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All those out there who had the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins as the last two undefeated teams after three weeks please stand up.
OK, so maybe there are a few of you. But there can’t be many who had that parlay.
Yet here were are after three weeks, and the Eagles and Dolphins are both 3-0 and at the top of my Power Rankings, with the Eagles in the top spot and the Dolphins right behind at No.2. The Eagles have really impressed in blowing out three so-so teams to get to the top spot, but Miami has defeated two good teams in the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills.
The Eagles look like the better team right now, with a high-scoring offense and a defense that can really rush the passer. The Dolphins didn’t do a ton on offense Sunday to beat the Bills, but they found a way with a late touchdown and then held on to win it.
Coach Mike McDaniel’s Miami team has won one game with a lot of offense, another with good defense and another with a combination of the two. The Eagles have been the NFL‘s best offense over three weeks, with Jalen Hurts playing at an MVP level. The reason the Eagles are ranked higher than Miami is because they started higher up and because I think if they met on a neutral field the Eagles would win it.
Both teams play tough games this week. Miami travels to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on a short week, while the Eagles play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are coming off a dominating road victory over the Chargers on Sunday.
The Jaguars are the biggest climbers in this week’s rankings, going from No. 22 to No. 9 after beating up the Chargers, 38-10. Yes, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert came in banged up, but that beating was much worse than that.
If Jacksonville beats the Eagles this week in coach Doug Pederson’s return to Philadelphia to face a team he won the Super Bowl with three years ago, they will be a top-5 team next week.
Anybody see that coming?
Of course not. That’s why figuring this league out year to year is so tough to do. Just look at the two remaining unbeaten teams.
Who saw it coming?
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
Jalen Hurts has carried this team to a 3-0 start. His ability to run and pass makes it a real challenge to defend this offense. The Jaguars defense will be a challenge this week. | 3 | 3-0-0 |
2 |
|
At 3-0, they are off to a great start. The offense didn’t do a lot against the Bills, but the defense made many key stops. They have a tough game this Thursday at Cincinnati on a short week. | 6 | 3-0-0 |
3 |
|
The injuries are becoming a problem for this team, especially on defense. The talk of cruising to a Super Bowl has subsided for at least a week as they head to Baltimore to face a good Ravens team. | 2 | 2-1-0 |
4 |
|
They still don’t do a lot on offense, but that will come as Aaron Rodgers gets more comfortable with his receivers. The defense impressed in beating Tampa Bay. | 1 | 2-1-0 |
5 |
|
The passing game hasn’t been as good the past few weeks, which is a concern. Now they head to Tampa to play a Bucs team coming off a loss. That won’t be easy. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
6 |
|
The offense has too many players out with injuries, so much so that Tom Brady can’t even bail them out. The defense has played well in three games, but now they get Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
7 |
|
They are 2-1, but they haven’t played like the team we saw win it all last year. They look to be off just a click here and there. | — | 2-1-0 |
8 |
|
Lamar Jackson has been special this season, but he has to be because of the defense. He’s shown that he’s back to his MVP level of play — probably even better. | 2 | 2-1-0 |
9 |
|
The Jaguars served notice the past two weeks that they might be ahead of schedule. They can be nasty on defense and are improving on offense, but the Eagles will be a real challenge this week. | 13 | 2-1-0 |
10 |
|
They looked terrible in losing to the Jaguars, getting dominated on both sides of the ball. Injuries are a concern with this team now in a big way. | 4 | 1-2-0 |
11 |
|
They looked lifeless early against the Lions, but they came alive late to win it to get to 2-1. The offense still isn’t clicking like it will be. | — | 2-1-0 |
12 |
|
The run game keyed the victory against the Steelers, which is what we expect. But Jacoby Brissett made a lot of timely throws. | 5 | 2-1-0 |
13 |
|
Getting to 2-1 with Dak Prescott out with injury is a good thing for this team. Cooper Rush has played well in his place. Good defense has helped. | 6 | 2-1-0 |
14 |
|
The offense actually showed some life on the last drive to beat the 49ers. Russell Wilson has to be better than he was for most of that game. | 1 | 2-1-0 |
15 |
|
They have to get more out of Jimmy Garoppolo than they did against the Broncos. The loss of left tackle Trent Williams for a while will hurt those chances. | 6 | 1-2-0 |
16 |
|
That was a heck of a bounce back against the Raiders. They showed they are a well-coached team. Now comes a key divisional came at Indianapolis. | 8 | 1-2-0 |
17 |
|
That was a nice bounce-back victory against the Chiefs. The defense played well and Matt Ryan made enough plays to win it. | 8 | 1-1-1 |
18 |
|
The Joe Burrow we saw against the Jets is who we expected to see this season. Now let’s see how they do on a short week against Miami with a chance to even up the record. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
19 |
|
So much for the idea that the comeback against the Raiders would get this team going. They did nothing on offense against the Rams, which brings back those questions about the direction of this team. | 7 | 1-2-0 |
20 |
|
Before the season, I thought it would be a miracle if this team made the playoffs. Now I am convinced of it. They aren’t good. | 6 | 1-2-0 |
21 |
|
They can’t get anything going on offense, which is why they are 1-2 on the season. Is Andy Dalton taking over as quarterback a possibility? | 6 | 1-2-0 |
22 |
|
It’s almost Kenny Pickett time, even if the Steelers aren’t ready to admit it. The offense isn’t good right now, but the defense let them down against Cleveland as well. | 4 | 1-2-0 |
23 |
|
They are now 2-1 after losing to the Cowboys, but they are an improved team. Brian Daboll has them heading in the right direction. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
24 |
|
They are 2-1, but have hardly looked like that type of team. The offense can run it, but Justin Fields continues to struggle. | 4 | 2-1-0 |
25 |
|
At 0-3, they’ve lost three close games. But at some point they have to find a way to win those games. This week’s game with Denver is a must-win for them. | 9 | 0-3-0 |
26 |
|
They really impressed on offense in winning at Seattle. Marcus Mariota was sharp and the run game was outstanding with Cordarrelle Patterson. They are going to be a problem for teams this season. | 6 | 1-2-0 |
27 |
|
Maybe the whole taking-receipts talk is something Robert Saleh should re-visit. This team isn’t going anywhere. They need Zach Wilson on the field soon. | 4 | 1-2-0 |
28 |
|
They had no business losing that game to the Vikings. This is a team that has to learn how to close out games | 2 | 1-2-0 |
29 |
|
The defense won the game against the Saints last week, but the offense needs to do more. At least Matt Rhule is in the win column to stave off the talk of him being fired — for now. | 2 | 1-2-0 |
30 |
|
The defense is a disaster right now, the offensive line can’t protect, and Carson Wentz is playing bad. Aside from that, this team is just fine. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
31 |
|
This is going to be a long season in large part because the defense isn’t very good. They were destroyed by Falcons at home. That’s not what we expect from a Pete Carroll team. | 2 | 1-2-0 |
32 |
|
Davis Mills is really struggling right now. They are 0-1-2 and have to be thinking quarterback in next year’s draft. | 2 | 0-2-1 |
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