The Seattle Seahawks stay No. 1 in the NFC power rankings entering NFL Week 3, while injuries to three NFC starting quarterbacks in Week 2 changed the order behind the defending Super Bowl champions. Injuries aside, the NFC is a little messy, not gonna lie.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (hamstring), Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (knee) all left games early. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints jump five spots to No. 7, and the Carolina Panthers climb three spots to No. 10.
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16. Atlanta Falcons (Prev: 16)
- Last week: vs. Carolina Panthers, L 34-3
- Next week: at Green Bay Packers, Thursday, September 24, 8:15 PM ET
Nothing is working in Atlanta.
Quarterback Cooper Rush turned the ball over twice in his first five snaps against Carolina. He fumbled on a scramble on the opening drive and threw an interception on the next series. Rush finished 10 of 17 for 86 yards and two interceptions before Atlanta benched him in the third quarter.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Jack Strand came in and threw a pick-six on his first NFL pass. On Monday, the Falcons named Michael Penix Jr. their starter for Thursday night. It’ll be his first start since a season-ending knee injury last November, and he was a full participant on Monday’s estimated practice report.
Atlanta has lost its first two games by a combined 54-16, and Rush leads the NFL with four interceptions. Penix threw just three interceptions in his 2025 starts before the injury, so he should help the offense protect the ball. Still, the Falcons stay at No. 16 until they win a game, and a short week at Lambeau Field is a tough place for Penix to start.
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15. Washington Commanders (Prev: 15)
- Last week: at Dallas Cowboys, L 37-20
- Next week: vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, September 27, 1:00 PM ET
Even when Jayden Daniels is healthy, the Commanders look lost. Aimless.
Daniels dislocated his left elbow on the final play of the first half with Washington at the Dallas 1-yard line. Left guard Chris Paul stepped on his foot after the snap, and the elbow bent back when Daniels tried to brace his fall. Before he got hurt, Daniels had thrown for 96 yards and a touchdown and run for 69 yards on seven carries.
It’s the same elbow he dislocated against Seattle last November. Head coach Dan Quinn said backup Marcus Mariota will take over while Daniels is out, and Mariota went 11 of 16 for 111 yards and a touchdown in relief. Quinn also stood by his decision to throw from the 1 instead of kicking a field goal. “I don’t regret that call,” Quinn said, per NFL.com.
Washington went 3-7 without Daniels in 2025, and the drop-off showed again Sunday. The Commanders gained 203 yards in the second quarter alone while he was on the field, then scored 10 points after he left. Now Washington hosts a Seattle defense that has allowed 17 points in two games.
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14. Arizona Cardinals (Prev: 14)
- Last week: vs. Seattle Seahawks, L 31-7
- Next week: at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, September 27, 4:05 PM ET
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett tied the game 7-7 with a touchdown pass to tight end Trey McBride on fourth-and-goal to open the second quarter. After that, Seattle scored the final 24 points. The Cardinals finished with 151 total yards, 10 first downs and 3 of 12 on third down.
Brissett, who played through an injury, went 17 of 28 for 95 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Seahawks safety Julian Love picked him off with a sliding catch in the third quarter. “Like our coaches said, there are no weaknesses on that defense,” Brissett said, per Seahawks.com. Arizona has now lost 10 straight games to Seattle.
The Week 1 win over the Chargers means less now that Los Angeles is 0-2. Arizona didn’t have a play longer than 9 yards until its final drive in garbage time, so the offense has a lot to fix before facing a San Francisco team that scored touchdowns on its first five drives Sunday.
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13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prev: 11)
- Last week: vs. Cleveland Browns, L 23-19
- Next week: vs. Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, September 27, 4:05 PM ET
Cleveland beat Tampa Bay after a 132-minute delay for nearby lightning. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. His 17-yard touchdown to tight end Blake Whiteheart finished a 12-play, 68-yard drive and put Cleveland ahead in the second half.
The Buccaneers had two late shots in the end zone and missed on both. Quarterback Baker Mayfield hit wide receiver Tez Johnson for 49 yards, and Tampa Bay ran for 5.5 yards per carry while holding Cleveland to 1.9. Even so, the Buccaneers are 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Tampa Bay drops two spots after losing to two AFC North teams and stalling in the red zone. Mayfield hasn’t looked comfortable in offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s scheme through two games. The Buccaneers now host a 2-0 Minnesota team, and they sit one game behind Carolina and New Orleans in the NFC South.
