Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

I'll run down my rankings of all 32 NFL teams and put them in their places. The winds of change blow strong this time of year in the NFL and I will extrapolate the results off-season moves and draft picks to give you an idea on how I see these changes affecting every teams shot at the Lombardi trophy. NFL Power Rankings - Week 3

Time to give someone else a chance at the top spot - and that someone this week is the 2-0 Indianapolis Colts. The New England Patriots' loss to the Carolina Panthers drops them to No. 3 this week, with a bunch of difficult games ahead before they face Indianapolis on Monday night in Week 9. Rising to No. 2 this week are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who play New England in Week 3 and will need to win that game in order to stay at these lofty heights. Rounding out the top five are the Philadelphia Eagles, who pounded the 49ers to seemingly get back on track, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who look like they have rebounded from a forgettable 2004 season.

Here is the Week 3 edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

Why do we do this? Why do the NFL power rankings even matter? Well let me tell you!!! They don't! But we still love NFL power rankings anyways, and here is my third one of the season for all you die hard NFL football fans out there. So how does all this affect this week's rankings? Well, we had two choices - write off Week 1 as an anomaly and just make minor tweaks, or turn the rankings upside down and move the Dolphins and 49ers into the top half of the list. Obviously we've chosen the first option, but if Week 2 is just as crazy, watch for the next edition of the rankings to show some serious movement.

Here is the Week 3 NFL Power Rankings.

2005 NFL Power Rankings: Week 3 ---- Week 4 >>
05 Record	Rank	Team		2005 NFL Power Rankings - Comments
2-0-0	1	Colts		Allowed only 10 points combined in their first two games; has their defense really taken that next step?
2-0-0	2	Steelers		Allowed only 10 points combined in their first two games; has their defense really taken that next step?
1-1-0	3	Patriots		Laid an egg versus the Panthers, and their schedule from hell won't cut them any breaks in the weeks ahead.
1-1-0	4	Eagles		A Week 2 date with the hapless 49ers was just what the doctor ordered for Donovan McNabb and company.
2-0-0	5	Chiefs		Now 2-0 to start the season; will try to pick up their third straight win when they play Denver on Monday night.
1-1-0	6	Falcons		Held Seattle scoreless in three quarters last week - but gave up 21 points in the other one. Vick injury a concern.
2-0-0	7	Bengals		Picked off Daunte Culpepper five times in their win last week. Will try to get to 3-0 versus the Bears this week.
1-1-0	8	Panthers		That Week 1 loss is all forgotten now; managed to beat the Pats without a quality effort from QB Jake Delhomme.
1-1-0	9	Jaguars		Held Peyton Manning to 122 yards passing and no touchdowns, but the offense didn't come through for them.
1-1-0	10	Broncos		No TD strikes for Jake Plummer versus the Chargers, but he was a decent 23-of-37 for 248 yards passing.
2-0-0	11	Giants		Tiki Barber ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass Monday night to lead the Giants to that 2-0 mark.
2-0-0	12	Buccaneers		Don't look now, but the Bucs are 2-0, with Carnell Williams (128 yards, 1 touchdown) racking up the yards.
2-0-0	13	Redskins		Two TD catches by Santana Moss in the fourth quarter on Monday night let them start the season a perfect 2-0.
1-1-0	14	Jets		Shut out the Dolphins in the first half last week, then traded touchdowns in the final frame to secure the win.
1-1-0	15	Bills		After looking solid in Week 1, J.P. Losman and the offense stumbled versus the Bucs in their loss last week.
1-1-0	16	Seahawks		Almost blew their Week 2 contest, letting the Falcons come back from 21-0 down to as close as 21-18.
1-1-0	17	Cowboys		Looked like they'd cruise to a win over the Redskins on Monday night, but blew the game in the fourth quarter.
1-1-0	18	Rams		At least they're not chasing the Rams for the division lead after a Week 1 loss - it's only the 49ers ahead of them.
0-2-0	19	Ravens		Didn't win with Kyle Boller, didn't win without him. Get a bye in Week 3 to try and sort out their issues.
0-2-0	20	Chargers		Starting 0-2 has people wondering if last year was a fluke; need to beat the Giants to avoid falling to 0-3.
1-1-0	21	Bears		Pounded the Lions for their first win; Thomas Jones ran for 139 yards on 20 carries, and scored two touchdowns.
0-2-0	22	Vikings		That vaunted, new-look defense has now given up 61 points over the first two weeks of the season.
1-1-0	23	Saints		Turns out that playing your home opener in your opponent's stadium DOESN'T give you any advantages.
1-1-0	24	Titans		Took advantage of a floundering Ravens team to pick up their first win last week; next will face the Rams.
0-2-0	25	Packers		That loss to the Browns dropped them to 0-2 on the season, and they get to face the 2-0 Bucs this week.
1-1-0	26	Dolphins		No more magic for Gus Frerotte? The QB went 20-of-43 for 177 yards in their loss to the Jets in Week 2.
0-2-0	27	Cardinals		Kurt Warner hasn't enjoyed facing former teams this season, losing to the Giants and Rams back-to-back.
1-1-0	28	Raiders		Randy Moss is still piling up the yards in Oakland, but all it has gotten the team so far is an 0-2 start to the season.
1-1-0	29	49ers		They might be 1-0 now, but they'll have to win in Philly this week to improve that mark to 2-0.
0-2-0	30	Browns		Braylon Edwards had three catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in their win over the Packers.
1-1-0	31	Lions		Joey Harrington was brutal in their loss to the Bears, with the five interceptions the number that stands out.
0-2-0	32	Texans		If this is going to be the year the Texans finish over .500, they'd better start winning some games soon.