2014 NFL Power Rankings Week 3

Third time's a charm? For the third week in a row there is a new team on top of the rankings. Well, new this week. Seattle has reclaimed their top spot after knocking off last week's number one Denver Broncos in overtime. A much more hotly contested game than the dud of a Super Bowl back in February. Did I jinx the Seahawks again by putting them in the top spot? Only time will tell.

1. Seattle Seahawks (2-1) ~ The 'Hawks just needed a dose of home cookin' to get back on track. They may have needed overtime but they handled Peyton Manning and the visiting Broncos in a Super Bowl redux. (Last Week's Ranking 2)

2. Denver Broncos (2-1) ~ On the flipside I give Manning and company all kinds of credit for going into Seattle and nearly pulling off the win. The Pacific Northwest is home to the toughest stadium for opponents to play in. (LWR 1)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) ~ Sanu to Dalton? Yep. You read that right. Mohammed Sanu threw the touchdown to his quarterback Andy Dalton. Gotta love it. (LWR 3)

4. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) ~ Calling all offensive lineman. Please fill out your application and turn it in to HR. The Birds wings are clipped on the offensive line as center Jason Kelce is the third starting O-lineman to go down with a serious injury in three weeks. (LWR 4)

5. Arizona Cardinals (3-0) ~ Now we all knew the Cardinals were going to be good this year. They finished 2013 hot and have picked up right where they left off. The big difference? Drew Stanton is under center while Carson Palmer is recovering from a nerve issue in his shoulder. (LWR 7)

6. New England Patriots (2-1) ~ OK, they barely hung on to beat the woeful Oakland Raiders at home. It took a holding penalty to negate a touchdown run by Darren McFadden and then a pick by Vince Wilfork (Vince Wilfork!) to seal the win. The reason? I picked them in my last man standing. Sorry for the near heart attacks New England. (LWR 9)

7. Atlanta Falcons (2-1) ~ Yes it was against Tampa Bay but anytime you hang 56 on an opponent, a division rival no less, it raises eyes. That offensive explosion vaults the Falcons past Philly as the highest scoring team in the league with 103 points in three games. (LWR 10)

8. Chicago Bears (2-1) ~ Last week it looked like Brandon Marshall would not suit up. He then played and found the end zone three times much to the dismay of many fantasy owners. This week he was a go from the start and finished with one catch for six yards. C'mon son. (LWR 11)

9. San Diego Chargers (2-1) ~ Danny Woodhead was carted off the field and has been placed on injured reserve thus ending his season. All of a sudden the backfield in San Diego is very thin. (LWR 12)

10. Carolina Panthers (2-1) ~ Kelvin Benjamin is officially breaking out. The rookie wideout finished with eight grabs for 115 yards and a score against Pittsburgh Sunday night. (LWR 8)

11. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) ~ There's no way that John Harbaugh thought Lorezno Taliaferro was going to have meaningful carries this early in the season. None. Zero. Zilch. (LWR 13)

12. Indianapolis Colts (1-2) ~ Andrew Luck completed 31-of-39 passes with four touchdowns and zero picks. The best part about it? The world was reminded that Matt Hasselbeck is still in the league as he came in for mop up duty. (LWR 17)

13. Detroit Lions (2-1) ~ Doing his best Bill Gramatica impersonation linebacker Stephen Tulloch tore his ACL while celebrating a sack. His season, sadly, is now over. (LWR 18)

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) ~ Sorry Steeler fans but I think you are my pick this week for last man standing. The reason that should scare you? Week one was Philly. Week two was Green Bay and last week was New England. (LWR 19)

15. New Orleans Saints (1-2) ~ Drew Brees is building a good rapport with rookie Brandin Cooks who snagged eight passes for a team high 74 yards Sunday. The Saints are a completely different team playing in their dome. (LWR 16)

16. San Francisco 49ers (1-2) ~ San Fran is averaging one point per game in the second half. One. Think about that. (LWR 5)

17. Green Bay Packers (1-2) ~ Eddie Lacy has yet to top 45 yards rushing in a game thus far. Cause for concern? I think so. (LWR 6)

18. Buffalo Bills (2-1) ~ Buffalo travels to Houston on Sunday in a matchup of surprising 2-1 teams. The Texans were gashed for 193 yards rushing by the Giants this weekend. CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson should be licking their chops. (LWR 14)

19. Houston Texans (2-1) ~ The game plan changed when Arian Foster was a late scratch Sunday. If he misses an extended period of time more of the burden will fall on Ryan Fitzpatrick who threw his first three interceptions of the year against the G-Men. (LWR 15)

20. Dallas Cowboys (2-1) ~ Dallas tied a team record by rallying for the victory after trailing by 21 points. That's impressive no matter how you slice it. (LWR 22)

21. Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) ~ No Jamaal Charles? No problem. Knile Davis toted the rock 32 times for 132 yards and a score. There isn't a running back controversy in KC but Davis could start for a lot of teams. (LWR 28)

22. New York Giants (1-2) ~ Victor Cruz found the end zone for the first time in nearly a year and the Giants found the win column for the first time in 2014. Rashad Jennings also ran for a career-high 176 yards and a score. (LWR 29)

23. Miami Dolphins (1-2) ~ Remember when the Dolphins toppled New England in week one and everyone thought the tide in the AFC East was shifting? Yeah, me neither. (LWR 20)

24. Cleveland Browns (1-2) ~ The optimist in me thinks that the Browns are a field goal here or there away from a 3-0 start. The pessimist in me thinks that the Browns are a field goal here or there away from an 0-3 start. (LWR 21)

25. Washington Redskins (1-2) ~ Kirk Cousins threw for 427 yards and three scores on the road against the hated Eagles. If he keeps this up the fans in D.C. will be asking RG3 who? OK, maybe not. But Cousins should be more than a capable fill-in. (LWR 23)

26. New York Jets (1-2) ~ For the second straight week the Jets had a chance to come back in the fourth quarter. For the second straight week the Jets did not come back in the fourth quarter. (LWR 26)

27. Minnesota Vikings (1-2) ~ With Matt Cassel injured rookie Teddy Bridgewater was forced into action. It looks like it's now his job for the foreseeable future and he will be without Adrian Peterson for perhaps the rest of the season. (LWR 24)

28. Tennessee Titans (1-2) ~ Bishop Sankey received 10 carries on Sunday and caught his first NFL pass to boot. Too bad it doesn't look like enough for him to overtake the incumbent Shonn Greene. Not yet at least. (LWR 25)

29. St. Louis Rams (1-2) ~ When you are up 21-0 at home you are supposed to win. Someone needs to tell the Rams that. They snatched defeat away from the jaws of victory. (LWR 27)

30. Oakland Raiders (0-3) ~ That makes 15 straight losses in the Eastern Time Zone for the Raiders. It's just one of those things you can't explain. (LWR 32)

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) ~ The only potential bright spot for Tampa is that Doug Martin returned to practice yesterday and looks like he will be ready to go come Sunday. (LWR 30)

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) ~ So much for sitting Blake Bortles all year. Chad Henne was benched midway through the third game of the year and it looks like Bortles will make his first start Sunday in sunny San Diego. (LWR 31)