With three weeks of the NFL season in the books we have a new set of power rankings with some pretty major shifts.
NFL Power Rankings: Vikings surge ahead, while the Jags tumble
Our Power Rankings after Week 3 of the regular season.
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
To explain our methodology our NFL writers ranked the teams from 1-to-32, and then the scores were averaged out. Ties were settled by the highest average ranking among the teams.
NFL Week 3 Power Rankings
Rank | Team | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiefs | 1.33 | 0 |
| 2 | Bills | 1.66 | 1 |
| 3 | Lions | 3.33 | 3 |
| 4 | Vikings | 3.66 | 21 |
| 5 | 49ers | 5.33 | -3 |
| 6 | Texans | 5.66 | -1 |
| 7 | Seahawks | 7.66 | 4 |
| 8 | Steelers | 7.66 | 5 |
| 9 | Packers | 8.66 | 8 |
| 10 | Eagles | 10.66 | -2 |
| 11 | Saints | 11 | 5 |
| 12 | Ravens | 12 | -3 |
| 13 | Buccaneers | 13 | -3 |
| 14 | Jets | 13.33 | 6 |
| 15 | Cowboys | 16 | -11 |
| 16 | Dolphins | 17 | -9 |
| 17 | Chargers | 17 | -5 |
| 18 | Falcons | 17.33 | 4 |
| 19 | Rams | 19.66 | -1 |
| 20 | Cardinals | 20.33 | 6 |
| 21 | Commanders | 20.66 | 7 |
| 22 | Bengals | 21 | -7 |
| 23 | Browns | 23 | 1 |
| 24 | Bears | 23.66 | -6 |
| 25 | Colts | 24.66 | -4 |
| 26 | Raiders | 26.33 | 3 |
| 27 | Broncos | 27.66 | 3 |
| 28 | Titans | 29 | -1 |
| 29 | Patriots | 29.33 | -6 |
| 30 | Jaguars | 29.66 | -16 |
| 31 | Panthers | 30 | 1 |
| 32 | Giants | 31 | 0 |
Let’s dive into the biggest risers and fallers in Week 3.
Biggest winner: Minnesota Vikings (+21)
It goes without saying that the Vikings have quickly become one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Proving their win over the Niners wasn’t a fluke, Minnesota’s aggressive, brutal defense kept C.J. Stroud guessing all afternoon en route to their 34-7 win.
This team has a very clear identity: They want to establish the run on offense, destroy the pocket on defense — and then take explosive shots with Sam Darnold when opportunities present themselves. It’s a pretty basic formula, but right now teams simply can’t deal with covering Justin Jefferson on one side of the ball, or diagnose Brian Flores’ creative blitz packages on the other.
The Vikings are for real, and they’re one of the best teams in the NFC.
Biggest loser: Jacksonville Jaguars (-16)
Once a sweetheart pick to contend for the AFC South, the Jaguars now look like the most hopeless team in football. They just inked Trevor Lawrence to a huge new contract, and he’s regressed so badly because of bad coaching in 2024 that it looks to be one of the worst deals in football.
Horrible coached, unmotivated on both sides of the ball, and utterly lost — nothing is going to get better in Jacksonville until wholesale changes are made in coaching, and a new GM is brought in. The problem is that it’s unclear whether ownership has the guts to make the moves needed like this, leaving the Jags in limbo until something alters their path.
Sadly, even at No. 30 it feels like this team can still fall lower.
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