12. New York Giants (Prev: 9)
- Last week: at Los Angeles Rams, L 28-6
- Next week: vs. Tennessee Titans, Sunday, September 27, 1:00 PM ET
Dart hurt his left knee on the seventh snap of the game when Rams outside linebackers Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart sandwiched him on a third-down throw. He never returned, and backup Jameis Winston took over. New York’s only points came on two field goals.
The Giants ran for 52 yards, and running back Cam Skattebo led them with 36 yards on 12 carries. Left tackle Andrew Thomas (groin) and outside linebacker Brian Burns (ankle) were also hurt late in the game. After the game, general manager Joe Schoen downplayed long-term concerns about Dart’s knee.
New York slides three spots because head coach John Harbaugh’s offense looked sharp with Dart in Week 1 and couldn’t move without him on Monday. The Giants host a 0-2 Tennessee team next, so they’ll have a chance to get to 2-1 if Dart is healthy enough to play.
11. Green Bay Packers (Prev: 10)
- Last week: at New York Jets, W 20-17 (OT)
- Next week: vs. Atlanta Falcons, Thursday, September 24, 8:15 PM ET
Green Bay trailed the Jets 17-7 in the fourth quarter before scoring the final 13 points. Returner Skyy Moore’s 63-yard punt return set up rookie kicker Trey Smack’s 34-yard field goal to tie it with 2:59 left. After the Jets failed on fourth-and-1 at midfield, Smack won it with a 26-yard field goal in overtime.
The win snapped Green Bay’s six-game losing streak and kept the Packers from their first 0-2 start since 2006. However, quarterback Jordan Love threw for 145 yards, the offense went 1 of 9 on third down and the team committed 14 accepted penalties. Green Bay has 26 accepted penalties through two games.
Wide receiver Jayden Reed was carted off on a backboard after the second play and spent the night in a New Jersey hospital. Head coach Matt LaFleur said Reed had movement in all his extremities. Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele also left with a knee injury, and LaFleur said per Spectrum, “I think he could be out for a long time.”
Green Bay falls one spot because it needed a punt return to rally past a Jets team that went three-and-out in overtime. Now the Packers play again on three days’ rest without Reed or their starting right tackle, with Penix and the Falcons coming to Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
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10. Carolina Panthers (Prev: 13)
- Last week: at Atlanta Falcons, W 34-3
- Next week: at Cleveland Browns, Sunday, September 27, 1:00 PM ET
Doing what you’re supposed to do is a win. The Carolina Panthers taking Atlanta to the woodshed was expected, and they’ve been rewarded in the power ranking.
A week after allowing 59 points to Chicago, Carolina held Atlanta to three points. The Panthers intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble on the Falcons’ opening drive. Linebacker Devin Lloyd had two of the interceptions, returned one for a touchdown and added a sack, nine tackles and three passes defensed.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a better performance out of a linebacker in 17 years of coaching in the NFL,” head coach Dave Canales said, per Panthers.com.
Quarterback Bryce Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to tight end Darren Waller. Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan caught five passes for 101 yards. Young has 648 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception through two games, and he joined former quarterback Jake Delhomme (2007) as the only Panthers passers with three touchdown passes in each of the first two games of a season.
Carolina climbs three spots mostly because Young is playing the best football of his career. The defensive rebound needs context, since Atlanta was playing its third-string quarterback. A trip to Cleveland will show whether the defense holds up against a Browns team coming off its first win.
9. Dallas Cowboys (Prev: 8)
- Last week: vs. Washington Commanders, W 37-20
- Next week: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Rio de Janeiro), Sunday, September 27, 4:25 PM ET
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes and passed former quarterback Tony Romo for the most in Cowboys history. His 249th came on a 24-yard throw to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with 3:07 left. Lamb caught eight passes for 153 yards and two scores, and tight end Jake Ferguson caught the other two touchdowns.
Dallas scored on seven of its eight possessions. However, the defense allowed 389 yards, including 182 on the ground, and lost cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) and safety P.J. Locke (foot) in the first half. “We certainly have not arrived,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Dallas drops one spot because its defense has given up 48 points in two games. The Cowboys now fly to Brazil to face Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, a two-time Most Valuable Player, one week after Daniels ran for 69 yards in one half against them.
