Image via Complex Original
Leave it to Week 2 to put things back in perspective. Just when it looked like the Patriots were about to go 16-0 the Arizona Cardinals gave them a reality check. Also, RGIII learned that scoring in the pros isn't as easy as scoring on the Baylor campus. The six undefeated teams remaining include a couple surprises like the Chargers who have started 2-0 for the first time since 2006 and the Eagles who have yet to lose despite turning the ball over nine times. Find out who moved up and who fell off in Week 3 of the Complex NFL Power Rankings.
32. Tennessee Titans
Record: 0 - 2
Last Week's Rank: 23
Last Week's Results: L @ Chargers, 10-38
This Week: vs. Lions, 1:00 Sunday
The Titans are winless, Jake Locker’s beat up and, at this pace, Chris Johnson is going to have more carries than yards this season. By all accounts, an atrocious start for Tennessee. The Titans offense is sputtering like a go-kart on empty and next week’s meeting with Detroit could kill the engine on Tennessee’s season. —Sean Evans
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: 0 - 2
Last Week's Rank: 27
Last Week's Results: L vs. Texans, 7-27
This Week: @ Colts, 1:00 Sunday
Blaine Gabbert injured his upper leg on Sunday. Unfortunately for Jaguars fans, it’s not career threatening. Jacksonville’s quarterback is one of the league’s worst (see his 67.8 career QB rating) and, according to Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey, will likely play this Sunday against Colts. Gabbert currently leads the NFL’s worst offense, which, through two games, has managed a mere 472 yards. —Sean Evans
30. Cleveland Browns
Record: 0 - 2
Last Week's Rank: 25
Last Week's Results: L @ Bengals, 27-34
This Week: vs. Bills, 1:00 Sunday
Brandon Weeden saved his career vs. the Bengals after his historically bad NFL debut in Week 1. The 28-yr old rookie threw for 322 and two TDs, but it wasn't enough as the Browns fell to 0-2. Cleveland played well, though. Along with Weeden's positive performance, their other rookie Trent Richardson became the first Browns rookie to rush for a TD, catch a TD pass and run for 100+ yards in the same game. That's a great feat if you look back at Browns history. Cleveland plays Buffalo this upcoming week in what should be a barnburner, or not. —Angel Diaz
29. Oakland Raiders
Record: 0 - 2
Last Week's Rank: 29
Last Week's Results: L @ Dolphins, 13-35
This Week: vs. Steelers, 4:25 Sunday
No team is winning any games when their third down conversion rate on offense is 1 for 12 and they don't cause any turnovers on defense. Sadly, this is exactly what the Oakland Raiders did this past weekend against Miami Dolphins. The NFL is a quarterback league and right now 50 Cent has a better chance of going platinum than Carson Palmer does of being a quality NFL QB. It's not going to get any better for the Silver and Black because this week they travel to Pittsburgh. —Richard Boadu
28. Miami Dolphins
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 32
Last Week's Results: W vs. Raiders, 35-13
This Week: vs. Jets, 1:00 Sunday
It may not matter who's taking the snaps at quarterback in Miami. Just as long as Reggie Bush can run the way he did on Sunday against Oakland. With 172 rushing yards on 26 carries and 2 touchdowns, Bush made a huge case for why last season's career-high totals were no fluke. Now, the Dolphins will need an equally successfully game out of Reggie when they face the Jets and their ball hawk corners, Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Remember folks, a good rush game opens up the pass. —Jose Martinez
27. Kansas City Chiefs
Record: 0 - 2
Last Week's Rank: 24
Last Week's Results: L @ Bills, 17-35
This Week: @ Saints, 1:00 Sunday
