NFL: Weekly Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0, +0): The Rams won their third straight game, all by double digits, with the most recent being a 35-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. QB Jared Goff has looked like a true MVP candidate during the first three outings, and that was capitalized with 354 passing yards in Week 3. RB Todd Gurley continued to play at a high level, totaling 105 yards on the ground. Even though the Minnesota Vikings looked incompetent against the Buffalo Bills last weekend, the matchup on Thursday Night Football will go to show just how good this Rams team can be. Minnesota has a great defense and will be a litmus test for the Rams' offense. We think Los Angeles will stay on the winning path for another week.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0, +0): The Chiefs' offense has been arguably the best story of the first three weeks as QB Patrick Mahomes looks like the best player in the league. Now we don't expect this trend to continue for the rest of the season, but it looks like Kansas City is legitimate. Their second-year quarterback just broke the record for most touchdowns in his first three games with 13 (!) and he had it done by halftime. The Chiefs' offense is just rolling over people, and the most recent case was beating the San Francisco 49ers, 38-27. Mahomes had 314 yards, and 114 yards to TE Travis Kelce. Kansas City will be on Monday Night Football next week versus the Denver Broncos, which will be Mahomes' first appearance in primetime.
3. Miami Dolphins (3-0, +3): The Dolphins have beaten the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, and Oakland Raiders. Now that isn't exactly death row (by any stretch of the imagination), but it is time we give the Dolphins some credit. Do we expect this ranking to hold up for any more than one week? Not really. But Miami has earned a spot in our top five, even if it's for a short time. The Dolphins defeated the Raiders, 28-20, despite giving up 345 yards from QB Derek Carr. The defense has been very good thus far, giving up an average of only 17.3 points per game. Meanwhile, QB Ryan Tannehill has completed 73.0 percent of his passes. I think Miami will come back down to Earth after Week 4 against the New England Patriots, but you never know!
4. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1, +3): After a one-week hiatus, the defending Super Bowl champions are back where they belong. Once it became clear that QB Carson Wentz was back and healthy, this team immediately became contenders again. Although QB Nick Foles filled in and helped Philadelphia win a championship, Wentz is the clear option and the Eagles should win 10+ games again. Week 3 wasn't glamorous, mainly because of the poor weather, but a 20-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts will suffice. Wentz dropped 255 yards in his third-year debut. The Eagles will now hit the road, looking for their third win of the season, as they face QB Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans.
5. Carolina Panthers (2-1, +3): The Panthers have looked top notch in their two games at home, but losing in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons still makes us hesitant on how Carolina will stack up in the division. The defense has been one of the best, allowing 20.0 points per game, and picking off QB Andy Dalton three times in last weeks 31-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. RB Christian McCaffrey had one of the best games of his young career, rushing for 184 yards and showing the league what he can do with space. The Panthers have an early bye week so they will sit on two wins for the time being, but after that, Newton's team will host the New York Giants which should be a victory.
MVP Rankings:
1. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
2. Jared Goff (Rams)
3. Cam Newton (Panthers)
4. Kiko Alonso (Dolphins)
5. Carson Wentz (Eagles)
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Magazine.