8. Detroit Lions (Prev: 6)
- Last week: at Buffalo Bills, L 41-31
- Next week: vs. New York Jets, Sunday, September 27, 1:00 PM ET
Is it time to worry? Maybe a little. The Lions look fallible. There are worse things to be, just look at this list.
Buffalo beat Detroit in the first regular-season game at the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium. Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more. Buffalo led 27-7 at halftime and scored touchdowns on six of its nine drives.
Quarterback Jared Goff was sacked on an opening three-and-out, then fumbled twice before the second drive ended in a punt. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who had 33 touches in Week 1, ran 16 times for 52 yards, and the Lions went 4 of 11 on third down.
Detroit drops two spots because its defense has allowed 71 points, 915 yards and 63 first downs in two games. Safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will miss at least two more games, and the Lions needed a late two-point stop just to beat New Orleans in Week 1. They’ll have 10 days to regroup before hosting the Jets.
7. New Orleans Saints (Prev: 12)
Last week: at Baltimore Ravens, W 24-17
Next week: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, September 27, 4:25 PM ET
This team has gumption.
New Orleans trailed Baltimore 13-3 in the first half and came back for the second straight week. This time, the Saints won. Quarterback Tyler Shough ran for the go-ahead touchdown on fourth down late in the fourth quarter, and safety Julian Blackmon intercepted Jackson to seal it.
Wide receiver Chris Olave caught eight passes for 86 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Shough also completed 10 of 13 passes for 113 yards against the blitz. However, left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. suffered a high ankle sprain, will have surgery and is out indefinitely. Asim Richards replaced him against Baltimore.
New Orleans jumps five spots because it has been in position to win road games against Detroit and Baltimore. The Saints lost to the Lions by one point in overtime, and they now rank ahead of Detroit because the Lions just gave up 41 points in Buffalo. Shough has made big throws late in both games, but protecting him without Banks will be the test against a 2-0 Raiders team.
6. Minnesota Vikings (Prev: 7)
- Last week: at Chicago Bears, W 9-3
- Next week: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, September 27, 4:05 PM ET
It wasn’t pretty, and the Vikings look like the worst good team in the NFC.
Minnesota beat Chicago in steady rain at Soldier Field. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores blitzed Williams on 27 of his 33 dropbacks, and the Vikings finished with four sacks, 10 quarterback hits and two takeaways. Defensive lineman Jalen Redmond forced a fumble at the goal line, and outside linebacker Dallas Turner sacked Bears backup Tyson Bagent on the final play.
Backup quarterback Carson Wentz went 11 of 20 for 143 yards without a turnover. His 11-play, 62-yard drive at the end of the game set up the clinching field goal. On Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell said Kyler Murray has cleared the concussion protocol and will start in Tampa Bay.
The Vikings move up one spot because they’re 2-0 even though Murray has played only part of one game. Minnesota has allowed six points over its last six quarters. The offense still needs Murray, though, since six of its nine drives against Chicago lasted five plays or fewer.
5. Chicago Bears (Prev: 4)
- Last week: vs. Minnesota Vikings, L 9-3
- Next week: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, September 28, 8:15 PM ET
Chicago scored three points one week after putting up 59, the second-largest drop from Week 1 to Week 2 in NFL history. Williams also hurt his right hamstring midway through the fourth quarter. He pulled up while scrambling on first-and-goal from the Minnesota 6 with the Bears down 6-3, and the game ended his team-record streak of eight straight games with at least two touchdown passes.
Head coach Ben Johnson said Monday that Williams is week-to-week and likely won’t practice this week, but he didn’t rule him out against Philadelphia. “He’s right now working through every avenue that he’s got available to get back on track here,” Johnson said, per ChicagoBears.com. If Williams can’t go, Bagent would start after going 5 of 9 for 54 yards in relief.
Chicago drops one spot because it now has quarterback questions, along with a defense that gave up 37 points in Week 1. Philadelphia has won its two games by a combined six points, so Monday night could come down to a few plays, and the Bears may have to win it with Bagent.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (Prev: 5)
- Last week: at Tennessee Titans, W 24-20
- Next week: at Chicago Bears, Monday, September 28, 8:15 PM ET
Hurts put the team on his back, doe. Granted, they were in that position because of him. That’s neither here nor there.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darius Cooper with nine seconds left. The score capped a nine-play, 65-yard drive after Titans kicker Joey Slye’s 33-yard field goal put Tennessee ahead 20-17 with 1:56 left. It was Cooper’s first career touchdown.