Sometimes your record doesn't accurately reflect who you are as a team. Well, that's not the case for the Chiefs, for the sixth time in seven seasons, the Chiefs have started the season 0-2—basically, they suck. It's also the second straight week they've been beaten by at least two touchdowns and that might as well be a mercy rule in the NFL. They managed two late touchdowns in the 4th quarter against the Bills when the Bills had already checked out of the game. There's more than enough talent in KC to get the job done, they just don't have the coaches. Maybe this week they get on track when they play the Saints who have no head coach (sorry, Joe Vitt). —Richard Boadu
26. Buffalo Bills
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 30
Last Week's Results: W vs. Chiefs, 35-17
This Week: @ Browns, 1:00 Sunday
Will the real Buffalo Bills please stand up? In their season opener, the Bills didn't come alive until garbage time in the fourth quarter and still managed to lose to the Jets, 48-28. But this past Sunday, Buffalo was clicking on all cylinders right from the beginning. After injuring his right knee last week, star running back Fred Jackson could've sat out, remained quiet and waited until he was healthy enough to return to action. Instead, Jackson challenged back-up C.J. Spiller to put the team on his shoulders. Spiller took those words as motivation and filled in nicely with 123 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. With the mediocre Browns next on schedule, Buffalo has a good shot at improving to 2-1, especially if C.J. performs the way he has the first two games of the season. —Jose Martinez
25. Minnesota Vikings
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 17
Last Week's Results: L @ Colts, 20-23
This Week: vs. 49ers, 1:00 Sunday
Week 2's battle of the slums was between the Colts and the Vikings. Although the Colts jumped out to a 20-6 lead, Christian Ponder (who finished 27 for 35, a 77 percent completion rate) showed fantastic spirit and poise and put up a solid fight with two TD passes in the fourth, tying the game with 31 ticks on the clock. Unfortunately, the Colts have a dude named Adam Vinatieri on their team, so he quickly crushed any hopes of overtime. Vinny wasn't the one that beat the Vikings in this game, though. Nor was it Andrew Luck. The Vikings made mistake after mistake, totaling 11 penalties for 105 yards, including an offsides penalty on the Colts' winning drive. Those types of miscues ain't going to cut it. —Tony Markovich
24. Indianapolis Colts
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 31
Last Week's Results: W vs. Vikings 23-20
This Week: vs. Jaguars, 1:00 Sunday
The droves of insufferable Colts fans whining about Peyton Manning shut their pie holes, at least for this week. Andrew Luck played lost in his NFL debut against Chicago, but snapped into first overall pick form this week—albeit against the Vikings. Luck looked, dare we say, Manning-like in his ability to cover 40 yards in less than 30 seconds to set up Adam Viniatierri for the game-winning field goal. With a win this week against the pitiful Jaguars, Indy could go into their bye week with a 2-1 start. Peyton who? —Sean Evans
23. St. Louis Rams
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 28
Last Week's Results: W vs. Redskins, 31-28
This Week: @ Bears, 1:00 Sunday
WIth a crazy week of shenanigans on the field, the game with the most ridiculous ones by far has to be the Redskins at the Rams. First you have Stephen Jackson (not to be confused with the guy who ran in the stands and beat up fans in the Pacers-Pistons brawl) spiking the ball, not for a touchdown celebration like most people, but out of frustration for getting stopped twice down on the 1-yard line, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct flag.
