming.

  29. craigspuki says:
    September 21, 2021 at 11:42 am

    Oh yes… power rankings:

    “But my team beat your team who beat his team and we’re still ranked lower than them?”
    ______________________________________________________________________________________

    Seriously? So, the better team always wins? I think not.
    And all of you think the Raiders are better than the Ravens? Yeah, and if you received a 100k to bet on the next game between them…who are you picking? Different story now, huh?

  30. Broncos are too low on this list. They are 2-0. They beat lower level teams but they did it cleanly. They made few to no mistakes that would make them vulnerable. The broncos roster is deep and extremely talented. The biggest question mark for this team is the QB and that has been a strength in first 2 games. Teddy is playing perfect football. The comment that they were “sluggish” vs jags is ridiculous. They controlled the time of procession and harassed the jags. They had 2 interceptions and also would have hung 30pts on jags had they not run out clock on 5yd line

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