Hurts went 26 of 37 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and Titans safety Amani Hooker returned one of those picks for 92 yards. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith caught 10 passes for 117 yards as the temperature hit 98 degrees in the fourth quarter.
Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in his left arm on the first play and finished with 9 yards on four carries. Tight end Dallas Goedert sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee and is expected to miss a few weeks, so the Eagles are signing tight end Zach Ertz to their practice squad. “We’ve found ways to win the first two games, but we know we’re capable of being better in the run game,” head coach Nick Sirianni said per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Philadelphia moves up one spot at 2-0, and Hurts has come through late in both games. Still, the Eagles have won by a combined six points, their ball carriers other than Hurts ran 27 times for 78 yards Sunday and Goedert’s injury takes away a key target before Monday’s trip to Chicago.
3. Los Angeles Rams (Prev: 3)
- Last week: vs. New York Giants, W 28-6
- Next week: at Denver Broncos, Sunday, September 27, 8:20 PM ET
Quarterback Matthew Stafford went 22 of 31 for 327 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He passed former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers for sixth place on the NFL’s career touchdown pass list. With wide receiver Puka Nacua out with a hip injury, wide receiver Davante Adams caught eight passes for 195 yards and two scores.
Defensive lineman Aaron Donald played his first game since the 2023 season and made three tackles, including a third-down stop that held New York to a field goal. Cornerback Trent McDuffie had his first interception as a Ram and broke up four passes. Running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 164 rushing yards, and Los Angeles gained 481 yards despite losing a fumble and throwing an interception in the second quarter.
The Rams stay at No. 3 after bouncing back at home. Stafford followed a Week 1 without a touchdown pass by throwing four, and the defense pressured both Giants quarterbacks on more than 58% of their dropbacks. Next is a Sunday night trip to Denver, the second of at least four games edge rusher Myles Garrett will miss on injured reserve.
MORE: Matthew Stafford passes Philip Rivers in NFL record book, has sights set on Brett Favre next
2. San Francisco 49ers (Prev: 2)
- Last week: vs. Miami Dolphins, W 35-13
- Next week: vs. Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, September 27, 4:05 PM ET
It’s not that we forgot that the 49ers are a great team. They just don’t seem to have many weaknesses, either.
San Francisco scored touchdowns on its first five drives and led 35-6 after three quarters. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. He also completed all 10 of his throws that traveled at least 10 yards downfield.
Running back Christian McCaffrey ran for two touchdowns and reached 100 in his career. Tight end George Kittle led the team with four catches for 80 yards and scored his first touchdown since his Achilles injury. “He was real sharp. He was on point,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Purdy, per 49ers.com. The defense also sacked Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis four times.
The 49ers have outscored their first two opponents 62-20. They stay at No. 2 only because Seattle, the defending champion, hasn’t lost in 12 games. San Francisco hosts Arizona next in the second game of a three-game homestand.
1. Seattle Seahawks (Prev: 1)
- Last week: at Arizona Cardinals, W 31-7
- Next week: at Washington Commanders, Sunday, September 27, 1:00 PM ET
Backup quarterback Drew Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in place of starting quarterback Sam Darnold. All three scores went to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught nine passes for 155 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown on Seattle’s second snap. The Seahawks scored the final 24 points and ran 10:14 off the clock on a 16-play, 70-yard drive in the fourth quarter.
Seattle’s defense held Arizona to 44 yards in the second half. Through two games, the Seahawks have allowed 17 points and 382 yards and intercepted four passes, with Love picking one off in each game. “We want to be like a boa constrictor,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said, per Seahawks.com. Seattle has won 12 straight games, a franchise record.
Head coach Mike Macdonald said Monday that Darnold, who hurt his glute in Week 1, will likely practice in some capacity Wednesday. “Right now the plan is for him to be out there in some capacity, and we’ll go from there,” Macdonald said.
Seattle stays No. 1 because it keeps winning big without its starting quarterback. Lock has four touchdown passes and no turnovers in two games, and the defense has made more interceptions than it has allowed scoring drives. The Seahawks visit Mariota and the Commanders next with a chance to reach 3-0 whether or not Darnold plays.
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