Then on the biggest play of the game, Redskins receiver Josh Morgan would have set up his team for the game tying field goal after a catching a pass, throws the ball at Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan after the play, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and what would have been a doable 50 yard attempt turned into a "miracles only" 65 yard field goal that was missed. We're sure the Rams are thanking Morgan for his sudden lapse in judgement. —David Whitely
22. Cincinnati Bengals
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 20
Last Week's Results: W vs. Browns, 34-27
This Week: @ Redskins, 1:00 Sunday
The Bengals decided to show up against the Browns and redeemed themselves after their sorry Week 1 performance vs. Baltimore. Despite getting sacked three times, Andy Dalton did his thing. The second-year QB threw for 318 and 3 TDs in the win. The Bengals defense, on the other hand, stunk it up. They gave up 439 total yards by letting Brandon Weeden carve them up to earn a 114.9 QB rating. We wondder if RGIII will put up similar numbers when Cincy faces off against a dangerous Washington Redskins team next Sunday. —Angel Diaz
21. Carolina Panthers
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 26
Last Week's Results: W vs. Saints, 35-27
This Week: vs. Giants, 8:20 Thursday
Superman came up big and the Panthers picked up a huge home win against divisional opponent New Orleans Saints in a close one. Remember how they notched a horrendous 10 rushing yards last week? Try 219 this week including 71 and a score from Mr. Newton who also threw for 253 and another score (no picks). Heck, the defense was even able to score off a Brees pick, (one of the two he threw) and hold the Saints to only 27 points. This could be a big confidence builder for the Panthers and theres nothing like beating a rival when they're hurtin'. If this is going to be a down year for the Saints, Carolina can sneak into the playoffs and theres no telling what happens in the big dance with the big lights on Cam. —Elias Ahmed
20. Seattle Seahawks
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 22
Last Week's Results: W vs. Cowboys, 27-7
This Week: vs. Packers, 8:30 Monday
This game got physical with the Seahwaks knocking the Cowboys all over the field. The Seahwaks went to work on the ground winning the the rushing yard battle 182 to Dallas' 49. Marshawn Lynch led the way with 122 rushing yards and one touchdown. The kid Russell Wilson threw for 151 yards, and a 22-yard touchdown pass to Anthony McCoy en route to his first NFL win. He's going to need the encouragement going up against the Packers this week. Word of advice: watch out for Clay Matthews. Ask Jay Cutler about him. —David Whitely
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 18
Last Week's Results: L @ Giants, 34-41
This Week: @ Cowboys, 1:00 Sunday
You just got Eli-ed, bro! Tampa Bay looked great for three quarters but yet again seemed to take their foot off the gas in the fourth and this time it caught up to them. The Giants scored 25 in that final quarter and picked up the win at home. If your Tampa Bay it's encouraging that you even could play with the Super Bowl champs, but you can't have that kind of meltdown against any good team and expect to go far.
That being said there was some good and bad that came with the game. Freeman showed a connection with new receiver Vincent Jackson but also scratched that turnover itch and threw two picks, Doug Martin scored on the ground but looked far less impressive overall, and the defense picked off Eli three times (including a TD return) but couldn't hold late. At 1-1 they're tied for second place in the NFC South that seems to be Atlanta's for the taking, but this loss still showed they can hang with the big boys of the league which is pivotal to them taking the next step forward. Also the rematch with the Giants post "Kneel Cheap Shot Gate" for Schiano and Coughlin will be just as uninteresting as Harbough and Schwartz this year. —Elias Ahmed
18. New Orleans Saints
Record: 0 - 2
Last Week's Rank: 16
Last Week's Results: L @ Panthers, 27-35
This Week: vs. Chiefs, 1:00 Sunday
Aside from a Drew Brees injury on the first play of the first game, this is probably the worst possible start for the Saints. They're 0-2 including a divisional opponent, and the fact that their 3rd string coach is coaching is strikingly apparent. Don't get your panties in a bunch quite yet though New Orleans fans. Brees hasn't looked amazing (4 TDs, 4 INTs) but it's only Week 2 and they have shown the ability to put some points on the board and lost two close games. If their defense can tighten up a bit they have a shot at getting back into the mix, and it looks like next week's game against Kansas City at home will be their perfect opportunity to do so. Fun fact that might inspire or haunt them though, 88 percent of teams that go 0-2 don't make the playoffs. What ya got Who Dat Nation? —Elias Ahmed
17. Washington Redskins
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 13
Last Week's Results: L @ Rams, 28-31
This Week: vs. Bengals, 1:00 Sunday
In a matter of seven days, Robert Griffin III went from totally outclassing Drew Brees—to getting schooled by Sam Bradford. The former No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma threw for 310 yards on Sunday against the 'Skins and got a ton of help from wide receiver Danny Amendola, who caught 15 passes for 160 yards (can you say "fantasy football sleeper"?). But, we're not too concerned about the Redskins just yet. After all, if not for receiver Josh Morgan's boneheaded personal foul penalty at the end of the game, Washington probably would have sent the game to overtime. As long as RGIII is healthy, it's pretty clear that this team will be in the thick of things in the NFC East this season. —Chris Yuscavage
16. New York Jets
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 11
Last Week's Results: L @ Steelers, 10-27
This Week: @ Dolphins, 1:00 Sunday
One and done. That phrase is usually used for college basketball players that stay in school for one year before bolting to the NBA, but it's also the best way to describe the Jets offense against the Steelers. In their first possession of the game, New York's pass attack looked a lot like it did against the Bills from the previous week. Then, poof, all the magic was gone. Mark Sanchez completed 37 percent of his throws for the entire game. Oh, and speaking of bad passing percentages, where was Tim Tebow? Forget cowbell, this team needs more Tebow. —Jose Martinez
15. Dallas Cowboys
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 8
Last Week's Results: L @ Seahawks, 7-27
This Week: vs. Buccaneers, 1:00 Sunday
Isn't this just like the Cowboys? After scoring a huge win against the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1, they went on the road against the Seahawks in a game that they knew would be tough and performed very, very poorly. They let Marshawn Lynch run all over them for 122 yards. They made a series of special teams gaffes. And, they allowed rookie QB Russell Wilson to take over the game in the second half and complete 75 percent of his pass attempts. As a result, they're right back to where they were at the start of the season—wondering whether or not they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year. Let the roller coaster ride that is a Cowboys regular season begin. —Chris Yuscavage
14. Denver Broncos
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 5
Last Week's Results: L @ Falcons, 21-27
This Week: vs. Texans, 4:25 Sunday
Peyton Manning threw three picks in the Broncos' first three possessions last night. I kept expecting the rapture and finally see Jesus return to the Earth — then the second quarter started. If you take away the atrocious first quarter, the Broncos beat the Falcons 21 - 17. No need to panic in Denver, Peyton is just rusty and the defense, especially Von Miller played well. The AFC West is still the Broncos' to lose. We'll see how much of a threat they are to go deep into the playoffs when the team faces the Houston Texans at home this Sunday. —Richard Boadu
13. Detroit Lions
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 12
Last Week's Results: L @ 49ers, 19-27
This Week: @ Titans, 1:00 Sunday
Two weeks, two NFC North teams that have fallen to the wrath of Alex Smith and the 49ers. Once again, Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson failed to link up in the endzone, a connection that largely fueled last year's 300-yard-per-game offense. The team failed to even get inside the 20 until the final drive. Keep in mind, though, this was against the league's best defense, and the Rams proved this past week that they might not be as bad as we originally thought. It's back to an even playing field, as all four teams in the division are 1-1. —Tony Markovich
12. San Diego Chargers
Record: 2 - 0
Last Week's Rank: 19
Last Week's Results: W vs. Titans, 38-10
This Week: vs. Falcons, 4:05 Sunday
Usain Bolt has a better start than the San Diego Chargers, but this year The Bolts have had their first 2-0 start since 2006 and the first of Norv Turner's coaching tenure with the team. Last week, they basically played a scrimmage when they faced the Tennessee Titans. It didn't matter than All-Pro tight end, Antonio Gates didn't play because his replacement, Dante Rosario, scored three touchdowns. We'll see how good the Chargers really are this Sunday when the face the Falcons. —Richard Boadu
11. Arizona Cardinals
Record: 2 - 0
Last Week's Rank: 21
Last Week's Results: W @ Patriots, 20-18
This Week: vs. Eagles, 4:05 Sunday
Wow, we didn't expect this to happen, nor did anyone else, but it was a very impressive victory nonetheless. The Cards got to Brady in this one by sacking him four times and picking off one of his passes. Yeah, New England won the battle of the yards (387-245), but Arizona's defense stopped them when it mattered most in not giving up scores. This game is as much about the defense winning it as the Pats giving it away with Gronk dropping end zone passes and Stephen Gostkowski missing the game winning field goal at the end of the game. —David Whitely
10. Chicago Bears
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 4
Last Week's Results: L @ Packers, 10-23
This Week: vs. Rams, 1:00 Sunday
Hear that noise? That was the collective sound of the Bears coming down from the clouds, Jay Cutler's shoulder and face compacting the turf in Lambo field, and the chatter about how the Packers still have to come to Soldier Field later in the year. Although this was one of Cutler's worst games as a Bear, with four interceptions and seven sacks, Bears' fans shouldn't be worrying too much. It's only Week 3, and Chicago is 1-1 after playing last year's top regular season team. With that said, the team did suffer another pretty big injury, with Matt Forte out from a high ankle sprain. Apart from an injury like a torn ACL, high ankle sprains could be the single most annoying injury to have in the opening weeks of the season. They just don't go away easily, especially if the player is rushed back. The Bears have a good backup carrier in Bush, so that shouldn't be the situation. —Tony Markovich
9. New York Giants
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 10
Last Week's Results: W vs. Bucaneers, 41-34
This Week: @ Panthers, 8:20 Thursday
For three quarters, the G-Men looked like complete trash against the Bucs. Eli Manning was throwing interceptions all over the place (how bad was the one he threw right before halftime?). The defense couldn't stop Josh Freeman from throwing to Vincent Jackson. And, it looked like New York was headed for an 0-2 start to their season. And then, the fourth quarter started and everything changed. Somehow, Manning ended up with 510 yards (yes, 510 yards!) passing. The Giants overcame a two-TD deficit. And, the Bucs had to resort to some late-game shenanigans (trying to tackle Manning while he took a knee on the game's final play) to try and steal a win. It definitely wasn't pretty. But, hey, a W is a W. The Giants will take it. —Chris Yuscavage
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 14
Last Week's Results: W vs. Jets, 27-10
This Week: @ Raiders, 4:25 Sunday
The Steelers dominated the second half vs. the Jets. Big Ben threw for 275 yards and two TDs as he dismantled the Jets defense, taking advantage of Darrelle Revis' absence. Pittsburgh's defense bothered Sanchez all game despite missing James Harrison and Troy Polamalu. They held him to 10-27 passing and the Jets only converted four third downs out of 12 tries. The Steelers play the Raiders next week in what should be a win, given what Oakland has looked like so far. —Angel Diaz
7. Philadelphia Eagles
Record: 2 - 0
Last Week's Rank: 15
Last Week's Results: W vs. Ravens, 24-23
This Week: @ Cardinals, 4:05 Sunday
The Eagles need to stop turning the ball over. No, really. They NEED to stop turning the ball over. They won on Sunday against a Ravens team that was still feeling the effects of an emotional win on Monday Night Football last week. But, they still turned the ball over four times during the course of the game—just one week after turning it over five times against the Browns. Somehow, they're 2-0 right now. But, if the turnover trend continues for them, it's only a matter of time until their winning ways disappear. —Chris Yuscavage
6. New England Patriots
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 3
Last Week's Results: L vs. Cardinals, 18-20
This Week: @ Ravens, 8:20 Sunday
Maybe the Patriots were thinking ahead. With a Sunday night game against the Ravens coming in Week 3, New England probably didn't think the Cardinals would put up much of a fight this past weekend and as a result of that mindset, they suffered their first loss of the season. And let's just set one thing straight" Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski may get much of the blame for missing a game-winning field goal opportunity, but if it weren't for the team's lackluster offensive performance (that 79.6 QB rating wasn't very Tom Brady like) throughout the entire game, they wouldn't have needed some late-game magic out of Gostkowski. —Jose Martinez
5. Baltimore Ravens
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 2
Last Week's Results: L @ Eagles, 23-24
This Week: vs. Patriots, 8:20 Sunday
The Ravens blew a 10-point lead going into the second half despite forcing the Eagles into four turnovers. Joe Flacco and Ray Rice played well, but their defense betrayed them, giving up 486-yds of total offense. Better yet, the replacement refs betrayed the Ravens. This was basically a backyard game with all the holding going on and all the pass interference non-calls. The Eagles got lucky and won another ugly game. Baltimore has the Patriots coming into town next Sunday night. Hopefully the fake refs don't screw that one up. —Angel Diaz
4. Houston Texans
Record: 2 - 0
Last Week's Rank: 6
Last Week's Results: W @ Jaguars, 27-7
This Week: @ Broncos, 4:25 Sunday
The Texans might have the best offense in the AFC and they definitely have the best pair of running backs in football. The one-two punch of Arian Foster and Ben Tate pounded their way to 184 yards rushing and three touchdowns in Sunday’s blowout of the Jaguars. The Texans travel to Denver next and host the woeful Titans in week 4. If Peyton Manning plays anything like the turnover factory we watched on Monday night, Houston will start the season 4-0. —Sean Evans
3. Green Bay Packers
Record: 1 - 1
Last Week's Rank: 9
Last Week's Results: W vs. Bears, 23-10
This Week: @ Seahawks, 8:30 Monday
After opening the first two seasons of his career with a collective 23.5 sacks, Clay Matthews caused a bit of head scratching last year when he finished the season with just six. Guess how many he's already got in the first two games of this year? Six, including three and a half against the rival Bears. The Pack will need him to continue his terrorizing to force quarterbacks into pressure situations. Green Bay's ball-hawking skills covered up the fact that the secondary allowed a ton of yards last year, and it seems this year will be no different. If Cedric Benson can regularly contribute 81 yards on 20 carries, like he did against Chicago, that would be a huge help for resting the defense, as well. —Tony Markovich
2. Atlanta Falcons
Record: 2 - 0
Last Week's Rank: 7
Last Week's Results: W vs. Broncos, 27-21
This Week: @ Chargers, 4:05 Sunday
The Falcons are putting the league and the NFC on notice following their Week 2 win against the Broncos, and are easily ahead of the pack for the NFC South. After a near flawless win in Kansas City, Matty Ice and the boys followed it up with a solid win at home against Peyton and company. The passing game looked about as good as it did in Week 1 with Roddy and Julio switching places, but the defense came up big and had four takeaways including three picks of Manning in the first quarter. They could use some help in the run game (they only put up 67 yards on Monday) and had a scare late when it almost looked like Peyton might lead a comeback, but overall it a very formidable performance. Let's see if they can keep it up. —Elias Ahmed
1. San Francisco 49ers
Record: 2 - 0
Last Week's Rank: 1
Last Week's Results: W vs. Lions, 19-27
This Week: @ Vikings, 1:00 Sunday
What a week for the NFC West. With turnaround wins for Seahawks and Rams, the Cardinals and 49ers continued their winning ways, too. The 49ers are still holding the crown as the best in the division with a quality win against the Packers last week and another W against Detroit in Week 2. The focus going into this game was on a particular handshake from last season, but it was Alex Smith who actually stole the show.
The Niners QB threw for 226 yards, and two touchdowns, but Smith really showed his toughness on a scramble run late in the game by taking a forearm to the face that bloodied his nose as he was sliding down (should have been a penalty). Smith got back up and threw another touchdown pass a few plays later to Vernon Davis. This team is clearly the best in the league with Smith under center, Frank Gore putting the moves on folks up on the run, David Akers nailing field goals on the reg, and receivers who can burn a secondary any day of the week. We're looking ahead to next week when the 49ers go up against the Jets, as the Vikings shouldn't be much of an opponent for them this week. —David Whitely